Fiat tosses aside the gray for a burst of color.
From drabness to brilliance
Fiat is fed up with gray cars, and this new campaign by Leo Burnett boldly proves it. According to Fiat, Italy is a country rich in bright colors, and it’s time for its cars to reflect this dynamism. To make a splash, Fiat’s Marketing Director and his car take an orange paint bath – all from a huge gray can. Perfect? Not quite, but nobody can have it all!
Orange is the new Gray
Alright, the idea might seem wacky. But let’s not be mistaken, there’s much more to consider when buying a car – like reliability. And to those who might find the orange hideous… Wait and see what’s next!
Declaration of war on dull colors
How to start the week off right? For Fiat, nothing beats a good dip in an orange paint bath for its 600th crossover, with the CEO inside no less! A gamble on the door seals, indeed, but also a big step forward for a noble cause: putting an end to gray.
Why this hatred for gray?
Matte gray is outdated, solid gray looks like wet paint, and most metallic grays are just plain boring. It’s the beige of the modern era, a neutral choice so common and joyless that it becomes dull. According to PPG, 14% of cars sold worldwide in 2021 were gray, a two percent increase from 2020.
Fiat declares chromatic independence
Fiat has committed to banishing gray from its range, with CEO Olivier Francois stating that “Italy is the country of colors and, from today, Fiat cars are too.” A change that seems, for now, to be limited to Europe, but which could extend to other markets.
The end of the gray sky
Fiat’s European color range now consists of two oranges, three blues, two greens, one red, one rose gold, and for those who want to stay boring, white and black. Nothing that resembles an overcast sky here.
The chromatic big bang
The main argument for gray is resale value. Earlier this year, automotive data company iSeeCars analyzed how color affects depreciation. It turns out that yellow cars depreciate the least over three years of ownership, closely followed by orange, green, and red. Unsurprisingly, gray was in line with the average depreciation rate of 22.5 percent.
The colorful revolution
According to the automotive paint giant BASF, the trend might begin to slowly reverse regarding shades of gray colors. In 2022, chromatic colors gained market share, with purple emerging as the unlikely winner of 2022.
Fiat's boldness
Back to Fiat, it would be easy to dismiss this stunt as another movie trick. Yet, the brand truly did dip a real 600e into a huge paint can with the actual CEO inside. The craziest part? Francois doesn’t even come out looking like an Oompa Loompa – the seals on the doors and windows hold up, keeping him fairly dry.
The final word
Don’t try to replicate Fiat’s feat at home. A little liquid might get through, but cars just aren’t made to be submerged. Spraying a car with water might clean it. Dunking it in water might destroy it. However, sacrificing a pre-production car that probably had a non-registerable VIN for the sake of art is always a good idea. If it has to be destroyed for legal reasons anyway, might as well do something fun with it.
Fiat has thus decided to thumb its nose at monotony by making the bold bet on color. What if we played along?