Short answer
Yes, within a shared neutral base. In Axalta's 2025 figures white leads in North America, South America, Japan, South Korea and India, grey leads Europe, and black leads China; India is the only market where silver is almost level with white. Every region is at least three-quarters neutral, so the regional differences are mostly about which neutral, plus a few markets where one chromatic colour punches above its weight.
Europe is the one major region where grey leads. Axalta first reported grey on top in Europe for 2019 and has done so in most years since: 27% in 2021, 26% in 2023 and 26% in 2025, when white was 25% and black 22%. BASF's EMEA figures tell the same story with a different boundary — grey 24% against white 26% in 2025, the two within a couple of points. Black in Europe is overwhelmingly an effect (metallic or mica) finish: Axalta's 2023 table splits Europe's 23% black into 3% solid and 20% effect. Blue has been Europe's strongest chromatic colour throughout — 12% in Axalta's 2023 data, 10% in BASF's 2025 EMEA figure — and BASF's 2025 release notes green overtaking red there.
Asia is not one market. China is where white has fallen fastest: Axalta put white at 35% in 2023, then black ahead of white by 2024 (30% against 29%) and 2025 (28% against 27%), almost all of it effect black. Japan is the pearl-white market — 39% white in 2025, of which 31 points are pearl — and has the highest shares of 'other' colours in Axalta's tables. South Korea combines high white with grey in the low-to-mid twenties and blue near 10%. India is the outlier: silver was 33% in Axalta's 2023 table and 31% in 2025, within one or two points of white, while black is only about 3%. DuPont's 2008–2009 reports show silver dominant in India, China and South Korea then too, so India's silver is a long-running preference rather than a new one.
North America has been white-led since DuPont's 2007 report, helped, DuPont said at the time, by fleet and pickup-truck buying. Its distinctive features are the strongest red and blue: Axalta has North America's red at 6–9% across its 2019–2025 reports, level with or above every other region, and blue at 8–10%. South America is the most neutral large region — BASF's 2020 and 2023 figures give 87% and 86% achromatic — and keeps silver unusually high (23% in Axalta's 2021 data, 14% in 2025) with blue barely present in some years (2% in BASF's 2019 and 2020 figures). BASF's 2024 and 2025 reports merge North and South America into 'Americas', which hides that contrast.
Axalta's 'Asia' and BASF's 'Asia Pacific' are not the same set of countries, BASF's EMEA includes the Middle East and Africa, and from 2024 BASF reports the Americas as one region. Each report weights its regions by its own view of production. So a table comparing Axalta's Europe with BASF's EMEA compares slightly different populations counted by different methods. Within one report the regional contrasts are consistent year to year; across reports, compare the ranking of colours rather than the exact percentages.
| Region | White | Grey | Black | Silver | Blue | Red | Green | Neutral total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global | 29 | 22 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 81 |
| North America | 31 | 21 | 19 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 79 |
| South America | 35 | 23 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 86 |
| Europe | 25 | 26 | 22 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 82 |
| Asia | 28 | 22 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 81 |
| China | 27 | 22 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 82 |
| Japan | 39 | 13 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 77 |
| South Korea | 35 | 22 | 19 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 78 |
| India | 33 | 13 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 80 |
| Region | White | Grey | Black | Silver | Blue | Red | Green | Neutral total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global | 33 | 19 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 83 |
| Americas | 28 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 77 |
| EMEA | 26 | 24 | 23 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 80 |
| Asia Pacific | 36 | 18 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 85 |
Each statement is labelled by kind — established fact, a standard’s requirement, observed market data, a convention, or Colourwise’s own interpretation or analysis — with the strength of the evidence behind it.
Observed market dataStrong evidence· Europe· 2025
Axalta's 2025 report gives grey as Europe's leading colour at 26%, ahead of white at 25% and black at 22%.
Measured: Vehicles built in 2025, per Axalta.
Caveat: Axalta's Europe region is not identical to BASF's EMEA.
Source: 2025 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report (73rd report)
Observed market dataStrong evidence· China· 2024–2025
In Axalta's 2024 and 2025 reports black overtook white in China (30% against 29% in 2024; 28% against 27% in 2025), with almost all of the black in effect finishes.
Measured: Vehicles built in China, per Axalta.
Caveat: A one-point lead in rounded figures; the ranking could flip back within the rounding.
Source: Global Automotive Color Popularity Report 2024 (72nd report); 2025 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report (73rd report)
Observed market dataStrong evidence· India· 2023–2025
India has the highest silver share of any market Axalta reports: 33% in 2023 and 31% in 2025, close to white's 34% and 33%.
Measured: Vehicles built in India, per Axalta.
Caveat: Industry estimate without published method.
Source: Global Automotive 2023 Color Popularity Report (71st report); 2025 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report (73rd report)
Observed market dataStrong evidence· South America· 2023
BASF reports that achromatic colours made up 86% of new vehicles assembled in South America in 2023.
Measured: New non-commercial vehicles assembled in South America in 2023, per BASF.
Caveat: From the release; the full regional table was not reachable.
Colourwise analysisStrong evidence
Regional colour differences are mostly a choice between neutrals: in each region Axalta reports for 2025, white, grey, black and silver together exceed three-quarters of vehicles built.
Based on: Sum of the four neutral shares per region in Axalta's 2025 summary table; see the table on this page.
Caveat: Based on rounded figures from one report and one year.
Source: 2025 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report (73rd report)
Reviewed 29 September 2026. Colourwise summarises its sources in its own words and does not reproduce standards text or proprietary colour data. Spotted an error? Tell us.