Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:54

Nissan

Here’s a first look at the ’20 Nissan Titan PRO-4X testing in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Nissan will give the Titan fullsize pickup a modest facelift for 2020, three years after the half-ton models were introduced and four years after the slightly larger XD models went on sale. The PRO-4X model is expected to continue as the more off-road-oriented model to rival vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado Z71. Changes on the outside, however, will be limited to a revised grille, lights and tailgate design.

More significant changes will be found inside, where the old Nissan infotainment system finally gives way to what looks to be a large infotainment system, possibly as large as 10 in. Modern connectivity features are also expected as the company upgrades its infotainment systems across its lineup, but the Titan’s looks to be the largest system offered on a North American Nissan model yet. Other interior changes concern revised switches and materials that look to be more upscale than what’s currently on the Titan, even if they aren’t as radically styled as those found on rivals, such as the RAM 1500.

It’s unclear if these changes will extend to the Titan XD, or what powertrain changes are in store for 2020. Rumors surround a V6 finally being added to the half-ton model and the XD diesel being dropped for the ’20 or ’21 MY. Details have not been revealed for the V6 engine, though it could be a 3.8L DOHC 24v V6 that is expected to find a home in the next Frontier as the uplevel engine.

Expect an official debut later this year.

Nissan

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:54

Nissan

Here’s a first look at the ’20 Nissan Titan PRO-4X testing in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Nissan will give the Titan fullsize pickup a modest facelift for 2020, three years after the half-ton models were introduced and four years after the slightly larger XD models went on sale. The PRO-4X model is expected to continue as the more off-road-oriented model to rival vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado Z71. Changes on the outside, however, will be limited to a revised grille, lights and tailgate design.

More significant changes will be found inside, where the old Nissan infotainment system finally gives way to what looks to be a large infotainment system, possibly as large as 10 in. Modern connectivity features are also expected as the company upgrades its infotainment systems across its lineup, but the Titan’s looks to be the largest system offered on a North American Nissan model yet. Other interior changes concern revised switches and materials that look to be more upscale than what’s currently on the Titan, even if they aren’t as radically styled as those found on rivals, such as the RAM 1500.

It’s unclear if these changes will extend to the Titan XD, or what powertrain changes are in store for 2020. Rumors surround a V6 finally being added to the half-ton model and the XD diesel being dropped for the ’20 or ’21 MY. Details have not been revealed for the V6 engine, though it could be a 3.8L DOHC 24v V6 that is expected to find a home in the next Frontier as the uplevel engine.

Expect an official debut later this year.

Nissan

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:54

Nissan

Here’s a first look at the ’20 Nissan Titan PRO-4X testing in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Nissan will give the Titan fullsize pickup a modest facelift for 2020, three years after the half-ton models were introduced and four years after the slightly larger XD models went on sale. The PRO-4X model is expected to continue as the more off-road-oriented model to rival vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado Z71. Changes on the outside, however, will be limited to a revised grille, lights and tailgate design.

More significant changes will be found inside, where the old Nissan infotainment system finally gives way to what looks to be a large infotainment system, possibly as large as 10 in. Modern connectivity features are also expected as the company upgrades its infotainment systems across its lineup, but the Titan’s looks to be the largest system offered on a North American Nissan model yet. Other interior changes concern revised switches and materials that look to be more upscale than what’s currently on the Titan, even if they aren’t as radically styled as those found on rivals, such as the RAM 1500.

It’s unclear if these changes will extend to the Titan XD, or what powertrain changes are in store for 2020. Rumors surround a V6 finally being added to the half-ton model and the XD diesel being dropped for the ’20 or ’21 MY. Details have not been revealed for the V6 engine, though it could be a 3.8L DOHC 24v V6 that is expected to find a home in the next Frontier as the uplevel engine.

Expect an official debut later this year.

Nissan

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:20

By Chad Simon

Week of Customs
All five customized Jeeps will be auctioned through program partner Bring a Trailer during an event called “SEMA Week of Customs.”

Five high-school auto-shop programs across the United States participated in the SEMA High School Vehicle Build Program by customizing five ’96–’06 model-year Jeep Wrangler TJs during the spring semester.

The SEMA High School Vehicle Build Program aims to introduce high-school students to the automotive customization hobby and lifestyle through real-world, hands-on educational experiences. The vehicles were delivered to the participating schools in early February. Students have since learned about automotive customization by working with donated aftermarket products and interacting with 14 industry members who have visited the schools.

