SEMA-members companies have posted several new listings for job opportunities at www.sema.org/classifieds. Working for a SEMA-member company has many advantages. In addition to working for a company that supports and contributes to the success of the overall industry, being employed by a SEMA-member company enable the employee to participate in webinars, access free market research, join SEMA committees and more. The newest classified listings posted under Positions Available include:

• Meyer Distributing Sales Executive, Houston, Texas
• Meyer Distributing Sales Executive, Dallas, Texas
• Associate Product Manager, Emporia, Kansas
• National Accounts Manager, Rancho Dominguez, California
• Regional Sales Manager, Emporia, Kansas

SEMA members: Have a job opening that you need filled? Members are invited to post classified ads on www.sema.org/classifieds free of charge. Categories include Positions Available, Positions Wanted, Rep Opportunities, WD Opportunities, For Sale, Items Wanted, Business Opportunities and Internships. Visit the site for details.

New-vehicle registrations among ethnic groups increased by nearly 11% from 2003–2006, according to data released by R. L. Polk & Co. Hispanics, Asians and African Americans are represented in the category. Polk also reports non-ethnic new-vehicle registrations are down 7% for the same timeframe.

“Auto manufacturers can no longer afford to ignore ethnic markets or assume that they will respond to mainstream marketing,” said Mark Pauze, solutions consultant, for R. L. Polk & Co. “Manufacturers that focus on these markets and measure their progress are making important inroads with them. Polk works with many manufacturers to identify opportunities in the ethnic markets and to track their performance.”

Polk’s enhanced data on ethnic markets shows whom owns and buys vehicles based on the actual registered owner, and not just the characteristics of the neighborhood in which they live. The data also utilizes two independent sources to enhance Polk’s ethnic coding by utilizing sophisticated algorithms to provide detailed segmentation of Asian, Hispanic, African American and many other ethnic groups.

“By targeting minority customers with messages that resonate with their own unique heritage and culture, automakers and auto dealers can strengthen relationships, create deeper bonds with customers and sell more vehicles. Polk’s new methods for tracking minority customers will allow automotive marketers to analyze the ethnicity of eight major ethnic groups and up to 287 individual ethnic backgrounds. Polk’s new ethnic coding system has increased our coverage and accuracy in identifying ethnic households across the board,” added Pauze.

Within the greater spectrum of its ethnic automotive analysis, Polk can provide customers with tailored studies of ethnic vehicle choices by segment, make and model; ethnic vehicle-buying populations mapped on a national and regional level; brand loyalty; and demographic analysis comparing different ethnicities to the general market.

Source: R. L. Polk & Co. (July 24, 2007). “Polk Data Shows Nearly 11% Growth in Ethnic Market from 2003 to 2006.” R. L. Polk & Co. press release courtesy of PR Newswire.

The motorized recreational vehicle (RV) and non-motorized or “towable” RV market, hindered by a slow economy, is expected to pick up speed over the next five years, growing 5% and reaching $15.9 billion, according to “Recreational Vehicle Manufacturing in the U.S.”, a new report from market research publisher SBI.

Trailing the 3% spike brought on in late 2005 and into 2006 by FEMA purchases for Hurricane Katrina victims, 2006 ended flat with a less-than-1% loss, closing the year at $12.3 billion. Higher interest rates, higher gas prices and a slower housing market are expected to continue restricting consumers’ RV purchases through 2007, dropping the market nearly 4% to under $12 billion.

Barring any major hiccups in the economy or any other unforeseen events, however, SBI projects that the market will absorb excess RV units from Hurricane Katrina by 2008, and growth of 8% to 10% will resume during the next three years, topping the market out at 431,000 units and $15.9 billion by 2011.

Nevertheless, even marginal rises in interest rates could cause severe pain for consumers. RVs purchases, which can cost in excess of $100,000, are often treated as second homes. Interest can be deducted, somewhat offsetting the impact of rising rates, but not completely.

“The real health of the industry is directly affected by consumer confidence, interest rates and the cost of fuel,” notes Tatjana Meerman, Publisher of SBI. “A strong economy is the industry’s best friend. When interest rates rise, RV purchases decline.”

Source: SBI. (July 24, 2007). “U.S. Recreational Vehicle Market Expected to Regain Momentum by 2008 and Coast to $15.9 Billion by 2011.” SBI press release courtesy of PR Newswire.

Chrysler recently announced that it would extend its powertrain warranty from the three-year/36,000-mile Basic Limited Warranty to a new Lifetime Powertrain Warranty. The new Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty applies to most new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles purchased from dealer inventory and delivered on or after July 26, 2007. With a lifetime warranty, will more consumers purchase Chrysler vehicles? In a recent survey of new-vehicle buyers, vehicle warranty ranked 13 among the top 52 characteristics important to consumers when shopping for a new vehicle. 

