SEMA News—May 2021

EVENTS

Seat Time With Fun-Haver Off-Road

Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healy Talk Racing in 2021

By Carr Winn

When SEMA News caught up with Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healy via video conference, it was their first chance to catch a breath in weeks. Both drivers were dusting off from King of The Hammers and couldn’t wait to start sharing comments about the race, the new Bronco and the SEMAification of electrics.

The dynamic duo also now represents a new brand, Fun-Haver Off-Road, and it’s their rally cry in 2021. In fact, they were set to have more fun off-road just after our interview, packing up their families and heading to Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. Below are a few excerpts from our seat time with two of off-road racing’s fiercest pilots.

SEMA News: Let’s talk King of The Hammers. What was the experience like this year?

Vaughn Gittin Jr.: King of The Hammers was incredible this year. Loren and I both have new race trucks in the hopper right now, but we weren’t able to get through durability testing to debut them, so we raced our trucks with new Bronco bodies. My co-driver got injured, and so—fortunately for me—Lauren’s co-driver Jesse Amyx was not racing 4400 and hopped in with me. We had an incredible race, very clean. We were on pace, and Loren and I went back and forth a few times. I’m not going to lie. He was certainly faster than me, but he kept destroying drive shafts. It was really cool to be there with not only my teammate but also someone who has been helping me excel in this world so much. It was a lot of fun talking smack on the radio with each other. We ended up finishing fifth, my best finish yet. Already thinking about next year.

Loren Healy: It was definitely a fun week. One of the highlights was Ford having Broncos out on the lakebed for everybody to go for some rides. The excitement of people as they got out of the Bronco was really neat to watch, and I had a little bit of the same experience. That was my first time actually to drive the Sport in the off-road community, and the Sport continues to wow me.

Also, this was the first year for the electric vehicle class. There was only one vehicle running in it, and they’re kind of catering to it a little bit, making the course doable with battery life. It was only about 75 mi., but the truck finished the race, which to me is really, really neat. Hopefully, that will drive some of the OEMs to get involved with it as well, and we’ll see a handful of electric vehicles out there racing King of The Hammers in the years to come. I know it’s piqued our interest, and with Vaughn’s experience with the Mustang Mach-E, we would love to be involved with that.

SN: What are fans most excited about for the 2021 season? And what’s got you excited to go to work as drivers?

LH: I think the fans are just excited to be back out and part of it, especially the off-road community that thrives on being outdoors. We’ve really seen that at the events that we’ve been getting to go back to—like almost twice the attendance of the spectators—because they can’t go to the movies, and they haven’t been able to go out to dinner and do that type of stuff. They need something right now. They’ve been just so excited and so passionate, even more so than they were. Maybe they took that stuff for granted, and now it seems like the excitement is really high, being able to get out and be a part of it.

VGJ: At the end of the day, what we’re doing is entertainment. We’re entertaining, creating a show for people. We’re behind the wheel racing and working our butts off trying to make magic. They’re enjoying the entertainment, the show that’s a result of that. The time behind the wheel is what we earn through the effort of the business and all the things that are required to make it happen. I can honestly say that any day behind the wheel is very fulfilling to me personally, and it makes the travel away from the family and the other normal life compromises that you make all worth it when you get behind the wheel and just kind of get to let loose.

I can’t say that it’s the same for everybody, but I think I can say for Loren and myself, this is what we are meant for. This is our purpose and what we do and we enjoy it. I think that comes through in our driving and in our content.

LH: Definitely lucky to be able to turn our passion of what we love into our jobs and wrap our whole lives around it, and there are days that you’re like, man, this is brutal. Working 20-hour days, getting ready to go to the races, no days off for months at a time—it’s not all roses all the time, but we’re so lucky.

SN: Any special moments this season that really keep you focused when it’s one of those “brutal” days?

VGJ: I’m a professional fun-haver, right? But part of that is sharing fun and bringing joy to other people. It’s a huge fulfillment to me personally. It really, really fills my cup and my heart. All last year, the nonstop DMs and comments and when we would see people in person [we’d hear], “I love what you’re doing, keep it up. You don’t realize how big of an impact and how much of an inspiration you are.” I don’t do it for that, but that stuff feels good. It’s just crazy. It’s humbling that you can do something that you love so much and make such an impact on other people, so there’s not one thing that stands out. It’s just a constant, and I’m grateful to have those reminders of people reaching out and sharing their feelings on that.

LH: We had an event about October, the Off-Road Expo, where they typically get 5,000 or 10,000 people through the gate during the weekend. When we got there Saturday morning, there were 20,000 people lined around the gate who had just been missing this and needing it so bad. Unfortunately, the show actually ended up getting shut down because they just didn’t feel comfortable, but to me, that was really eye-opening and made me really miss it as well.

It’s one of those huge things with those 20-hour days, to get that fan who DMs you and just tells you how grateful he is for the things that you do and that they’re living their life vicariously through you, dreaming of getting to do that someday. It fuels our fire for sure.

SN: If you were trying to convince someone to give an electric vehicle a chance, what would you say?

VGJ: I would just tell them to go drive it. Like the Mustang Mach-E, for instance. A lot of the Mustang community is mad that the car has a pony badge on it. If anyone, I should be mad. I’m a Mustang guy to my core, but the acceleration is unbelievable. Because of the low center of gravity, the handling is something like you’ve never felt in an internal-combustion car except for super cars. The battery is in between the axles, inches from the ground, and the car just turns. It feels unbelievable.

I was that guy. I was that guy like—whatever—let me go here to my 1,200hp V8, that makes awesome sounds and bad-ass acceleration. I’ve been shifted. I’ve been swayed, and my increased love and passion for electric and these technologies is just a result of that. I got a taste of it, and now I’m like, “Oh, what can we do next?” It’s just like getting in a stock car.