“The build helped to enforce what is already taught here—problem-solving skills and schedule management,” said Ed Stevens, automotive instructor at C.D. Hylton High School—one of the participating schools. “The students gained much insight into what it takes to do these sort of projects correctly. The build also helped to create new partnerships that will continue with us, and it also helped strengthen the ones we already had. Every year we take another step up and continue making the program and its impact on the community stronger.”

All five customized Jeeps are now complete and will be auctioned through program partner Bring a Trailer during an event called “SEMA Week of Customs.” The online auction event will launch Monday, July 15, with the release of one vehicle per day for five days. Each Jeep will be live for bidding for seven days following its launch date. Proceeds from the vehicle sales will be reinvested back into the program to fund another round of builds and the overall expansion of the program.

Each Jeep build features between 40–60 products and all of them have custom Katzkin leather interiors. The following are some of the highlights of each build and the names and locations of the participating schools:

Santa Fe ECO, Santa Fe, New Mexico

’05 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport

SEMA partnered with Santa Fe ECO in 2018 to pilot the high school vehicle build program in which they built a ’15 Jeep Wrangler that was auctioned off for more than $56,000. The sale of this vehicle allowed the program to expand to five builds in 2019. The students of Santa Fe ECO turned out another awesome build—a ’05 Jeep Wrangler that uniquely features a vented hood, trail doors, a 3.5-in. suspension kit with a 5-in. stretch from Rock Krawler Suspension and has undergone a full body repaint. This Jeep will be auctioned July 15.

Santa Fe

Comstock High School, Kalamazoo, Michigan

’04 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

The Comstock High School auto-shop class in Kalamazoo Michigan, made excellent use of local resources and connections for their ’04 Jeep Wrangler build, including a program alumnus that is now a local body shop business owner. This is the program’s only hard-top Jeep that even includes a locally sourced donated roof rack from Just Jeep’N Stuff. Other unique features include LED headlights, full carpet replacement, bumpers, tire carrier and rock sliders from JcrOffroad, a 4-in. Skyjacker suspension kit and a fresh coat of paint. This Jeep will be auctioned July 16.

Comstock Jeep

C.D. Hylton High School, Woodbridge, Virginia

’02 Jeep Wrangler Sport

The students of C.D. Hylton performed a frame-off restoration on their ’02 Jeep Wrangler; they even painted the vehicle’s chassis. Along with the customization, the students did extensive work under the hood to ensure this Jeep runs with no issues. It has received a full body repaint, brand-new windshield from Safelite, front-door weatherstrip from Steele Rubber Products, a new hood from LQK/Keystone and a Rancho Suspension 3.5-in. short arm suspension kit. This Jeep will be auctioned July 17.

CD Hylton

Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, Santa Ynez, California

’97 Jeep Wrangler Sport

The ’97 Jeep Wrangler from Santa Ynez sits on 37-in. Atturo Off-Road Tires with Black Rock Wheels and topped with an American flag-themed bikini top. This build is fully outfitted with Rugged Ridge products and also features a T-REX grille, Superlift Suspension 4-in. lift kit and LLumar window tint. This Jeep will be auctioned July 18.

Santa Ynez

R.L. Turner High School, Carrollton, Texas

’04 Jeep Wrangler X

The ’04 Jeep Wrangler from the students of R.L. Turner caught the attention of Dennis Collins of Collins Bro’s Jeep, who visited the school and donated the build’s winch and front bumper. The build also features custom seatbelts from Seatbelt Planet, Rolling Big Power wheels and a Painless Performance trail rocker. This Jeep will be auctioned July 19.

RL Turner

The program notably generates support from aftermarket industry companies that sponsor the builds through product donations and scheduled visits to the schools to perform product demos or talk about the industry with the students. The 2019 program’s Jeep Wrangler TJs were sponsored by 32 companies that donated 220 products. They included:

Program partners included the following:

Auction

Photography

Leather Installation

Volunteers

In its inaugural year, the 2018 student custom Jeep build program between SEMA and the Santa Fe Early College Opportunities (ECO) Auto Shop Program in Santa Fe, New Mexico, raised $56,175 to help fund this year’s project.

Learn more about the program at www.sema.org/student-builds.
 

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:20

By Chad Simon

Week of Customs
All five customized Jeeps will be auctioned through program partner Bring a Trailer during an event called “SEMA Week of Customs.”

