The deadline for SEMA members to submit nominations for the 2007 SEMA Person of the Year is this Friday, August 3. To nominate an individual, e-mail Christine Papavero at christinep@sema.org.

The SEMA Person of the Year honor recognizes an individual for his or her distinguished service to the trade associaiton and the specialty-equipment industry. The 2007 SEMA Person of the Year will be honored at the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet held during the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas. For complete information on the Show, which is set for October 30–November 2, visit www.semashow.com.

The 2007 SEMA Show will feature live, in-booth master classes on welding, fabrication, painting, mobile electronics and more, courtesy of West Coast Customs (WCC), the shop best known for producing the cars seen on MTV's "Pimp My Ride."

The West Coast Customs Experience will occupy approximately 10,000 sq. ft. outside, near the shuttle drop at the Las Vegas Convention Center, according to WCC spokesman Reza Izad, and feature three to four master classes per day. The 90-minute classes will be small, only 8–10 people, Izad says, hence early sign-up is critical. About 400 people will have the opportunity to join the classes.

And the instructors will not only be from WCC, but will also include masters in the respective fields from other shops and companies in the industry, Izad notes.

"Ryan [Friedlinghaus]'s shop has always done everything in-house—fabrication, interiors, paint—so we'll try to recreate that experience at the SEMA Show," Izad says.

In the fall, TLC will air new reality show "Street Customs," featuring West Coast Customs.

SEMA recently announced the launch of its ProPledge warranty assurance initiative to increase sales of specialty-auto products through new-car dealers. ProPledge is a cooperative venture comprised of SEMA-member accessory manufacturers and professional installers.

The industry-led pilot program, delivered through the Specialty Equipment Warranty Alliance (SEWA), a SEMA subsidiary, was launched on May 15. The program establishes a uniform warranty that covers defects in products and installation for a minimum of 36 months/36,000 miles, terms corresponding to most new-vehicle warranties. The program includes protection to the consumer in the event a product or installation defect results in the denial of a vehicle warranty claim, and provides parts and labor repair or replacement at no cost to the car dealer or vehicle owner.

The program is being test-marketed for 18 months in key regions around the country and include a diverse array of product categories, ranging from sunroofs, leather interiors, mobile electronics and custom wheels to suspension components, ground effects, cat-back exhaust systems and assorted truck gear.

To participate, for complete information on the program, or to see which companies are currently involved, visit the ProPledge website, www.propledge.com.

Next Friday, August 10, is the deadline for members of the Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) to register as exhibitors of the 2008 MPMC Media Trade Conference. Complete event information, a schedule and a registration form are available for download by clicking here.

Due to the popularity of the conference and its annual sold-out status, members are encouraged to reserve space now. Space is limited to 100 exhibitors. The event is set for Tuesday, January 22–Thursday, January 24.

The annual MPMC Media Trade Conference brings members of the working press together with owners and principals of some of the most well-known companies in the motorsports parts arena to discuss product releases, current innovations and more.

For information on the MPMC, visit www.sema.org/mpmc.

Continental Tire has signed on to sponsor the 2007 SEMA Show media center, which will be called the Continental Tire Media Experience.

Located near the show floor and specifically designated for qualified journalists covering the event, the Continental Tire Media Experience provides access to exhibitor publicity and media materials, complete with newsroom equipment for those who file stories during the show. The Continental Tire Media Experience features:

• Internet and phone access, computers, copy and fax machines
• Exhibitor media kits available for all media personnel
• Interview and meeting areas, refreshments and lounge areas
• SEMA will post high-resolution images of the New Products Showcase and general SEMA Show photos on the internet for media use during and after the show

The Continental Tire Media Experience hours are:

• Thursday, Oct. 25 – Sunday, Oct. 28: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 29: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 30: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 31: 7:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 1: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 2: 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Members of the media with questions may contact the SEMA Public Relations department at pr@sema.org

Nearly 100 SEMA members were on hand for the inaugural Internet Symposium presented by the Sport Compact Council (SCC). Billed as a must-attend event for survival in the technology-dependent future, attendees were brought up to speed on the latest Internet-related technologies.

