SÃO PAULO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 23, 2026--
XPEL, Inc. (NASDAQ: XPEL), a global leader in protective films and coatings, today announced the official opening of its new Brazil headquarters, warehouse and training center in São Paulo, marking a significant milestone in the company's long-term commitment to one of the world's largest and most dynamic automotive markets.
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With this expansion, Brazilian dealers will now work directly with XPEL, Inc., providing streamlined access to XPEL's complete portfolio of paint protection film (PPF), window tint, ceramic coatings and more. The transition creates a more direct relationship between XPEL and its growing network of authorized dealers throughout Brazil.
“This investment demonstrates our confidence in the demand for our products in Brazil and our commitment to supporting the incredible growth opportunities we see in this market,” said Tony Rimas, XPEL’s VP of Revenue. “By establishing a direct presence in São Paulo, we're bringing the full strength of our company closer to our dealers and customers. They will benefit from faster product availability, world-class training, dedicated local support and direct access to the people and resources that have helped make XPEL the global leader in automotive protection.”
Brazil represents one of the most significant automotive markets in the world and one of the largest in Latin America, with a considerable vehicle parc, strong new-vehicle sales and a passionate car culture that increasingly values premium vehicle protection and customization. As consumer awareness of paint protection and vehicle customization options continues to grow, XPEL sees substantial long-term opportunity to support installers, dealerships and vehicle owners throughout the country.
The new facility is more than 9,000 square feet (860 square meters) and includes a substantial warehouse, which is expected to significantly reduce product lead times and improve inventory availability for all XPEL dealers across Brazil.
“In addition to improving supply chain efficiency, XPEL is actively investing in local talent and is hiring professionals across sales, training and installation support functions,” said Jorge Wilson, XPEL’s Managing Director of Latin America. “These team members will provide hands-on assistance to dealers, help grow the XPEL network and deliver the Company's industry-leading training programs throughout the region.”
“Brazil is one of the most important automotive markets globally and a strategic market for XPEL's future growth,” Wilson continued. “The size of the vehicle market, the strength of the enthusiast community, and the increasing demand for premium protection solutions make Brazil a tremendous opportunity. By investing directly, we're demonstrating our long-term commitment to the market and ensuring XPEL’s Brazilian dealers have the resources they need to grow with us.”
“Our goal is simple: be closer to our dealers and closer to our customers,” added Rimas. “This is more than a new headquarters. It's a statement of our commitment to Brazil. We're investing because we believe Brazil will play a critical role in XPEL's growth story for years to come.”
The São Paulo facility is now fully operational and serving authorized XPEL dealers throughout Brazil.
About XPEL, Inc.
XPEL is a leading provider of protective films and coatings, including automotive paint protection film, surface protection film, automotive and architectural window films, and ceramic coatings. With a global footprint, a network of trained installers and proprietary DAP software, XPEL is dedicated to exceeding customer expectations by providing high-quality products, leading customer service, expert technical support and world-class training. XPEL, Inc. is publicly traded on Nasdaq under the symbol “XPEL”.
XPEL, Inc., a global leader in protective films and coatings, today announced the official opening of its new Brazil headquarters, warehouse and training center in São Paulo, marking a significant milestone in the Company's long-term commitment to one of the world's largest and most dynamic automotive markets.
XPEL, Inc., a global leader in protective films and coatings, today announced the official opening of its new Brazil headquarters, warehouse and training center in São Paulo, marking a significant milestone in the Company's long-term commitment to one of the world's largest and most dynamic automotive markets.
President Donald Trump on Friday said he told his administration to file its lawsuit to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, kicking off what many fear could become a lengthy battle between the government and states over certifying an election where the president's party is struggling.
“I'm the one that said do it,” Trump told reporters as he landed for a campaign rally in Florida.
The lawsuit, filed late Thursday, centers on one of the president's longstanding complaints in the Senate race — the presence of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan who Republicans fear could siphon away votes from the incumbent in what's likely to be a photo-finish contest with Democrat Mary Peltola, the state's former congresswoman.
The second Dan Sullivan, who is Daniel J. Sullivan from the tiny fishing community of Petersburg, has said he decided to run on his own, but Republicans have contended he is a Democratic plant to siphon votes away from their candidate.
