Are bright colours now about to make a comeback on UK roads?
We noticed it in IKEA car park of all places, when we were taking a break from a recent spate of furniture buying. Where has all the colour gone from the UK’s roads? Looking out across rows upon rows of shoppers’ cars, we noticed that they were all a blur of dark and metallic hues, with few of the vibrant hues seen thirty (or even twenty years) ago.
Of course, metallic paint is a safe resale point, as it’s not as wild and noticeable as a vivid colour, and at best makes a car look classy and expensive, and at the worst, a little bit boring. Silver is very popular, and has proven to be the most chosen colour of UK car buyers, which I now find strange, as after all, the steel which forms the body panels on most vehicles is a silvery hue before it’s painted.
New SEAT Ibiza SC Color Edition wears the latest colour for 2009
And there’s nothing wrong with that. I have a silver car and am very pleased with it. On some cars it’s a major selling point. Volkswagen for example, used to only offer Golf GTIs in black, red, white, and silver, and these four colours became the traditional sporty Golf palette. But recently, dark grey and even two shade of blue have crept in to the spoil the party, and to add two more dull colours to the nondescript choices available on the lower specification SEs and GTs.
I mean, surely, if you’re buying something a little special and performance orientated (which isn’t particularly apt in the these economic times I’ll admit), then why not shout about it a little?
New VW Scirocco’s Viper Green paint pays homage to the ’70s model
Manufacturers are slowly starting to realise this, and the ribbons of tarmac that criss cross the country are starting to look a little brighter. The latest manufacturer to inject some colour onto the highways and byways is SEAT, whose Ibiza SC Color Edition has recently been announced. Galia Blue and Lumina Orange are the unique colours for the small SEAT, which also features coordinated interior embellishments, and contrasting 17� alloy wheels (white on the blue car, and silver on the orange model) and roof colours.
Parent company Volkswagen is joining in the fun, too. A little of a shock in itself, as the company is known for its sometimes sober image. But, with a back catalogue of models such as the Golf GTI Colour Concept and Polo Harlequin, it could be rediscovering its daring streak. The new Scirocco is offered in a range of shades which mimic those from the Seventies, Viper Green being the must have shade of the season.
New Fiesta available in the magenta hue of Ford’s Verve concept car
A very similar colour is being plied by Ford on its new super stylish Fiesta. It’s also offering a vibrant magenta cum cerise which suits the car very well, and directly appeals to the more younger driver, who is exactly the audience that Ford is targeting. The BMW Mini, 2009 Fiat 500, and Volkswagen New Beetle come in yellow, further cementing the vivid colour’s comeback. Again, these hope to appeal to pre-middle aged drivers, and SEAT is clearly trying to catch this demographic, too.
A few years ago, bright colours were the preserve of young drivers of a more hooliganistic bent with baseball caps, loud stereos, and bright neon under car lighting, but the landscape is slowly changing. And that can only be a good thing. Not only is the new bright hue movement halting the seemingly imperceptible grey motoring expanse, but as more manufacturers commit to colour, we can all live and drive in a more technicoloured world once more.
