A horse of a differnt color

Shopping for cars is a national pastime. Even though we are currently slightly detoured by the flailing (yes flailing) economy and the ever fluctuation price of gas, the results of the Cash for Clunkers program are more than proof than we love to get a new ride.
I love looking at cars, it is one of MY hobbies. Model, make, year, color, all things that I unintentionally take stock of constantly. As with my fascination with the fashion industry I pay attention to changes from season to season.
Color is something that always changes. Slower than the fashion industry, the auto industry is constantly adjusting to trends. Its so easy to track, time and color. Many colors stay relatively standard, black, white, silver, even blue, red, and green are basic for every year. The colors that really are a barometer of society are the show colors. The non standard colors that pop up from time to time really can tell a little bit about the general sense of the time.
The 90's, embodied by the giddiness of a nation high on money and power. The colors of the time seen not only in the lurid interior of houses and awful clothes of the time pop up on the hoods of the decades vehicles. Bright fuchsias and matte teal, colors that should never grace the institution of automobiles, even as aftermarket, were in full effect.

Current trends in color seem to not only be tied to shape but concept. The past few years in the auto industry have seen  the slow demise of Americas love affair with the SUV. The result has been a re-evaluation of the the family car. The industry response, the crossover. and with this a new idea of the general mood. The SUV most crassly characterized by the blazing yellow flank of the Hummer H2 is being remodeled and remolded into the a trimmer, leaner, more chic version of its former self. With that a new color has been introduced.  Within the last year brown has popped up all over the industly and as far as i have seen, on what would be considered the SUV's replacement. Examples include the Subaru Outback, the Volvo XC60, and the Toyota Venza.

Photo: www.subaru.com

 

Photo: www.volvocars.com

 

Photo: www.toyota.com

All these options, though artfully named,  are brown. Ranging from a rich chocolate to a golden ocher, represent the new chicafied SUV. Does the new somber, fiscally savvy America demand am more somber color? Yes.