This story is part of Ensemble’s colour week, presented by Resene

I keep seeing them. A pink VW Beetle heading west on the north-western motorway, a jolt of colour against the grey backdrop of Waterview’s own spaghetti junction. A pastel pink scooter regularly parked near the Ensemble office, and a hot pink Mercedes-Benz G-Class outside Ponsonby restaurant Tobi. And so, so many bright pink Toyota Aquas. In a sea of generic white, black and grey, these colourful cars nonchalantly command attention (a hot pink metallic pearl Aqua is a sensible car made frivolous). And now that I’ve pointed them out, you too will probably start seeing them everywhere.

The rosy-tinted car that first comes to mind for you will depend largely on your age, and pop culture consumption: maybe it’s Devon Aoki’s Honda S2000 in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Penelope Pitstop’s ‘Compact Pussycat’ (“essentially a beauty salon on wheels”) or Elvis Presley's iconic 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special. Those with more contemporary leanings may instantly think of Paris Hilton’s 2009 Bentley Continental GT, Justin Bieber’s Lamborghini Urus, Angelyne’s Chevrolet Corvette, Nicki Minaj’s 2005 Hummer H2 or Tyler, the Creator’s Fiat 131 Abarth Rally. In music videos, pink cars are an essential prop to convey a certain winking camp, like the Cadillac in Blackpink’s Lovesick Girls and the C5 Corvette in Charli XCX’s Speed Drive.

In 2012 the New York Times described pink cars as a “rare but enduring concept”, but in our mass consumer age of greyification and where beige has become synonymous with sophistication (I believe the opposite: ‘sad beige’ and ‘quiet luxury’ have become so ubiquitous that it tends to expose a lack of individual taste), they have become both rarer and even more striking on our roads. Last year’s Barbie pink out saw what the Telegraph described as a “surge in demand” for pink cars (the film featured an electric pink Chevrolet C1 Corvette with elements from 1956 and 1957 models), “reviving what had become an almost extinct colour on Britain’s roads”. They reported a 72% increase in sales in the UK; a contrast to the 13-year low recorded in 2022. The Porsche 718 and Fiat 500 were the most popular pink models in the UK.

In New Zealand, our leanings are a little more low-key. Between 2002 and 2024, 399 new pink cars were sold, according to data from the Motor Industry Association of NZ. Last year the BYD Dolphin in the shade of ‘Coral Pink’ was the most popular (and only) new pink car model purchased. 

When it comes to used-imports, 6552 pink cars have been purchased since 2020 (the most popular models are the Toyota Vitz, Honda Fit and Nissan March; the Aqua that I keep seeing is in seventh spot). None of that data accounts for custom jobs, like those by Takapuna-based The Wrap Shop including a Tesla Model Y in Oracal Pearl Symphony and 2020 Lamborghini Huracan wrapped in Satin pink.

There is the criticism of perpetuating gender stereotypes. A 2022 activation called ‘scrap girl cars’ invited people to turn a pink car black by drawing on it, as a way to ask “Kiwis to reflect on the fact that toy cars for girls are often pink ‘fantasy cars’, coated in stereotypical floral or glittery designs, instead of realistic dream cars they could actually drive in the future”. It is a valid point – though I admit that I rolled my eyes when I first read about this activation – and an enduring argument when it comes to the colour in general. But all these real pink cars on our roads shows that they’re not simply the realm of fantasy.

What is the appeal of a pink car? They’re fun, for a start, and a little indulgent – the owner of a pink vehicle doesn’t worry about its resale value. They are also an obvious personality ride; a sort of branding – my car, my self (the NY Times described boxer Sugar Ray Robinson’s 1950 flamingo Cadillac as “advertising – and conspicuous consumption in the classic mode”). For me – the owner of a boring white Aqua – the desire is largely superficial and likely to never be fulfilled, but for others, like these three local drivers, pink rides have become a key part of their style, personality and business.

Grace Tauber of Doe Donuts and her Nissan Vanette

“I co-own Doe Donuts with one of my close friends Shenine Dube. Our logo is hot pink, as is the outside of our shop, so naturally we didn’t second guess the colour our donut house on wheels had to be. What drew us to this shade of pink initially was that it was bright and funky. We didn’t want to be “cookie cutter” soft pink. It didn’t match our personality!

