Most of the luxury brands offer true matte paint finishes. For example, if you want matte paint ("Frozen" as they call it) on a BMW, you can order through this

Most of the luxury brands offer true matte paint finishes. For example, if you want matte paint ("Frozen" as they call it) on a BMW, you can order through this program: https://www.bmwusa.com/innovations/bmw-individual.html https://www.bmwusa.com/innovations/bmw-individual.html Like you said, these true matte paints don't have a clear coat, so they are a pain to own. On the other hand, these "Putty" finishes that the blog is talking about are likely an attempt by the paint companies to offer a matte-like look that is still easy to maintain, and that's why they do employ a clear coat. The PPG paints use a special matte clear coat, and axalta paints use a matte additive to the base color and a matte clear coat product. Those are the two main automotive paint suppliers, but I expect the other suppliers have a similar approach.