We’re SEMA, right? This is a SEMA conversation, and what we do is take what these manufacturers do and make them more fun and exciting and personalize them. For me, I’m just as excited about doing that with electric vehicles as I am with the internal-combustion vehicles I’ve been playing with for the last 20 years.

LH: That definitely got me excited and thinking, “How can I tune it? What can I do to try to make that vehicle more fun on the streets? Or how I take it off-road?” You have to kind of convince people that sometimes new technology isn’t exactly the way they see things, but once we can start making it cool and show them that they can do fun stuff in their vehicles, they’re going to want to do it. The way technology is changing is for a reason, because it’s better. As people are educated and learn that, they’ll get more excited about it for sure.

For more information on Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healy, visit www.rtrvehicles.com or www.fun-haver.com. Check out their social media at:
@vaughngittinjr or www.facebook.com/officialvaughngittinjr and @loren_healy or www.facebook.com/lorenhealy67.

SEMA News—May 2021

BUSINESS

Earning Her Business

Optimizing Your Brand Experience to Attract and Retain Female Customers

By Douglas McColloch

While the specialty-equipment aftermarket has traditionally been a male-dominated profession, the demographic landscape has changed markedly in recent years, and nowhere more so than in the consumer sphere, where women make up a sizable plurality of purchasers. A 2014 study by United Parcel Service found that women account for some 40% of all online auto-parts sales, and a 2018 SEMA “Young Accessorizers Report” found that nearly one-third of accessorizers under age 25 are female, so women consumers clearly comprise a healthy market segment that specialty-equipment companies would be wise not to overlook.

But marketing to male and female consumers is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all proposition. There are profound differences in how men and women operate in the retail space. Understanding the impact women have on purchasing decisions and how the physiological differences between men and women can drive those decisions was the subject of a recent SEMA360 Education webinar, “Earning Her Business.”

Presented by brand experience expert and public speaker Katie Mares, the session explored the subject in greater detail, with the aim of helping companies optimize their customers’ brand experiences to positively affect customer satisfaction metrics, increase retention rates and referrals, and improve a company’s bottom line. What follows is a summation of the webinar.

Women influence more than 80% of all purchases in the home, accounting for some $30 trillion in worldwide spending.

“Not only does she influence the purchases of her girlfriends but also the purchases of her spouse, her significant other, her sister, her brother, her mother, her father and her children,” Mares said. “A problem arises when one considers that women have been underserved and sometimes unserved altogether in the automotive retail space. We aren’t treated like an actual consumer base that is worthy of an experience that we like, that we want to interact with.”

The answer? Mares advised retailers to “move away from the transactional experience that you’re probably currently giving to your consumers, especially to your female consumers, and go from transaction to interaction.”

Due to the fact that the automotive space remains dominated overwhelmingly by men, particularly at the executive/decision-maker level, “a female’s customer experience is still primarily designed by men, created by men, and delivered by men for men, but women are the ones who are influencing most of the purchases. When you create a [retail] experience she can’t live without, you’re winning not only her heart, her mind and her wallet, but you are also earning the hearts and minds and wallets of everyone who surrounds her. Women are the original social media.”

Mares also reminded that women account for more than 60% of automotive service requests and more than 60% of new-vehicle sales in North America, “so she has the right to demand an experience that speaks to her needs.”

How to optimize your brand experience to attract and retain female customers? Mares offered a few tips.

Understanding your female consumers means understanding their life stage, not simply their age.

“You want to break down your customer segmentation, and not just by age, because age doesn’t really matter anymore,” Mares continued. “You want to take a look at her position in life—the stage that she’s in. That means that you want to ask: ‘Is she single? Is she married? Does she have children? Is she an empty-nester?’ All of those things have and hold way more merit than whether she is 30 or 45.”

Women are getting married later in life, Mares noted, “so you can no longer look at a 30-year-old woman and assume that she’s married with children, because she’s probably not. But what you do want to discover is if you have a single woman who has different needs and goals to obtain than a woman who has just married and bought her first house or a woman who is an empty-nester and all her kids have just left the nest. How those women each spend their discretionary income is much different, so you can’t assign an age to those stages anymore.”

In Mares’ opinion, one key element to create an optimal personalized experience for female consumers lies in understanding differences in physiology—the different ways that men’s and women’s brains are hardwired and how that affects their purchasing decisions.

“A woman’s limbic brain is double the size of a man’s,” Mares explained. “That’s the emotion and memory hub of our brains. If you ever wonder why your wife, your sister, your mother or any female in your life remembers a fight in great detail from five years ago, it’s because she’s physiologically built to do so.”

Another key difference:

Women communicate using both sides of the brain; men, only one.

“Women communicate with both sides of their brain—logical and creative,” Mares explained. “Men communicate with only one side—logic. When a man drops off a vehicle for service or to purchase something, he’s got his goal in mind. He comes in; he does it; he leaves. Women, on the other hand, need a much more hedonic experience—an atmosphere of the senses. It’s what we see, smell and feel—the temperature of the room, the lighting, the dirt or dust on the floor.

“How you make her feel as a customer, as a woman, is really important to creating an experience she can’t live without.”

Men, by contrast, like “utilitarian experiences—A to Z in a logical, chronological order. Women need to feel something. They need to talk about what they’re thinking; they need to share their experiences and they need more detail. That’s the creative side.

“But she’s also very logical. She knows what she wants—she just takes a roundabout way to get there. When you put those physiological differences at the forefront of designing your experiences for the female consumer, it helps you greatly to understand and to provide that personalized experience for her.”

What’s love got to do with it?

Nearly everything.

