Honestly it seems like a lot of cars look like they are only grey primer with a clear coat. If true that really would save them some money.
New Car Color Options
- Thread starter Passport1
- Start date
Yeah, you’ll need to cite those government incentives.
I am very impressed that the plastic exterior parts can be made with the same finish as the painted body, especially bumper covers.
In the early 2000's when colours were "free", it must've been quite the logistical and manufacturing challenge to get right and added some costs.
Back in the good ol' days of 2003, a Ford Focus had 12 exterior colours available, 8 interiors, up to 5 trim levels and 4 body styles. There was limited choices for exterior/interior colours by body style and trim level but still a lot of combinations....
All this available in a whole car for less the a trim package upgrade on a half ton truck today....
In 2004 They also had like 3 different 2.0l engines, one 2.3l, 2 manual transmissions, and the automatic, so they didn't mind have a complex mechanicals parts chain either!
In the early 2000's when colours were "free", it must've been quite the logistical and manufacturing challenge to get right and added some costs.
Back in the good ol' days of 2003, a Ford Focus had 12 exterior colours available, 8 interiors, up to 5 trim levels and 4 body styles. There was limited choices for exterior/interior colours by body style and trim level but still a lot of combinations....
All this available in a whole car for less the a trim package upgrade on a half ton truck today....
In 2004 They also had like 3 different 2.0l engines, one 2.3l, 2 manual transmissions, and the automatic, so they didn't mind have a complex mechanicals parts chain either!
Miss those days! Wagons!
Because your wife likes it
Well, maybe "incentives" is probably the wrong word to use.
In the US, manufacturers must report the number of cars and configurations of the cars they make to comply with CAFE regulations. Among the data reported, car color, lighting packages, and other interesting items that contribute to the savings/use of energy are also reported. So, it's not necessarily an incentive, but color counts in a positive way toward the CAFE accounting.
From:
Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Model Years 2024-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks
A Rule by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on 05/02/2022"Auto Innovators requested that NHTSA align its data requirements more closely with the data that are available to manufacturers at the time pre- and mid-model year reports are prepared. Auto Innovators stated that the pre-model year report is largely a projection due for each current model year during the month of December which makes it not valuable enough for modeling since attributes like paint colors or lighting packages, that are currently required information in the proposed reporting template (for off-cycle technologies) until after the end of the model year when manufacturers submit their final reports to the EPA."
So, it is part of the data that the EPA requires. And manufactures are reporting final numbers based on what they sell.
In my quick search, I couldn't find the actual guidelines that quantify the amount of credit they get for making a white or silver car.
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Its a bit of all of the above.
The material costs a little more, but its marginal.
The special high metalic paints and pearls are a little harder to apply. Even with an automated booth you get more defects PPM. Rework is ridiculously expensive, so it gets thrown in to the mix.
Obviously the above costs are levered up on margin, so your $600 paint adder may only cost the OEM $100 in the end, but there is a cost.
The material costs a little more, but its marginal.
The special high metalic paints and pearls are a little harder to apply. Even with an automated booth you get more defects PPM. Rework is ridiculously expensive, so it gets thrown in to the mix.
Obviously the above costs are levered up on margin, so your $600 paint adder may only cost the OEM $100 in the end, but there is a cost.
