>I thought it was usually surveys which determine the color of vehicles or sales of the previous years. Auto companies choose paint colors that they believe will sell. You may enjoy these articles:
>
>http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/09/autos/car_colors/index.htm

Now they are designing these nice colors, after saturating the whole landscape with mousefart grays ("mouse fart" was really the name we used, as kids, for dull gray and graphite colored things).

>I saw an absolutely beautiful orange-rusty color recently. It sparkled and was similar to 'burnt orange.' I loved it. I have a white car simply because it stays cooler in the summer heat when you're driving around North Carolina :o)

Actually, the lighter colors are just slower. Slower to soak the heat, and likewise slower to squeeze it out. Notice how darker cars are all covered with dew in the morning, while the whites are dry - still warm enough from the previous day to prevent condensation.