Mares compared the feelings that women experience as consumers to the experiences they feel when they fall in love for the first time—“the anticipation, those nervous feelings, the excitement. As a businessman, you may wonder why would she want to fall in love with you. Remember, her limbic brain is double the size of a man’s, so how she feels is super important.

“Our bodies actually have the same physiological reactions to falling in love as they do when we’re shopping or doing business with someone. That is the release of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin—hits of happiness and bonding.

“If you can create real relationships, a real connection with your female consumer, you will actually create a bond with her—and when you create a bond with her, she is suddenly a customer for life, as long as you continue to evolve the relationship. Once she feels safe, secure and special, she will go nowhere else—she wouldn’t even imagine doing business with anyone else.”

What does “evolving the relationship” look like? For Mares, it starts with the willingness to listen, to show empathy and compassion.

“You need to journey through her eyes, break down the journey she goes through by moments in time, so the phone call, the arrival, the wait time, the restroom, the explanation of the service or the product she is purchasing, the in-between visit interaction—that is the evolving of the relationship.”

Still not sure how to proceed?

Ask your female employees.

For businessmen still wondering where to begin, Mares proposed a simple
solution.

“If you have a female in your business, have her walk through the business with you, through the journey that your female consumers take with you, and have her point out everything that she would change. Then action it! You’re going to be one step closer to creating that hedonic atmosphere that a woman wants and craves—an atmosphere of connections and feelings.

“The old saying that ‘men are from Mars and women are from Venus’ is a true statement. We do want different things, but being different isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Mares concluded. “We just need to work together and lean on the women in our businesses to create an experience she can’t live without, and the only way you are going to earn her business is to create an experience that is tailored and personalized to her, to take the time to show compassion and empathy, to validate her questions and her feelings, and to earn her trust.”

About SEMA Education

Accessing SEMA’s industry-leading education is easier than ever. With dozens of live and on-demand offerings—and more debuting during the year—SEMA Virtual Education includes comprehensive presentations, insightful discussions and short videos that teach, inform, inspire and entertain automotive specialty-equipment professionals. From builders and engineers to marketers, sales staff and much more, participants become more educated and prepared for success. To learn more, visit www.sema.org/virtual-education.

About Katie Mares

Writer and brand experience expert Katie Mares is a certified public-speaking professional who has consulted with such companies as Honda and Celebrity Cruises, and who offers corporate training workshops in create, operationalize, result, evaluate (CORE) methodology to help companies in the pursuit of sustainable success. Mares can be found online at www.katiemares.com.

SEMA News—May 2021

HERITAGE

Getting Ready for Indy, 1955

By Drew Hardin

Photography Courtesy: Eric Rickman, Petersen Publishing Company Archive

“Don’t take your eyes off Vukovich.”

That was the advice of Hot Rod’s Ray Brock, doing his annual Indy 500 preview for the magazine’s June 1955 issue. In the ’50s, Hot Rod’s coverage of the 500 included pre-race visits to shops around the Southern California area to ferret out the latest news about what to expect at the Brickyard. Those were the years when Indy roadsters had a lot in common with the era’s hot rods and were often constructed by top-tier hot-rod builders, whose shops were within an easy drive of the magazine’s Hollywood office.

It looked like the 1955 race was going to be groundbreaking, with several innovative entries under construction. For example, Frank Kurtis was building a streamlined car with a bubble canopy for Jimmy Daywalt to drive. Another Kurtis roadster, a D-500 sponsored by Bardahl, was being sent to Italy to be fitted with a Ferrari engine. Car builder Quinn Epperly was also experimenting with streamlining a Kurtis roadster for sponsor Belond and driver Jim Rathmann.

Yet Brock, seen here at left watching Stu Hilborn fit a fuel-injection system to the Offenhauser in Bill Vukovich’s roadster, told readers they should not count out the two-time 500 winner, who was gunning for his third consecutive victory.

As it turned out, the 1955 Indy 500 was more news-making than groundbreaking. Daywalt’s streamliner could only qualify for the race after the removal of its swoopy fenders, becoming “just another Kurtis roadster,” Brock wrote in his race coverage. Daywalt finished ninth.

Likewise, the Belond streamliner was stripped down to a more conventional shape before Rathmann drove to a 14th-place finish. The Bardahl-Ferrari never made the grid.

“Around the Indy garage area, some people thought that the Ferrari factory was more interested in looking over the Kurtis chassis than they were in entering a car in the 1955 race,” Brock said.

It was Vukovich who made headlines, but for an unfortunate reason, fatally crashing in the 56th lap after leading most of the race. In his story, Brock paid tribute to “the most aggressive driver of modern times. To a lot of nonpartisan observers like ourselves waiting in the garage area for reports on Vukie’s condition, the race lost all of its luster after that all-final announcement was made.”

SEMA News—May 2021

RESEARCH

Moving Past a COVID-19 Economy

SEMA’s “Future Trends Report” Charts the Benchmarks to Recovery

By Mike Imlay

Nearly halfway into 2021, the disruptions of last year’s COVID-19 pandemic are still having a pronounced influence on the current economic climate. The questions on everyone’s mind are when we might finally return to a sense of normalcy and what that “new normal” will look like. Released early this year, the “2021 Future Trends” report from SEMA Market Research offers a much-needed barometer as the economy recoups its momentum.

The report takes a deep dive into such market-driving forces as the pandemic, the state of the economy, consumer spending, auto-sector trendlines and aftermarket health. It then forecasts three scenarios for recovery and their consequences for specialty-equipment businesses.

“Obviously, 2020 was a strange year with the pandemic and such. So going into 2021, we looked into all the information and data out there about the pandemic, about the virus,” said Gavin Knapp, SEMA director of market research. “There were projections about vaccine rollouts. There was lots and lots of data about the economy and what it was doing. There was data about the automotive sector and, of course, data about our industry. But if you were to search for all that, there are a lot of different places to look and it’s a lot of effort to go through. What we did was collect this information to see how all these things are playing out together over one, two and three years. This provides our industry a one-stop look at how we expect everything will interact to affect our industry.”