The Lifetime Powertrain Warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair covered powertrain components—engine, transmission and drive system. The new powertrain warranty is limited to the first registered owner or retail lessee. Customers should contact dealers for details on vehicle selection.

“This new Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty is a statement of confidence to our customers to the reliability of their powertrain. It’s peace-of-mind reassurance for as long as they own the vehicle,” said Steven Landry, Executive Vice President–North America, Sales and Marketing, Service and Parts, Chrysler Group.

To continue warranty coverage, the owner must have a powertrain inspection performed by an authorized Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge dealer once every five years. This inspection will be performed at no charge. The inspection must be made within 60 days of each five-year anniversary of the vehicle's warranty start date.

Landry added, “The new Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty underscores our focus on quality and customer satisfaction. It demonstrates our commitment to customers and the confidence we have in our ability to produce quality, reliable and durable vehicles. That’s why we put ‘lifetime’ on it.”

Customers may visit Chrysler.com, Jeep.com and Dodge.com for more information. A warranty promotion—print, radio, television and Internet—began Friday, July 27.

Past research has showed that two-thirds (66%) of consumers surveyed indicated that they were concerned with warranty issues when they install aftermarket parts on their new vehicles. With Chrysler extending its powertrain warranty to the lifetime of the vehicle, does this pose a problem to the specialty-equipment industry? 

Source: Chrysler Group. (July 26, 2007). “Chrysler Introduces New ‘Best-in-Industry’ Lifetime Powertrain Warranty on Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge Vehicles.” Chrysler Group press release courtesy of PR Newswire; SEMA Research & Information Center.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., announced manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) for its 2008 Camry and Camry Hybrid.

The gas version carries over unchanged for the 2008 model year with a price increase of $100 for each grade. The weighted average of the increase represents 0.4% across all grades. The base MSRP for the 2008 Camry sedan ranges from $18,570 for the four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission to $28,120 for the premium XLE grade with a V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission.

The 2008 Camry Hybrid is a better value than ever, Toyota notes, as its price point has been lowered significantly, making Camry and Hybrid Synergy Drive technology available to more people. The Camry Hybrid is equipped with an array of standard features including a Smart Key system, dual-zone automatic climate control, Plasmacluster ionizer, 16-inch steel wheels and AM/FM/single CD audio system with six speakers.

Two new upgrade packages are available to those seeking more amenities. The upgrade packages are available with or without navigation. Both packages offer 16-inch alloy wheels, JBL audio, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob, an electrochromic rearview mirror with compass and HomeLink. Stand-alone options include a power tilt/slide moonroof, a leather-trimmed interior, driver and front passenger heated seats and heated outside mirrors.

Camry Hybrid’s base MSRP begins at $25,200, a decrease of $1,000 or -3.8% versus the 2007 model.

Both the 2008 Camry and Camry Hybrid will begin arriving in dealerships later this month.

According to recent data, sales of the Camry Hybrid reached 28,070 for the first six months of this year.  Total Camry sales reached 240,530 during the same time frame, growing 10% over previous year’s sales.  The Camry continues to be the number-one selling car in the United States today.

Source: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (July 20, 2007). “Toyota Announces Prices for 2008 Camry and Camry Hybrid.” Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. press release courtesy of PR Newswire; SEMA Research & Information Center.
 

Consumers are paying more money for the diesel option of a used vehicle than what that option originally cost new, according to a recent AutoWeek article. For example, the cost of the diesel option for the 2005 Mercedes E320 CDI sedan was $1,000, but the cost of this option rose to $2,500, according to Black Book used-vehicle price guide reports. The article notes that the reason for this lies in the fact that consumers want fullsize car and trucks with better fuel economy. In fact, consumers will buy over half a million diesel vehicles this year, and that number will double by 2011, according to the article. A stronger resale value for diesels signal consumers’ acceptance for diesels, which is giving rise to the OEMS bringing out more diesel cars and light trucks to the U.S. market in 2010. According to the Black Book data nearly every diesel-engine option is selling for more used than it did new, and the percentages below show the degree to this is occurring today:

As OEMs bring more diesels to the U.S. market, this diesel-engine appreciation could ease. However, today consumers are paying a premium for a vehicle with the diesel option. With this in mind, they may be willing to spend additional money on performance parts and accessories for these vehicle, which is an opportunity for the specialty-equipment industry to seize.

Source: Sawyers, Arlena. (July 23, 2007). “Dollars for Old Diesels? Used Diesels Command Higher Resale Prices.” AutoWeek. Retrieved July 27, 2007, from www.autoweek.com; SEMA Research & Information Center.

