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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Nobody knows exactly what cars will look like in 2009, but an auto paint company says it knows what colors they'll be.

In their fifth annual study of automotive colors, PPG Industries found the 2005 model year's top colors, and consulted with designers on probable colors for the 2008-2009 model year.

The Pittsburgh-based company found silver the most popular color among North American vehicles this year with 26 percent of the market, followed by white at 16 percent, naturals like gold and copper at 14 percent, red at 13 and blue at 12. Black captured 11 percent, while green was 5 percent and specialty colors came in at 3 percent.

"As predicted, bright silver will remain a favorite in North America and around the world for several years to come due to its appeal among designers to highlight the form and shape of a vehicle," said Lorene Boettcher of PPG in a statement. "We are continuing to explore a variety of advancements in technology that will bring silver closer to a liquid-metal appearance -- the next hottest trend for this hue."

To predict the popularity of colors in several years, PPG's Color Marketing Team developed 130 new colors to present to automotive designers.

"There is a desire to reinvigorate the automotive palette with color," said Boettcher. "Color preference has been in neutral mode for so long that we're now starting to see a push for more colors to emerge and for technology to put a new twist on classic shades. We're looking to take color to the next level."

PPG's color experts predicted four major trends in colors for 2008-2009.

They see blue becoming more popular as liquid-metal and lilac shades are developed. Green will get infusions of sparkle, for distinction, or appear in blue-green shades. Yellows and browns will gain popularity as they grow richer and gain shimmer effects. And reds will return to darker and warmer shades like deep cranberry and wine.

"Incorporating new coatings technologies into color families will continue to be the primary focus of automakers looking to differentiate their vehicle brand," said Jerry Koenigsmark of PPG.

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