SEMA News—September 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Recruiting and Cultivating for the Future

For decades now, SEMA members have expressed concern about the aging of the automotive specialty segment and the number of young enthusiasts entering the marketplace and our workforce. Addressing those concerns, SEMA has developed a number of initiatives, many of which have matured and grown. There has been expansion of the SEMA Young Executive Network (YEN), now 1,300 strong; development of a robust student program that brings 500-plus automotive students to the SEMA Show each year; and substantial support of other productive youth-oriented automotive programs, such as Hot Rodders of Tomorrow.

More recently, we’ve initiated the Gen III Innovator award to identify and recognize outstanding talent and, for the third year now, we are honoring 35 young individuals who have been recommended by their peers as outstanding examples of innovators and young leaders in our industry. You’ll find the story of this year’s under-35 honorees in this issue, and they are an impressive group. About a third of them work at SEMA-member companies or have some SEMA council affiliation, but many are young people who’ve had little or no prior relationship to the association.

Bridging to future leaders who are not yet a part of the SEMA community is a key opportunity within this program. As a group, the honorees are entrepreneurial in nature, innovative and enthusiastic. Once identified through this peer-to-peer program, we look for appropriate ways to help them succeed with their businesses, become involved in SEMA and, we hope, propel the future success of the industry.

The initiatives I’ve noted have already made a difference when it comes to attracting and integrating young people into our industry. But we are always looking for new and promising ideas.

One new initiative created by YEN came to fruition earlier this summer, when SEMA embedded 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour. This experience gave these future leaders new insights into the industry and personal access to established industry leaders. Perhaps of greater significance, these outgoing business ambassadors spent the week meeting with young enthusiasts and speaking at vocational and technical schools to highlight our industry as an exciting, attainable career path.

I had the chance to personally witness some of those connections and conversations, and they reminded me of the many stories I’ve heard about how great icons in our industry were initially inspired by encounters with people who had already succeeded in turning their passion into careers. Our ambassadors posted blogs, made videos and tweeted their messages to create a social-media groundswell aimed at a younger generation. The project was a real success.

Another recent project is allowing us to test ways to bring promising young talent into member companies.

The Career Windows Project is an internship—with a twist. Instead of the traditional internship, where an individual might spend a summer working as an entry-level employee in a single department of a business, the Career Windows Project moves the intern through multiple departments in a short amount of time. The intern might spend two or three days in each of several different departments, such as product development, manufacturing, warehousing, customer service, shipping, marketing and administration.

This framework allows the intern to gain a broad view of various roles in a specialty automotive business in perhaps three weeks. It makes for a reasonable commitment by the host company, and the intern can see more, try out more workplace roles and assess more career choices within our industry. This kind of program also benefits the company by gaining access to strong future prospects for employment. The cost, in time and money, is minimized by the short duration of the internship, but the upside is maximized.

We recently conducted a “pilot” Career Windows Project internship here at SEMA headquarters, leading us to the conclusion that this concept—along with more traditional internships—might be something we could coordinate for the industry, matching potential host companies with prospects from the many schools and programs where young people are exploring automotive careers. It’s just one more way that SEMA may be able to help member companies connect with new talent and energy and build companies that can succeed into the future.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—September 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Recruiting and Cultivating for the Future

For decades now, SEMA members have expressed concern about the aging of the automotive specialty segment and the number of young enthusiasts entering the marketplace and our workforce. Addressing those concerns, SEMA has developed a number of initiatives, many of which have matured and grown. There has been expansion of the SEMA Young Executive Network (YEN), now 1,300 strong; development of a robust student program that brings 500-plus automotive students to the SEMA Show each year; and substantial support of other productive youth-oriented automotive programs, such as Hot Rodders of Tomorrow.

More recently, we’ve initiated the Gen III Innovator award to identify and recognize outstanding talent and, for the third year now, we are honoring 35 young individuals who have been recommended by their peers as outstanding examples of innovators and young leaders in our industry. You’ll find the story of this year’s under-35 honorees in this issue, and they are an impressive group. About a third of them work at SEMA-member companies or have some SEMA council affiliation, but many are young people who’ve had little or no prior relationship to the association.

