SEMA News—December 2014
INTERNATIONAL
By Linda Spencer
SEMA’s International Vehicle Measuring Program
Offering Access to Hard-to-Obtain Vehicles
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Through a special partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, SEMA imports globally popular vehicles which are not sold in the United States in order to help SEMA-member manufacturers create export-ready products. The vehicles were selected based on feedback from overseas buyers, input from SEMA members and data tracking of the number of vehicles sold worldwide, and they were brought to the United States on temporary importation waivers.
The vehicles are now available to member manufacturers at the new SEMA Garage (for more information visit the fully equipped SEMA Garage. The vehicles can even be delivered to a SEMA member’s facility for those who need that sort of access.
The vehicle-import program has resonated with members since the first vehicle was brought into the country in July 2012. To date, nearly 250 member manufacturers have measured one or more of the trucks. The latest two vehicles—Mitsubishi L200 and UAZ Hunter—arrived in the United States in September with the first mega international measuring session featuring the four vehicles recently held at the SEMA Garage.
What Members Think
Below are comments from some of the companies that have measured the trucks:
“We [created] an in-dash navigation DVD/CD Bluetooth unit and a vehicle-specific dual-DVD headrest system for the Toyota HiLux. We are currently supplying these products to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Nicaragua, Colombia and Mexico, with other opportunities in Costa Rica and Honduras.” —Matt Bradley, applications manager/technical support, Rosen Electronics
“SEMA, by bringing vehicles to the membership that we would normally not have access to unless we went overseas, has allowed us the opportunity to develop aftermarket tunes for [a larger number of] international markets.” —Rick Trudo, president/CEO, SCT Performance/Bully Dog—Powered by Derive
“I took advantage of the SEMA Garage measuring session in Diamond Bar, California, in April, where we collected extensive 3D surface data on the Toyota HiLux. We used this data to design Ventvisor and Bugflector products for the HiLux. Collecting this data on our own would have been far more costly and much more difficult without the aid of SEMA. We will be making a return visit with prototypes of these parts to verify their fit as well as to collect data from SEMA’s other foreign vehicles that are currently available. After fit-up, these parts are slated to ship to Puerto Rico and Central and South American countries. We feel that SEMA’s data services and vehicle access programs are integral to being first to market in the United States as well as expanding into new markets.” —Jonathan Shroyer, program manager, Lund International
“We were able to grow our export market through this export vehicle program. Because of this program, we are going to see a nice increase in export sales for fender flares, bedrails and tailgate caps.” —Kenneth Merritt, vice president of export markets, Bushwacker
“I measured the Ford Ranger T6 and Toyota HiLux at a measuring session at the SEMA Garage in February of 2013. The program has been very helpful. I have referred to the measurements and photos taken there as recently as yesterday. I have been able to create prototypes for both models. We shipped one to South Africa and another to Ecuador. I am currently working on shipping covers to Thailand.” —Brandon Weltikol, engineer, Retra
“The [international vehicle measuring] program has come in handy. Our distributor in the United Kingdom has a Ranger T6 that it uses for a demo vehicle, and we were able to supply a TruckVault that fit perfectly. Having the measurements available definitely saved us time and money.” —Patricia Pienta, director of finance and international business, TruckVault Inc.
“This program allowed us to bring the vehicle into our facility and go through our normal R&D protocol to really fine-tune our design, just like we would on domestic vehicles. The Ranger was really beneficial in that it allowed us to go above and beyond the basic stock replacement products. We were able to take the information that we garnered from the stock parts to design and fit additional options for our products. We are now exporting these products all over the world and have had tremendous success with them. We are very much looking forward to the next vehicles that SEMA will bring over and designing performance suspension products for them.” —Mike Crosby of Radflo
“We measured the HiLux and Ranger at the SEMA Garage, created parts based on the data and began selling the parts internationally. We also were able to have the HiLux delivered to our facility for a week, which allowed time for photography and further vehicle measurements. Having the vehicles made available to us was a huge benefit and expedited the development of the parts along with time and monetary savings.” —Steve Bower, engineering manager for Winfield Consumer Products/Husky Liner
“The mystique of the U.S. automotive aftermarket has extended to the farthest corners of the globe, and this phenomenon is most evident in emerging markets that are thirsty for American aftermarket parts and have the resources to buy them. The problem is, American companies don’t have access to some of the more popular platforms in these foreign markets, making it very difficult to develop parts for these vehicles. SEMA’s measuring sessions are the remedy we need to resolve this ongoing dilemma.” —David Borla, vice president sales and marketing, Borla Performance
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The initial phase of the program—bringing in global vehicles favored by enthusiasts but not sold in the United States—was made possible in part by a $500,000 U.S. Department of Commerce Market Development Cooperator Program grant in September 2011 to assist members to increase their overseas exports.