Five high-school auto-shop programs across the United States participated in the SEMA High School Vehicle Build Program by customizing five ’96–’06 model-year Jeep Wrangler TJs during the spring semester.

The SEMA High School Vehicle Build Program aims to introduce high-school students to the automotive customization hobby and lifestyle through real-world, hands-on educational experiences. The vehicles were delivered to the participating schools in early February. Students have since learned about automotive customization by working with donated aftermarket products and interacting with 14 industry members who have visited the schools.

“The build helped to enforce what is already taught here—problem-solving skills and schedule management,” said Ed Stevens, automotive instructor at C.D. Hylton High School—one of the participating schools. “The students gained much insight into what it takes to do these sort of projects correctly. The build also helped to create new partnerships that will continue with us, and it also helped strengthen the ones we already had. Every year we take another step up and continue making the program and its impact on the community stronger.”

All five customized Jeeps are now complete and will be auctioned through program partner Bring a Trailer during an event called “SEMA Week of Customs.” The online auction event will launch Monday, July 15, with the release of one vehicle per day for five days. Each Jeep will be live for bidding for seven days following its launch date. Proceeds from the vehicle sales will be reinvested back into the program to fund another round of builds and the overall expansion of the program.

Each Jeep build features between 40–60 products and all of them have custom Katzkin leather interiors. The following are some of the highlights of each build and the names and locations of the participating schools:

Santa Fe ECO, Santa Fe, New Mexico

’05 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport

SEMA partnered with Santa Fe ECO in 2018 to pilot the high school vehicle build program in which they built a ’15 Jeep Wrangler that was auctioned off for more than $56,000. The sale of this vehicle allowed the program to expand to five builds in 2019. The students of Santa Fe ECO turned out another awesome build—a ’05 Jeep Wrangler that uniquely features a vented hood, trail doors, a 3.5-in. suspension kit with a 5-in. stretch from Rock Krawler Suspension and has undergone a full body repaint. This Jeep will be auctioned July 15.

Santa Fe

Comstock High School, Kalamazoo, Michigan

’04 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

The Comstock High School auto-shop class in Kalamazoo Michigan, made excellent use of local resources and connections for their ’04 Jeep Wrangler build, including a program alumnus that is now a local body shop business owner. This is the program’s only hard-top Jeep that even includes a locally sourced donated roof rack from Just Jeep’N Stuff. Other unique features include LED headlights, full carpet replacement, bumpers, tire carrier and rock sliders from JcrOffroad, a 4-in. Skyjacker suspension kit and a fresh coat of paint. This Jeep will be auctioned July 16.

Comstock Jeep

C.D. Hylton High School, Woodbridge, Virginia

’02 Jeep Wrangler Sport

The students of C.D. Hylton performed a frame-off restoration on their ’02 Jeep Wrangler; they even painted the vehicle’s chassis. Along with the customization, the students did extensive work under the hood to ensure this Jeep runs with no issues. It has received a full body repaint, brand-new windshield from Safelite, front-door weatherstrip from Steele Rubber Products, a new hood from LQK/Keystone and a Rancho Suspension 3.5-in. short arm suspension kit. This Jeep will be auctioned July 17.

CD Hylton

Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, Santa Ynez, California

’97 Jeep Wrangler Sport

The ’97 Jeep Wrangler from Santa Ynez sits on 37-in. Atturo Off-Road Tires with Black Rock Wheels and topped with an American flag-themed bikini top. This build is fully outfitted with Rugged Ridge products and also features a T-REX grille, Superlift Suspension 4-in. lift kit and LLumar window tint. This Jeep will be auctioned July 18.

Santa Ynez

R.L. Turner High School, Carrollton, Texas

’04 Jeep Wrangler X

The ’04 Jeep Wrangler from the students of R.L. Turner caught the attention of Dennis Collins of Collins Bro’s Jeep, who visited the school and donated the build’s winch and front bumper. The build also features custom seatbelts from Seatbelt Planet, Rolling Big Power wheels and a Painless Performance trail rocker. This Jeep will be auctioned July 19.

RL Turner

The program notably generates support from aftermarket industry companies that sponsor the builds through product donations and scheduled visits to the schools to perform product demos or talk about the industry with the students. The 2019 program’s Jeep Wrangler TJs were sponsored by 32 companies that donated 220 products. They included:

Program partners included the following:

Auction

Photography

Leather Installation

Volunteers

In its inaugural year, the 2018 student custom Jeep build program between SEMA and the Santa Fe Early College Opportunities (ECO) Auto Shop Program in Santa Fe, New Mexico, raised $56,175 to help fund this year’s project.

