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Oddly enough, the outlier here is that the only color Tesla does not charge for the Model S is pearl white and even the non-metallic black is an up charge. Strange but true.
In general, plain appliance-white (not the pearl-white) is the cheapest auto paint-color because of the lack of pigments. That is why GM and some other manufacturers include refrigerator-white in a vehicle's base price, but charge extra for everything else. Annoying, but factual.
First of all, it does have pigment. The only paint that has NO pigments is clearcoat. You'd be amazed how many different colors are "white". I'm having my bathtub refinished, there are like 17 shades of white.
And, as others have said the issue there is the lack of metallic flake, not pigments.
There are no fewer pigments in white than in red, or any other color.
Technically factual, but not the real story. On GM vehicles (primarily Buick), "Summit White" is the only free color because it is the only non-metallic color offered. If other non-metallic paints were available, they'd be free too. On the flipside, for a good portion of the Chevy lineup, ALL available paints are metallic, and there is no upcharge for any color, except for some models that offer metallic paint that ALSO has a pearl or tintcoat (tinted clearcoat), because those processes are more complicated.
But go look at BMW for example, who tends to offer several non-metallic paints on each model. All of them are free, there is an upcharge for metallic, and a much bigger upcharge for frozen (matte) finishes. Notably to this discussion, some models have multiple whites available, with Alpine White (non-metallic) being free, Brilliant White Metallic carrying an upcharge of $650 or so, and Frozen Brilliant White carrying an upcharge of $3600 or so (prices vary by model).
Humorously enough, if you look at something like the Ford Explorer, White is the most expensive color available, because it is the only pearl coat.
Bottom line, Steve has it right. In general, manufacturers do not charge for the base tint. They charge for special finishes.
This is a modern thing where car manufactures are charging extra. There should be no reason for them to do it, should all be included.
Toyota/Lexus never charged for pearl colours. Mica they never did but they do now. And for metallics, they never ever charged. There were a few one-offs where they did charge.
Originally Posted by arentz07
Well, it was only offered on the Launch Edition IS 500, but now it will be available on the 350 as part of an appearance package.
Well, when you look from the color cost point of view, white cars can be cheaper. Another main reason why white cars are cheaper is that the color is offered by manufacturers as a flat paint without many additives, which makes it cheaper.
They mean metallic flakes or pearl flakes. Has nothing to do with "lack of pigments"
Some People Do Not Like White Cars
When people dislike something, they lower demand which in turn pushes prices down. Car dealers are forced to offer white cars at a cheaper cost to lure customers. The belief by some people that white cars are inferior is not true, they just don’t like the color.
How can there be lower demand for a color that is the most commonly chosen?
And the best part, they contradict themselves in the same article:
White Can Improve The Car’s Resale Value
Aside from beauty, the white color is accepted by most people in the car market. If you plan on selling your car after some time then, you should consider getting a white car.
The color is quite neutral and says nothing much about the driver. Fleet owners like it due to its low repainting costs, if you plan on selling them a car, it better be white.
The more exotic colors attract a lot of attention and some people do not like that.
So, some people don't like white cars, so the prices are low, but white cars have the highest resale value. Huh?
The Cost Of Repainting Is Low
Some second-hand car dealers buy used cars, repair them and avail them to customers at yards. To determine the selling price they factor in all the costs of repairing the car, this includes the painting costs.
White paint is cheaper, this lowers the repair cost and in turn the selling price. The next time you see a white car with a cheaper price tag compared to other colors, don’t think of that as a reflection of quality.
Ask any body shop, white cars are some of the hardest cars to paint and match.
It is the same case over in the 3IS forums - Ultra White is overwhelmingly the most popular color, and various silvers combined come in at number 2. Gray and black are close behind those.
It makes sense if you think about it. Grayscale colors tend to blend in more and look better on more cars. So even for manufacturers, it makes more sense to offer more of them. And for me, I've always found it easier to settle on a car with a color that is neutral. I guess that's why all my cars except for the VW GLI have been gray, silver, or black. I almost bought a white IS 350 instead of my silver one, but it got snatched up before I could test-drive it. But then, I am glad I went with silver.
(Somehow my wife has only had one "colorless" car, her Versa Hatchback. Her Versa Note was red, and the 330i is blue. She might be a bit of an outlier.)
I like silver a lot since if you have it corrected/perfect with a good coating it drinks in surrounding light and colors, not like a perfect black car does but similar and I like the way the color makes the car look like flowing metal when you aren't seeing something that is reflected.
10-03-22 | 12:52 PM
