Nearly one in five (18%) automotive enthusiasts say they have attended drifting events within the last year, according to SEMA's 2007 Automotive Lifestyles enthusiast survey. The following is a short excerpt from the 2006 SEMA Compact Performance Market Report, which delves further into the subject of drifting:

As of 2006, drifting has become such a frequent topic in the industry that hardly anyone is blind to its presence. Still, there remain some questions regarding the current stage of the trend and its future. Some say it's going to be the sport that replaces drag racing while others are adamant that the bubble will pop at any given minute. The most prudent guess is that it will be around for a long time, but will never reach the spotlight enjoyed by NASCAR or the NHRA.

Truth be told, it has growth potential so long as an infrastructure is there to build upon. The industry will have a significant influence on whether or not drifting can be given room to grow. With sanctioned events, an expanded offering of venues and sponsorship opportunities, drifting could blossom throughout the country.

The defining feature of a drift car is platform design. Front-engine, rear-drive cars work best and are by far the most used of any type. Mid-engine layouts are less capable than FR cars because they have better balance and tend to struggle getting loose, so their applicability is limited. Practically everyone agrees that front-wheel-drive cars are technically incapable of drifting, yet some rare examples do exist. This prejudice appears insurmountable, however, and it is doubtful that FF cars will make much impact on the drifting scene.
   
With few exceptions, OEMs have phased out or limited affordable FR cars during the last few years. Of the options that remain, sports cars and high-end sedans are suitable but come with a price penalty that younger enthusiasts cannot overcome. Due to this shallow market, drifting fans have been forced towards the used-car market where they can buy some of the same vehicles their Japanese icons use.

Without question, the most affordable and accessible car targeted is the Nissan 240SX. What the Honda Civic was for early tuners, the 240SX is for drifters. Another favorite is the '83–'87 Toyota Corolla that came with rear drive and some basic performance options. This car became extremely popular overnight due to Internet forums, magazine coverage and industry buzz. Used-car prices for both cars have swelled as demand has grown exponentially. Other favored cars include the Mazda RX-7 (2nd and 3rd generation) and siblings, the RX-8 and Miata MX-5, the Nissan 350Z, Toyota Supra and Honda S2000.

When the Japanese racing series D1 Grand Prix brought drifting competition to the United States, it was open to recruiting experienced drivers that utilized domestic and non-traditional makes. Through these channels, it has become widely accepted to welcome cars such as the Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO and Dodge Viper into the same arena as the Japanese models.

These would have been taboo in the previous compact-performance environment, but since the mentality has changed to accommodate rear-wheel-drive cars, the loyalties to import brands have loosened. That key element has opened the door for producers of components for domestic cars since this youth-dominated market has had members soften their “strictly JDM” disposition.

Undoubtedly, the hardcore JDM purists will remain loyal to whatever the Japanese are doing, but those on the fence have started to expand their range. Compact performance tuning is dominated by Japanese cars because there are simply more options to choose from and it has been easy for the crowd to stay focused on that perspective. Drifting, on the other hand, leaves the door wide open for domestic cars because the vehicle options are not as plentiful. With the exception of a handful of luxury and sports cars, there are roughly 10 Japanese models to choose from.

Information on the types of performance parts currently purchased and used for drifting can be found in the 2006 SEMA Compact Performance Market Report. SEMA members can receive a complimentary copy of this report as another benefit to being a SEMA member. This data-intensive report may be downloaded by visiting www.sema.org/research.

According to SEMA's 2007 Automotive Lifestyles enthusiast survey, 27% of those surveyed own a pickup, and 85% of these consumers say they have purchased specialty equipment for their trucks within the last year. The following is an excerpt from the 2006 SEMA Light Truck Personalization Report, which provides demographic information about owners of specific pickup models.

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Truck Owner Age
The majority of the truck owners surveyed are between the ages of 35 and 64 with a mean age of 47.06 years for fullsize pickup owners and 49.37 for midsize owners. The Silverado seems to be the most popular fullsize choice for those between the ages of 18 and 24, while the Dakota is the most popular choice for those 65 and older.



Truck Owner Education
The results indicate that Silverado owners have the lowest education level, while owners of the Tundra have the highest. Overall for fullsize pickup owners, 64% of those surveyed have had some college education or less.

In 1999, 32.8% of the truck owners surveyed had some college education, 22% were college graduates and 9.4% had postgraduate degrees. The 2004 results represented an increase in truck owners with postgraduate degrees, a decrease in truck owners with some college education and an equal percentage of truck owners with college degrees. In 2006, the results are spread rather evenly for both the midsize truck owners and the fullsize truck owners. Ridgeline owners are most likely to be college graduates, while Silverado owners are more likely to have a high school education or less.

SEMA members can now receive their complimentary copy of the 2006 SEMA Light Truck Personalization Report as another benefit to being a member. This data-intensive report is filled with valuable light-truck specialty-equipment industry information and can be downloaded by visiting www.sema.org/research.

Filler for eNews

In the past decade, light truck owners have increased their purchases of accessory/appearance products, at the expense of performance and suspension/handling products, according to SEMA research. Sales of accessory/appearance products rose 9.1% between 1996-2006 to 62.6% of market segment share.

