Black wheels have been prominent in racing for decades, but why the recent trend to building street vehicles with beautifully designed alloys only to obscure their designs in black? What's changed? Speaking of car colors, yes, leasing is a predominant method of financing a vehicle, but was it so terribly difficult to remarket used cars in the days when a wide variety of colors were produced? I share your view that for many people a car is merely an appliance. So why not drive an appliance painted in a beautiful color? I'm old enough to remember when even kitchen appliances were offered in various colors. Then came the popularity of stainless steel - giving the kitchen the look of a commercial or institutional kitchen. Everything comes and goes, and I look forward to seeing an emergence from the current malaise.