Bridging to future leaders who are not yet a part of the SEMA community is a key opportunity within this program. As a group, the honorees are entrepreneurial in nature, innovative and enthusiastic. Once identified through this peer-to-peer program, we look for appropriate ways to help them succeed with their businesses, become involved in SEMA and, we hope, propel the future success of the industry.

The initiatives I’ve noted have already made a difference when it comes to attracting and integrating young people into our industry. But we are always looking for new and promising ideas.

One new initiative created by YEN came to fruition earlier this summer, when SEMA embedded 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour. This experience gave these future leaders new insights into the industry and personal access to established industry leaders. Perhaps of greater significance, these outgoing business ambassadors spent the week meeting with young enthusiasts and speaking at vocational and technical schools to highlight our industry as an exciting, attainable career path.

I had the chance to personally witness some of those connections and conversations, and they reminded me of the many stories I’ve heard about how great icons in our industry were initially inspired by encounters with people who had already succeeded in turning their passion into careers. Our ambassadors posted blogs, made videos and tweeted their messages to create a social-media groundswell aimed at a younger generation. The project was a real success.

Another recent project is allowing us to test ways to bring promising young talent into member companies.

The Career Windows Project is an internship—with a twist. Instead of the traditional internship, where an individual might spend a summer working as an entry-level employee in a single department of a business, the Career Windows Project moves the intern through multiple departments in a short amount of time. The intern might spend two or three days in each of several different departments, such as product development, manufacturing, warehousing, customer service, shipping, marketing and administration.

This framework allows the intern to gain a broad view of various roles in a specialty automotive business in perhaps three weeks. It makes for a reasonable commitment by the host company, and the intern can see more, try out more workplace roles and assess more career choices within our industry. This kind of program also benefits the company by gaining access to strong future prospects for employment. The cost, in time and money, is minimized by the short duration of the internship, but the upside is maximized.

We recently conducted a “pilot” Career Windows Project internship here at SEMA headquarters, leading us to the conclusion that this concept—along with more traditional internships—might be something we could coordinate for the industry, matching potential host companies with prospects from the many schools and programs where young people are exploring automotive careers. It’s just one more way that SEMA may be able to help member companies connect with new talent and energy and build companies that can succeed into the future.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—September 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Recruiting and Cultivating for the Future

For decades now, SEMA members have expressed concern about the aging of the automotive specialty segment and the number of young enthusiasts entering the marketplace and our workforce. Addressing those concerns, SEMA has developed a number of initiatives, many of which have matured and grown. There has been expansion of the SEMA Young Executive Network (YEN), now 1,300 strong; development of a robust student program that brings 500-plus automotive students to the SEMA Show each year; and substantial support of other productive youth-oriented automotive programs, such as Hot Rodders of Tomorrow.

More recently, we’ve initiated the Gen III Innovator award to identify and recognize outstanding talent and, for the third year now, we are honoring 35 young individuals who have been recommended by their peers as outstanding examples of innovators and young leaders in our industry. You’ll find the story of this year’s under-35 honorees in this issue, and they are an impressive group. About a third of them work at SEMA-member companies or have some SEMA council affiliation, but many are young people who’ve had little or no prior relationship to the association.

Bridging to future leaders who are not yet a part of the SEMA community is a key opportunity within this program. As a group, the honorees are entrepreneurial in nature, innovative and enthusiastic. Once identified through this peer-to-peer program, we look for appropriate ways to help them succeed with their businesses, become involved in SEMA and, we hope, propel the future success of the industry.

The initiatives I’ve noted have already made a difference when it comes to attracting and integrating young people into our industry. But we are always looking for new and promising ideas.

One new initiative created by YEN came to fruition earlier this summer, when SEMA embedded 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour. This experience gave these future leaders new insights into the industry and personal access to established industry leaders. Perhaps of greater significance, these outgoing business ambassadors spent the week meeting with young enthusiasts and speaking at vocational and technical schools to highlight our industry as an exciting, attainable career path.

I had the chance to personally witness some of those connections and conversations, and they reminded me of the many stories I’ve heard about how great icons in our industry were initially inspired by encounters with people who had already succeeded in turning their passion into careers. Our ambassadors posted blogs, made videos and tweeted their messages to create a social-media groundswell aimed at a younger generation. The project was a real success.

Another recent project is allowing us to test ways to bring promising young talent into member companies.