The concept of Six Sigma has been applied to many big businesses as a way to improve business processes, and several of these companies report substantial cost savings as a result. You can find out more about Six Sigma by downloading a series of SEMA webinars by going to www.sema.org/webinars and searching under archived webinars. In addition, the following article below, written by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, gives a simple example to help understand the basic approach to applying Six Sigma to your business.

Chances are you’ve heard about classes, seminars and websites devoted to the Six Sigma principle. Maybe you’ve even heard that it’s a management tool used by companies such as Motorola and General Electric. But you might not have heard a concise definition of exactly what Six Sigma is.

“Sigma” is a statistical term measuring how far a given process deviates from perfection; the governing philosophy of Six Sigma states that if you can measure how many defects are in a process, then you can systematically eliminate those and get closer to perfection.

Companies that adapt the Six Sigma management style use specific techniques to produce less than 3.4 defects for every 1 million “opportunities,” or steps in the process where a problem could occur. These companies hire Six Sigma quality managers and implement a more complex hierarchy of methodologies than could ever be practical for a small business. However, parts of the Six Sigma model can still be a useful management tool, no matter the size of your company.

One quality-control methodology in particular, known in Six Sigma text as DMADV (define, measure, analyze, design, verify), can be a useful model for business improvement. Let’s look at each part:

Define
In the greatest amount of detail you can, write down the goals for your project. For example, if you own a restaurant, you might set the goal that your servers sell dessert to 60% of their tables, as opposed to the vague, immeasurable goal “servers should sell more desserts.”

Measure
Designate a time period over which you’ll track your goal and your method for doing so.

Analyze
Let’s say you calculate the number of tables that ordered dessert for one week, and the total number is only 40%. Come up with all the reasons this might have happened. Are your servers remembering to offer dessert to each of their tables? Are your portions so large no one has room for dessert? Are you serving the same frozen cheesecakes from the same food supplier that half the other restaurants in your town serve? Go over every possibility.

Design
Once you’ve analyzed the problem, design your plan for correcting the situation. Retrain servers to offer desserts to every table. Put together a dessert tray to show each table after the main course is finished. Hire a local bakery to prepare pastries especially for your restaurant. Inform your employees about the plan, and put it into use.

Verify
Once again you’ll want to measure the results to see how your new plan is working. If you’re not getting the results you want, you may have to re-analyze and redesign. Perhaps the problem wasn’t the servers, but the limited choice of desserts. Your next plan could be a simple as adding sorbet to the menu. Keep up with this process until your original goal is met.

As you can see, behind the complicated numbers and processes of Six Sigma are old-fashioned, common-sense principles. And while most small-business owners can save their money and skip the next Six Sigma training seminar that comes to town, it may be worth looking through a book or two and seeing what you can adapt for your own business-improvement techniques.

Source: Flynn, Maggie. (July 18, 2007). “Putting Six Sigma Ideas to Work at Your Small Business.” The National Federation of Independent Businesses. Retrieved July 27, 2007 from www.nfib.com.

According to a recent WardsAuto.com article, when Toyota Motor Corp. introduced its 3.5L, DOHC V6, 2GR-FSE, many eyebrows were raised. The reason? The engine would be the first to combine direct-injection gasoline (DIG) fueling with conventional port fuel injection (PFI). The engine was launched in the 2006 Lexus IS 350, and has won two consecutive Ward’s 10 Best Engines awards.

Toyota indicated that the engine was developed in order to increase performance while at the same time reducing emissions. Now, others in the industry are “migrating to DIG fueling as a way to improve performance and fuel consumption” according to the article. Using direct injection alone forced Toyota to make certain compromises when developing engine technologies, for DIG used alone tends to limit volumetric efficiency and wide-open throttle engine performance. When combined with port fuel injection, an engine with DIG fueling would not experience curbed volumetric efficiency or high levels of cold-start emissions.

Toyota’s twin-injection design is called D-4S, a variation of the D-4 architecture which has been used since 1996 for four-cylinder engines and is now used in the inline 6 and V6 engine families. The D-4S delivers fuel in a “more evenly distributed spray pattern in the cylinder, precluding the need for high levels of charge motion,” according to the article. There is a DI injector and a port injector for each of the engine’s six cylinders. Toyota engineers say that brake-specific fuel consumption is improved by 4% and start-up emissions are reduced by 20%. The PFI system typically operates on its own during the actual cranking part of the engine startup phase. It is during this time that a substantial portion of the “raw” emissions of a cold start are produced. During high-load operation, only the DI injectors are used, which maximizes the DI’s ability to deliver a cooler and denser air/fuel mix. This promotes maximum power and torque.

