SEMA Education has put together a series of videos from the industry's best and brightest to give you the skills needed to keep your business in the game. Many of the speakers featured in the videos provides business sessions during the 2014 SEMA Show.
The 2015 SEMA Show is scheduled for November 3–6, Las Vegas. The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, drawing the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to the Las Vegas Convention Center. As part of the AAIW, the SEMA Show attracts more than 100,000 industry leaders from more than 100 countries for unlimited profit opportunities in the automotive, truck and SUV, powersports, and RV markets. The 2014 SEMA Show drew more than 60,000 domestic and international buyers.
By SEMA Editors
Seven new Jeep concept vehicles—featuring a host of Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) available to consumers—are set to hit the trails of Moab, Utah, at the 49th annual Easter Jeep Safari, taking place March 28–April 5. The Easter Jeep Safari is attended by thousands of off-road enthusiasts.
This year’s collection of Easter Jeep Safari concept vehicles were designed with a combination of production and prototype JPP. Mopar designed, engineered, built and quality-tested the Jeep Performance Parts line, meeting strict Jeep specifications with 4x4 capability, so owners can transform their stock rides into even more capable trail performers.
The 2015 Easter Jeep Safari concept vehicles include:
 Jeep Chief | |
Jeep Chief
A tribute to the classic ’70s-era full-size Jeep Cherokee, this Wrangler-based concept's custom exterior design cues include a vintage Ocean Blue exterior color scheme with a white, French Bread roof; a custom modified razor grille that the original Wagoneer made famous; halogen headlamps; removable sides for an open-air feel and flexible hauling; chrome front and rear bumpers and classic, 17-in. slotted mag wheels.
Jeep designers developed the Hawaiian-themed interior complete with Jeep-designed “Surfer” pink, blue and white flowered cloth and leather-trimmed seats; a Rosewood front-passenger grab handle and tiki-style shifter handle; and Uconnect 8.4-in. touchscreen media center.
The doors and windshield were chopped 2 in., and the Jeep Chief sports a selection of Jeep Performance Parts that include a 2-in. lift kit with Fox shocks and front and rear Dana 44 axles with lockers, cold-air intake, and modified Rubicon rock rails. The Chief is powered by the 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
 Jeep Staff Car | |
Jeep Staff Car
The Jeep Staff Car was built as a salute to legendary Jeep military service vehicles. The open-air Wrangler four-door-based concept's basic steel wheels, minimalist fender flares, “hungry horse” stretched canvas roof and bench seats all echo the original military Jeep vehicles.
The exterior features a Sandstorm color scheme that is carried throughout the vehicle, including the wheels, frame and axles. The Jeep Staff Car has no B-pillar and no doors. Jeep designers incorporated military-style round headlamps, Jeep J8 front and rear bumpers, fender-mounted blackout lamp with guards and a rear-mount spare tire and vintage military gas can. The Jeep Staff Car sits on 16-in. wheels with 35-in. Firestone NDT military tires.
The minimalist interior features low-backed bench seats in the first and second row, an integrated roll cage and a painted steel floor in place of carpet. A built-in cooler draws its inspiration from an old artillery box and accommodates 85 cans.
The Jeep Staff Car is powered by the 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The Staff Car has a Jeep Performance Parts 2-in. lift kit with Fox shocks and front and rear Dana 44 axles.
 Jeep Wrangler Africa | |
Jeep Wrangler Africa
The Africa is ideal for back-country and overland expeditions, with room for extra gear and auxiliary fuel tanks. The Wrangler four-door-based vehicle sports a Desert Tan exterior paint, a high-clearance steel front bumper with winch, power step rock rails, power dome vented hood and an extended rear body and high-top roof. Powered by a 2.8L diesel engine mated to an automatic transmission, the Wrangler Africa also features fender-mounted auxiliary fuel cans. The Africa sports 17-in. body color steel wheels with 35-in. BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires.
The Jeep Wrangler Africa is outfitted with a 2-in. lift kit with Fox shocks, sway bar links and front and rear Dana 44 axles from Jeep Performance Parts. The spare tire is underbody-mounted and the cargo area, inner roof and floor are finished in a durable spray-in truck bed coating.