Learn more about the program at www.sema.org/student-builds.
 

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:19

By SEMA Editors

Latest Jobs Added to SEMA Career Center

Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.

Commercial Sales Manager: Atech Motorsports is hiring a commercial sales manager to oversee operations in its Tallmadge, Ohio, location. The ideal candidate will possess team management experience and a proven track record in successfully managing B2B operations in the automotive marketplace. This position will be responsible for leading, training and developing the Atech department supervisor, team leaders and front-line employees. Candidates will have P&L responsibility for increasing profitable business in the B2B space both domestically and internationally. This will include overseeing marketing plans and competitive pricing models.

Operations and Logistics Manager: Piston Driven is hiring an operations and logistics manager responsible for short- and long-term operations and logistics, including maintaining and preparing a combination of 10 trucks and trailers for 8–10 shows per year. Candidates must be detail oriented and self starters; have the ability to keep equipment, warehouse and assets exceptionally clean; and control the receiving and organization of merchandise pre- and post-show. Travel on some weekends is required.

Regional Sales Manager: LIQUI MOLY USA is hiring a qualified candidate for the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida, region. This position will be responsible for sales growth; marketing efforts and business expansion; developing sales strategies and increasing overall sales; and building new business relationships with business owners in the automotive aftermarket with distributors, service shops and fleets. A minimum of five years’ experience in field sales management, preferably in lubricant products or the automotive aftermarket, is required.

Category Manager: National Performance Warehouse is hiring a category manager to oversee a group or category of products with complete responsibility for company profitability and return on investment with a goal to increase sales and profitability of the business and drive sustainable growth. This will include vendor relationships, product stocking assortment, product sales, product fill rates from the company’s facilities, specific product pricing for each market and all product marketing. Automotive purchasing experienc is required.

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:18

By Kristopher Porter

Council Awards
Each council and network will announce and present its annual awards during individual receptions at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

SEMA’s councils and networks honor outstanding member companies and industry professionals through their awards programs. Each council and network will announce and present its annual awards during individual receptions at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The winners are nominated and voted on by council and network membership.

SEMA is now calling for nominations for the following councils and networks:

View the awards, criteria and past winners at the new SEMA Council and Network Awards website and nominate a worthy candidate by July 8.

Nominees must be a member of the council or network for which they are being nominated. If you are unsure, contact SEMA customer service at 909-610-2030 for assistance.

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:18

By Kristopher Porter

Council Awards
Each council and network will announce and present its annual awards during individual receptions at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

SEMA’s councils and networks honor outstanding member companies and industry professionals through their awards programs. Each council and network will announce and present its annual awards during individual receptions at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The winners are nominated and voted on by council and network membership.

SEMA is now calling for nominations for the following councils and networks:

View the awards, criteria and past winners at the new SEMA Council and Network Awards website and nominate a worthy candidate by July 8.

Nominees must be a member of the council or network for which they are being nominated. If you are unsure, contact SEMA customer service at 909-610-2030 for assistance.

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:18

By Kristopher Porter

Council Awards
Each council and network will announce and present its annual awards during individual receptions at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

SEMA’s councils and networks honor outstanding member companies and industry professionals through their awards programs. Each council and network will announce and present its annual awards during individual receptions at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The winners are nominated and voted on by council and network membership.

SEMA is now calling for nominations for the following councils and networks:

View the awards, criteria and past winners at the new SEMA Council and Network Awards website and nominate a worthy candidate by July 8.

Nominees must be a member of the council or network for which they are being nominated. If you are unsure, contact SEMA customer service at 909-610-2030 for assistance.

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 13:18

By Kristopher Porter

Council Awards
Each council and network will announce and present its annual awards during individual receptions at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

SEMA’s councils and networks honor outstanding member companies and industry professionals through their awards programs. Each council and network will announce and present its annual awards during individual receptions at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The winners are nominated and voted on by council and network membership.

SEMA is now calling for nominations for the following councils and networks:

View the awards, criteria and past winners at the new SEMA Council and Network Awards website and nominate a worthy candidate by July 8.

Nominees must be a member of the council or network for which they are being nominated. If you are unsure, contact SEMA customer service at 909-610-2030 for assistance.