As these types of technologies are further developed and improved upon, we should expect to see more of them in a wider range of vehicles, not just the premium brands. Automakers are continually finding ways to make more power and torque while at the same time creating engines that are more fuel efficient.

Source: Visnic, Bill.  (July 23, 2007). “Toyota V6 Twice-Injected With Innovative Thinking.”  WardsAuto.com. Retrieved July 23, 2007 from www.wardsauto.com.
 
Opinions and statements expressed herein are taken from the listed publications and do not necessarily reflect the views of SEMA.  SEMA is not responsible for factual errors.

The urban-lifestyle market is a form of vehicle customization that embodies the flamboyance, culture and lifestyles of young, urban (city-dwellers) drivers. Tune into this webinar and learn how to cash in on this profitable opportunity.

Urban-Lifestyle Report
Thursday, July 26, 2007
10:00 a.m. (PDT)

To join, click here.

Also, mark your calendar for our upcoming webinar that will sharpen your skills in communication and diplomacy:

Effective Communication Tips for Professional Success
Thursday, August 23, 2007
10:00 a.m. (PDT)

In 60 minutes, learn the art of diplomacy to get what you want. Barry Maher of Barry Maher & Associates will explain how to do just that in an interactive webinar full of tips for professional success; free to SEMA-member companies.

Diplomacy has been called the art of telling people to take a hike in the way that they'll actually look forward to the trip. We don't advocate telling your people, your customers, your partners or your bosses to go anywhere, but this outstanding session from Barry Maher shows you how to diplomatically and tactfully get what you want—and to get people to look forward to whatever trip you'd like them to take.

The SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser supported by DUB Magazine and Hot Wheels, presented by Advanstar and Alcoa, begins tomorrow! If you've made plans to attend, we look forward to seeing you there.

The sold-out event kicks off July 27 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, in Irvine, California with the Council Cup-Cash for Kids charity golf tournament. Buses depart from the hotel to nearby Strawberry Farms Golf Club at 6:30 a.m. See below for the SEMA council teams that will tee up to raise money for Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp.

Later in the evening, the Gala Auction begins at 6 p.m., with reception following at 6:30 p.m., and dinner and program starting at 7:30 p.m.

Dress for the event is cocktail attire or black-tie optional.

Space is still available for Friday afternoon's shopping excursion to nearby Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California. Transportation will be provided to and from Fashion Island, with a shuttle bus departing from the front of the Hyatt Regency Irvine Hotel at 9:30 a.m.

With sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Fashion Island features retailers like Bloomingdales, Neiman-Marcus, and Macy's, as well as specialties including French furnisher Ligne Roset, Restoration Hardware, Indigo Palms and noted men's fashion merchant and tailor, Gary's.

For directions to the Hyatt Regency, please click here to read/print directions to the hotel or call 949/975-1234.

For more information about the event, please visit the Installation Banquet and Gala Fundraiser website here

The Council Cup — Cash for Kids teams include:

Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO)
Ernie Silvers - Egge Machine Co. Inc.
Jim Barber - Classic Automotive Restoration
Matt Agosta – Steele Rubber Products
Alex Tainsh - Trim Parts, Inc.

Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA)
Chico Kodama - Mooneyes USA
Fred Tegarden - Gotta Show Products
Steve Duck - RCD Suspension
Jeff Farina - Original Parts Group

Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (TORA)
Anne Johnson - California Truck Works
Gary Long - California Truck Works
Dave Madison - TAG Leer
Tim Watts - Superlift Suspension

Manufacturers' Rep Council (MRC)
Joel Rosenthal - Gannt - Thomas
Bill Perry - Bill Perry & Associates
Andrew Schroeder - Ben Murphey & Associates
Danny Moniz - Volant Performance

Professional Restylers Organization (PRO)
Larry Riggle - Webasto Product North America
Kerry Howton - Arizona Sun Tops
Bob West - Westin Automotive Products
John LaBare - Westin Automotive Products

SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN)
Luanne Brown - eTool Developers LLC
S. Kellie Colf - Eaton Detroit Springs
Tammy Holland - Comp Performance Group
Don Colf - Eaton Detroit Springs

Young Executives Network (YEN)
Jason Bruce - Street Scene Equipment
Laurel Dasher - Uni-Marketing LLC
Lance Packard - Painless Performance
Dave Williams - Rampage Products

The TORA "SAC" Team
Ron DiVincenzo - Cap World
Kelly Kneifl - Truxedo by Shur-Co Automotive
Charlie Holden - Cap World
Todd Yeoman - American Technology Components

Even if you don't play golf, it's easy to support your favorite council by making a charitable pledge online. Click here to pledge anywhere from $10–$100 or the amount of your choice.