Local Color: Unusual Paint Hues at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show
Check out our gallery of eye-catching colors seen at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show.

Chicago Auto ShowTraditional auto shows are facing plenty of challenges these days, as manufacturer priorities shift and the new-vehicle marketplace evolves. One thing has stayed the same, though: an auto show offers an unparalleled opportunity to compare competitive cars back-to-back, and to “tire-kick” a broad range of vehicles in a short amount of time. For an auto journalist, these shows are also a great way to spot industry trends large and small.

One of our favorite Chicago Auto Show traditions is to walk the show floor with an eye out for out-of-the-ordinary factory colors, and we did just that once again this year. (You can check out last year’s batch here.) This is not a comprehensive list… it’s simply a gallery of quick snapshots of colors that stood out from the norm and made us look twice. Several of these hues are extra-cost options, and a couple are special limited-production models (and at least one—the MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary—is already sold out). We’ve arranged the photos below in roughly “rainbow” order, with a couple of muted-but-interesting outliers at the end. Can you pick a favorite?

Local Color: Unusual Paint Hues at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show

Local Color: Unusual Paint Hues at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show

2019 Car Colors

Molten Lava Pearl

Molten Lava Pearl
2019 Honda Civic sedan in Molten Lava Pearl

 

Soul Red Crystal Metallic

Red Cyrstal Metallic
2019 Mazda CX-5 in Soul Red Crystal Metallic

 

Infrared

Infrared
2019 Lexus RC in Infrared

 

Chili Red

Chili Red
2019 Volkswagen Arteon in Chili Red

 

Hot Pepper Red

Hot Pepper Red
2019 Ford Ranger in Hot Pepper Red

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Sedona Orange Metallic

Cadmium Orange
2019 Ford Escape in Sedona Orange Metallic

 

Cadmium Orange

Cadmium Orange
2019 Lexus UX in Cadmium Orange

 

Crush

Crush
2019 Chevrolet Camaro in Crush

 

Orange Spice Metallic

Orange Spice Metallic
2019 Ford Fiesta ST in Orange Spice Metallic

 

 Racing Orange

 Racing Orange
2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary in Racing Orange (color is unique to the 30th Anniversary edition)

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Orange Fury Metallic Tri-Coat

Fury Metallic Tri-Coat
2019 Ford Mustang GT in Orange Fury Metallic Tri-Coat

 

Flare Yellow

Flare Yellow
2019 Lexus LC 500 in Flare Yellow (color is restricted to a limited edition of 100 “Inspiration Series” models)

 

Tonic Yellow Pearl

Tonic Yellow Pearl
2019 Honda Civic coupe in Tonic Yellow Pearl

 

Sublime

Sublime
2019 Dodge Challenger in Sublime

 

Cliff Green

Cliff Green
2019 Volkswagen Golf R in Cliff Green

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Olive Green

Olive Green
2019 Jeep Compass in Olive Green

 

Undercover Green

Undercover Green
2020 Kia Soul in Undercover Green

 

Great Falls Green Metallic

Great Falls Green Metallic
2019 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack in Great Falls Green Metallic

 

Dark Moss Green Metallic

Dark Moss Green Metallic
2019 Volkswagen Tiguan in Dark Moss Green Metallic

 

Blue Flame

Blue Flame
2019 Toyota C-HR in Blue Flame

 

Caribbean Blue Metallic

Caribbean Blue Metallic
2019 Chevrolet Spark in Caribbean Blue Metallic

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Ultra Blue

Ultra Blue
2019 Jaguar F-Pace in Ultra Blue

 

Caesium Blue

Caesium Blue
2019 Jaguar I-Pace in Caesium Blue

 

Night Blue Metallic

Night Blue Metallic
2019 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen in Night Blue Metallic

 

Plum Crazy

Plum Crazy
2019 Dodge Charger in Plum Crazy

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Silver Spruce Metallic

Silver Spruce Metallic
2019 Ford Expedition in Silver Spruce Metallic

 

Sonic Gray

Sonic Gray
2019 Honda Civic Type R in Sonic Gray

 

 Quicksand

 Quicksand, 2019 Car Colors
2019 Toyota Tundra in Quicksand

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2019 Car Colors

Local Color: Unusual Paint Hues at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show

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