White or “white pearl” received top honors as the most popular car color for 2007, displacing silver that had enjoyed a seven-year reign in the U.S. market.

White or “white pearl” took 19 percent of the overall vehicle market and a whopping 26 percent of the light-truck and sport-utility-vehicle market, according to the DuPont 2007 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report. Silver still rules among intermediate crossover utility vehicles, compacts and sports cars, but it fell by 5 percentage points in the past year. White and white pearl also tied black for first place among U.S. luxury cars.

By identifying “white pearl” in particular, DuPont is calling attention to an increasingly popular trend in automotive finishes: adding metallic tones or hue-shifting effects to neutral colors such as white or black. This allows consumers to add bit of flair without standing out too much from the crowd, says Karen Surcina of DuPont.

The up-and-coming color of the year? Red. It jumped two percent in 2007. “Red is a popular choice with people who want to express a level of individuality,” says Surcina. “Like pearl and other special effects, vibrant reds and oranges allow consumers to personalize a mass-produced product, a phenomenon referred to as ‘mass customization.’”