The research encompassed governmental data as well as information supplied by independent consultants and other industry sources. The following are three of the report’s main findings:

The “COVID-19 Recession” Is Markedly Different Than Others

The current recession is historically unique, not only due to its causation but also in how it has affected each sector of the American economy.

“This has been the sharpest, deepest but also the shortest-lived recession in U.S. history,” said SEMA Market Research Manager Kyle Cheng, who oversaw the report’s compilation. “Over the past 100 years our recessions have usually been caused by some kind of financial issue, for instance a liquidity crisis. This one was entirely caused by a virus. With governments attempting to contain its spread and consumers generally fearful of spending money, we experienced a lot of economic disruptions.”

“It’s important to look at the differential impact that this pandemic has had,” added Knapp. “If we look at some of the traditional economic indicators, such as a downturn in employment, throughout the pandemic we definitely saw a spike, particularly very early on. The difference is the spikes were very sectoral in terms of the businesses and job types that were hard hit. Hospitality sectors, travel, tourism, bars, restaurants—those businesses experienced high losses. But many other sectors were able to continue going about regular service.”

That phenomenon kept money flowing to a variety of consumers. And with certain areas of habitual spending suddenly closed to them, those consumers diverted their money to other pursuits.

“They had some pent-up pocket change, which was good for industries like ours where people could spend more on their hobbies,” said Knapp. “In our case they spent on fixing up their project cars.”

Unlike other recessions, many Americans were also able to save money at higher-than-usual rates during the pandemic. This translates to a pent-up readiness for economic recovery.

The American Economy Is Already Rebounding

As alluded to above, the economic rebound has been underway for some months now. But how quickly the recession ends depends on how rapidly several key milestones occur.

“Our intent with this report was to look into our crystal ball,” said Knapp. “Now, there’s no way that we can predict the exact future for our industry, but we can come up with several realistic scenarios of what’s likely to happen. These scenarios are based on many input factors: the virus, the vaccine, the economy, auto industry trends and consumer demand. So within the report, we’ve developed an ‘optimistic’ scenario, our likely scenario, and a ‘pessimistic’ scenario. And each one outlines from 2021 to 2023 what we believe is going to happen in terms of the economy, the auto industry and the specialty-equipment market.”

While a typical recession runs between five and 10 years, Cheng believes current trendlines indicate a much shorter duration this time. “You can already see it. Just look at employment in our sector. By February we recovered 80% of jobs in our industry and the broader auto industry. We’re probably looking at three to four years by which time our economy should be moving at a pace where we’re recovered, although the [residual] damage will be more longer term,” he said.

So what are some indicators to watch for? “A return to normal business operation goes hand in hand with what scientists call herd immunity,” answered Cheng. “When we reach that, and restrictions start to lift, we’ll see much more normality. Another area that that we highlight as a factor is the recovery of the service sector—hotels, restaurants, and those kind of businesses that have been the most disrupted by the pandemic.”

Other positive signposts will include the return of in-person sports and entertainment events along with nationwide employment recovery. In the report’s most optimistic scenario, there’s a 20% chance of all these factors congealing by 2022. In a more restrained projection, there’s a 25% chance it will take up to four years to hit all these benchmarks. The projected scenario, however, is a 55% likelihood of a three-year recovery period, ultimately leading to 4% industry growth over 2019 levels by 2023. Importantly, no matter what the scenario, the aftermarket as a whole is poised for a quick rebound.

COVID-19 Will Have Longterm Impacts on Business

The pandemic forced businesses to grapple with unprecedented supply-chain issues, with many suppliers having to rethink their “just-in-time” approaches. Consumers, also, had to turn to alternative sources for products and services. In addition, companies had to adapt their policies, procedures and internal infrastructures to accommodate remote workers and new health and safety standards. Trade, sporting and entertainment events went virtual. Having learned to adapt to so many new ways of doing things, it’s only intuitive that many businesses will continue to leverage the innovations to some extent going forward.

In the business press, many have notably speculated on a permanent jump in online shopping. Whatever implications the recent e-commerce surge may hold for other industries, however, Knapp believes changes in the aftermarket will be modest.

“Obviously throughout the pandemic, as some traditional brick-and-mortar retail was closed, we saw a jump in e-commerce across the whole U.S. market,” he observed. “But people would probably be surprised to hear that online sales actually make up less than 15% of total retail sales in the U.S. They probably believe it’s more like 50% to 80%. And generally it’s not our sector. The specialty-equipment market has actually already been much higher in e-commerce and online sales. Closer to 40% of our sales already come through online sources.”

“We expect that to bump up a little throughout this period of pandemic, although it certainly won’t overtake our brick-and-mortar retail. We see a lot of continued interest from consumers in our sector, in the brick and mortar side, in being able to see and touch things. Once things open up, and people feel more comfortable going back into stores to car shows, we expect them to go right back to those in-person ways.”

None of this is to detract from the fact that many aftermarket businesses experienced hardship during the pandemic. Overall, however, both the essential nature of the industry and its ability to adapt quickly to the unprecedented disruptions spared it from the deep hits other sectors took. In fact, a large portion of aftermarket businesses—particularly manufacturers—posted growth as Americans indulged their automotive passions to cope with lockdowns. But will the newfound consumer enthusiasm stick?

“It’s going to be an important question for our industry whether consumers continue to spend at record levels on auto parts or if they shift gears over the next year to things they haven’t been able to purchase. But we’re optimistic,” said Cheng.

