Once synonymous with grit and grime, brown has come to embody something entirely different for a generation of Starbucks-obsessed consumers.
Something luxurious, tasty even. A little like a latte.
At least that’s the thinking behind General Motors Corp.’s decision to launch one of its most critical new vehicles – the Buick Enclave crossover – in a brunet hue called cocoa metallic.
Brown rides haven’t been hip since the 1970s. But GM is banking on a brown renaissance, already underway in the worlds of fashion and interior design, to take hold in the auto industry.
“It used to be that when you asked people what they associated brown with, it was mud and dirt,” said Chris Webb, GM’s creative designer for interior- exterior color. “Now, it’s luxury.
“We call it the Starbucks effect.”
With that in mind, GM cast the Enclaves used in ads and at auto shows in the cocoa color. It was the hue that adorned the vehicle when it debuted as a concept at the 2006 auto show in Detroit and the color used when Buick rolled out the final version in Los Angeles last year, superstar golfer Tiger Woods in tow.
GM is trying to position the Enclave, which hit showrooms this summer, to compete with such luxury names as Lexus, Volvo and Acura.
It was the last of GM’s crossover trio to go on sale, preceded by the sportier GMC Acadia and more affordable Saturn Outlook.
The Enclave is central to GM’s efforts to revive Buick’s flagging U.S. sales. Given its importance, much thought was put into what color would grace the vehicle when it made its debut at auto shows and in advertisements.
Webb was particularly interested in the story of delivery giant UPS. Instead of scrapping its brown-and- yellow logo, seen by some as dowdy, UPS embraced it. Thus the now-famous “What can brown do for you?” campaign was born.
Since then, Webb said, studies show more consumers recognize the UPS name and the company’s market share is up 3 percent.
Buick could use a similar boost. Sales are down 28 percent through June.
But the Enclave, with sales of 3,659 in the first half of the year, is generating enthusiasm among dealers and auto critics.
“Color can do amazing things on the look of the car,” said George Kang, an analyst with , an online auto site. “Especially on how the lines appear.”
Kang said the Enclave’s cocoa helps emphasize the vehicle’s dramatic curves and styling.
Mated with the Enclave’s glowing blue headlights, the vehicle mimics the brown- and-blue combo popular in the fashion industry.
More variants on brown are likely to hit the road as automakers look for new colors to distinguish luxury rides. Silver used to do the trick, but that’s mainstream, Kang said, and companies are looking for new options.
“Brown is being marketed as an upscale, luxury look,” said Karen Surcina, color marketing and technology manager for DuPont Automotive Systems.
In a DuPont survey of the most popular car and truck colors of 2006, brown was at or near the bottom of the list in every segment.
Only green, gold and orange scored lower. But cocoa metallic is the most popular color for the Enclave, adorning one of every five cars sold.
Jay Singer and his wife fell for the Enclave after seeing it at the Detroit show last year. A loyalist of Chrysler minivans – usually in red – Singer was surprised to find himself falling for a brown Buick.
“Everybody has a silver car. Right there, that turned us off,” said Singer, a teacher in the Cleveland suburb of Pepper Pike, Ohio, reached through ‘s car consumer forum.
The cocoa was especially appealing when combined with a leather interior in a color called cashmere.
“I said, ‘If we get it, it’s got to be in that color,”‘ Singer said. “It seemed symbiotic. I guess it’s a good thing when you have that kind of emotional reaction.”
