Audi has announced that the company will be offering a new partially matte paint on the upcoming Audi Q2 crossover. Specifically on the Q2 #2 special edition on its side blades covering the rear pillar. The new paint option will also be offered on the R8's "Audi Sport" side lettering. This isn't the first time that Audi has used matte paint on a vehicle, but it's the first that it's been offered on a series production offering like the Q2. Previously, it appeared on the 2016 limited-run 24h Edition Audi R8 V10. On that version, though, the matte paint was applied by hand. Now Audi has automated the process, though the application of the special logo on the 2019 R8 is more difficult than it is on the cap used for the side blade of the Q2 crossover. To create the partial matting, Audi must first attach a thin plastic template to the gloss painted body panel to be matted. The component is then sprayed under vacuum with a powder made of crushed glass. This shaves a few thousands of a millimeter from the clear lacquer paint, creating the partial matte look by making the paint look slightly rougher. Audi says that the paint process will become available on other vehicles over time, as the Audi technology perfects in 2019. As the matte paint process is used more often, it should become lower in cost with time. Audi has not given a time frame for other vehicles to receive the matte paint option, however.