The Career Windows Project is an internship—with a twist. Instead of the traditional internship, where an individual might spend a summer working as an entry-level employee in a single department of a business, the Career Windows Project moves the intern through multiple departments in a short amount of time. The intern might spend two or three days in each of several different departments, such as product development, manufacturing, warehousing, customer service, shipping, marketing and administration.

This framework allows the intern to gain a broad view of various roles in a specialty automotive business in perhaps three weeks. It makes for a reasonable commitment by the host company, and the intern can see more, try out more workplace roles and assess more career choices within our industry. This kind of program also benefits the company by gaining access to strong future prospects for employment. The cost, in time and money, is minimized by the short duration of the internship, but the upside is maximized.

We recently conducted a “pilot” Career Windows Project internship here at SEMA headquarters, leading us to the conclusion that this concept—along with more traditional internships—might be something we could coordinate for the industry, matching potential host companies with prospects from the many schools and programs where young people are exploring automotive careers. It’s just one more way that SEMA may be able to help member companies connect with new talent and energy and build companies that can succeed into the future.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—September 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Recruiting and Cultivating for the Future

For decades now, SEMA members have expressed concern about the aging of the automotive specialty segment and the number of young enthusiasts entering the marketplace and our workforce. Addressing those concerns, SEMA has developed a number of initiatives, many of which have matured and grown. There has been expansion of the SEMA Young Executive Network (YEN), now 1,300 strong; development of a robust student program that brings 500-plus automotive students to the SEMA Show each year; and substantial support of other productive youth-oriented automotive programs, such as Hot Rodders of Tomorrow.

More recently, we’ve initiated the Gen III Innovator award to identify and recognize outstanding talent and, for the third year now, we are honoring 35 young individuals who have been recommended by their peers as outstanding examples of innovators and young leaders in our industry. You’ll find the story of this year’s under-35 honorees in this issue, and they are an impressive group. About a third of them work at SEMA-member companies or have some SEMA council affiliation, but many are young people who’ve had little or no prior relationship to the association.

Bridging to future leaders who are not yet a part of the SEMA community is a key opportunity within this program. As a group, the honorees are entrepreneurial in nature, innovative and enthusiastic. Once identified through this peer-to-peer program, we look for appropriate ways to help them succeed with their businesses, become involved in SEMA and, we hope, propel the future success of the industry.

The initiatives I’ve noted have already made a difference when it comes to attracting and integrating young people into our industry. But we are always looking for new and promising ideas.

One new initiative created by YEN came to fruition earlier this summer, when SEMA embedded 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour. This experience gave these future leaders new insights into the industry and personal access to established industry leaders. Perhaps of greater significance, these outgoing business ambassadors spent the week meeting with young enthusiasts and speaking at vocational and technical schools to highlight our industry as an exciting, attainable career path.

I had the chance to personally witness some of those connections and conversations, and they reminded me of the many stories I’ve heard about how great icons in our industry were initially inspired by encounters with people who had already succeeded in turning their passion into careers. Our ambassadors posted blogs, made videos and tweeted their messages to create a social-media groundswell aimed at a younger generation. The project was a real success.

Another recent project is allowing us to test ways to bring promising young talent into member companies.

The Career Windows Project is an internship—with a twist. Instead of the traditional internship, where an individual might spend a summer working as an entry-level employee in a single department of a business, the Career Windows Project moves the intern through multiple departments in a short amount of time. The intern might spend two or three days in each of several different departments, such as product development, manufacturing, warehousing, customer service, shipping, marketing and administration.

This framework allows the intern to gain a broad view of various roles in a specialty automotive business in perhaps three weeks. It makes for a reasonable commitment by the host company, and the intern can see more, try out more workplace roles and assess more career choices within our industry. This kind of program also benefits the company by gaining access to strong future prospects for employment. The cost, in time and money, is minimized by the short duration of the internship, but the upside is maximized.

