Brown is the new black: Benz

The last time brown was cool on a car was in the 1970s, when the Datsun 180B and Ford Falcon could carry the metallic mud colour without prompting ridicule.

But the tide has turned and brown is cool again, according to one of the most senior designers at luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz. Indeed, brown is the new black. And white, which has been favoured by car makers over the past couple of years, is so last season baby.

Mercedes-Benz believes it has re-invented the colour brown by creating a new metallic shade for its new E Class sedan. At the Geneva motor show, Gordon Wagener, designer of the F800 concept car and the recently appointed vice president of design, Mercedes-Benz development cars, was asked to list colours in order of popularity.

The usual suspects filled the top three places, but fourth favourite caught industry observers by surprise.

"For us the number one colour is silver, then black, then white and then number four at the moment is brown," said Wagener.

"We invented and introduced this colour with the new E Class and that was the colour that was used in [advertising] for the new E Class.

"Actually it has started a main trend. If you look over the show now you will see a couple of competitors who also use brown. It's a very rich, luxurious colour that's quite successful."

The brown trend is yet to take off in Australia. Neither Ford nor Holden offer their big selling sedans in the earthy hue. The closest they get to brown is a light, sandy bronze.

Wagener also helped solve one of the automotive world's other mysteries. Why do car makers use blue badging and other highlights on their "green" economy vehicles?

"Because the sky is blue, and the ocean is blue and clean air is blue," says Wagener. "Blue makes trees grow. It's a colour which is associated with being green because it is the colour of water basically."

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