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If Henry Ford had launched the Model T in India, he may well have been forced to say: “You can have any colour as long as it’s white”.
Indians simply can’t do without the colour, as Maruti Suzuki India realised in 2008. That year, going against market wisdom, the carmaker launched its mid-range sedan Swift Dzire in seven colours, but not white. However, in the face of popular demand, Maruti began offering the sedans in white a year later.
Studies suggest that 70-75 per cent of the buyers in India prefer the pristine shade.
“The dirt and scratches stand out across many of the fancy colours, even in black. White is easy to clean, has a noble look and is easy to touch up in case of scratches or dents compared with other colours,” says Mayank Pareek, Maruti Suzuki’s COO (Marketing and Sales).
“Black was never the most-liked colour, in India or in any of the tropical countries,” asserts Pareek, pouring cold water on the belief that it is widely sought after.
Family favourite“It’s the ‘no argument’ colour, as everyone in the family settles for white…. Other benefits are that anything (whether accessories or fittings) gels well with the colour and it is more suited for the country’s climatic conditions as it dissipates heat. That’s why 90 per cent of the cars in the Gulf are white,” says Pravin Shah, CEO (Automotive Division and International Operations) at Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M).
Recently, M&M clocked sales of 100,000 units of its sports utility vehicle XUV 500 in India, most of which were also white, he adds.
Corporates and tour operators also prefer the hue for their fleet. For those who thought it is a humble, no frills colour, you have not heard the marketing spiel. White comes in various shades such as arctic, snow, corel, pearl and shining.
Safety is another reason white is preferred, says Vinod Mandal, a Mumbai-based car mechanic. “A white car is easy to spot on a cloudy day or night.”
Indian car manufacturers sold 137,873 vehicles in July, a 5.04 per cent increase over the 131,257 units sold during the corresponding month a year ago, according to data released by industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. It’s safe to assume a good number of those were white.
“I think in Asian countries light colours are more preferred,” says Timothy Leverton, president and head, Engineering Research Centre, at Tata Motors.
After white, silver, is the next preferred shade, say industry experts.
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