We recently conducted a “pilot” Career Windows Project internship here at SEMA headquarters, leading us to the conclusion that this concept—along with more traditional internships—might be something we could coordinate for the industry, matching potential host companies with prospects from the many schools and programs where young people are exploring automotive careers. It’s just one more way that SEMA may be able to help member companies connect with new talent and energy and build companies that can succeed into the future.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—September 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Recruiting and Cultivating for the Future

For decades now, SEMA members have expressed concern about the aging of the automotive specialty segment and the number of young enthusiasts entering the marketplace and our workforce. Addressing those concerns, SEMA has developed a number of initiatives, many of which have matured and grown. There has been expansion of the SEMA Young Executive Network (YEN), now 1,300 strong; development of a robust student program that brings 500-plus automotive students to the SEMA Show each year; and substantial support of other productive youth-oriented automotive programs, such as Hot Rodders of Tomorrow.

More recently, we’ve initiated the Gen III Innovator award to identify and recognize outstanding talent and, for the third year now, we are honoring 35 young individuals who have been recommended by their peers as outstanding examples of innovators and young leaders in our industry. You’ll find the story of this year’s under-35 honorees in this issue, and they are an impressive group. About a third of them work at SEMA-member companies or have some SEMA council affiliation, but many are young people who’ve had little or no prior relationship to the association.

Bridging to future leaders who are not yet a part of the SEMA community is a key opportunity within this program. As a group, the honorees are entrepreneurial in nature, innovative and enthusiastic. Once identified through this peer-to-peer program, we look for appropriate ways to help them succeed with their businesses, become involved in SEMA and, we hope, propel the future success of the industry.

The initiatives I’ve noted have already made a difference when it comes to attracting and integrating young people into our industry. But we are always looking for new and promising ideas.

One new initiative created by YEN came to fruition earlier this summer, when SEMA embedded 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour. This experience gave these future leaders new insights into the industry and personal access to established industry leaders. Perhaps of greater significance, these outgoing business ambassadors spent the week meeting with young enthusiasts and speaking at vocational and technical schools to highlight our industry as an exciting, attainable career path.

I had the chance to personally witness some of those connections and conversations, and they reminded me of the many stories I’ve heard about how great icons in our industry were initially inspired by encounters with people who had already succeeded in turning their passion into careers. Our ambassadors posted blogs, made videos and tweeted their messages to create a social-media groundswell aimed at a younger generation. The project was a real success.

Another recent project is allowing us to test ways to bring promising young talent into member companies.

The Career Windows Project is an internship—with a twist. Instead of the traditional internship, where an individual might spend a summer working as an entry-level employee in a single department of a business, the Career Windows Project moves the intern through multiple departments in a short amount of time. The intern might spend two or three days in each of several different departments, such as product development, manufacturing, warehousing, customer service, shipping, marketing and administration.

This framework allows the intern to gain a broad view of various roles in a specialty automotive business in perhaps three weeks. It makes for a reasonable commitment by the host company, and the intern can see more, try out more workplace roles and assess more career choices within our industry. This kind of program also benefits the company by gaining access to strong future prospects for employment. The cost, in time and money, is minimized by the short duration of the internship, but the upside is maximized.

We recently conducted a “pilot” Career Windows Project internship here at SEMA headquarters, leading us to the conclusion that this concept—along with more traditional internships—might be something we could coordinate for the industry, matching potential host companies with prospects from the many schools and programs where young people are exploring automotive careers. It’s just one more way that SEMA may be able to help member companies connect with new talent and energy and build companies that can succeed into the future.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—September 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Recruiting and Cultivating for the Future

For decades now, SEMA members have expressed concern about the aging of the automotive specialty segment and the number of young enthusiasts entering the marketplace and our workforce. Addressing those concerns, SEMA has developed a number of initiatives, many of which have matured and grown. There has been expansion of the SEMA Young Executive Network (YEN), now 1,300 strong; development of a robust student program that brings 500-plus automotive students to the SEMA Show each year; and substantial support of other productive youth-oriented automotive programs, such as Hot Rodders of Tomorrow.

More recently, we’ve initiated the Gen III Innovator award to identify and recognize outstanding talent and, for the third year now, we are honoring 35 young individuals who have been recommended by their peers as outstanding examples of innovators and young leaders in our industry. You’ll find the story of this year’s under-35 honorees in this issue, and they are an impressive group. About a third of them work at SEMA-member companies or have some SEMA council affiliation, but many are young people who’ve had little or no prior relationship to the association.

Bridging to future leaders who are not yet a part of the SEMA community is a key opportunity within this program. As a group, the honorees are entrepreneurial in nature, innovative and enthusiastic. Once identified through this peer-to-peer program, we look for appropriate ways to help them succeed with their businesses, become involved in SEMA and, we hope, propel the future success of the industry.

