Now that the Detroit auto show press days have wound down and some of the dust is starting to settle, we’ve gotten the opportunity to take a much closer look at the new product reveals at this year’s North American International Auto Show. Remember the original debut for the Veloster last year in Detroit? We were surprised to see so many bright colors available, and there was also a matte graphite prototype out on the floor. Hyundai announced then that the matte finish would be available on the Veloster, but when the car actually hit showroom floors, to our dismay, the matte finish was not an option.
Put down the spray cans and fast forward to NAIAS 2012 – the matte is back, but this time it’s here to stay. Hyundai says that the Matte Grey finish on their Veloster Turbo shown this week in Detroit would indeed become an available optional color, exclusive to the turbo model, which is fitting because this paint type is more often associated with high-performance vehicles – let’s rephrase that: Exotic, Italian, high-performance cars.
That’s right – some of Germany’s Italy’s own, Lamborghini, has offered matte finishes for a few years now, available in colors like black, gray, blue, and white. Besides that, there have been several vinyl wraps out there from makers such as 3M others that transform and protect any vehicle’s paint finish into virtually any color or finish out there, and the matte ones are the most popular.
But with matte finishes becoming all the rage, how will that change the way you wash your car or care for the vehicle’s delicate finish? Sure, it’s not shiny, but that doesn’t mean you can’t scratch it or inadvertently “make” it shiny. This means no waxing, right? Wrong. There are ways that you can protect the finish, but it’s not the same as you would for a glossy finish like on a regular car. A company in Switzerland that makes the world’s finest automotive car care products (we can’t say their name here, so if you want to know more, Tweet us) makes a line of products specifically for matte and satin paint finishes. As a fair warning, their stuff isn’t cheap. The quick detailer spray for the Matte finishes runs nearly $40 a for 250ml bottle. Matte paint tends to “soak up” a certain amount of moisture that’s applied to it, so water spots, bird droppings, and other grime may “stain” the finish until you properly remove them by applying the appropriate cleaning agent. The good part? No ordinary polishing methods necessary. But be careful.
We’ll know more about this paint type and how it reacts to typical wash methods as soon as we get a Veloster Turbo that has it. Until then, hit us up on Facebook or Twitter and we’ll tell you more about what we know works.
Source: YouTube via HeavenlyDetail
