Sometimes I squint my eyes when driving down 95 and look over at the oncoming traffic - and it's a blur of muddy hues, each vehicle indistinguishable from the next.

They may not seem that way in the showroom. But believe me, when a bright yellow, red or orange car pops into view, I really notice it. And then there are those tuner cars which seem to shimmer a different color as you pass them - bronze to green to pink to purple.

Now USA Today reports that manufacturers are deliberately splashing bold colors on their cars to make them stand out in the crowd.

Great idea! Could only cheer us all up in this season of the Great/Deep(?) Recession.

Certainly, manufacturers are increasingly using the bold colors in their ads to create a strong first impression. Will it translate into increased sales at the same saturation?

Consider that only five percent of Honda buyers apparently buy orange Fits; silver is a more popular option at 25 percent of buyers.

Indeed, white, black, silver, blue and grey are the most popular overall colors according to Dupont. That's a pretty drab lineup.

Interestingly, driving a high performance car is one good reason to keep a low color profile. A police officer is more likely to notice a flash of bright yellow or red or lime green in an endless blur of blah.

But funnily enough, it is exactly those cars that have the brightest colors. Red Ferraris, orange Lamborghinis, yellow Corvettes - they always catch the eye.

But maybe that's the point. A $1 million, 800 horsepower Koenigsegg CCX and its ilk are not for the bashful!

- Peter C.T. Elsworth