{"id":2204,"date":"2025-11-09T23:03:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/?p=2204"},"modified":"2025-11-09T23:07:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:07:46","slug":"whats-your-car-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s Your [Car] Color?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A number of years back, as I pulled up to a stop light, I noticed a long line of vehicles in the next lane \u2013 four or five at least \u2013 that were almost identical in appearance. Although the cars represented different manufacturers, they were all small SUVs, and they were all black. Black, as it turns out, is the second most popular car color in the United States, representing 22% of the automotive market. White cars constitute one quarter of cars sold, with grey and silver contributing another 34%. During the golden age of car culture \u2013 the 1950s and 1960s, cars were not only bigger, but came in a wide variety of hues. The muscle cars of the 60s and 70s introduced us to colors that were bright and bold; Panther Pink, Vitamin C Orange, Grabber Blue, Plum Crazy Purple, and Rallye Red described the car, and the person who drove it, as outgoing, outrageous, and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n

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On the road today, cars that are not white, black, silver, or grey stand out, not just because there are so few of them, but because it makes one wonder what makes an individual go against the grain with such an unusual or bold color choice. Arm chair \u2013 and legitimate \u2013 psychologists have often contributed to stories that ask “what does your car color say about you?” 40 years ago, psychologists Peter Marsh and Collett discussed car color [as well as other automotive characteristics] in Driving Passion: The Psychology of the Car.<\/em> The pair argued that the economic climate \u2013 booms and recessions \u2013 often affect the color of cars on the road. Booms feature cars of primary tones and bright colors \u2013 yellows, light blues, and reds \u2013 whereas when the economy is in decline, there is a tendency for people to select somber colors like greys, browns, and dark blues.\u00a0Marsh and Collett also suggested that the aspect of personality a car reveals most accurately is “the person’s need for achievement.” Those with a high need for achievement will select cars with subdued colors; folks with relatively low levels of ambition will opt for bright colors including red and yellow.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The connection between car color and human personality remains a subject of interest today. In a recent article, Jaloponik<\/a><\/em> notes how many people consider red to be an exciting color that lets others know \u201cyou\u2019re passionate, intense, and ready for adventure.\u201d The Today<\/a><\/em> show goes a step further, asserting that the person who owns a red car is \u201csensual, dynamic, and outgoing.\u201d Yellow cars, states Jalopnik<\/em>, is associated with happiness, as it inspires people to \u201cfeel happier and more optimistic.\u201d Today<\/em> attests that the owner of a yellow car is likely to be joyful, has a sense of humor, and is young at heart. Today<\/em> also suggests that an individual who chooses a dark blue car is confident, credible, and authoritative. If you find yourself attractive to blue cars, writes Jalopnik<\/em>, \u201cthere\u2019s a good chance you\u2019re trustworthy, reliable, and calm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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In my own car history, I have owned a lot of red cars. My first car was a red Beetle; other vehicles have included a maroon Fiat convertible, burgundy Sirocco, bright red Rabbit, and a brilliant red Audi. In this regard I go against stereotype, as I am anything but outgoing and ready for adventure. It is likely I chose red vehicles to project the persona of who I would like to be, rather than the shy and reticent individual that I am. Of my most recent cars, two out of three \u2013 both Golf Rs \u2013 have been Lapis Blue. Blue has always been my favorite color. I suspect I choose blue not only because it matches my eyes, but because it projects the confidence and authority I lack. Perhaps by choosing colors that are so against type, some of the qualities associated with them will rub off on me.<\/p>\n\n\n

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I have owned a couple of silver cars, and the only positive thing I can say about them is that they were less likely to show dirt. Although they were attractive in their own right, such color conformity was never something I wanted to embrace. Although I am what you would call an older woman, I am not yet ready to succumb to the neutral, unimaginative, and dare I say boring, black, white, and silver cars that populate the roads today. I\u2019ll continue to enjoy surprising folks when they see me, a small, silver-haired woman, behind the wheel of a rumbling Lapis Blue-Black Edition, hot hatch Golf R.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A number of years back, as I pulled up to a stop light, I noticed a long line of vehicles in the next lane \u2013 four or five at least \u2013 that were almost identical in appearance. Although the cars represented different manufacturers, they were all small SUVs, and they were all black. Black, as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-2204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-car-stories","tag-automotive-brands"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat's Your [Car] Color? - Women & Cars<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Reflection on what a car's color says about the person behind the wheel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What's Your [Car] Color? - Women & Cars\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Reflection on what a car's color says about the person behind the wheel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Women & Cars\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/chris.lezotte\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/chris.lezotte\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-09T23:03:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-09T23:07:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sddefault.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Lezotte\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris Lezotte\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Lezotte\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/b510f9e6fac5a76e9293d63b0026cd9f\"},\"headline\":\"What’s Your [Car] Color?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-09T23:03:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-09T23:07:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/\"},\"wordCount\":757,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/b510f9e6fac5a76e9293d63b0026cd9f\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sddefault.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"automotive brands\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Car Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/car-stories\/whats-your-car-color\/\",\"name\":\"What's Your [Car] Color? 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