Skoda offers a wide palette of exterior colours, from traditional shades to bold "hero" paints used to launch new models.
The brand balances attention-grabbing launch colours with production, technical and market-specific constraints to decide which shades enter series production.
Skoda selects special "hero" colours for new-model presentations to attract attention and draw customers to showrooms and online.
Some standout shades, such as Green Mamba, are used across sporty or flagship variants and sometimes for rally or RS models.
Colour ranges are adapted to each market: practical factors like heat influence choices, so some bright shades appear only in selected regions.
Skoda cars offer customers a very wide palette of exterior colors. This can vary from model to model, but there are always traditional options and more eye-catching, bold color combinations.
There are people who say they can only distinguish cars by their color. And why not? At Skoda, they will definitely find something that appeals to them. The Czech carmaker can offer its customers several dozen different body colors thanks to its Fleet Box personalization option. The standard range already includes bold and eye-catching shades that stand out from the crowd.
These are the colours that Skoda often uses for new model launches and presentations, known as “hero” colours and designed to draw attention to the car. “They are meant to attract attention and draw customers to our website or dealerships,” says Kateřina Vránová, head of Colour & Trim design, responsible for preparing the exterior colours. Customers can choose one of the other colours, but the special paint colour helps us to introduce the car to them.
Of course, developing each color is a financially demanding process, so a less popular color seems less profitable for the automaker. “But when it attracts attention, it becomes like an intangible value,” explains Kateřina Vránová.
The Skoda KUSHAQ SUV has been launched in the Indian market in an attractive Honey Orange paint colour. For example, the Skoda KUSHAQ attracted attention in Honey Orange, while the related Slavia sedan was painted in Blue Crystal. These two colours (along with Tornado Red) are exclusive to the Indian market. New models in Europe also have special colours: the Skoda Fabia is usually available in Phoenix Orange, the Fabia Monte Carlo in Velvet Red, and the Enyaq Coupé RS iV in Green Mamba. That shade has also been used for the Fabia RS Rally2 and can be ordered for the Octavia RS.
Một số màu này sau đó sẽ xuất hiện trên nhiều mẫu xe hơn, nhưng thường không xuất hiện trên toàn bộ các dòng xe. Có một lý do cho điều đó. Maria Kertzscher, một chuyên gia phát triển màu sơn thân xe, giải thích: “Màu sắc nổ bật có xu hướng thành công hơn trên các mẫu xe nhỏ hơn được mua bởi những khách hàng trẻ tuổi, trong khi trên những chiếc xe lớn hơn, khách hàng có xu hướng chọn các sắc thái truyền thống hơn”.
Xu hướng và công nghệ
The search for suitable automotive shades is continuous. Kateřina Vránová says that inspiration comes from many areas and trends change and adapt. When selecting colours, the team considers trends and materials from other industries, whether such shades suit cars and the Skoda brand identity, and technical requirements for applying a colour.
Bringing some colours into series production can be demanding. Matte tones or multi-layer paints require stricter manufacturing controls than conventional paints. Maria Kertzscher says the team seeks greater flexibility to use more and often unusual colours under more favourable conditions.
The sporty spirit of the Fabia Monte Carlo is underlined by Red Velvet. Paint is not just ephemeral fashion; traditional shades evolve too. White, gray, silver and black all have many variants, from metallic to matte. Skoda has created distinctive shades and market- or model-specific colours as part of this approach.
In principle, the Czech automaker does not pre-test new paints with customers. The decision mainly relies on the feeling, intuition and experience of the Colour & Trim team. “Customers often only see a new colour when the model is launched — that is a risk we are willing to take,” Kateřina Vránová says. Sometimes the company senses trends early and develops them further when presenting design ideas: some colours need time before wider acceptance.
Preferences change over time and from market to market.
The colours Skoda offers on specific models are determined by trends, customer tastes and market features. “Colours and how they are perceived are influenced by a number of factors. These include the cultural and geographical environment,” explains Maria Kertzscher, noting the influence of the sun.
In India, for example, Skoda does not offer traditional black because a black car would get too hot in the local environment and customers prefer white cars. The sun also makes some shades more striking, which is why Skoda offers several bright colours exclusively in India.
Developing a paint colour that endures across a model range and markets is complex. The Color & Trim department works with exterior designers from initial sketches to refine shades. The final colour is named so customers can choose it from the catalogue. “The final decision is up to the Marketing department, but the inspiration comes from us and we often end up using a name that we have been working on internally in our department since the beginning of the color development,” says Kateřina Vránová.