Business Tools

The Added Value of Automotive Electronics

By Michael Hart

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Three conference sessions at SEMA Show Education Days will target the fast-growing automotive electronics business segment.

For many customizers today, wheels, bumpers and window tint are just the beginning. With technological developments finding their way into applications many of us never imagined, automotive electronics provide another avenue to help grow your business.

Three conference sessions at SEMA Show Education Days will target this fast-growing part of the business and show you how to exploit niches you never dreamed of:

  • With more than 50% of vehicle sales in North America now devoted to light trucks, there is a growing market among the enthusiasts who own them. And many of them want to take advantage of the cutting-edge interior electronics now available. That’s why the Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) is powering “Electronics Restyling in Light Trucks – The Opportune Audience.” You’ll learn how to capitalize on the opportunities to offer aftermarket products that can improve the quality of audio sound, assure safety with reverse cameras and offer rear-seat entertainment options.
  • With “Tablet Integration in the Dashboard – A Comprehensive How-To,” Bryan Schmitt of Mobile Solutions USA will take attendees through the step-by-step procedure of how a removable tablet can become part of a vehicle’s dashboard, offering both wired and wireless options to enhance the quality of a vehicle’s existing audio and video systems, all without disturbing the functionality of existing electronics. He’ll help you understand how to take advantage of the opportunity to integrate the latest portable technology—be it an iPad, Android or Microsoft Surface-based tablet—into vehicles.
  • Side-by-side vehicles (SSV) may look to some like golf carts on steroids, but it’s a fast-growing craze and one that the aftermarket industry can’t miss out on. In “Side-by-Side Vehicle Opportunities With Aftermarket Electronics” master installation technician Jeff Meece of Meece Car Audio will share the strategies he has adopted to add high-performance audio sound systems to SSVs. Trevor Kaplan of SSV Works will talk about the market opportunities available to add components and accessories to these popular vehicles that are not necessarily available at the point of sale.

SEMA Show Education Days will feature more than 60 educational sessions in 12 different tracks, ranging from new-vehicle technology to best business practices to marketing strategies and emerging trends in the industry. To see the complete schedule of SEMA Show Education courses and pre-register, visit www.SEMAShow.com/education.