We found it on TradeMe, then worked with Brendon Tait from The Sign Studio in Mt Wellington. The only vision we had was that the van needed to be hot pink, all the rest including logo placement and design was done by Brendon. He even came out to our shop in Grey Lynn to get an exact colour match to our shop.

Everyone loves the van. It adds a pop of colour to a road full of grey, black and white. It grabs attention, which is exactly what we want for our business! We often see parents crossing the road with their kids while we’re sitting at the lights, in awe of the colour. It shows that we aren’t afraid to step outside of the norm. We can make our stamp on the road and literally add brightness to the day. The message is “don’t take life too seriously, have a pink car, eat a donut”.

I wouldn’t say I’m a car person, but I would prefer not to drive around a complete bomb if I’m fortunate enough not to haha. I do however think it’s important to have a decent car if it represents a business. At first we wanted a VW Caddy. Simply because loads of other businesses drive em’ and they look tidy and sleek and practical. But our bank account was whispering “Nisssssan”. 

Our Nissan Vanette was such a sensible choice and we absolutely love it! It’s so easy to drive, we love the sliding doors on both sides and we had a custom fit out designed to fit the boot for us to insert trays of donuts for transportation. Although it’s not the stylish VW we initially had in mind, it looks gorgeous wrapped in pink and it’s the perfect sized mini van; super cute without looking clunky.

One thing you want to remember while driving a bright pink car (or ANY bright coloured car for that matter) is to drive like you're sitting your full licence test AT ALL TIMES. If it’s a hot summer’s day and your window is down with some sweet tunes turned up and you slip up for ONE second and merge too quickly or forget to indicate, there is nothing more embarrassing than being called out and honked at in a bright pink, logo stamped car. Not that I would know of course…”

Thea Rockel and her Toyota Aqua

“I’ve had it for about a year, and bought it from Croydon's Cars in Henderson. I had just gotten my licence and my Mum and I were looking on Facebook marketplace for a car. She found a pink one and sent it to me. From then on there was no question. The car had to be pink. 

As a dance teacher it brings a lot of joy to my students for sure. Something else that’s really fun is the little kind of community of us on the roads. Whenever I see another one they usually flash their lights or if we’re stopped at traffic lights we’ll have a little chit chat. 

To be honest, in my day to day style I’m not particularly a pink girl. I mean every now and then I guess? But yeah. It’s just a bit of fun to get around in.

I myself am not super a car person. However, a lot of my friends are race car drivers, panel beaters etc. It’s really funny when we go out to speedways and they all pull up in their sports cars or with loud exhausts and then I arrive in my little pink Toyota Aqua.”

Joanna Zhao and her Honda Today moped

“I forced myself to learn how to drive it, 1. because it was cute and 2. because Auckland transport is horrible. My best friend Eden owned it first, and I remember being so jealous when she bought it cause I thought it was the cutest thing ever. So when she moved to Wellington and said she was selling it, I obviously had to buy it – despite having an extreme fear of driving scooters due to an accident I had in lockdown… where I attempted to drive my friend's scooter and went directly into a car.

I honestly don't think I would have been as motivated to buy the scooter or learn how to drive it if it hadn't been pink. It’s my favourite colour and if I was to drive a vehicle, it would have to be pink.

I have had a good amount of people stop me in car parks, talk to me at traffic lights or call out from the street to me. 100% of the time they are girls and they are telling me how cute my scooter is. It makes me smile everytime. The most memorable moment was from an old lady who yelled at me across the street saying something like "LOVE all the pink". I had been wearing a pink outfit that day and probably looked like I was in Barbie cosplay.

I think the appeal is that it's fun – it's just like adding another accessory to your life / outfit.

I am definitely not a 'car person' – I am still on my learners... haha. As long as my scooter is running, I am happy. I recently took it into the shop and the loveliest owner had two adorable chihuahuas. He took one look at it and said, “You should not have been driving this” – apparently it had been days away from completely crapping out. I don't even remember / understand what he had told me about what was wrong as I preoccupied playing with the chihuahuas – if that highlights how little I care about the mechanics…

I am definitely more of an aesthetic person [when it comes to what I drive]. There was a period where I had pink ribbons tied all around it – they were added when it was being used as a prop in a Baobei shoot, but I thought they looked so cute, so I left them there.”