2014 Nissan Versa Note Shows Stay-clean Coating in Europe

Although better known for its ability to help owners save money on fuel, the 2014 Nissan Versa Note recently made news for showing how it can cut down on car-washing costs—and eliminate one of folks' least favorite parts about owning a vehicle: trying to keep it clean.

The secret is a unique paint system from UltraTech International that, according to the company, "uses proprietary omniphobic technology to coat an object and create a surface chemistry and texture with patterns of geometric shapes that have 'peaks' or 'high points.' These ... help repel water, some oils, wet concrete, and other liquids unlike any other coating."

Of course, more important for the 2014 Nissan Versa Note is the fact that the coating also repels road dirt and mud from the surface, helping to create what the automaker describes as a "self-cleaning car." That's the theory, anyway, and Nissan now is testing the paint in a real-world application in Europe (where the car is known simply as the Nissan Note). And while that doesn't mean the coating technology will be used in production models any time soon, the automaker did confirm that it is continuing to evaluate the Ultra-Ever Dry finish as a possible aftermarket resource.

Said the chief marketing manager for the Nissan Note, Geraldine Ingham: "The Nissan Note has been carefully engineered to take the stress out of customer driving, and Nissan's engineers are constantly thinking of new ways to make families' lives easier. We are committed to addressing everyday problems our customers face and will always consider testing exciting, cutting edge technology like this incredible coating application."