When we spoke with Chris Hardy, Senior Director of Sales at XPEL, Inc. in our podcast, he proved to be a wealth of information. We expected to learn a lot; we didn’t expect to find out so much about the future of XPEL products. As an early innovator in the industry, it stands to reason that XPEL would continue to grow and think up new products. Here’s a BMWBLOG exclusive look at the future of XPEL’s products and business.
Windshield PPF
At SEMA this year, XPEL plans to launch its first-ever windshield protection film. Chris explains that there are generally two different kinds of material when it comes to tint and films. The first is PET, a polyester, shrinkable plastic that is great for tinting and occasionally used as an external windshield protectant. It doesn’t allow for perfect visibility, though. The other is TPU, which is more closely related to PPF. Chris leaves out any more specifics but says he’s already using the new XPEL windshield PPF on some of his vehicles, and things look great.
Windshield PPF should help with rock chips, bugs, and general debris – just like regular PPF. Like tint, it feels like something almost every driver should consider. It could also benefit those who live in colder climates, hopefully making clearing your windshield before a drive much easier. We’ll have to wait until November for more details.
Vinyl Wraps and Color Customization via XPEL
XPEL will also be bringing their first colored PPF at SEMA this year. Chris touches on vinyl wraps a bit, which is what currently dominates the ‘color-changing’ space in the industry. “Vinyl has a very short lifespan,” he starts, “it chips easy. It’s much thinner.” He admits that one huge benefit vinyl has is the ease of install, specifically in cases like door jambs and dismantling.
“We should be at SEMA launching our initial colored PPF,” Chris continues. “And I believe we’ll be launching vinyl as well. But this is…uh, to be seen at SEMA,” he laughs. It’s great to see XPEL expanding its product lineup. Enthusiasts will likely welcome a higher-quality vinyl wrap with open arms. Expect details at SEMA or as November draws closer. One last morsel from Chris on SEMA – apparently, the XPEL booth will feature a “one-of -one, multi-multi-multimillion-dollar car from McLaren. It’s going to steal the show.”
XPEL Exclusive Stores
While we were discussing the extraordinarily high standards XPEL holds their installers to, Chris had another nugget of knowledge to drop on us. Beginning in Q3 2024, stores that choose to only install XPEL products will receive even closer attention. “Depending on the volume of purchasing that they have, we’re providing at least one free training class per year for a student of theirs,” Chris says. “The technology changes, right? The techniques, the capabilities change. So it’s beneficial to us to ensure the end consumer gets the best experience they can.”
We read this as the best getting better, and it’s exciting to see the brand stand behind its best installers. Ultimately, the customer will get a better install, the shop will have higher-quality work, and XPEL will preserve its reputation as a high-quality film.
Real-Life PPF and Ceramic Coating Comparison
Finally, BMWBLOG will team up with XPEL and Tinting Chicago to compare PPF and ceramic coating in real life. We’ll have a BMW 1M undergoing ceramic coating and a Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0 getting a PPF application. The goal is to see where the differences lie in real life and give a firsthand account of how they hold up over time. A full article on this project will follow in the next few days, but in the meantime, you catch up on the podcast with XPEL.