New car color trend emerges in Finland with unique gray shade gaining popularity

About 2–3 years ago, a new car color emerged in the Finnish automotive market that rapidly gained popularity. Known as a shade of gray, it deviates from the traditional silver-gray by having a darker tone, varying between brands, and typically devoid of all metallic shine. Industry workers have described it as “tinged concrete gray” or “base gray.” Although the term “matte gray” is occasionally used, it is misleading as the finish is a lacquered surface without metallic sheen.

Fred Renwall, product manager at K-Auto in Helsinki, noted that the color became available for Audi models a few years back and was an instant hit. When a new model featuring this color was released, nearly half of the sales consisted of vehicles in this shade. Similarly, Peugeot’s distributor reported its adoption as a standard option for one of their models around a year ago.

Many car distributors agree that this trendy gray is most common among larger, pricier vehicles, such as SUVs. On the other hand, popular colors tend to be standard options selected by manufacturers, which don’t incur extra costs for buyers. Choosing a unique color often adds hundreds, if not thousands, of euros to the purchase price.

Interestingly, the appeal of gray has persisted in Finland, being the most popular car color since 2011, followed by white and black. Mercedes-Benz introduced a shade called Alpine Grey over two years ago, witnessing modest growth in demand, albeit with indications that the trend may not last. Some industry insiders suggest that upcoming trends could lean toward various shades of green and blue.