Why do car companies charge lakhs of rupees to give customized color of choice? How does exclusivity of colors increase brand value? find out

Choosing only ‘red’, ‘black’ or ‘white’ color while buying a supercar or an expensive luxury car is now outdated. Today luxury means exclusivity. Global car brands have used this same mentality to launch a very expensive ‘custom paint program’. Under this, customers can order any color of their choice for the cars, which can cost anywhere between 15 to 30 lakhs and for some special models, the cost can go up to crores.

But why do people pay so much for just one color and why do companies charge so much? Behind this lies not only profit making but also a huge technical process and brand value calculation.

1. Eleven months trial

When a customer gives a company a unique color of their choice (eg the color of their favorite shirt, watch, or a historical item), the company doesn’t directly slap that color on the car. For this a special test is done in the factory, which is called feasibility study.

Testing on different surfaces: The body of the car is not only made of steel; It uses different materials like carbon fiber, aluminum, plastic and fiberglass. It takes several experiments to check whether the color looks the same on each material.

Weather Effect: Won’t this color fade in the hot sun? Or will it not crack in extreme cold? It is tested in a laboratory. This entire process can take up to 11 months. If a color fails the test, the company does not use that color.

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2. Disruptions in the production process

In a factory, robots can paint hundreds of cars in a single color in a minute. But, when a customer’s special color car comes on the production line, the entire automated system has to stop or slow down for a while. Robots have to clear the old color from their pipes and load the new special color. This process consumes company time and resources. Companies charge such huge amounts to cover this production bottleneck.

3. Own the color and your name

Under the top personalization division of luxury car companies, if you create a new color, that color can be named after you. As long as your car model is in the market, that color is not offered to anyone else in the world. This highest level of exclusivity attracts billionaires.

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4. How this uniqueness of colors adds value to the brand?

This unique color scheme not only empties the customer’s pocket, but also increases the market value of the car brand tremendously. The biggest reason for this is the prestige symbol these cars carry. If the car on the road is in a rare color, the onlooker immediately realizes that the owner has not only spent millions on the car, but on the paint as well. This enhances the status of the customer and in turn the brand.

Another important aspect is the huge increase in resale value. In the automobile market, cars with such special colors are valued like gold. A used car is sold at auction for double or even triple the original price because it is unique or rare in the world. This makes the car not just a vehicle but an ‘investment’.

Also, through this, companies keep their historical heritage alive. Brands bring back colors of their old historical models through this medium. This strengthens the respect and emotional connection with the brand among car lovers.