Topics covered during the day-long session included the evolution of e-commerce, how to turn technology into sales, protecting your brand on the Internet and how to maximize your investment on Internet-related expenses. The comprehensive list of speakers included Dan Jondron, President, Advanced Digital Strategies LLC; Luanne Brown, President, eTool Developers LLC; Dave Schwartz, Senior Category Director, Automotive Yahoo Inc.; Richard Nessary, Senior Intellectual Property Counsel eBay Inc.; Jeff Van Hoosear, Partner, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP; Alise Miner, Vice President, SEMA Information Systems and Special Teams; and Gigi Ho, Vice President & Co-Founder, Digital Performance Inc.

“I want to add my thanks and congratulations to the SCC for putting on a very successful first-time event Saturday,” said SCC Chairman Eric Breslow. “The Internet Symposium was standing room only at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday after a late-night banquet! Sitting in the back of the room, I watched as attendees were engaged and interactive. My sincere thanks go out to Dan Jondron, the SEMA staff lead by Paul Moritz (SCC liaison) and Tracie Nunez our chair-elect who donated large amounts of her time to make sure our council looked good.”

For more information on the Internet Symposium, or the Sport Compact Council, please contact Paul Moritz at paulm@sema.org, or  909/396-0289, ext. 112.

A capacity crowd was on hand for the inaugural Internet Symposium presented by the Sport Compact Council (SCC). Topics included the evolution of e-commerce, how to turn technology into sales, protecting your brand on the internet, and how to maximize your investment on internet-related expenses.

Jeff Van Hoosear, a partner at Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP, outlined strategies and explained how companies can protect themselves in cyberspace.

Filler for eNews

With gas prices easing up slightly, it's a small surprise to see online auction sales of air intake and fuel delivery products up nearly 70% compared to last month, surging to a single-day sales high of $126,800 on July 27 - a record amount for any single-day sales in 2007.

The data, gathered by Terapeak, a developer of market-focused research software that monitors online sales and auctions, shows that sales from the last week of July (7/21-7/27) outpaced those from the last week of June by 70 percent, and those from the last week of May by 73 percent.

Despite the late July surge though, sales from the 90-day period between April 29-July 27 actually trailed sales between Jan.29-April 28, but only by about 7 percent.

The most popular items included in the category were fuel pumps, followed by products labeled as fuel "savers" (largely, products that create swirl in intake air and purportedly increase fuel efficiency), fuel injection and carb kits, and fuel injectors, especially for diesel applications.

How prevalent is Internet purchasing among specialty-equipment enthusiasts?

"The past two years, SEMA research has shown that the highest percentage of automotive enthusiasts indicate they purchased their performance parts and accessories over the Internet," says SEMA research analyst Ty Michael.

"Interestingly, roughly the same percentage of enthusiasts indicated that they purchased their parts at traditional brick and mortar shops. Thirty-nine percent of enthusiasts said they purchased on the Internet, compared to 31% who indicated they went to a physical location to make their purchases."

Filler for eNews

Spy photographer Brenda Priddy tells us that this crossover is what sources close to the Dodge division are calling the Crew.

“For a ‘top-secret’ vehicle, we've managed to catch this four times since January, all across the country,” Priddy says. “Now it appears that the folks at the Desert Proving Grounds have nearly a dozen of these vinyl-clad prototypes in their possession.”

The Crew (although that may not be its final name) will be built in Toluca, Mexico, on the Sebring platform, with production scheduled to start in December 2007 and an on-sale date of early 2008.

Chrysler may also get a version of this. Referred to as the "JZ49,” Chrysler's Sebring-based crossover will likely not arrive before the 2010 model year and could replace the retro-styled PT Cruiser. Wearing completely unique sheetmetal, the Chrysler model will only account for 25% of the total units built.

Size-wise, the new crossover measures in a bit larger than Honda's CR-V, Hyundai's Santa Fe and the Toyota RAV4, and domestically it looks to compete with the Ford Edge. Priddy says, however, that her team has spotted it in consumer clinics being compared alongside the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Nissan Murano and Hyundai Santa Fe.

“The car-based crossover will be offered in a FWD configuration and an optional AWD,” Priddy adds. “We've heard a lot of speculation regarding engines and transmissions, but the 3.5L V6 from the Sebring is guaranteed to be one of the several offerings, as is a 2.4L powerplant with 170-plus horsepower.”