The initiatives I’ve noted have already made a difference when it comes to attracting and integrating young people into our industry. But we are always looking for new and promising ideas.

One new initiative created by YEN came to fruition earlier this summer, when SEMA embedded 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour. This experience gave these future leaders new insights into the industry and personal access to established industry leaders. Perhaps of greater significance, these outgoing business ambassadors spent the week meeting with young enthusiasts and speaking at vocational and technical schools to highlight our industry as an exciting, attainable career path.

I had the chance to personally witness some of those connections and conversations, and they reminded me of the many stories I’ve heard about how great icons in our industry were initially inspired by encounters with people who had already succeeded in turning their passion into careers. Our ambassadors posted blogs, made videos and tweeted their messages to create a social-media groundswell aimed at a younger generation. The project was a real success.

Another recent project is allowing us to test ways to bring promising young talent into member companies.

The Career Windows Project is an internship—with a twist. Instead of the traditional internship, where an individual might spend a summer working as an entry-level employee in a single department of a business, the Career Windows Project moves the intern through multiple departments in a short amount of time. The intern might spend two or three days in each of several different departments, such as product development, manufacturing, warehousing, customer service, shipping, marketing and administration.

This framework allows the intern to gain a broad view of various roles in a specialty automotive business in perhaps three weeks. It makes for a reasonable commitment by the host company, and the intern can see more, try out more workplace roles and assess more career choices within our industry. This kind of program also benefits the company by gaining access to strong future prospects for employment. The cost, in time and money, is minimized by the short duration of the internship, but the upside is maximized.

We recently conducted a “pilot” Career Windows Project internship here at SEMA headquarters, leading us to the conclusion that this concept—along with more traditional internships—might be something we could coordinate for the industry, matching potential host companies with prospects from the many schools and programs where young people are exploring automotive careers. It’s just one more way that SEMA may be able to help member companies connect with new talent and energy and build companies that can succeed into the future.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—September 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

SPY PHOTOS

Photos copyright KGP Photography. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

Charger SRT8		Ford Ranger
Here is a rare, unobscured look at the front fascia for the Cadillac ATS-V sedan. Cadillac’s high-performance sports sedan is aiming straight at the BMW M4. The uncovered nose confirms that this ATS-V prototype is outfitted with a vertically slatted grille—completely different from anything in the ATS range or current Cadillac lineup. The new grille design matches the grille treatment spotted on CTS-V prototypes. The brawny front end, generous side skirts and deep rear valance with quad exhaust all combine to transform the rather lithe ATS into a seriously muscle-bound sedan. Most reports suggest that the ATS-V will be outfitted with Cadillac’s twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 engine, generating something in the neighborhood of 425 hp. Rumor has it that a seven-speed automatic transmission will be optional on the ATS-V.		Ford engineers were recently seen testing a prototype for the updated global Ford Ranger pickup in the mountains of Colorado. The facelifted prototype captured here gets a new front fascia, and the camouflaged interior looks to have also received some attention. The mid-cycle updates applied to this Ranger could be viewed as a new chance for Ford to tailor the Ranger for U.S. tastes, but there are no real signs of Ford looking to enter the Ranger in an already-crowded U.S. midsize truck market. And with Ford preparing to launch the new aluminum F-150 and developing an overhauled Super Duty lineup, a U.S.-spec Ranger anytime soon remains unlikely.
Chrysler 300S		Dodge Challenger SRT8
Reportedly due to make its official debut at November’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the new Chrysler 300 shows signs of overhauled headlight units and what promises to be a bold new grille. The grille appears to be a departure from the current one on the majority of Chrysler’s models. A new bumper with new lower air intakes and new fog lamps round out the front fascia changes. Integrated exhaust tips will replace the twin round tips on the current model. In addition, the interior is also part of the new 300’s makeover. The area containing the center stack’s readout looks similar to that found on the current model, but the new 300’s center-stack button array is taken from the recently unveiled ’15 Dodge Charger.		The very aggressive SRT-tuned Dodge Challenger—captured undisguised in red—reveals the musclecar’s new hood design. KGP Photography previously snapped shots of a silver prototype wearing a hood scoop in what appeared to be the first look at the top-tier Challenger model with the new “Hellcat” supercharged V8 engine. While it has the same hood design as in the earlier spy shots, the red Challenger looks like it is not quite as seriously spec’d out as the earlier prototype. The wheels and brakes on this prototype look to be of a less-aggressive makeup, while the wheels and brakes on the earlier prototype were an exact match for those on an earlier “Hellcat” prototype (which yielded shots of an exposed engine and its supercharger).