And, said Knapp, there’s good reason for that optimism. “Back in April 2020 we surveyed our industry and they were feeling the pain and worried about the year ahead,” he said. “But by the end of 2020, a huge chunk of companies not only said they were OK, but had increased their sales levels over the previous year. That really shows the resiliency and the bounce-back our industry made from that low point during the pandemic and its restrictions.”

Optimistic Scenario

20% Chance

Pandemic: 100–200 million vaccinated by late October 2021. Herd immunity by late Q2 2021.

Business & Operations: Normal business operations resume by mid or late 2021. In-person events return by July 2021. Some safety measures likely required through September.

Economy: 2–3 years for economy to fully recover. Full employment at end of 2022.

Our Industry: Industry jumps 10% from 2019 to reach $50.9 billion in total sales in 2023.

While predicting the future is always an iffy proposition, one “optimistic” scenario could see a 20% likelihood of aftermarket sales growth that reaches $50.9 billion in 2023.

Projected Scenario

55% Chance

Pandemic: 100–200 million vaccinated by end of 2021. Herd immunity by Q3–Q4 2021.

Business & Operations: Normal business operations resume by end of 2021 or early 2022. In-person events return by September 2021. Some safety measures required until end of year.

Economy: 3 Years for economy to fully recover. Full employment at end of 2023 or early 2024.

Our Industry: Industry grows 4% from 2019 levels to reach $48.1 billion in total sales in 2023.

Currently, SEMA Market Research’s projected scenario is a three-year economic recovery leading to 4% industry sales growth that reaches $48.1 billion in 2023.

Pessimistic Scenario

25% Chance

Pandemic: Vaccines delayed or ineffective. No herd immunity until well into 2022.

Business & Operations: Normal business operations return by mid or late 2022. In-person events return in mid-2022, with safety measures required until the later part of 2022.

Economy: 3–4 years for economy to fully recover. Full employment not until 2025.

Our Industry: Recovery is slow, with total sales at $45.3 billion by 2023. A 2% drop from 2019.

A more sluggish scenario would be an economic recovery lasting up to four years. This could lead to industry sales reaching just shy of their 2019 levels when 2023 rolls around.

Get the Full Report

To download your free copy of SEMA’s latest “Future Trends Report,” go to www.sema.org/market-research. While there, be sure to check out the numerous other reports that can help keep your business growing.

SEMA News—May 2021

Reaching Out To Lawmakers in 2021: Make Your Impact

By Chris Kersting

Once again in May, SEMA-member companies will be communicating directly with their elected representatives about the issues that concern our industry. Only it will be different this year—and, in certain ways, better.

Past Washington, D.C., SEMA Rally attendees can attest to the value of the event, when SEMA members converge on Capitol Hill for in-person meetings with their elected representatives in Congress. The Rally is an opportunity to make lawmakers aware of widespread public participation in the automotive lifestyle and the economic importance of the specialty-equipment industry. Now more than ever, lawmakers need to know that the enjoyment of motorsports and the car and truck hobbies is needlessly being eroded by overly aggressive laws and regulations.

The 2021 Washington Rally will be shifted to a virtual event via video conferencing this year. As with the live D.C. Rally, SEMA staff will match participating SEMA members with the appropriate congressional representative and supply briefing materials. Each meeting will last approximately 15 to 30 minutes and will include SEMA Government Affairs staff to facilitate discussions. We need you to join us for this year’s
virtual Rally.

For attendees and lawmakers alike, there are certain advantages to virtual meetings, including far greater flexibility when it comes to scheduling. Meetings will take place over a six-week period from May 12 to June 30 rather than in a single day.

This year’s virtual format will also allow participants to cover more ground. One example would be for registrants with multiple business addresses. Through the convenience of video conferencing, it will easily be possible to have separate meetings with each locality’s Congressional representative.

While the camaraderie associated with a face-to-face Rally may be missing this time around, the impact of the event should be as strong as ever. When constituents connect directly with their elected representatives, it’s more powerful than when a lobbyist makes a call or a new poll is released, and business on Capitol Hill has been conducted via digital meetings for at least a year now, so moving to a virtual platform to communicate is nothing new for lawmakers and their staffs.

Speaking of staffing, one of the top SEMA priorities for 2021 has been to increase the association’s capabilities in Washington, D.C., and state capitols around the country. That means additional resources for firepower in Washington, whether staffing or the ability to bring in outside help where situations warrant. Those steps will enable our legislative affairs team to advocate more broadly and continue to provide guidance on hot-button issues ranging from emissions compliance to motorsports regulations to access of vehicle-generated data and control systems.

Over the next five years, we can expect regulatory activity to increase, brought about through concerns with climate change, the introduction of new vehicle safety technologies, and efforts to phase out the internal combustion engine. We hope that you will join us to arrange a meeting with your Congressional representative by participating in our virtual Washington Rally
(visit https://pages.message.sema.org/WashingtonDC-Rally).

Even if you don’t get a chance to sign up for this year’s Washington Rally, you can help support your industry by signing up for the SEMA PAC and by defending the hobby through the SEMA Action Network (SAN). Visit the www.sema.org website to find out more. There is strength in numbers, especially when it comes to advancing our automotive freedoms.