 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overlander | |
Jeep Grand Cherokee Overlander
The Grand Cherokee-based Overlander concept vehicle represents the rough-and-tumble side of Grand Cherokee, customized for the enthusiast interested in overland expeditions where they travel and camp out of their vehicle. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Overlander sports Sage Green exterior paint. Custom features include a one-off front fascia, integrated front winch, tow hooks, larger wheel flares, SRT taillamps and hood, off-road rock rails, front and rear skid plates and 18-in. milled wheels with BF Goodrich All-terrain T/A tires.
The powertrain is the 3.0L diesel V6 engine mated to the eight-speed Torqueflight transmission. The Grand Cherokee Overlander has a durable spray-in truck bed coating on the roof and a two-person hard-shell rooftop tent that is easily deployable.
 Jeep Renegade Desert Hawk | |
Jeep Renegade Desert Hawk
The newest addition to the Jeep lineup, the Jeep Renegade, is the basis for the Desert Hawk concept vehicle, and is equipped with a selection of Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts. The Desert Tan exterior features a Jeep Performance Parts body decal, a topographical hood decal that depicts the Fins and Things Moab trail, off-road rock rails and a skid plate kit. Also featured are Mopar’s trailer hitch receiver and roof rack.
Inside, the Renegade Desert Hawk has been outfitted with Mopar Katzkin seat covers, body color bezel accents and Mopar all-weather floor mats.
The Renegade Desert Hawk is powered by the 2.4L Tigershark engine with MultiAir2 mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission with Jeep Active Drive Low.
 Jeep Cherokee Canyon Trail | |
Jeep Cherokee Canyon Trail
The Canyon Trail concept vehicle is developed from the Jeep Cherokee—Four Wheeler magazine’s “2015 Four Wheeler of the Year.” The Canyon Trail ups the Cherokee’s best-in-segment capability with Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts specifically designed for even more off-road prowess.
The Cherokee Canyon Trail’s Desert Tan exterior paint is accented with a Satin Black hood that includes a topographical hood decal showcasing Hell's Revenge—a renowned off-road trail in Moab. The exterior also displays Jeep Performance Parts body decal, Satin Black roof accent colors and the 2015 "Four Wheeler of the Year" decal.
The Canyon Trail interior features Mopar Katzkin leather seat covers and accent stitching, Jeep Performance Parts embroidered logo on the headrests, body color bezel accents, a cargo tray mat, Jeep Cargo Management System, Moab off-road bag and all-weather floor mats.
Off-road capability is turned up with the addition of JPP off-road rock rails, a two-piece fuel tank skid plate, two-piece underbody skid plate, oil pan and front suspension skid plates, as well as concept 17-in. painted wheels with BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A tires, which provide an additional one-half inch of lift.
The Jeep Cherokee Canyon Trail is powered by the 2.4L Tigershark MultiAir2 I-4 engine mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission with Jeep Active Drive Lock, which includes low range and a locking rear differential.
 Jeep Wrangler Red Rock Responder | |
Jeep Wrangler Red Rock Responder
Based on the Jeep Wrangler, the Red Rock Responder is a support vehicle purpose-built to traverse the world’s harshest terrain with off-road equipment to respond to any vehicle emergency, including spare parts and tools stored in the built-in drawers and compartments of the cargo box.
The Red Rock features a Vibrance Responder Red exterior paint, Jeep Performance Parts body decal, 10th Anniversary hood with hydraulic hood props, high-top fender flares and 17-in. beadlock wheels with body-color beadlock ring. In addition, the vehicle sports LED headlamps and foglamps, LED A-pillar and off-road lamps.
Functional capability is increased with the addition of 37-in. BF Goodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM2 tires, 4 in. of JPP lift, Fox shocks, and front and rear Dana 60 axles with 5.38 gearing from Jeep Performance Parts. The vehicle also sports a cold-air intake, prototype off-road rock rails and a Warn winch. Red Rock Responder is also armed with Wrangler Rubicon 10th Anniversary Edition steel front and rear bumpers and high-top fenders.
The interior features embroidered black and red Mopar Katzkin leather seats, Jeep Performance Parts logo embroidered on the headrests, red accent bezels, grab handles and all-weather floor mats.
The Jeep Wrangler Red Rock Responder is powered by the 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine mated to an automatic transmission.
