5. A Qualitative Study on Color Trend Forecasting in the Futuristic Passenger Vehicles for Point-to-Point Commute in India

The advancement in technology has led to the possibility of a wide range of materials to be used in vehicle interiors. This transformation has made the vehicle interior’s color, material, and finish (CMF) more progressive. With the materials becoming interactive, the interior color scheme of the vehicles is largely dependent on the choice of materials and finishes. Various color trend forecasting companies also release color scheme forecasts for automotive. As per the literature review, the trend forecast available in the market is sometimes difficult for an automotive company to adopt due to production time, non-adhering to the brand values, and market segment. This paper aims to understand the color and trend forecast methodologies followed while designing a futuristic vehicle interior concept by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The methodology used was qualitative research and drew heavily on expert interviews. Six automotive CMF experts from various OEMs were interviewed online to understand the color trend forecasting strategies followed by their OEM to develop a futuristic concept vehicle. Thematic analysis revealed a gap and requirement for a framework that can be observed across all OEMs for future color trend prediction adhering to their brand values and keywords. This led the researchers to develop a design framework for color trend forecast for futuristic vehicle interior concepts, which can be used to create concept vehicles in upcoming automotive start-ups in India.