Why does honda charge white orient pearl civic more?

MTBhatch

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Im wondering why is the white orient pearl civics are $300CAD expensive? Is there any special painting process done to them compare to other color?
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@MTBhatch, several reasons. Firstly, most premium colors these days go through a triple layer coating process which gives that extra depth of a premium look. In some cases, flecks of reflective material can be included as well to stand out even more, not to mention the usual clear coating and buffing etc... but it's possible that this may be the reason why it's a bit pricier, and maybe a bit more 'different' or 'stand out in the crowd'ish so to speak.

Secondly, market research shows trendy colors throughout the years to reflect consumer's taste and as each year differs from the past, research and development teams will usually go for the most popular colors (of course white is one of them) and try to gain some extra profit margin to please both parties. Each manufacturer is different on these color tastes and usually black (in the states) and brown (europe) are the base colors to start from.
 

ShuJam

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Hmm, that's interesting. They never used to charge a premium for the colour, it was always the same price for whatever paint colour you wanted. You would think that maybe the sonic grey pearl would be a premium, as it's the rarest colour in Canada. But then again, every 4th Civic I see is white. And it's white ORCHID pearl, not orient pearl.
 

Deezy

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Hmm, that's interesting. They never used to charge a premium for the colour, it was always the same price for whatever paint colour you wanted. You would think that maybe the sonic grey pearl would be a premium, as it's the rarest colour in Canada. But then again, every 4th Civic I see is white. And it's white ORCHID pearl, not orient pearl.
White Orient Pearl is exclusive in China.;)
 
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MTBhatch

MTBhatch

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My bad. I meant white orchid pearl
 


yhkwok

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Is this extra charge a new thing? I don't recall this listed on my windows sticker, mines a 18 Hatchback ST
 

flashcash

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I purchased a 2019 EX-L (picking it up Monday afternoon) in Platinum White Pearl and didn't pay extra. Not sure why or if Honda is charging more for White Orchid Pearl for whatever models that's offered. The 2018 EX-L came in White Orchid Pearl.

Which begs this question: Does anybody know the difference between the two shades? They look pretty close in color on Honda's website, though the Platinum doesn't look quite as white. Is that correct?
 

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In Italy all metallic colors have a surcharge, which means you can only get a red Civic for the base price:crazy: it's really a bad way to steal money from customers.
Here in China all Honda colors are the same price, this is the standard for all brands except in rare cases some special 3 layer pearls.
I remember i was so happy the first time i went to order the cheapest Ford Focus to drive to the factory for work and i choose white to avoid surcharges, then the sales told me i could have any color i wanted for free.
 

DamonS

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white paint, by its very nature, is very soft and can require extra hardeners and bonding agents to stay on the vehicle. GM went through a stint for almost 8 years where they couldn't keep the Arctic White on any of the hoods of the vehicles, most companies have learned from the mistake and made corrections.

from what I remember with GM, it took an additional bonding layer (so bonding, primer, paint/clear).. the more additives the more brittle, but also adheres well, so its a funny balance between it chipping off easily and just pulling off in sheets
 

BrianDevin

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The WOP paint is a tricoat and cost more for the same reason as the NSX and its 13(?) coat paint options.
It just takes a little more to do, so they charge a bit more. Nonetheless, it is a truly fantastic color imo
 


Civicster

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I wasn't charged any extra for mine. I had a choice of the blue or this white orchid pearl for same price. The color blue they used was not for me. I'm sure some dealers are adding that as a add on just to make a little more pocket change.
 
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ShuJam

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Might be a Canadian-only thing. It didn't used to be a premium on previous year models. Seems to be "new for 2019". Looks the same for the Platinum White on some sedan and coupe trims too, where WOP has been discontinued.
 

BogdanM

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In Italy all metallic colors have a surcharge, which means you can only get a red Civic for the base price:crazy: it's really a bad way to steal money from customers.
In Europe all brands have a surcharge for metallic / pearl colors, not only Honda, it is a common, general practice.
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