davidegai

Just out of curiosity: I do not think there is a single white S class in Europe, whereas this color seems to be popular in the US and Asia. Any clues why?

vraa

In Asia (at least Japan) white means luxury from what I've read.

CY

Ummm since white looks great on the new S. In Eu people seem to like silver and black on MB's so it seems.

DesiBaba

I don't know about EU, but middleast seems to have all light color cars for the obvious reasons of crazy heat. It would be interesting to see the real statistics though, what part of the world likes what colors in general.

isaacu

This is a deep question for which the answer lies in profound "psychology"!

Let's put it this way:

In Europe, the weather can be very dreary (i.e. rain, snow, dull...) It does not "lend itself" to a white painted car. Especially medium range cars and above. The colour does'nt "stand-out" in such conditions. Also, when people contemplate washing and caring for a white car they "develop" a strange "reluctance" to buy one!

Whereas, on continents like Africa, US and Asia, colours like white, pewter (and all its derivatives i.e. various shades of Gold) just "belong". They are "easier on the eye" and "make a lot of sense". They also "blend" in better.

Phew! What have I just written?

ZedStyle

having grown up in africa i can safely say that the reason for mostly white cars is like desibaba said, which is the heat, but also because it is the cheapest paint option.
there is an INSANE influx of used japanese cars now, so throughout the continent you see a lot more colors, and also the people buying locally manufactured cars are able to afford the more expensive options. white is now considered too common, so people who can afford to would rather choose a red or blue car, for example.

ZedStyle

hey, check out this link:

Most Popular International Car Colors, 2003–2004
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0931317.html

Kar don

all benz taxis in germany are white. For some reason I must agree that white cars look out of place, unless really bright white.

hcwong

Erm...with due respect I think German cabs are all in a color best described as 'ivory' (readers who have travel experience in Germany will be able to verify this), or what the British magazines used to derisively refer to as 'hearing aid beige' (any older readers here who know of this please reply in support to verify my point).

In October 2005 I was in Germany on a AMG event. We were hosted to the last DTM race of the season, and given a tour of the pits. There we learnt that each cars' distinctive 'paint' scheme was in fact a self adhesive film. As an interesting aside, we were told that today German cabs' 'ivory' color was applied the same way, and that underneath the film they were all silver, to enhance resale value since not many people would relish the prospect of driving what could only be a used cab.

hcwong

White has been a slightly passe car color in many parts of the world for a few years, among various reasons being that modern car design with numerous complex curves and mix of concave and convex surfaces are best complemented by metallic colors which reflect light and thus bring out the design nuaces the designers have labored over and are expensive to stamp out onto the body panels.

An example I can give is the deep fluting on the bonnet of the R230 (current series) SL. This has the effect of pulling back the headlights and giving them a smooth backward flowing look in a graceful yet aggresive fashion which makes the car seems as if it is wild cat about to pounce at you. If you run your hands along the contours of the bonnets you will be surprised to discover the fluting is nowhere as deep as appears. It is a clever optical illusion enhanced with the use of metalic paint. Look at a SL in white and see how the effect collapses.

I think any designers reading this would be pleased to agree with this widely accepted point not just refering to the SL but most contemporary designs.

hcwong

Another way of putting your point (with which I agree totally) is that in different parts of the world the quality of light is different.

A simple example is how artist have traditionally preferred a south facing studio for the soft even light it yields throughout the day. Similiary, places nearer the equator tend to have harsher light, and so certain car colors work better there than a place like the UK or Vancouver which tends to have lots of muted indirect light, or how the light in the southern hemisphere is distinctly different from what we in the northern hemisphere are used to...and so on.

And in a round about way that is one (of many) reasons why different car colors are popular in different countries.

hcwong

I am not sure how old you are, but if you are old enough you may recall the mid 1980s image of white benzs with color cordinated body kits?

(A clue: think original Maimi Vice TV series, especially white 560SECs)

That perhaps might be a reason?

AsianML

Because if it snows in Europe (which it does) you'll be screwed when others can't see you.


J/K....I'm curious as well. In Viet Nam, I only see white taxis, and the MBs and BMWs are mainly black.......and a dark blue color, sort of like Capri Blue.

danvelvet33

Hi
I am from Hungary and spend a lot of times in Germany.
Believe me it is mostly because of the dirt and dust throughout the winter and fall. Owners like the silver a lot , because those cars don't need washing all the time. A little bit of dust doesn't hurt the look. Black needs more cleaning as well , but white looks awfull when dirty.
I am sure there are more white cars in the southern states than in NY or Oregon.White looks brilliant in the sunshine!
Here in Hungary people don't buy Luxury Cars in white , because people are very jealous and if you have a nice car , it will not stand out in silver or black as much as in white.
Picture me rolling in a white 600 with 20" on.
The Taxman will wait for me in front of the House ( together wit a bunch of girls

omair83

Yep you got that right, in Saudi Arabia .The most popular colour is the white one.

I mean you just get sick of it, Every block you can see 1. That's why I got the grey one.

Nevada Jack

The reason why people like white...

An awful lot of members of German Car Fans drool over the white S550. It well may have a bad connotation in EU based on the taxi connection but white still looks great all the time.

danvelvet33

Nevada Jack
Your car is wonderful , and I wish I had one like yours.But unfortunatelly I always screw my money( Became a Gambler at the age of 15 )
This car doesn't have anything common with a German Taxi
How often do you clean your car? Have you ever been outside in the rain?
Keep on posting the great pics
Dennis

Nevada Jack

Keeping the car clean is pretty easy here in Las Vegas...no rain to speak of and the dust is light in color so just doesn't show up...:-) I have it washed about every two weeks or so because as you know the wheels generate that famous MB black dust.

Thanks for the kudos on the pictures...:-)

Can Drive 55

Jack, another nice photo. What lens did you use for it? Thanks.

Nevada Jack

Thanks. Canon 20D with EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS set at 24mm, 1/640th, F7.1 and ISO 200. A really great lens!

Can Drive 55

Thanks. I was wondering if it was a fisheye. I didn't think so, but it looked like a bit of a wide angle. 24mm, huh. The camera must have been at about headlight level.

Back to the topic - I think white just plain looks good on most MBs.

shadowgriffen

hey there is nothing wrong with a white MB!

mbnj

Also the gender impact. White is generally a female color and in the US women buy and influence a lot of cars. There is probably a statement factor as well, many people who dress conservatively probably drive certain colors and and more outgoing personalities like brighter/lighter. Lastly, I subscribe to the Florida, California (Southern, esp), Nevada warm, sunny state theory on white.

Brian_I.

My next MB is going to be white.