Renowned Washington commentators Fred Barnes and Eleanor Clift will be the headliners for a lively debate on timely political issues, including the 2008 presidential election, during the political insiders session at SEMA’s 2008 Washington Rally.

In addition to influential SEMA members, council and industry leaders, among those participating in the SEMA Washington Rally will be members of the Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus, consisting of about 100 members of Congress.  The Caucus, formed in 1996 is a coalition of federal lawmakers who are car enthusiasts themselves or have racing and performance manufacturers in their districts.  The Caucus was created to help raise the profile of the motor vehicle performance industry in Washington and throughout the country.

Fred Barnes is host, along with Mort Kondracke, of the Beltway Boys on FOX News. Barnes appears regularly on "FOX’s Special Report" with Brit Hume. From 1988–1998, he was a regular panelist on "The McLaughlin Group." He has also appeared on "Nightline," "Meet the Press," "Face the Nation," and "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer." In addition, Barnes hosts the weekly radio show, "Issues in the News" on Voice of America.  He is the co-founder and executive editor of The Weekly Standard. From 1985–1995, he served as senior editor and White House correspondent for The New Republic.

     
Eleanor Clift                                            Fred Barnes

Eleanor Clift is a regular panelist on the syndicated talk show, "The McLaughlin Group," and a political analyst for the Fox News Network.  Clift became a contributing editor to Newsweek in September 1994. She writes on the Washington power structure, the influence of women in politics and other issues.  She is currently assigned to follow the jockeying over policy and politics in the Democratic-controlled Congress and the emerging contenders for the 2008 presidential nomination in both the Republican and Democratic parties. Formerly Newsweek’s White House correspondent, Clift also served as congressional and political correspondent for six years.

In addition to the political insiders' session, SEMA members who attend the Washington Rally will participate in an opening reception featuring car enthusiast Jon Tester, U.S. Senator from Montana, meet with their members of Congress in a one-on-one setting, tour the U.S. Capitol and celebrate the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the motorsports industry with businessman, philanthropist and respected NASCAR driver Kyle Petty at a Congressional reception.   

For more information or to download a registration form for the Washington Rally, go to: www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?ID=51667.

The deadline to register for the SEMA Installer Certification Exams is next Friday, March 21. The tests are ideal for business owners, installers, restylers and wheel and tire specialists looking to gain a quality advantage in the marketplace.

The SEMA certification program includes five exams which will be offered on Thursday, May 13, at more than 700 test centers in the United States and Canada. Testing begins at 7:00 p.m. local time.

The five exams include: Z1/Electric Sunroofs; Z2/Truck Accessories & Body Exterior Components; Z3/Leather Interiors; Z4/Roof Treatments; Z5/Custom Wheel and Tire. The registration deadline is Friday, March 21, 2008.

To register, follow the links located below for the appropriate registration forms. For more information, visit www.sema.org/certification, or e-mail Beverly Rosen at beverlyr@sema.org.

Installer Certification Quick Links

• Facts About the Accessory Certification Exams (Z1–Z4)
• Z1–Z4 Spring 2008 Test Preparation Guide & Registration Booklet
• Z1–Z4 Registration Form Only
• Member Directory of Certified Accessory Specialists (Z1–Z4)
• Certified Installer Insignia & Chevron Uniform Patches (Z1–Z4) order form
• Facts About the Custom Wheel & Tire Certification (Z5) Exam
• Z5 Spring 2008 Test Preparation Guide & Registration Booklet
• Z5 Registration Form Only
• Member Directory of Certified Custom Wheel & Tire Specialists (Z5)

SEMA Manufacturer Members: SEMA has set up a Measuring Session with smart USA for the 2008 smart fortwo coupe and cabriolet. Measuring Sessions provide manufacturers with private previews of new and soon-to-be-released vehicles. In addition to gathering first-hand measurements and specs, participants are also able to interact with high-level OEM personnel and get answers to technical queries directly from vehicle designers.

For more information on smart USA and the smart fortwo, click here. For additional information on SEMA-OEM relations, visit www.sema.org/oem.

Measuring Session Details

Who: smart USA

What: 2008 smart fortwo coupe and cabriolet
Two-seater, Three cylinder, 1.0L, 61 cu. in., 70 hp
15-inch, three-bolt wheels

Where: AAA Building (next to the SEMA offices), 1577 S. Valley Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, CA 91765

When: Thursday, April 3, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

To Register: E-mail responses with name (s), company, address and phone to: measuringsession@sema.org

Registration Deadline: Friday, March 28

Questions?: Contact Bill Wolf or Sandy Conolly at 909/396-0289, ext. 177 or ext. 155, respectively.

