For the past few years, there’s been an unsettling homogeneity in automotive paints. See, it’s been a decade since Audi introduced us all to Nardo Gray, and for that decade we’ve all lived under the tyranny of its flat-non-metallic-gray-under-high-gloss-clear-coat aesthetic. Everyone wanted it, whether through OEM paint or attempts to mimic the finish using vinyl wraps.
But 10 years on, Nardo Gray has gone stale. It’s too popular, too overdone, and it’s lost that shred of uniquity that made it stand out of our grayscale world all those years ago. So, if the car scene needs a new trend, for all the OEMs and YouTubers to replicate, what should it be?
My answer is a nostalgic one: A return to the days of color-shifting paint. Think back to your childhood on Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix, building bright, colorful cars whose hues changed with the angle of the light. Those cars always stood out, always felt unique. Wouldn’t you want to go back?
Nissan’s Midnight Purple is a perfect example, shifting from purple to green (or purple to blue, or purple to gold, depending on the variant) based on any number of factors. The temperature of the light, the angle of the sun, whether Mercury is in retrograde — it’s an eye-catching color, because it’s never just one color.
In all of our concerns about grayscale colors, we found ourselves limited to discussing single colors — a travesty if ever I’ve seen one. So that’s my vote: a return to the age of the color-shifting automotive aesthetic. But I want to know your take, your thoughts on what the next trend in car paint should be. Leave your responses in the comments below, and we’ll collect our favorites tomorrow afternoon.