  SEMA News—May 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

 Photos courtesy SpiedBilde, Brian Williams. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

’22 Ford Explorer King Ranch In 2020, website Ford Authority reported that Ford would launch a King Ranch Explorer for the ’21 model year. Here’s a first look. Though the vehicle has its side badges covered, the “King Ranch” badge can be seen beneath masking tape. The wheels appear to be similar in design to the ones used on the Limited, but what’s different is a set of four-tipped exhaust outlets that are present out back, suggesting the use of the EcoBoost 3.0L V6 engine borrowed from either the Platinum or ST (365 hp or 400 hp). This Explorer will likely differentiate itself by having more standard features and creature comforts, particularly inside the cabin. Expect a likely on-sale date this fall.
’21 Ford Bronco Two-Door Fastback   Here’s a first look at the ’21 Ford Bronco two-door with the fastback soft top. The model here is a Badlands trim without the Sasquatch package, meaning that it’s riding on the stock 33-in. wheels and tires. Outside of the strange exhaust tip and bright-yellow tow/recovery hooks (that appear to be spray painted), the model seen here is production-ready, and the fastback soft top does not look out of place on the two-door model. In fact, it looks pretty good and combines with the Bronco’s upright lines. The slight rear rake of the fastback soft top evokes the lines of the Chevy K-Blazer and first-generation Range Rover.
’23 Ford Ranger These are the very first shots of the all-new ’23 Ford Ranger as it underwent testing on public roads in Dearborn, Michigan. Overall, the next-gen Ranger looks more substantial than the current model, with a bolder stance and proportions. The front fascia has a set of intricate C-shaped headlamps flanking a two-bar grille. The cab and bed appear to be carryovers from the current model, which has been on sale in global markets since 2011. The ’23 Ranger is expected to launch near the end of the ’22 model year and will serve as the basis for an upcoming Volkswagen midsize pickup as a result of a collaboration agreement between Ford and VW announced in 2020.

SEMA News—May 2021

SEMA DATA CO-OP

By Gigi Ho

SDC Product News

The products featured below are from SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) member companies that have attained Gold- or Platinum-level data, which means that their product data is robust and complete—likely to drive customer purchase decisions. SDC members meeting data scorecard requirements are invited to submit product releases for consideration to enews@semadatacoop.org.

K&N Performance

Air Intake System ’13–’15 Ford Focus ST 2.0L Gas

Gain a guaranteed increase in horsepower and torque with a K&N cold-air intake system, featuring a mandrel-bent aluminum intake tube. Each system is paired with a washable, reusable high-flow air filter featuring an oiled cotton filter media. The oversized conical filter design allows users to go up to 100,000 mi. between filter services under normal highway driving conditions. A custom heat shield or air box helps protect intake air from the high temperature of the engine bay, and the entire system can typically be installed in less than 90 min. Some intakes are not legal for sale or use on any pollution-controlled motor vehicle in California. See the product specifications for California Air Resources Board status on each part for a specific vehicle.

Information: www.knfilters.com

PN: 69-3518TS

Pedal Commander

PC78 Bluetooth—’20–’21 Jeep Gladiator 3.6L

The Pedal Commander is for those who want faster lap times, quicker 0–60 times, and full control of the throttle. It provides the ability to make the gas pedal more sensitive for a sportier feel. The Pedal Commander provides more active throttle response. Said to be perfect for daily driving. Many customers say that city mode allows the vehicle to accelerate as it should have from the factory. It provides the response of an old-school throttle cable, with a 1:1 pedal-to-throttle acceleration ratio. Pedal Commander units are equipped with Bluetooth connectivity. Store multiple devices and control them all with one app. Supports up to seven languages: English, Chinese (simplified), German, Kazakh, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.

Information: www.pedalcommander.com

Smittybilt

XRC Gen 3 9.5K Winch with Steel Cable

The all-new XRC Gen 3 7hp motor boasts an average line speed increase of 12% over its Gen 2 predecessor, adding more speed and power with less amp draw at load. The remote controller has a load-indicator warning system, so users will always know how much their equipment can handle. Winch in dark conditions using the remote’s built-in flashlight. A 12-volt power post located on the control box adds light. Two magnets are built into the controller for easy placement on any metal surface. A high-visibility clutch lever features large lettering, allowing users to see whether the winch is engaged or free-spooled at a glance. The stylish body armor can be detached or used to customize the winch to the vehicle. Available with 9.5K and 12K load-capacity options, and the Comp-series upgrade includes a synthetic rope and an aluminum hawse fairlead.

Information: www.smittybilt.com

PN: S/B97695

The SDC is “data central” for the specialty-equipment segment, containing millions of products and vehicle fitments from performance and accessories brands. Created by SEMA, the SDC is the definitive, industry-owned and -operated centralized data warehouse, complete with comprehensive online tools, and a team of dedicated data and technology experts to assist manufacturers and resellers with product data needs. Learn more at www.semadatacoop.org or scan the QR code with your smartphone camera.

SEMA News—May 2021

LEGISLATIVE AND TECHNICAL AFFAIRS

Law & Order

By Stuart Gosswein

FEDERAL UPDATE

U.S. House of Representatives Passes Wilderness Bill: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would permanently protect more than one million acres in Colorado, more than one million acres in Arizona, 821,000 acres in California, and 132,000 in Washington. The Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, H.R. 803, faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Senate where it may be blocked, given strong Republican opposition to the bill. The SEMA-opposed legislation is controversial because wilderness designations provide the highest level of permanent protection available, preventing the creation of roads and trails. SEMA supports a collaborative approach when making major land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders. Bill highlights include:

• Colorado: create 36 wilderness areas totaling 660,000 acres across Colorado to protect mid- and lower-elevation mountainous areas, including Handies Peak, Dolores River Canyon and Little Bookcliffs.
• Arizona: permanently withdraw more than 1 million acres of federal land north and south of Grand Canyon National Park from eligibility for any future mining claims but leave valid existing claims intact.
• Northwest California: expand nine existing wilderness areas and establish eight new wilderness areas totaling more than 300,000 acres.
• Central California Coast: set aside 287,500 acres as wilderness and two new scenic areas in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument. The bill also creates a 400-mi. hiking trail to connect the wilderness areas in the southern and northern portions of the Los Padres National Forest.
• California’s San Gabriel Mountains: protect 139,700 acres by expanding the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, establishing a new National Recreation Area and designating more than 30,000 acres as wilderness.
• Southern California: expand Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to incorporate the 191,000 acres Rim of the Valley Corridor.
• Washington State: designate 126,544 acres on the Olympic Peninsula as wilderness and more than 5,000 acres more as potential wilderness.

