Volvo in the black
Fashion repeats itself in the car world.
Filed under: Brand Related | Exterior
The hot car colour right now is black, in both solid and metallic. The "blackest" of all Volvo's car models is the baby of the family, the Volvo C30.
Volvo C30 R-Design. Front, Black Sapphire Metallic, Studio. The R-design package for the V.
"Colour trends in clothes make their way to interior decorating and then come to cars. Car buyers often need to acclimatize to a fashionable colour before taking it on board," says Cilla Stark, designer and colour specialist at Volvo Cars.
In recent years, we have seen a black trend in fashion and interior decorating. And now black has beaten the previously so popular silver metallic as the car colour to be seen in.
25.5 percent of Volvos sold worldwide are black. And it needs to be remembered that there are always at least 15 different colours to choose between for each Volvo model.
When the individual models are examined, Volvo's smallest model, the C30, takes the clear lead: almost 29 percent are black.
"Black can be truly elegant but it can also be avant-garde. Many younger customers buy the Volvo C30 because they want a tough car that makes a statement," says Cilla Stark.
The Volvo C30 may well appeal to younger buyers but they usually do not have the most generous of budgets for their cars. Black creates the right image from the very outset.
Having said that, the Volvo V70 estate car is also highly popular in black, with 25 percent of all cars sold specified in that colour. And when it comes to the latest addition to the Volvo range, the Volvo XC60, the proportion of black cars is 27.7 percent.
"The entire car world is black today. The silver wave is definitely ebbing away," affirms Cilla Stark. Alongside the growing number of black cars, white cars are gaining in popularity too.
"White is part and parcel of the popularity of black because it is based on contrast - just as in the fashion industry and in interior decorating," says design director Lena Jiseborn.
The hunt for a confident attitude, the quest for change and trendy colours in other spheres too are some of the reasons behind the increased popularity of black cars. But is there an additional explanation?
"It is possible that when the economic situation is poorer, people take a long hard look at their private economy and choose "safer" colours. Having said that, the opposite is also true," says Lena Jiseborn and continues:
"There are always people with money. In these circles, there is a clear trend right now towards various warm metallic shades such as gold, bronze and copper."
That trend neatly matches the second best-selling colour for the latest model, the Volvo XC60. The hot colour right now is Terra Bronze. 22.4 percent of all Volvo XC60s sold so far are in Terra Bronze, a metallic shade.
"We certainly had the right colour at the right time with that one. That's great. Many of the people who choose to buy a new model are people who also want to be seen and who care a lot about how they appear," explains Cilla Stark.
The latest addition to the warm metallic colour trend is the company's latest concept car, the Volvo S60 Concept. It has a warm copper metallic livery known as "Warm Liquid Copper".
In Volvo's colour palette, there are another two warm metallic colours that have gained in popularity. They are Oyster Grey and Seashell Beige, accounting for 11 and 10 percent of sales respectively.
Bearing in mind what is already trendy today in the world of fashion and interior decoration, there is little doubt what the next big car colour will be.
"If we look at men's fashions - which often dictate trends in the car world - what's big right now are various shades of red, from orange to burgundy. So the next big shift in car colours may well be red," says Cilla Stark.
Other trends that she predicts are that the classic navy blue may be ready for a return and that various shades of brown will retain their popularity.
Footnote: Volvo Cars offers three different black colours. They are solid black, metallic black and Ember Black metallic. The latter is reserved exclusively for the Volvo S80 and Volvo XC90.
Topcoats, Volvo C30.
1. Black, solid and metallic 28.4%
2. Silver metallic 10.5%
3. White solid 9.5%
Topcoats, Volvo V70
1. Black, solid and metallic 25%
2. Oyster Grey metallic 11%
Topcoats, Volvo XC60
2. Terra Bronze metallic 22.4%
3. Saville Grey metallic 16.2%
Topcoats, total Volvo
3. Titanium Grey metallic 9.9%
(source: Volvo)
(March 2006). Volvo is introducing a reworked identity as part of widespread changes to the way it markets itself.
The Swedish motor vehicle manufacturer has appointed branding agency Bite to develop its logo as part of a plan to elevate the marque's iron symbol to give it the same level of prominence as the Volvo mark.
The changes, which are the brand's most significant in 75 years, are intended to eradicate inconsistencies in the application of the Volvo identity across its models and communications.
The company also wants to make greater use of the iron symbol, which it claims is recognised as a good illustration of the strength and endurance of its vehicles.
The changes to the logo are subtle, with the iron mark now more curved and thicker bevelled edges. The shape of the arrow has also been changed slightly. The blue of the "Volvo" script is retained, but the silver used for the iron mark is now a softer matt shade in an attempt to give it a more luxurious feel.
The new look will be introduced across all the brand's promotional activity -- previously it had used only the word "Volvo".
The reworked logo will first appear on the C30 model, which is due to be launched at the Paris Motor Show in September, and international promotional material for the model. Volvo hopes the C30 will rid it of its traditional association as a safe choice of family car and make it appeal to a younger and broader audience.
The changes follow Volvo's decision to relaunch its customer magazine, which is produced by Redwood Publishing.
Volvo Means "I'm rolling" in Latin. Sweden, 1927 to date.
Volvo related emblems
Volvo R
Volvo ads
Volvo brochures
Volvo exhibits
Volvo commercials
Volvo 1800 Convertible : 1971
Volvo P1800 : 1961
Volvo P1900 : 1956 Only 67 units of the Volvo P1900 were manufactured in one short year. (1956-1957).
eVolvo : 1971
Volvo Amazon Custom Coupe : 1966 by Bo Zolland.
Volvo T6 Roadster : 2005 Hand-built HotRod.
Volvo Multifuel Introduced in 2006.
Volvo PV445 Duett : 1949 29,409 produced.
Volvo C30 : 2007
Volvo E85 models Five models from 125 to 200 hp give Volvo one of the market's broadest ranges.
Volvo launches new online car building tool Third generation.
Volvo launches news channel on YouTube
Volvo October 2008 sales A 52 percent decrease.
Volvo P121-122 : 1958 Generally known as the "Amazon"
Volvo S80L : 2009 Specifically designed for the market in China.
Volvo gives away 10,000 vehicles
Volvo S60 : 2009 Preview of the next sedan model.
Volvo gets 5 models for Green Car of the Year candidates
Volvo maps driver behaviour in advanced research project Euro FOT (Field Operational Tests)
Volvo 2008 December Sales A 47.1 percent decrease.
Volvo XC60 tour With more than 85 events.
Volvo car interiors minimized Nickel leakage
Volvo C30 ultra racer
Volvo 2010 XC60 pricing announced MSRP of $37,200.
Volvo presents seven new cars with the green DRIVe badge All with best-in-class CO2 levels.
Volvo upgraded state-of-the-art emissions laboratory For reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Volvo City Safety named All-Wheel Drive Innovation of the Year
Volvo's City Safety named "Genius" innovation of the year by Allianz
Volvo new head of Design is Peter Horbury
Volvo and SimBin Join Forces to Release Free Racing Game
Volvo Amazon : 1967 Custom-built 600 horsepower Volvo Amazon thunders into SEMA.
Volvo Official site.