Thanks to the recent awarding of a second U.S. government grant to the program in the amount of $300,000, the international vehicle measuring program will be expanded to include measuring sessions in the United Arab Emirates (March 2015), Russia (May 2015) and China (September 2015). These daylong sessions will immediately follow SEMA overseas business-development trips so that attendees can participate in one-on-one meetings with pre-vetted buyers as well as the all-day measuring sessions.
For more information about SEMA’s international programs, including overseas trips and the new measuring sessions, visit www.sema.org/international or contact lindas@sema.org. To register to measure the HiLux, Ranger T6, Mitsubishi L200 or UAZ Hunter, contact Jim Moore at jimm@sema.org or visit the SEMA Garage website at http://www.semagarage.com/.
The Vehicles
Listed below is information about each of the vehicles available as part of the International Vehicle Measuring Program.
Toyota HiLux
- Version available at the SEMA Garage: ’12 4x4 four-door double-cab
- 2.7L gasoline engine
- Assembled in Thailand
Facts About the Toyota HiLux
- Number sold: Toyota has sold more than 5 million of its HiLux vehicles around the globe since the model’s introduction in 2004 (currently seventh generation).
- Nickname: The Indestructible Truck.
- Where sold: As of 2014, the Toyota HiLux is available worldwide except in Japan, the United States, Canada and South Korea.
- Best selling: The HiLux is a top seller in key countries and regions, including Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and Central America.
- Where produced: South Africa (for the European and South African markets), Thailand (for the Middle Eastern, Australian and Asian markets) and Argentina (for South America). The truck will soon be produced in China for the Chinese market.
- Main competitors: Nissan Navara, Ford Ranger T6, Mitsubishi L200 Triton and Chevy/Holden Colorado.
- Next generation: Toyota HiLux Ute is expected to be offered in late 2015 as a model-year ’16 offering.
| Toyota HiLux Top 25 Countries (2013) No. Country/Units Sold 1 Thailand 179,114 Source: SEMA calculations from IHS stats | Toyota HiLux Top 25 Countries (2005–2013) No. Country/Units Sold 1 Thailand 1,327,989 Source: SEMA calculations from IHS statistics | |
| Total Global Sales of the Toyota HiLux Year Units Sold 2013 564,163 Source: SEMA calculations from IHS stats | Global Vehicles Available to Members In Available vehicles:
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Ford Ranger T6
- Model available in the SEMA Garage: 2013 4x4 double-cab
- 2.5L gasoline engine; 5-speed transmission
- Assembled in South Africa
Facts about the Ford Ranger T6
- The newest in the midsize truck class, first going into production in 2011.
- Designed in Australia.
- Close to the size of the F-150 (Ford executives describe it as 90% the size of an F-150).
- Number Sold: 174,541 in 2013.
- Where Sold: 180 countries, but not in the United States or Canada.
- Where Made: South Africa, Thailand and Argentina.
- Offered in three cab body styles: double, super and regular.
- Main Competitors: Toyota HiLux, Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi L200 Triton and Chevy/Holden Colorado.
