Many automakers have cut down on the colors available for their vehicles. We see many black, gun metal grey, red and white. Peronally I like gold cars, but the color is only availalbe usually special-order for luxury cars. I would also love a pink Cadillac.e A new study shoes that car buyers are not buying cars to match their personalities. The problem may be that the automakers have limited choices. Our research also shows that if you buy an odd color car such as lime green it can affect the resale price later on when you sell the vehicle.
The vast majority of drivers are in the wrong-colored car for their personality. A pan-European study by Nissan, revealed taht 86% of those polled made an incorrect choice in the showroom for the car that would match their personality.
The study shwed that car buyers are still too conservative when it comes to picking paint.
The study was carried out by Nissan to celebrate the personaliation options on the all-new Micra hatchback which looks like a smaller compact Versa. The study found approximately a third of those surveyed should have opted for more striking shades like orange instead of traditional grey and black, based on their personality type.
To help consumers, Nissan has turned to technology and developed a Chatbot in conjunction with acclaimed colour psychologist Karen Haller. Delivered via Facebook, it determines the user’s personality and presents the perfect Micra color match for them.
I took the test and my chatbot told me
“And of course, we’ve got a Nissan Micra in your color – ENERGY ORANGE. Now we’ve got to know you, we think you’ll love the black personalisation. It’s very you
Both the research and Chatbot were developed using Karen’s expertise in the field of color psychology. With more than 20 years’ experience, she has worked with many global brands to understand the colour choices consumers make.
The all-new Nissan Micra is available in 10 bold exterior colors, including the vibrant Energy Orange and Pulse Green. The personalization program allows for contrasting shades to be added to the bumpers, doors, wheels and door mirrors. In addition, elements of the seat, door trim and dashboard can be modified with interior personalisation.
On sale since March this year, approximately 22% of Micra customers are personalising their car – more than originally forecast. Affordability has been key to demand, with customers spending on average just €400 to get the personalized design they want.
For the research, bespoke questions were devised to quantify an individual’s personality through analysis of their behaviour and preferences. This technique is commonly used to indicate a person’s primary personality, for example, as part of the screening process during job interviews.
The findings include:
- 86% have chosen the wrong-colored car for their personality type.
- Approximately two-thirds went for more traditional / conservative colors.
- 38% are currently driving a grey or black vehicle.
- 53% claimed color had impacted their vehicle choice
- Of those, more than half claimed to have selected their favourite color.
Based on the 5,000 responses across Europe, high-energy colors such as orange should top the table. These signify energetic, fun and optimistic traits within someone’s personality.
Karen commented: “Social factors come into play with colour choice. For example, in times of economic uncertainty, it’s common for people to play it safe and pick a car with a neutral palette – such as black, white or grey. So I’m not surprised that two-thirds of motorists are driving more conservative shades.”
Karen continued: “Often color choices are based around aspirations and black is often seen as an aspirational colour, associated with high-end technologies and innovative brands. It may be that far from playing it safe, they are choosing what they perceive as the finer things in life.”
Human response to color goes right back to early childhood. It is not always determined by symbolism or an association, but by in-built ‘hard wiring’ over which we have no control.
People react to color in different ways, and with psychometric analysis an expert such as Karen Haller can understand the relationship between personality types and color association.