The lawsuit by the Republican president's Department of Justice in federal court in Alaska demands that the state be blocked from certifying a Peltola win if Daniel J. Sullivan remains on the ballot. “The United States accordingly brings this lawsuit to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska,” the lawsuit says, contending that federal law requires states to protect the integrity of federal elections.
The legal challenge came 11 days before the Nov. 3 election and months after the final ballot was set.
The Alaska Supreme Court rejected a previous Republican effort to remove Daniel J. Sullivan from the ballot, and the state's Republican officials made the decisions about how to list him on the ballot. He will appear without a party designation next to his name, while the senator will be listed as the Republican incumbent. Alaska's ranked choice voting system also will allow voters to select both of the men if confused.
The senator received more than 68,000 votes in the August primary, while the challenging Sullivan got 4,107, about 2% of the total vote. Peltola, who had previously served one term in the House, was the top vote-getter in the nonpartisan primary. Both parties expect that whoever wins in November will do so by a tight margin in a state of 738,000 people.
The campaign for Sen. Dan Sullivan did not address whether the senator supports the Department of Justice's intervention. “We'll let the DOJ complaint run its course,” campaign spokesman Nate Adams said in a text message. “Alaskans can tell the difference between a Democrat sideshow and Senator Sullivan's strong record of delivering for Alaska.”
Daniel J. Sullivan, whose presence on the ballot is at issue in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Donald Trump knows that Dan Sullivan is going to lose the election, so now his Department of Justice is filing a sham lawsuit to overturn the will of Alaska voters and steal an election when he loses,” said Devan Barber, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
In a statement on Friday, the Department of Justice noted that Alaska's election officials, who are Republicans, determined the other Sullivan's campaign was an attempt to “mislead:” voters and wanted him removed from the ballot. Both a state court and Alaska's Supreme Court disagreed and kept the second Sullivan on the ballot.
"The Justice Department, consistent with the National Voter Registration Act enacted by Congress, is taking the necessary steps to ensure that this frivolous candidacy does not undermine the integrity of Alaska’s election or the will of its voters,” the DoJ statement said.
The Department of Justice has increasingly been used to bolster the president's political operation, targeting his enemies and suing Democratic-controlled states before the election. Democrats and many voting rights advocates have long feared that the administration will try to block certification of elections that Trump's party loses, much as he unsuccessfully tried to do when he lost the White House race to Democrat Joe Biden.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said that was unlikely outside of extreme circumstances. “It is not DOJ’s intention to, and it’s never our intention to, improperly interfere with elections or the state certification process," he told reporters Thursday in Virginia before the lawsuit was filed.
The lawsuit was signed by Associate U.S. Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who represented Trump allies and Jan. 6 defendants before becoming one of the top appointees at the department.
Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, said the lawsuit would likely only kick in if Republicans narrowly lost the Alaska Senate race and that it probably would not survive long. “The statute simply doesn't let the Department of Justice enjoin certification,” Muller said. “The lawsuit could well be mooted by a wide Democratic victory or a narrow Republican one, and if not, the court will likely dismiss it next month.”
The U.S. Constitution grants states the power to run their own elections. Elections for federal office like the Senate must comply with standards set by Congress. That division of power has frustrated Trump, who repeatedly has tried to seize control of election procedures through executive orders that courts have blocked.
The final step for a state election is formally certifying the winner, the act that the administration's lawsuit seeks to prevent, it requests, “pending an investigation to determine whether votes cast for. Daniel J. Sullivan were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan."
The process in Alaska is complicated by the state's ranked choice voting system, which Trump opposes, and many expect it to take weeks before a winner is known. Also on the state's ballot is an initiative to repeal that system.
Trump has complained about Daniel J. Sullivan's presence on the ballot, making reference to it during a rally in Alaska this month and in repeated social media posts, including one this week where he called it “CHEATING.”
“We are looking at powerful legal options to remove the fraudulent Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the Ballot, and holding the Democrats accountable for their Election Interference, in the pursuit of Justice and Fairness,” the president wrote on Wednesday.
Clogging a ballot with third party candidates to siphon off votes from the other major party is a long-standing tactic in the country's two-party system. Republicans have been linked to an effort to persuade Ohio voters to support a socialist in that state's Senate race, which could help Republican Sen. Jon Husted fend off a challenge from former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, DC contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump greets Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, at a campaign rally at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
President Donald Trump listens as Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks at a campaign rally at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
In this photo shot with a smart phone, Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan poses ahead of a debate with Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska's Senate race, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
