Axalta Coating Systems has unveiled its 2017 automotive colour collection, Color_gen, to European car manufacturers (OEMs). First released in China at Axalta’s 2017 Color Show in Chongqing and Shanghai in March, Color_gen offers light vehicle OEMs an insight into global colour trends that will dominate the market in model years 2020/2021. Designed to help car manufacturers understand the colour choices of different generations of drivers, the collection captures these preferences in three distinct demographics: GENNext, GENHere&Now and GENLux.

The Color_gen show complements two other annual Axalta colour initiatives designed specifically for car manufacturers – the Automotive Color Popularity Report, now in its seventh decade, and the company’s Automotive Color of the Year, which for 2017 is Gallant Grey. The combination of these three resources give OEMs a valuable overview of customer colour decisions in the previous year, the latest trending colours, and a glimpse into what will drive car buyers’ colour choices in the future.

“While Axalta’s various comprehensive colour insight initiatives track global automotive colour trends, the Color_gen concept considers the behaviour and tastes of different car buyer target groups. Every generation is exposed to different influences, so their lifestyles, ambitions and choices vary,” Elke Dirks, Axalta’s Colour Designer for Automotive OEM Coatings in Europe, Middle East and Africa, explains.


The current Color_gen show has analysed three key target groups for car manufacturers to allow them to understand purchasing decisions related to automotive style, brand and colour.

The GENNext demographic consists of 16 to 35 year-olds who are predicted to account for more than 50% of the working population by 2020. This generation is likely to perceive cars as lifestyle objects. Colours predicted to appeal to individual tastes within this demographic range from ceramic-like, solid pastels to subdued, natural-looking colours, such as olive and smoky green or terracotta and bright colours for practical, functional vehicles.

The GENHere&Now segment addresses consumers aged between 36 and 55. They lead busy lives, are at the peak of their career and strive to maintain a work-life balance. The forward-looking Color_gen show presents intense, mid-range colours for busy families, unusual, fashionable metallics for the sporty singletons, and a refined palette of chromatic colours such as grey, black, silver, and effect white for “double income – no kids” couples.

GENLux focuses on the over 55s, the most important group of car buyers. They, generally, have the luxury of having a little more time and money, and are focused on quality. Premium effect colours, glass flakes and solid metallic variants of classic colours such as burgundy and variations of British Racing Green are among the colours likely to appeal to this demographic.

Dirks adds, “Axalta’s annual colour initiatives – such as the Color_gen show, trend mapping and popularity predictions – are of great benefit to car manufacturers who are interested in using this insight to innovate. In addition, they count on Axalta’s more than 150 years of expertise, and Axalta’s international team of designers, to help them stay ahead in the market.”
Axalta established the first-ever Color Advisory Committee 90 years ago to create colours specifically for cars. Since then, Axalta has remained committed to innovative colour technology and continues to build on its tradition of providing customers with dependable insights into consumer colour trends. Axalta also provides vehicle manufacturers and refinish technicians with one of the most extensive colour databases in the world, which consists of more than four million colours, as well as providing high quality car paint systems.