Filler for eNews

SEMA manufacturing members are invited to join Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, for the Ford Measuring Session featuring the 2009 Ford Flex, F-150 and Lincoln MKS. This is the event where you can gather the measurements, photos and information needed to get your products ready outfit these vehicles when they hit the streets later this year.

  
Ford F-150  

Ford Flex

The Measuring Session is scheduled for Tuesday–Thursday, April 22–24, at the Ford Conference and Event Center in Dearborn, Michigan. To register, access the writable PDF available by clicking here. The deadline to register is Friday, April 11. Photos of the vehicles are available at www.ford.com and www.fordflex.com.

For more information on this and other upcoming SEMA Measuring Sessions, contact Bill Wolf at billw@sema.org or 909/396-0289, ext. 177.

To help installers prepare for the SEMA Installer Certification exams, the association teamed up with E&G Classics and Webasto Product North America to present an interactive, hands-on ASE A6 Training & Preparation Workshop. The workshop is set for Saturday, April 5, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., at E&G Classics in Columbia, Maryland. The ASE A6 exam is a key component of the SEMA Installer Certification Program, and this workshop will cover electrical systems, troubleshooting and repair, battery testing, gauges, alternator circuits and alternators, circuits and circuit testing and much more.

The workshop is $25 per person. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required. The registration fee includes Continental breakfast, lunch and training manual, plus a $20 coupon valid for any SEMA Accessory Certification Exam (Z1–Z4) through November 2008.

Registration closes Friday, March 21, 2008. To register, use the registration form located here. For program and hotel information, call 909/396-0289, ext. 158.

Elite sales professionals know the tactics needed to establish credibility and how to deliver on high expectations while maintaining profitable relationships with customers. The pros know how to provide customers with reasons to buy now, one of the biggest challenges in sales.

To learn the tips the pros use, tune in to "Dale Carnegie's How to Sell Like a Pro! Part 1." The webinar session will teach you what the pros know and provide you with techniques that can be put to use immediately.

Dale Carnegie's How to Sell Like a Pro! Part 1

When: Thursday, March 20

Speaker: Richard Bonar, Dale Carnegie

What You'll Learn

How to Participate 

• Click here to attend the live webcast the day of the webinar. NOTE: If you have not yet updated your Microsoft Live Meeting client on your computer, you may be prompted to do so before you can proceed to viewing the webinar through the link above. When prompted, please hit "Accept, Install, and Join" and then "Run". You can view the screenshot here.
  
  
• Download the presentation PDF (will be available several days before the webinar).
  
  
• Connect to the audio portion of the webinar by calling toll-free 866/637-2754, pin 1542.

• For more information, visit www.sema.org/webinar.

SEMA's Webinar Program
The SEMA webinar program brings the world-class business seminars featured during the SEMA Show Education Week right to your desktop. Different business-building sessions are constantly being added to the program, offering members the latest insight and practices from today’s leading speakers. All SEMA webinars are conducted live and are open to all employees of SEMA-member companies free of charge. To participate, all you need is a computer with Internet access and a telephone.

All previously conducted SEMA webinars are available to download anytime by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via the telephone and Internet, click here.

For additional information on the SEMA Webinar program, contact Pat Talaska-Benson at patt@sema.org.

Spy photog commander Brenda Priddy tell us that this is the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, still at least a year away from the showroom floor.

Code-named W212, the new E-Class will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Priddy says, and will copy the S-Class' wheel-arch extensions, rising character line below the door handles, massive bumpers and greenhouse. A more sculpted wide-frame grille, more geometric nasal air intakes and a wedge-shaped profile should give W212 a sportier stance, she adds.

The 2010 E-Class is also expected to include cutting-edge safety technology, including lane-departure warnings, an eye-movement monitor, traffic-sign identification, road-condition sensors, and stability control that accounts for crosswinds, camber changes and tire wear. Engine-wise, expect the usual V6 and V8 options, including a normally aspirated, 500+hp 6.3L V8 in the E63 AMG model.

Filler for eNews

A version of SEMA-model legislation that would create a vehicle registration classification for street rods and replica vehicles was approved by the Iowa House Transportation Committee and will soon be brought to the floor of the House for a vote by all members. The bill defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 or a vehicle designed to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949.

The bill defines a replica vehicle as a reproduction of an originally manufactured vehicle with the substitution or addition of parts to update the vehicle for purposes of safety, performance or reliability. The measure also allows street rods and replica vehicles to be assigned a registration designation bearing the same model year that the body of the vehicle resembles.

For more information, click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.