Car shows have bright lights for a reason. The intense wattage highlights the nuances in curvature and makes the cars glitter for consumers. But on the floor of the Geneva Motor Show, visitors' eyes aren't drawn to the bright, buffed whites normal for Lexus or Audi, but to the dulled surfaces of cars that are absorbing the sparkle instead of reflecting it.
Flat finishes, also called matte paint jobs, are an emerging trend in luxury cars. Mercedes, a customized Lamborghini and another customized Lotus here are all showing off matte finishes, ranging from white to gray.
Three years ago, Lamborghini designed the Reventn, a $1.4 million limited-run speed freak, whose most noticeable feature was a matte finish that mimicked a stealth bomber's paint job. The high-profile paint job caught on.
'We have a German expression, which says there's nothing written about taste,' said Jochen Planer, executive sales director at Carlsson, a German car-customization outfit. 'It's always evolving.' Flat finishes, he believes, are the next step in car design, at least in the European market.
'I think American tastes are still centered around the 'Pimp My Ride' style,' Mr. Planer said in reference to the MTV show. Still, orders in the New York market have increased, too, he said.