No auto manufacturer will sell you a "primered" car. Most manufacturers have the body (rust) covered under the warranty (defects in workmanship?) and selling a primer only car would be an invitation to continuous warranty work or legal actions.
Primer is porous which is why the final finish adheres to the car (ever notice a lot of the GM cars with peeling paint, like GM's infamous "Blow-away Blue" on the older S-10's, S-15's and some Pontiacs? That occurs when the primer is "too hard" for the final finish to bond to) . Since it is porous, it holds moisture. The best paint jobs are done in a very clean environment to keep dirt, dust, and particles from getting into/onto the primered finish. How much dust and filth will get on a car from the time it leaves the assembly line (via rail cars and new-car-carrier trucks) until it get to the dealership? Isn't that why a lot of guys clay their cars as soon as they get them? - to get rid of the rail dust?
Buying a car "primer only" from a manufacturer just ain't gonna happen. Forget it.
Why would the auto industry be any different from any other business? Don't all businesses operate to turn a profit? If not, they're not in business very long. It's called the
"Law of Economics" ; "Good enough is good enough".
Let's not compare apples and oranges here. Some businesses are "customer specific", meaning they have to satisfy the individual customers' needs. These are usually "service industries", such as Web Design, Photography, and Legal Services just to name a few. Auto manufacturing is a "product industry" where goods, not services are sold. The target market isn't as specific (or demanding) as the service industry, so concessions are made by both the customer and the provider. The idea is to get the most market share of what you're offering as you can with what you present to the customers as the best value for their money. Product industry tries to target the "majority" of the market with something that will appeal to MOST of them. No product will EVER appeal to ALL of them. The idea is to keep your costs to a minimum while making as much as possible on each unit sold. The more units sold, the better.
Pretty logical, right?
Now think....... how many "ordinary" potential customers want their car in SubLime, GoMango, TopBanana? Sure, Challenger buyers will want those colors, but that's item specific (nostalgic colors on a retro-muscle-car), and doesn't apply "across the board" where the market has to be viewed. Not many Police Departments want a PlumCrazy base color on their squad cars, and the VP of you local bank probably doesn't want his 300C in PantherPink. You need to look at this from the supply side - as any business does.
Where some businesses (most of the smaller/local service businesses) depend, survive, and actually flourish on being flexible enough to cater to their customers' individual and specific needs (and usually price their services with that in mind), the auto industry can't afford to do that. They need to sell what they have (a product, not a service) to as many customers as possible in a package while keeping the costs uniform and prices just high enough to make a reasonable profit. That means keeping the assembly line efficient in ALL facets of the process.
Bottom line - if you want a custom color that the manufacturer doesn't offer, there are plenty of talented painters waiting to sell you their services - targeted at meeting your specific needs (for a price, of course). They need to put food on their tables too.
BTW..... anyone who infers that the
Auto Makers will go out of business is sadly mistaken. There is a NEED and WANT for automobiles (all types and sizes). Some auto makers may be bought out by others (like any other business). But considering that the demand for automobiles and trucks increases with the population, to think that the auto makers will all just fold up is simply lud