 The RAM Texas Ranger edition concept truck, unveiled at the 2015 Dallas Auto Show, is identified by Texas Ranger badging designed to represent the Mexican five-peso coins from which Ranger badges are tooled. |
The RAM Texas Ranger edition concept truck is identified by Texas Ranger badging designed to represent the Mexican five-peso coins from which Ranger badges are tooled.
Representative of those star-and-wheel badges, large five-pointed milled-aluminum emblems are mounted to front driver and passenger-side fenders. A third milled-aluminum Texas Ranger badge adorns the concept truck’s tailgate.
Each of the four polished-aluminum 20-in. wheels also gets a milled-aluminum Texas Ranger center cap.
The Texas Ranger edition is painted in a bright white and bright silver metallic two-tone color scheme that embodies the white hats and silver badges worn by the law enforcers.
Starting with the etched canyon brown and tan leather and tooled-metal details that distinguish RAM’s Laramie Longhorn edition, RAM’s designers have loaded the concept truck with Texas Ranger-edition accents.
Among the most notable are four real Mexican five-peso silver coins inlaid within the wooden portions of the door bolsters. Front doors have the obverse or “heads” side and rear doors contain the reverse or “tails” side of the coin.
Although the RAM Texas Ranger edition was designed as a one-of-a-kind concept that will tour Texas and help build awareness for the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum, officials have not ruled out a possible production run. No timing or pricing for a possible future Texas Ranger edition was announced.
By SEMA Editors
 The all-new Ford Focus RS features a 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. | |
The all-new Ford Focus RS debuted at the 2015 New York International Auto Show. The high-performance road car introduces advanced performance technologies, and is the first Ford RS equipped with selectable drive modes—including drift mode and launch control.
The third-generation high-performance hatch features a 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. Its dramatic exterior design offers optimized aerodynamics and cooling, with 9% less drag over the previous model.
The all-new Focus RS is the first model that will be produced for all markets at Ford’s Saarlouis, Germany, manufacturing plant beginning later this year, with sales in North America beginning in spring 2016.
Focus RS leverages all-wheel drive with dynamic torque vectoring to deliver traction with agility and cornering speed. The system is based on electronically controlled twin-clutch packs on each side of the rear-drive unit. The control unit continuously varies front-to-rear and side-to-side torque distribution to suit the driving situation, monitoring inputs from multiple vehicle sensors 100 times per second. A maximum of 70% of the drive torque can be diverted to the rear axle. Up to 100% of available torque can be sent to each rear wheel delivering the torque-vectoring capability that has a dramatic impact on handling and cornering stability.
In cornering situations, the rear-drive unit preemptively diverts torque to the outer rear wheel based on steering-wheel angle, lateral acceleration, yaw and speed. This torque transfer has the effect of “driving” the car into a bend—achieving improved turn-in and stability while virtually eliminating understeer.
Other exclusive chassis features include a sport suspension with stiffer spring rates and more efficient bushes and antiroll bars than those found in Focus ST, and two-mode switchable dampers, which offer a firmer setting for track use. Specially tuned electric power-assisted steering, in combination with an optimized front suspension knuckle design and shorter link arms, delivers connected and responsive steering.
The car’s exterior design supports optimization of the front splitter, rear spoiler and underbody eliminates lift forces, resulting in balanced performance with zero-lift front and rear for optimum high-speed handling and stability.
With a drag coefficient of 0.35, the shape of the new Focus RS is 6% more aerodynamic than the previous model, and with its more compact frontal area, the car generates 9% less drag, improving high-speed performance and reducing fuel consumption.
Four exterior colors include Focus RS-exclusive Nitrous Blue, Stealth Gray, Shadow Black and Frozen White.
By SEMA Editors
| The all-new Ford Focus RS features a 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. | |
The all-new Ford Focus RS debuted at the 2015 New York International Auto Show. The high-performance road car introduces advanced performance technologies, and is the first Ford RS equipped with selectable drive modes—including drift mode and launch control.
The third-generation high-performance hatch features a 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. Its dramatic exterior design offers optimized aerodynamics and cooling, with 9% less drag over the previous model.
The all-new Focus RS is the first model that will be produced for all markets at Ford’s Saarlouis, Germany, manufacturing plant beginning later this year, with sales in North America beginning in spring 2016.