STATE UPDATE

Arizona—License Plates: The Arizona House Transportation Committee passed SEMA-supported legislation to create new legacy license plates replicating examples from the state’s past to be available for display on all vehicles. The plates would cost $25. Currently, authentic vintage plates may be displayed only on vehicles that are eligible for either classic car or historic vehicle plates upon authorization from the DMV. The bill awaits consideration by the full House.

Hawaii—Exhaust Noise: The Hawaii Senate Transportation Committee passed SEMA-supported legislation that would allow the use, sale, alteration or installation of car mufflers that meet a 95-decibel noise limit. Under the current law, no person can sell, alter or install a muffler that will noticeably increase a vehicle’s noise. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Hawaii—License Plates: The Hawaii Senate introduced SEMA-
supported legislation to require the display of only a single, rear-mounted license plate for all passenger vehicles. Under current law, vehicles must display two license plates. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Committees on Transportation and Judiciary.

Iowa—License Plates: The Iowa Senate introduced SEMA-supported legislation that would allow certain vehicles to display a single license plate on the rear of the vehicle, including those registered as antiques or any vehicle that would require modification to accommodate a front plate. Current law permits the display of only a single plate for motor vehicles that are model-year ’48 or older as well as reconstructed or specially constructed vehicles built to resemble vehicles that are model-year ’48 or older. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Transportation Committee.

Kansas—Antique Vehicles: The Kansas House of Representatives passed SEMA-supported legislation to redefine vehicles eligible to be registered as antiques. Currently, the Kansas Highway Patrol defines an antique vehicle as being “more than 35 years old and as close to the original as possible, without any significant alterations to the major component parts.” The bill would only require the vehicle to be more than 35 years old, regardless of the age of the component parts installed on the vehicle. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Transportation Committee.

Kansas—Military Vehicles: The Kansas House of Representatives passed SEMA-supported legislation to allow for the registration and on-road use of surplus military vehicles. Currently, only antique military vehicles more than 35 years old can be registered for road use. The bill awaits consideration in the Senate Transportation Committee.

Michigan—License Plates: The Michigan Senate introduced SEMA-supported legislation to create two legacy license plates replicating examples from the state’s past to be available for display on all vehicles. Currently, authentic vintage plates may be displayed only on historic vehicles 26 years old or older, owned solely as collector’s items, and used only for parades and certain other events. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Minnesota—Ethanol: The Minnesota Senate reintroduced SEMA-opposed legislation to increase the standard biofuel blend to 15% ethanol. Currently, there is a 10% state-wide standard. Similar legislation was introduced in the state last year but failed to pass. The bill awaits consideration in the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development, Finance and Policy Committee.

Minnesota—License Plates: The Minnesota House of Representatives introduced SEMA-supported legislation to allow for the issuance of only a single, rear-mounted license plate for special-interest vehicles. Special-interest vehicles are defined as those owned for leisure purposes, driven less than 10,000 mi. per year, and not used for general transportation. The bill currently awaits consideration in the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee.

Mississippi—Vehicle Titling: The Mississippi Senate introduced SEMA-supported legislation that would allow for the titling of vehicles at least 30 years old and missing documents on oath of ownership. Under current law, there is no such exemption from proper documentation for title applications for older vehicles. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Finance Committee.

Missouri—Historic Vehicles: The Missouri Senate introduced SEMA-supported legislation that would allow historic vehicles to be issued license plates without an annual mileage restriction. Current law limits historic vehicle owners to 1,000 mi. of driving per year. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety.

Montana—License Plates: The Montana House of Representatives passed SEMA-supported legislation to mandate that the state issue waivers for vehicles unable to display a front license plate. The law currently permits the display of a single rear-mounted plate for motor vehicles registered as street rods or custom vehicles, and a waiver may be issued for vehicles unable to display a front plate. This bill would require the waiver to be issued. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate.

New York—License Plates: The New York Assembly introduced SEMA-supported legislation to require the display of only a single, rear-mounted license plate for all passenger vehicles. Under current law, vehicles must display two license plates. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

New York—Vehicle Inspections: The New York Assembly introduced SEMA-supported legislation that would require a biennial safety inspection instead of an annual inspection for antique, classic and collector vehicles. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Oklahoma—Military Vehicles: The Oklahoma House of Representatives introduced SEMA-supported legislation to allow the titling of surplus HUMVEEs (High-Mobility Multipurpose Vehicles or HMMWVs). Under current Oklahoma law, HMMWVs can not be titled in the state. This bill currently awaits consideration in the House Committee on Public Safety.

Virginia—Imported Vehicles: The Virginia House of Representatives passed SEMA-supported legislation to allow the DMV to issue a title for an imported foreign-market vehicle manufactured at least 25 years ago. Current law allows for only a negotiable title to be issued to such vehicles manufactured prior to 1968. The bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Transportation Committee.

Washington—Military Vehicles: The Washington House of Representatives introduced SEMA-supported legislation to allow for the registration of former military-surplus vehicles. The bill limits usage to occasional transportation, exhibitions, veterans’ events, club activities, parades, tours and similar uses. The bill currently awaits consideration in the House Transportation Committee.

SEMA News—May 2021

REQUIRED READING

By Juan Torres

Wonder Women

Among the councils and professional networks that SEMA members can join (visit www.sema.org/councils-networks) is one that represents women in the automotive aftermarket industry. The SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) is comprised of a dynamic group of professionals whose mission is to provide networking, education and recognition opportunities for professional women in the industry to enhance their careers and positively impact the growth of the entire automotive aftermarket. The following are publications that have documented SBN programs and the successes of some of the network members.