Performance products, meanwhile, dropped five percent over the decade to 10.1% in 2006, while suspension and handling products dipped six percent to 27.3% last year.

This and other valuable insight into light-truck market trends is available in the September 2007 issue of SEMA News magazine, available online here (or via back issue at 909/860-2961). The 2006 Light Truck Report and Light Truck Accessorization Report, published by SEMA Research and Information Center, are also available to SEMA members as another benefit of membership. Visit www.sema.org/research for more.

Manufacturer sales of specialty automotive products reached $12.94 billion in 2006, an 8.28% increase from the previous year, according to SEMA Research. This total represents just over a third of what the industry generated at the retail level—$36.7 million.

During the past 10 years the industry has had annual increases in growth at the manufacturer level averaging 7.4%, Several factors may contribute to the increase, say SEMA researchers: Since 1996, annual new-vehicle sales growth averaged 1.07 percent. By 2005, there were 238 million cars on the road, a 19.9% increase from 1996.

And finally, the popularity of shows like “Pimp My Ride” and “Overhaulin’” has taken the specialty-equipment market mainstream. A telephone survey commissioned by SEMA in March 2007 found that 25% of adult American drivers planned to purchase specialty-equipment products within 90 days. Nearly 20% said they planned to buy wheels, tires and/or suspension products.

For further insight into the market, link to the June 2007 issue of SEMA News by clicking here, or visit www.sema.org/research for more original market research made available exclusively to SEMA members.

Truck enthusiasts picked up the purchasing pace of brush guards during the last three months via online auction sales, pushing sales for the period of June 25-September up 27% compared to the previous three months, according to data from Terapeak, a developer of market-focused research software that monitors online sales and auctions.

The action in the mid- and late summer months couldn’t compare to sales during the winter months, however. For the period December 27-March 26, brush guard sales were up almost 10 percent over the current three-month period.

Terapeak's Motors P&A Research provides sellers with access to comprehensive research on the past year of online auction data and allows users to get in-depth research reports on the competition and themselves. More at www.terapeak.com/motors.

The collective efforts of SEMA and the Wheel & Tire Council (WTC) have led to revised wording of the SAE J2530 Wheel Standard, incorporating the concerns of the specialty-equipment industry into the wheel standards process. Immediate past WTC chairman George Finch, Frank Bohanan and SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak attended SAE's Balloting Review meeting of J2530 in Northville, Michigan, on September 12. SAE representative John Kinstler commented that "thanks to SEMA's involvement, we have a better standard" and recommended that "SAE accept the changes and approve the standard with SEMA's comments."

"The results of the J2530 balloting process is an excellent example of how our members and the association are having an increased voice and influence on the growth of the specialty-equipment and performance industry," Waraniak said.

Finch noted that "our strategy to coordinate the delivery of our remarks and thoughts to three levels within SAE—at the Wheel Standards Committee level, Standards Group level and SAE Leadership level—helped to ensure our comments and concerns were incorporated in the revised standard."

Efforts are also underway to have SEMA represented on the SAE Motor Vehicle Council, which is currently comprised of only OEMs. Several joint SAE-SEMA initiatives are planned for the 2007 SEMA Show to help accelerate the association's MVC membership and to reinforce OEM relations through SAE Technical Committee participation.

Toyota Corporate Marketing Manager Brian Smith will deliver his presentation, "Marketing for Personalization," at the 2007 SEMA Show Innovations Day luncheon, Monday, October 29. The presentation will include a 20-minute PowerPoint and Q&A session, and it will touch on specialty-equipment marketing support for both Scion and the Tundra. The Innovations Day discussion illustrates the importance of vehicle personalization and the specialty-equipment industry to the Toyota brands. 

To purchase Innovations Day luncheon tickets, click here.

For a complete listing of all the 2007 SEMA Show Seminars and Special Events, click here.

General Motors has appointed Martin Walsh general manager of the HUMMER Division, responsible for marketing, sales, distribution, dealer development and management of the HUMMER brand worldwide. Walsh began his career with GM in 1976 and served in a number of executive sales and marketing capacities with GM of Canada, and later transitioned to an executive role with Cadillac, becoming general director of marketing for the division. He has also served as executive director of sales and marketing support, North America vehicle sales, service and marketing, oversaw GM Creative Services, and headed up vehicle sales, service and marketing at General Motors of Mexico.

SEMA Manufacturing members are invited to attend a measuring session for the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser next week, Wednesday, September 26, in Torrance, California. Sessions will be limited to 60 minutes, no more than three companies at one time, and only two persons per company. Cameras will NOT be permitted. The all-new SUV icon launches in late October.

The deadline to register is Monday, September 24. E-mail a response with preferred time, name(s), company name, address, phone number and e-mail addresses to: measuringsession@sema.org.  

Location:
Toyota Service Development Center
2015 W. 190th St.
Torrance, CA 90501  

Date & Time:
Wednesday September 26, 2007
9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Questions:
Bill Wolf, 909/396-0289 x177
Sandy Conolly, 909/396-0289 x155