Of course orange isn't hideous, it's what's surrounding it just like the photos in the blog show. Orange as a car color? I'm afraid I may tend to agree that it's one color that shouldn't be used for cars. Ford's orange is actually pretty okay, Chrysler's orange is pretty nice, but GM's orange is horrible. Honda's is pretty bad too.( You'll have to excuse the American manufacturer slant, I live in Detroit. However, I don't recall seeing any orange Mercedes' or BMWs') How an orange can look dull and lifeless? Too much red oxide? I don't know, but GM accomplished it. The automotive industry, just like most industries, have fallen victim to "color projections". What color is going to be "really hot"? How much influence should the color institute really have? I have been working as a color consultant for about four years now and have been going into people's homes (interiors and exteriors) and offices to help them pick colors for their environments and the one thing I can tell you for sure (well, okay, two things); color is an emotional response issue and people tend to be cool or warm color oriented, having nothing to do with personality. So, rather than the "hot" color or what Pantone thinks is going to be a "hot" color (based on nothing but a guess because color is an emotional response) why doesn't industry just choose a GOOD color! Why is that GM color orange so bad? Is it for the same reason that color dress didn't look good at the Academy Awards - balance and composition. Yes, I certainly agree that color is most important, but it is still part of the equation.