Silver is the overwhelming favorite paint color for 2010, on models like the new VW Jetta.

Yet again, silver is the favorite choice of American motorists when picking the color for their new products, according to one of the industry’s top paint suppliers.

For the tenth year in a row it has readily outsold such stalwarts as black, white, red and blue – as well as the season’s hip alternatives, like Flaming Orange.

Indeed, silver’s lead is the highest yet seen, according to officials at PPG Industries, accounting for 31% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. during the 2010 model-year.  That’s up from 25% the prior year and just 8% as recently as 1994, when it began its climb up the charts.

“There’s clearly been a significant strengthening of silver’s popularity in recent years,” said Jane Harrington, PPG manager of color styling, during PPG’s Automotive Color Trend Show.

Despite the emphasis on a hue that was long associated primarily with luxury cars, the industry continues to bet on alternative shades, especially for specialty vehicles that appeal to buyers who don’t want to be just one in the crowd.

Red remains a leading shade for sports cars, for example, though yellow and orange have been coming on strong.

The typical new product, despite the dominance of silver, is offered with anywhere from five to more than a dozen different color options.  For its new DS brand-within-a-brand, the French maker Citroen is letting buyers choose from among more than 30 different hues.

And exotic makers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce only start there.  Along with the colors in their option book they will permit a customer to come in with a lipstick or scarf, for example, and custom match a paint color – at a significant price premium, of course.

At its Color Trend Show, PPG unveiled a palette of 66 new hues it anticipates customers will warm to over the next few years, though only a fraction will actually make it into production.

Most are subtle variations of existing colors though, every so often a distinct shift occurs.  Color specialists point out that buyer choices are often influenced by outside factors, including the state of the economy and world events.  But there are traditionally distinct favorites based on brands – such as the British racing green of Bentley and Jaguar – and product segments – like red Mustangs and Camaros.

The word silver, incidentally, takes in a broad swath of the color spectrum, industry experts generally using that generic name to cover shades that include charcoal, pewter and gray.