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| SEMA recently held the first International Vehicle Measuring Session featuring the four vehicles imported through this program. Pictured is a member measuring the Toyota HiLux, which continues to be popular. SEMA has successfully extended the length of time that the HiLux has been in the United States from the initial one-year period to two additional years. |
No. Country/Units Sold
1 Brazil 22,081
2 Australia 21,752
3 Thailand 20,981
4 Argentina 20,396
5 South Africa 19,894
6 Saudi Arabia 9,975
7 Indonesia 9,874
8 Malaysia 5,761
9 New Zealand 4,931
10 Mexico 4,867
11 Philippines 4,691
12 United Kingdom 4,310
13 Chile 3,167
14 Germany 2,706
15 Colombia 2,309
16 France 2,262
17 United Arab Emirates 2,119
18 Vietnam 1,834
19 Sweden 959
20 Belgium 890
21 Uruguay 748
22 Italy 693
23 Russia 688
24 Turkey 657
25 Spain 604
Total Global Sales of the Ford Ranger
Year Units Sold
2013 174,541
2014 Mitsubishi L200
- Version available at the SEMA Garage:
2014 4x4 four-door double cab - 2.5L turbodiesel engine; five-speed manual transmission
- Available to members as a short-bed version; SEMA has also imported the longer bed found in a number of markets, including Australia and Europe
- Assembled in Thailand
Facts About the Mitsubishi L200
- Manufactured in Thailand.
- Known as Triton in some markets (including Australia).
- Current L200 first went on sale in 2006.
- Worldwide sales topped 1.1 million in the nine years since the truck has been on the market.
- Sold in 158 countries around the world, but not in the United States or Canada.
- Mitsubishi will start producing a Fiat-dedicated line of the L200; the Fiat Professional commercial vehicles division will rebadge these trucks under the Fiat brand beginning in 2016.
- Main competitors: Toyota HiLux, Nissan Navara, Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50 and VW Amarok.
- Largest market: Europe (excluding Russia and Ukraine) with 198,530 units sold; the United Kingdom accounts for 54,900 of this total.
| Mitsubishi L200/Triton Top 25 Countries (2013) No. Country/Units Sold 1 Thailand 36,471 Source: SEMA calculations from IHS stats | Mitsubishi L200/Triton Top 25 Countries (2005–2013) No. Country/Units sold 1 Thailand 227,004 Source: SEMA calculations from IHS stats | |
Total Global Sales of the Mitsubishi L200/Triton
Year Units Sold
2013 154,347
2005–2013 1,132,358
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| Four vehicles have been imported into the United States through a special partnership with the U.S. government in order to provide members to vehicles popularly accessorized globally but not in the United States. Each of the vehicles SEMA imports as part of the International Vehicle Measuring Program have received a one-year waiver from Customs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to be brought into the country on a temporary basis. The waivers can be extended to a total of three years per vehicle. |
UAZ Hunter
- Version available at the SEMA Garage:
2014 part-time 4x4 - 2.7L gasoline engine; five-speed manual transmission
- Assembled in Russia
Facts about the UAZ
- Where sold: Primarily Russia but also in Asian markets, including Vietnam, Laos and Mongolia; Europe, including Italy and the Czech Republic; and countries within Central America.
- UAZ Hunter is also known as UAZ 469 and, affectionately, as kozlik (“the goat”); it is an off-roader whose roots lay in the legendary UAZ 469—the Red Army Jeep.
- Current version first went on sale in 2003.
- Has a large following due to its affordable price and ability to be driven in virtually any terrain; simple design allows for easy and inexpensive maintenance and repairs.
- Built by UAZ in Ulyanovsk, a town in the Volga region (750 miles from Saint Petersburg); company produces light utility and military vehicles.
The Future of Small-/Medium-Size
Pickups in the United States
The Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier (and for a time, Honda Ridgeline) have been the only options in the United States in terms of smaller pickups since the production of the third-generation Ford Ranger ended in 2011. That is about to change but with only minimal new offerings. The new ’15 Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon will be coming to the United States shortly.
Ford officials, while noting in a USA Today article that they are seeking to put a small pickup into the U.S. market, ruled out the importation of the Ford Ranger for now. Noting that the Ford Ranger T6 is nearly 90% the size of the F-150, it is too big for their plans to space out the model offerings; they hinted at perhaps creating a smaller pickup for the U.S. market.
Autoblog is reporting that VW is also watching the developments in the less-than-fullsize pickup market and has not ruled out entering the segment in the future, but there has been no commitment made to bring the popular VW Amarok to the United States.
