At the 2010 International Auto Show there was plenty of black, white, grey/silver, red and blue on the floor again this year and while the general colors remain the same, it is the shades of each color that become more interesting year by year.

Multiple translucent colors were shown layered on top of one another, shifting in color as your viewing angle changed. Brown appears as dark chocolate, but as you wander around the car the color takes on many different hues shifting, chameleon-like, from dark chocolate to aubergine.

Check out the color changing photos of the Scion XD below.

Two prevailing variations of grey were shown, the first, a medium value grey, modernized with undertones of plum and amethyst which exuded velvety elegance. The second popular interpretation was a grey with layers of saturated but cool undertones; the result was a sophisticated gunmetal palette, seen in the Cadillac showbooth.

Chocolate brown was another color that appeared in multifaceted shades like on this Volvo; we love the burnt penny color that barely peeks out from underneath brown.

The stand-out secondary car colors seemed to be green and yellow-green with an occasional accent of gilded gold like on Fords new 2010 Mustang.

Bold introductions of color were featured on the Volvo C30 shown in a courageous combination of orange flame and eggplant.

We observed a few new trends in interior finishes. There was a number of subtle texture-on-texture looks; most manufacturers opted for subtly patterned textures that had organic repeats. Textural pattern was also prominent in dashboard finishes as well as in shift plate finishes (which are typically the same material as the dashboard).

A newly popular trend in accent panel materials was holographic synthetics with tiny geometric or linear patterns. We also noticed a trend toward using matte wood rather than the commonly used high-gloss finishes.