SEMA News—May 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

Fast Facts

Longtime industry veteran Steve Whipple joined Jegs High Performance as its new director of private-label sourcing, where he will work with racing manufacturers to help bring products to market through the Jegs brand. Whipple comes to Jegs from Edelbrock, where he served as vice president of sales and marketing since joining the company in 1999. Prior to Edelbrock, Whipple was a general manager for Nitrous Oxide Systems, and before that the national sales manager for Super Shops Inc., an automotive performance center. Whipple also currently serves on SEMA’s Board of Directors.

BorgWarner Inc. announced that the company agreed to acquire AKASOL AG—a German developer and manufacturer of high-energy and high-performance lithium-ion battery systems. The move is expected to allow BorgWarner to expand its electrification capabilities. AKASOL has more than 300 full-time employees. It has one facility in the United States and three in Germany.

Cloyes Gear & Products Inc., backed by Hidden Harbor Capital Partners, hired Troy Angst as CFO. Angst brings 30 years of experience to his new position, joining Cloyes most recently from Sharp Tooling Solutions in Romeo, Michigan, where he served as CFO. Before that, Angst served as CFO for Tritec Performance Solutions in Fenton, Michigan.

Lucas Oil Products Inc. announced the promotion and addition of three key members to its leadership team. Katie Lucas (left) was named vice president of strategy and philanthropy, and Megan Burakiewicz (middle) is now director of people operations. Additionally, the Lucas Oil racing division promoted Dan Robinson to vice president of motorsports operations. Lucas will oversee company strategy and business development initiatives as well as design and implement a corporate social responsibility strategy with a concentration on philanthropy and employee engagement. Burakiewicz will work closely with Lucas Oil employees to ensure the most effective and rewarding work environment possible. Robinson will be responsible for all operational aspects of three unique large-scale motorsports operations, including operations, marketing, human resources, scheduling and event planning.

M1 Concourse, based in Pontiac, Michigan, announced that its CEO, Jordan Zlotoff, will step down from his position effective March 1, 2021, to pursue new professional ventures. Timothy McGrane (pictured) will step up as the new CEO. Zlotoff has been with M1 Concourse since the initial construction of the private garage community began in 2015. He served as the director of business development and director of operations prior to assuming the role of CEO in March 2019. McGrane is the former executive director of the Blackhawk Automotive Museum and most recently served as the CEO of Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California.

Race Winning Brands (RWB) announced a new partnership with ASAP Trading USA LLC, a sales and marketing agency company with offices in San Diego, California, and Lima, Peru. ASAP Trading USA is now the exclusive authorized representative company for three RWB brands, including Wiseco, Boostline and K1 in Mexico, Central America and South America.

Kelford Cams appointed Angel Robles vice president of business development—Americas. According to Managing Director Tony Gault, Robles’ appointment is part of Kelford’s commitment to support its expanding U.S. client base. Robles’ experience in both sport-compact and modern U.S. domestic markets fits with the company’s growth strategy.

VP Racing Fuels Inc. announced the appointment of James McVey to business development to focus on the OEM business. He previously served as vice president of sales and marketing at GreenStar LED, where he led the conversion of high-pressure sodium street lights to smart city LEDs in San Antonio, Texas, and other cities in North America and overseas.

PerTronix Performance Brands, a leader in the automotive aftermarket with key brands in the ignition, exhaust and fuel-delivery segments, announced that it acquired Taylor Cable Products Inc., located in Grandview, Missouri. Taylor Cable Products provided products to the performance and racing markets for more than 90 years, including racing sparkplug wires, battery boxes, battery cables and other accessories for the performance and OEM markets.

Mahle took over the air-conditioning business covering Japan, Thailand and the United States from the former Keihin Corp. (now Hitachi Astemo Ltd.), and antitrust authorities gave their approval. Four production sites and one development center are now being integrated into the Mahle Group. With this acquisition, Mahle is strengthening its position in the field of air-conditioning systems. A total of around 1,700 people are employed at the new locations.

Longtime racing professional Darin Morgan joined BES Racing Engines, based in Guilford, Indiana. Morgan will be responsible for assisting BES owner Tony Bischoff in several areas, including product development and cylinder head assembly. Morgan, who has 35 years of experience in race-engine building, including more than two decades with Reher-Morrison Racing Engines and, most recently, Mast Motorsports, will relocate from Nacogdoches, Texas, for the new position.

Kooks Headers and Exhaust (KHE) announced three new hires within its performance aftermarket and racing company. Kyle Cook was hired as manufacturing engineer. He will oversee the design and manufacturing of fixtures and improving manufacturing efficiency and finding ways to ease the flow of production. KHE also hired Shelbie Huffman as marketing coordinator. Huffman will be tasked with implementing social-media programs, website promotion and development, digital marketing and coordinating special events. Ryan Reed was appointed sales rep/business development for Kooks Industries (KI) and private label. Reed will be tasked with managing existing businesses and growing future business for KI and private-label sales.

Air Flow Research (AFR) announced that Alex George joined its team. George will be responsible for growing the company’s online presence and overall customer engagement in his new position. He brings more than six years of automotive aftermarket experience, holding positions in sales, marketing and operations. George will also play an instrumental role in AFR’s marketing communication strategy.

G-Force Racing Gear announced the hiring of Danilo Oliveira as the company’s new director of marketing. Oliveira has worked in the motorsports industry since 2006. He worked for OMP Racing and adidas Motorsport. Based in Miami, Florida, Oliveira will also handle G-Force Racing Gear’s international sales.