Green trends now driving auto coatings - DuPont

11 June 2008 23:26  [Source: ICIS news]

NEW YORK (ICIS news)--Green trends are having a stronger influence in the automotive coatings market, a DuPont executive said on Wednesday.

Producers are seeking to attract new business by using tailored paints and coatings for specific consumer applications, said Nancy Lockhart, DuPont colour designer for North America.

“While current economic conditions in North America are not being felt in car colour choices, people are clearly being influenced by the green movement, with natural versions of bold colours taking hold,” Lockhart said.

In Europe, the company said, preferences are highly influenced by ecological concepts, with demand growing for light, pure and sophisticated looks.

Additionally, the lighter the colour used, the less “solar gain,” or increase in temperature, a vehicle will experience. This results in using less power for the air conditioning and cooling systems.

The newer economies of the Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions are more influenced by personal preference, fashion and resale value, however.

These findings and others were reported in the anecdotal, midyear supplement to the company’s annual DuPont Global Automotive Color Popularity Report. The full report will be released in December.

“This year, we thought it would be interesting to ask car and colour designers in midyear about automobile buyers’ colour preferences,” said Karen Surcina, colour marketing and technology manager - DuPont Automotive Systems.

As of mid-2008, DuPont sees different shades of blue becoming increasingly popular in the Asia Pacific, North American, European and Latin American markets.

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By: Ivan Lerner
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