Choosing the color of your new car may seem like a quick decision for some, but there is a lot more psychology at play. The color not only dramatically affects your vehicle's appearance, but can represent certain qualities that some find especially desirable. For instance, Lincoln has clearly defined why blue is the brand's signature paint color.

Now, a new 2020-2021 Automotive Color Trends collection by BASF, a manufacturer of automotive coatings, suggests that globally, the next generation of cars will see a focus on greyish green, warm beige, and coarse gray colors. The researchers use macro trend analysis to come up with colors that will be popular not just globally, but in specific regions. The latest collection has been called Code-X.

In North America, Dark Seltzer was presented as part of the collection as a key color in this region. The medium-dark gray shade is one of two other shades - Redolent Red and Abstraction Blue - that formed part of the color trend report for the US Grays - and darker hues in general - have been popular for some time, with the latest Honda Accord now available in a Gray Pearl shade and many automakers offering optional blacked-out editions in 2020.

The three key global colors are Social Camouflage (grayish-green), Pundits Solution (a warmer beige), and Dark Seltzer. BASF describes Social Camouflage as a "natural" color with a coolness that "represents flexible values and behaviors."

The Pundits Solution features a more distinctive gold sparkle effect that is described as both extraordinary and strange, while the Dark Seltzer is coarser, with a greater emphasis on texture. In Asia Pacific, Dream Fighter (a subdued orange with hints of pink and copper) and Unknown Metal (a grayish purple hue) were selected as prominent in that region, along with Social Camouflage, as warm, emotional shades that reflect positivity. Finally, the colors chosen for the EMEA region were Hiatus Gray, Pundits Solution, and Intron Green.

In general, the latest colors appear to be of a pastel variety, coming across as more delicate and soft, less garish, and more in tune with the natural world. With the move towards electrified, emissions-free vehicles that are far less polluting than before, perhaps this isn't a great surprise.