Axalta’s year-long celebration of Gallant Gray is more than
half way through. Over the last eight months, it has been great talking with
Axalta customers, colleagues and fans all around the world about the beauty and
depth Gallant Gray provides, as well as gray’s rising popularity in the
automotive market.
During these valuable discussions, a few questions kept
cropping up, so we thought a Gallant Gray Q&A can help answer the most
common questions that you may have. Leave a note in the comments if you have a
Color of the Year question we didn’t answer.
Q: How did Axalta
come up with Gallant Gray?
A: Axalta’s color experts put a lot of time, thought and
energy into crafting the Color of the Year. Hard data, daily inspirations and
knowledge of the automotive market led Axalta to the color.
Data shows that a high percentage of the market is
interested in a neutral palette. Adding slight hints of hues can add life to
these colors. Statistically, gray’s popularity on vehicles is on the rise
around the globe and silver continues to fall. Behind white and black, gray
tied silver in 2016 at 11 percent. Gray leads silver in popularity in
Europe (by six percent), North America (five percent), and South Korea (seven
percent). Gray is most popular in Europe (17 percent), North America (16
percent), South Korea (19 percent), and India (12 percent).
Q: Can I buy a
Gallant Gray car?
A: Yes and no. Gallant Gray, like each of Axalta’s Color of
the Years, is a concept color devised using
data from global automotive trends and inspired by nature and culture. The
shade is not currently on any production vehicle. However, after its release, custom
painters were eager to use Gallant Gray on their projects and so you may come
across Gallant Gray on a hotrod or custom car near you! Axalta will feature one
of those projects at this year’s SEMA show, so stay tuned for more. Gallant
Gray is also at the track. Axalta sponsored driver, William Bryon drives a
Gallant Gray Chevrolet in NASCAR’s Xfinity series races.
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| William Bryon drives a Gallant Gray Chevrolet in NASCAR’s Xfinity series races. |
Q: Can I paint my
house Gallant Gray?
A: Turn on any home improvement show and there’s a good
chance you will see gray inside. Especially in kitchens and living rooms. Axalta’s
Gallant Gray was specifically developed as a metallic automotive coating. If
you just have to have Gallant Gray in your house, check out Pantone color 430 C
for a similar solid color space.
Q: Is it "gray" or "grey"?
A: They are both
pretty much acceptable. “Gray” seems to be more popular in the US while “grey”
reigns in the UK.
Q: How do different
generations react to Gallant Gray?
A: Gallant Gray is designed to look spectacular on any size
vehicle and has had great response globally.
With color complexity and a fresh look to this classic color space, the intent
of the color is to have not only global appeal but multi-generation appeal. It
may be working, a New York Times story titled, “For
Millennial Men, Gray Hair Is Welcome” details several cases of young men
going for a Gallant Gray look and reports that Amazon has “seen a threefold
increase in the last year in customers searching for gray hair dye.”
Q: Can you tell me next
year’s Automotive Color of the Year?
A: Yes! Check back with us around the North American
International Auto Show in January 2018.
