Purple cars are not a common sight in the US automotive market. Even with the emergence of Tesla and the popularity of the foreign made car, nobody is looking to release a purple car. At least not in America. However, some statements from Volkswagen have pointed to a very different reality in Europe and the rest of the world. There are some specific reasons as to why the purple car is not so popular in the United States. The reasons are surprising and the popularity of the purple car elsewhere in the world is only evidence to something changing.
Why are purple cars so popular everywhere else except the US?
The choice to buy a purple car is a very personal one. The purple color has some significant attention grabbing qualities that not everyone is looking for in their car. Yet we find that a large amount of European and Asian car manufacturers that offer some king of purple car in their lineup. And the heads of the automotive industry have become vocal on their opinions regarding purple cars.
Volkswagen Senior Color and Trim Designer Jung Lim “Limmy” Park made a statement about the change in color that we are seeing in the automotive industry. He said “Color is always shifting, and our color perception is always evolving depending on what we see, what we observe, and what we live with,”. That coming from one of the biggest manufacturers in the automotive world is clear evidence.
Even Nissan offer a GTR that comes standard with a purple color. So the appeal is international and not limited to one geographical place. But the question remains, why are there so few purple cars in the United States? The rest of the world are clearly open to the concept and have sold a number of cars with the midnight hue. The American automotive sector is quite volatile at the moment.
Why are there so few purple cars on the roads in the United States?
The American consumer is a very suggestable individual. They tend to buy products that line up with the old red, white and blue brand. And the color purple has never really had a place in America. One might point to the ever troublesome equal rights movement as the evidence needed to see that color has a place in America. And the more “girly” colors like purple and pink are not seen as good sellers for dealers.
So the eventuality down the line is that less companies offer the purple color as an option because less dealerships order the color for their cars. That is because there is simply no demand for the purple car in America. Some American legends like Dodge offered some purple muscle cars back in the 70’s but the color never really took off in the States.
Another aspect that one can consider is the fact that cars are lasting significantly longer than before. The advancements in engine technology and overall car reliability has meant that people often keep their cars for longer or the car gets passed down to a relative which means that the car gets a new lease on life instead of that person going off and buying a new car.
Will America ever be able to embrace the purple car?
The American knowledge of purple cars is limited mostly to muscle cars or dragsters. Cars that thrive on standing out from the herd. And that’s pretty much the only place you will find purple cars in America nowadays. Either in the car customization industry or on some ridiculously fast dragster that has 2000 horsepower and tailpipes higher than the car. But the automotive world is changing and America needs to change with it, especially if the big heads in Detroit are lookin to increase their footing in the international automotive market.