Focus RS leverages all-wheel drive with dynamic torque vectoring to deliver traction with agility and cornering speed. The system is based on electronically controlled twin-clutch packs on each side of the rear-drive unit. The control unit continuously varies front-to-rear and side-to-side torque distribution to suit the driving situation, monitoring inputs from multiple vehicle sensors 100 times per second. A maximum of 70% of the drive torque can be diverted to the rear axle. Up to 100% of available torque can be sent to each rear wheel delivering the torque-vectoring capability that has a dramatic impact on handling and cornering stability.
In cornering situations, the rear-drive unit preemptively diverts torque to the outer rear wheel based on steering-wheel angle, lateral acceleration, yaw and speed. This torque transfer has the effect of “driving” the car into a bend—achieving improved turn-in and stability while virtually eliminating understeer.
Other exclusive chassis features include a sport suspension with stiffer spring rates and more efficient bushes and antiroll bars than those found in Focus ST, and two-mode switchable dampers, which offer a firmer setting for track use. Specially tuned electric power-assisted steering, in combination with an optimized front suspension knuckle design and shorter link arms, delivers connected and responsive steering.
The car’s exterior design supports optimization of the front splitter, rear spoiler and underbody eliminates lift forces, resulting in balanced performance with zero-lift front and rear for optimum high-speed handling and stability.
With a drag coefficient of 0.35, the shape of the new Focus RS is 6% more aerodynamic than the previous model, and with its more compact frontal area, the car generates 9% less drag, improving high-speed performance and reducing fuel consumption.
Four exterior colors include Focus RS-exclusive Nitrous Blue, Stealth Gray, Shadow Black and Frozen White.
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
 The House Environment and Transportation Committee amended and approved legislation to require the issuance of only a single license plate for historic vehicles and street rods. |
House legislation to require the issuance of only a single license plate for historic vehicles and street rods was drastically amended and approved by the House Environment and Transportation Committee. The bill now moves to the full House for a vote by all members.
Under the amendment, the single plate option would be available only to owners of historic vehicles that are 60 years old and older. The bill no longer affords this option to street rods or later-model historics. While the amended bill is a heavily diluted version of the original, it is still an improvement over current law.
For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
| The House Environment and Transportation Committee amended and approved legislation to require the issuance of only a single license plate for historic vehicles and street rods. |
House legislation to require the issuance of only a single license plate for historic vehicles and street rods was drastically amended and approved by the House Environment and Transportation Committee. The bill now moves to the full House for a vote by all members.
Under the amendment, the single plate option would be available only to owners of historic vehicles that are 60 years old and older. The bill no longer affords this option to street rods or later-model historics. While the amended bill is a heavily diluted version of the original, it is still an improvement over current law.
For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
| The House Environment and Transportation Committee amended and approved legislation to require the issuance of only a single license plate for historic vehicles and street rods. |
House legislation to require the issuance of only a single license plate for historic vehicles and street rods was drastically amended and approved by the House Environment and Transportation Committee. The bill now moves to the full House for a vote by all members.
Under the amendment, the single plate option would be available only to owners of historic vehicles that are 60 years old and older. The bill no longer affords this option to street rods or later-model historics. While the amended bill is a heavily diluted version of the original, it is still an improvement over current law.
For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
| The House Environment and Transportation Committee amended and approved legislation to require the issuance of only a single license plate for historic vehicles and street rods. |
House legislation to require the issuance of only a single license plate for historic vehicles and street rods was drastically amended and approved by the House Environment and Transportation Committee. The bill now moves to the full House for a vote by all members.
Under the amendment, the single plate option would be available only to owners of historic vehicles that are 60 years old and older. The bill no longer affords this option to street rods or later-model historics. While the amended bill is a heavily diluted version of the original, it is still an improvement over current law.
For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
 The Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee approved a version of SEMA-model legislation to ease the process by which replica cars are titled and registered. |
A version of SEMA-model legislation to ease the process by which replica cars are titled and registered was approved by the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee and now moves to the full Senate for a vote by all members. The bill has already been approved by the full House of Representatives and defines "replica car" as a motor vehicle that is assembled from a pre-fabricated chassis and body kit purchased from a replica car manufacturer.
For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.