Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto

Ford offers factory matte clear film to personalize your 2024 Mustang

If shiny isn't your thing, order your 2024 Mustang with a matte finish

Bruce Brown
By
2024 Ford Mustang with Matte Clear Film close view of the left front quarter panel.
Ford / Ford

Ford Motor Company recently added a new personalization option for the 2024 Ford Mustang. For an extra $5,995, the factory can add matte finish clear film to any 2024 Mustang paint color, starting with Mustang coupes now and convertibles this fall. Ford touts this option, elevated with caps as Matte Clear Film, as a unique way to personalize the car and add superior protection to the car’s exterior.

2024 Ford Mustangs with and without Matte Clear Film right front three-quarter view with the cars in an empty brick-wall warehouse.
Ford / Ford

Why does Ford bother with special appearance options?

One of the best aspects of being a car nut is personalizing your ride so it’s unlike any other vehicle you’ll see on the road. Ford encourages Mustang owners, ICEs, and EVs to indulge in special trims or accessories, such as with the 2024 Mustang GT California Special and the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally.

Recommended Videos

Ford knows that enthusiastic owners tend to stay loyal to car brands and models and often attract other buyers. Special options can also add significant profit to a car sale, as suggested by the six-grand price tag for the matte finish clear film.

2024 Ford Mustang with Matte Clear Film direct profile view with the car in an empty brick-wall warehouse.
Ford / Ford

Why add a matte finish to your 2024 Ford Mustang

Shiny cars have been the rule for generations, but a few brands have offered matte finishes. According to Ford, the optional Matte Clear Film gives a smooth, satin-like finish to current Mustang paint colors. Ford claims its Matte Clear Film provides superior protection to aftermarket vinyl wraps. Ford covers the Matte Clear Film with the company’s standard  3-year/36,000-mile factory warranty to underscore the automaker’s belief in the appearance option.

Related

Even more than just adding a unique look, Ford claims the 2024 Ford Mustang Clear Film protects the car surface from damage from bug splatter, bird droppings, road salt, and asphalt residue. You can also rest easier when cleaning your car, whether you wash it by hand or send it through a touchless car wash, Ford says, because the tough film, made by PPG, doesn’t succumb to strong commercial detergents.

2024 Ford Mustang with Matte Clear Film direct front view of hood with chrome air intake.
Ford / Ford

The 2024 Ford Mustang Matte Clear Film isn’t available for all new Mustangs. Models or trims with special graphics packages for the Mustang EcoBoost and GT or the GT California Special package are excluded. If you’re a fan of stripes but also like the matte finish look, you’ll need to make a tough choice because hood accent stripes and painted racing stripes won’t be available with Matte Clear Film.

If you order a Matte Clear Film for a Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which Ford says is the most track-capable 5.0-liter Mustang ever, the standard hood stripe will be deleted, and you cannot order an optional Painted Racing Stripe. Ford also wants you to know that you can delete the hood stripe graphic as a separate item on the Mustang Dark Horse if you stick with a traditional glossy paint job.

2024 Ford Mustang with Matte Clear Film right rear three-quarter view with the car in an empty brick-wall warehouse.
Ford / Ford

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Cars teams. He also writes technology news…
Fewer EVs qualify for the $7,500 EV tax credit in 2024
Your EV tax break is going away
Charging a Ford F-150 Lightning EV with a Level 2 wall charger in a garage.

In August 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law and repealed the previous electric vehicle tax credit that had been in effect since 2010. Unlike the previous guidelines, in which any EV could qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 as long as the manufacturer hadn’t sold over 200k EVs, the Inflation Reduction Act only favored electric vehicles made in America with no limit on the manufacturer sales. As a result, major automakers such as Tesla and GM made it back on the list after they were locked out in the old rules for surpassing the 200k sales.

However, electric vehicles that are made in North America are required to meet specific requirements to qualify for the federal EV tax credit. More succinctly, the federal government imposed a price cap limit and a certain percentage on the battery components and critical minerals that are used to manufacture electric vehicles. But that’s not all; the requirements get higher every year, which means fewer EVs will qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit in 2024 than in 2023. Why is it so? 

Read more
Ford promises its Mustang Mach-E GT package has the fastest ever 0-60 time
If you want to bronze a Mustang Mach-E
2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Bronze front left three-quarter view parked on a hard surface road in front of a building with red and gray siding.

Ford recently introduced a new appearance option for the 2024 Mustang Mach-E GT, which will soon be available for preordering. The Bronze Appearance Package is more for show than go, but an exclusive performance package will also be available to add go-power. This new Mach-E variant joins the 2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally and is designed for off-pavement driving.

Why the Mustang Mach-E GT matters
Ford had unexpected success with the F-150 Lightning electric truck and the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV. The originally explosive EV sales growth has cooled a bit, but Ford needs to continue to develop and promote both models. Ford F150 pickup trucks have been the best-selling light vehicles, including cars and trucks, for over three decades. However, Ford snubbed the noses of many Mustang purists by using the Mustang name for a crossover utility electric vehicle. So, Ford is buttressing the Mach-E's impact with attributes long-revered by ICE Mustang buyers: personalization and performance.

Read more
The 9 best electric cars to buy in 2024
Looking for the best electric cars for 2024? Here's our list
ev charging in sunny weather

A lot has changed in the autoverse in the last couple of decades. Looking forward to new cars meant high-horsepower, V-8 speed machines like the mind-bendingly fast Chevy Corvette Z06 or the captivating BMW Z8. Even a decade ago, the concept of a fast and exciting hybrid like Bimmer's enigmatic i8 was at the forefront of technological wonderment. But with the dawn of 2024, we have since readjusted our expectations to the current automotive climate. Our pulse still quickens at the idea of massive power, no matter how it is produced. However, with the onset of the electric revolution, a car's range has become a number that is almost, if not more, exciting. The following are what we think are the nine best electric cars on the market in 2024.

 9. Chevrolet Bolt
In terms of excitement, being cost-effective isn't precisely exhilarating... except when paying that monthly car note. So, while the 2024 Chevy Bolt's main feature is its ability to allow you to drive to the grocery store and buy groceries, it also happens to be aesthetically appealing. With a base price of just $27,495, the Bolt offers total electric transportation with an EPA-estimated range of up to 259 miles. If space is more of a priority than range, then the crossover Bolt SUV may be preferred. In either case, Chevy's low-cost EV is one worth keeping an eye on in 2024.

Read more