Auto Trader in the Pink

Car-buying website autorader.co.uk has reported a big spike in interest in pink cars after the colour guide Pantone named Honeysuckle Pink as its “Colour of the Year”. Honeysuckle Pink, best described as a shade of magenta, is forecast to be the most popular colour of 2011, and searches for magenta cars on autotrader.co.uk rose from 2,629 in December 2010 to 9,863 in January.

The extent to which growing interest in pink might permanently wash over onto the car market is hard to forecast; what works well on a handbag doesn't always work on a car, although Katie Price is a notable fan of pink vehicles (even her horsebox is this colour). Honeysuckle Pink is a somewhat subtler shade than that preferred by the famous model, however.

If demand for pink cars does increase, it could produce a bit of a bonanza for owners of existing cars of that colour because there aren't that many around; the Nissan Micra and Honda Jazz are among the few models to have been offered in shades of pink in recent times.