SEMA News—September 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

SPY PHOTOS

Photos copyright KGP Photography. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

Charger SRT8		Ford Ranger
Here is a rare, unobscured look at the front fascia for the Cadillac ATS-V sedan. Cadillac’s high-performance sports sedan is aiming straight at the BMW M4. The uncovered nose confirms that this ATS-V prototype is outfitted with a vertically slatted grille—completely different from anything in the ATS range or current Cadillac lineup. The new grille design matches the grille treatment spotted on CTS-V prototypes. The brawny front end, generous side skirts and deep rear valance with quad exhaust all combine to transform the rather lithe ATS into a seriously muscle-bound sedan. Most reports suggest that the ATS-V will be outfitted with Cadillac’s twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 engine, generating something in the neighborhood of 425 hp. Rumor has it that a seven-speed automatic transmission will be optional on the ATS-V.		Ford engineers were recently seen testing a prototype for the updated global Ford Ranger pickup in the mountains of Colorado. The facelifted prototype captured here gets a new front fascia, and the camouflaged interior looks to have also received some attention. The mid-cycle updates applied to this Ranger could be viewed as a new chance for Ford to tailor the Ranger for U.S. tastes, but there are no real signs of Ford looking to enter the Ranger in an already-crowded U.S. midsize truck market. And with Ford preparing to launch the new aluminum F-150 and developing an overhauled Super Duty lineup, a U.S.-spec Ranger anytime soon remains unlikely.
Chrysler 300S		Dodge Challenger SRT8
Reportedly due to make its official debut at November’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the new Chrysler 300 shows signs of overhauled headlight units and what promises to be a bold new grille. The grille appears to be a departure from the current one on the majority of Chrysler’s models. A new bumper with new lower air intakes and new fog lamps round out the front fascia changes. Integrated exhaust tips will replace the twin round tips on the current model. In addition, the interior is also part of the new 300’s makeover. The area containing the center stack’s readout looks similar to that found on the current model, but the new 300’s center-stack button array is taken from the recently unveiled ’15 Dodge Charger.		The very aggressive SRT-tuned Dodge Challenger—captured undisguised in red—reveals the musclecar’s new hood design. KGP Photography previously snapped shots of a silver prototype wearing a hood scoop in what appeared to be the first look at the top-tier Challenger model with the new “Hellcat” supercharged V8 engine. While it has the same hood design as in the earlier spy shots, the red Challenger looks like it is not quite as seriously spec’d out as the earlier prototype. The wheels and brakes on this prototype look to be of a less-aggressive makeup, while the wheels and brakes on the earlier prototype were an exact match for those on an earlier “Hellcat” prototype (which yielded shots of an exposed engine and its supercharger).

SEMA News—September 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

SPY PHOTOS

Photos copyright KGP Photography. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

