SEMA News - November 2010
The images and information provided in “Spy Photos” are supplied by the spy shooters at Brenda Priddy & Co. “Spy Photos” are included each week in SEMA eNews, the association’s electronic newsletter. To receive your copy of SEMA eNews, e-mail enews@sema.org.
2012 Acura TL
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When It Hits: Production has been bumped up to September in order to have models available in showrooms by late spring or early summer 2011.
What Priddy Says: Due for a mid-cycle redesign for 2012, the TL could possibly receive Acura’s new six-speed automatic transmission to replace the aging five-speed. There’s also a possibility that it will receive one of the new family of V6s that Honda is working on.
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
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When It Hits: All signs point to the ’12 Grand Cherokee SRT8 being available at dealerships late in 2011 as a 2012 model.
What Priddy Says: Looks like any burly V8 mill with a modern-day intake manifold, right? But this one is expected to make around 480 hp and 450 lb.-ft. of torque. The new Hemi is also rumored to link with a ZF-designed eight-speed automatic transmission.
2012 BMW 1-Series
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When It Hits: The next-gen 1 Series is expected to debut next year as a ’12 model, but no word if the three-door will be in the mix.
What Priddy Says: Don’t be fooled by the fake seam line indicating a rear passenger door. This is, in fact, a three-door hatchback version of the next-generation BMW 1-Series.
Subaru FT-86 STI Coupe
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When It Hits: Sources are mixed regarding the on-sale date for the FT-86. Some sources say it should be ready near the end of 2011; others say that setbacks have pushed the FT-86 to 2013.
What Priddy Says: This car, a joint project between Subaru and Toyota, is peppered with speculation. The chassis should be a modified Legacy type. It’s expected to be a 2+2 configuration with a 2.0L rear-wheel-drive powertrain and independent suspension. A 2.5L turbocharged mill is also likely.
Photos Copyright Brenda Priddy & Company. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.
SEMA submitted comments to the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) in opposition to a proposed rule to increase the number of eligible vehicles for scrappage programs. The proposal would allow consumers to scrap any vehicle at any time for any reason by expanding the scope of the program, which currently only allows for the retirement of on-cycle vehicles that have failed their biennial required smog check in the year they are seeking to participate. The new rule would also provide an exception to the current prohibition on participation by unregistered vehicles, permitting their retirement if the owners can prove that the vehicles have been driven primarily in California for the previous 
A version of SEMA-model legislation to create a vehicle registration classification for street rods, custom vehicles, replicas and specially constructed vehicles was signed into law by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. The new law defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948. A replica vehicle is defined as assembled by a non-manufacturer from new or used parts that replicate an earlier year, make and model vehicle. Specially constructed vehicles are those reconstructed or assembled by a non-manufacturer from new or used parts that have an exterior that does not replicate or resemble any other manufactured vehicle. The law allows a replica vehicle to be assigned a certificate of title bearing both the year in which the vehicle was built and the make, model and year of the vehicle intended to be replicated. Under the new law, street rods and custom vehicles are exempted from emissions inspection requirements. In a compromise made with the state air-quality regulators, the measure also provides that specially constructed and replica vehicles that are registered on or before April 30, 2012, will be exempted from emissions inspection requirements. Specially constructed and replica vehicles registered after April 30, 2012, will be subject to emissions control requirements based on the model year and configuration of the engine installed, whether the engine is an original-equipment manufacturer’s production engine, a rebuilt engine or a crate engine. 
SEMA-opposed legislation that would have implemented a state vehicle scrappage program for passenger vehicles that are at least 14 years old died when the legislature adjourned for the year. Under the program, each participant would have received around $1,000–$1,500 to scrap a car and purchase a current-year vehicle under 10,000 lbs., or one from the previous three model years. The bill stipulated that the participant’s family income must be less than 300% of the current federal poverty level. All trade-in vehicles would have been subject to scrappage, regardless of their historical value or 
SEMA is opposing a proposed regulation issued by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (Chapter Trans 123) to prohibit the registration of imported vehicles manufactured after 1967 that do not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). U.S. law specifically exempts imported vehicles that are 25 years old and older from these safety standards. Trans 123 offers no such reasonable exemption. The regulation permits the continued registration of subject vehicles that are already legally registered in Wisconsin, but only until they are transferred to a new owner. The rule is currently under review by the Senate and Assembly Transportation Committees, which have until September 10, 2010, to raise an objection.
Beat the clock. You have exactly four days to visit the 12 different sections of the 2010 SEMA Show. Do you have a wish list of exhibitors you want to meet with during the Show? Use the accompanying map to maximize your time by setting up meetings that flow along a well-planned walking route through the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendees, remember that you have to balance Show-floor time against other commitments, including educational presentations, product demonstrations and the circuit 