Charger SRT8		Ford Ranger
Here is a rare, unobscured look at the front fascia for the Cadillac ATS-V sedan. Cadillac’s high-performance sports sedan is aiming straight at the BMW M4. The uncovered nose confirms that this ATS-V prototype is outfitted with a vertically slatted grille—completely different from anything in the ATS range or current Cadillac lineup. The new grille design matches the grille treatment spotted on CTS-V prototypes. The brawny front end, generous side skirts and deep rear valance with quad exhaust all combine to transform the rather lithe ATS into a seriously muscle-bound sedan. Most reports suggest that the ATS-V will be outfitted with Cadillac’s twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 engine, generating something in the neighborhood of 425 hp. Rumor has it that a seven-speed automatic transmission will be optional on the ATS-V.		Ford engineers were recently seen testing a prototype for the updated global Ford Ranger pickup in the mountains of Colorado. The facelifted prototype captured here gets a new front fascia, and the camouflaged interior looks to have also received some attention. The mid-cycle updates applied to this Ranger could be viewed as a new chance for Ford to tailor the Ranger for U.S. tastes, but there are no real signs of Ford looking to enter the Ranger in an already-crowded U.S. midsize truck market. And with Ford preparing to launch the new aluminum F-150 and developing an overhauled Super Duty lineup, a U.S.-spec Ranger anytime soon remains unlikely.
Chrysler 300S		Dodge Challenger SRT8
Reportedly due to make its official debut at November’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the new Chrysler 300 shows signs of overhauled headlight units and what promises to be a bold new grille. The grille appears to be a departure from the current one on the majority of Chrysler’s models. A new bumper with new lower air intakes and new fog lamps round out the front fascia changes. Integrated exhaust tips will replace the twin round tips on the current model. In addition, the interior is also part of the new 300’s makeover. The area containing the center stack’s readout looks similar to that found on the current model, but the new 300’s center-stack button array is taken from the recently unveiled ’15 Dodge Charger.		The very aggressive SRT-tuned Dodge Challenger—captured undisguised in red—reveals the musclecar’s new hood design. KGP Photography previously snapped shots of a silver prototype wearing a hood scoop in what appeared to be the first look at the top-tier Challenger model with the new “Hellcat” supercharged V8 engine. While it has the same hood design as in the earlier spy shots, the red Challenger looks like it is not quite as seriously spec’d out as the earlier prototype. The wheels and brakes on this prototype look to be of a less-aggressive makeup, while the wheels and brakes on the earlier prototype were an exact match for those on an earlier “Hellcat” prototype (which yielded shots of an exposed engine and its supercharger).

SEMA News—September 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

SPY PHOTOS

Photos copyright KGP Photography. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

Charger SRT8		Ford Ranger
Here is a rare, unobscured look at the front fascia for the Cadillac ATS-V sedan. Cadillac’s high-performance sports sedan is aiming straight at the BMW M4. The uncovered nose confirms that this ATS-V prototype is outfitted with a vertically slatted grille—completely different from anything in the ATS range or current Cadillac lineup. The new grille design matches the grille treatment spotted on CTS-V prototypes. The brawny front end, generous side skirts and deep rear valance with quad exhaust all combine to transform the rather lithe ATS into a seriously muscle-bound sedan. Most reports suggest that the ATS-V will be outfitted with Cadillac’s twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 engine, generating something in the neighborhood of 425 hp. Rumor has it that a seven-speed automatic transmission will be optional on the ATS-V.		Ford engineers were recently seen testing a prototype for the updated global Ford Ranger pickup in the mountains of Colorado. The facelifted prototype captured here gets a new front fascia, and the camouflaged interior looks to have also received some attention. The mid-cycle updates applied to this Ranger could be viewed as a new chance for Ford to tailor the Ranger for U.S. tastes, but there are no real signs of Ford looking to enter the Ranger in an already-crowded U.S. midsize truck market. And with Ford preparing to launch the new aluminum F-150 and developing an overhauled Super Duty lineup, a U.S.-spec Ranger anytime soon remains unlikely.
Chrysler 300S		Dodge Challenger SRT8
Reportedly due to make its official debut at November’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the new Chrysler 300 shows signs of overhauled headlight units and what promises to be a bold new grille. The grille appears to be a departure from the current one on the majority of Chrysler’s models. A new bumper with new lower air intakes and new fog lamps round out the front fascia changes. Integrated exhaust tips will replace the twin round tips on the current model. In addition, the interior is also part of the new 300’s makeover. The area containing the center stack’s readout looks similar to that found on the current model, but the new 300’s center-stack button array is taken from the recently unveiled ’15 Dodge Charger.		The very aggressive SRT-tuned Dodge Challenger—captured undisguised in red—reveals the musclecar’s new hood design. KGP Photography previously snapped shots of a silver prototype wearing a hood scoop in what appeared to be the first look at the top-tier Challenger model with the new “Hellcat” supercharged V8 engine. While it has the same hood design as in the earlier spy shots, the red Challenger looks like it is not quite as seriously spec’d out as the earlier prototype. The wheels and brakes on this prototype look to be of a less-aggressive makeup, while the wheels and brakes on the earlier prototype were an exact match for those on an earlier “Hellcat” prototype (which yielded shots of an exposed engine and its supercharger).