The first-ever SEMA Battle of the Builders competition will be featured on the Velocity network in a one-hour television special set to air Sunday, March 8, at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). The program features the top-10 builders, their vehicles and their journey through the inaugural competition. More than 125 vehicle builders and car customizers entered the contest, and the top 10 were selected by three of the top automotive magazine editors—Sam Du from Super Street, David Freiburger from Hot Rod and Fred Williams from Peterson’s 4 Wheel & Off-Road.

The finalists voted among themselves to determine who would be named the winner of the competition. The top three finalists and winner were announced at the first-ever SEMA Ignited event that took place at The LINQ Promenade in Las Vegas after the close of the 2014 SEMA Show. Tune in to the Velocity Channel on March 8, at 8:00 p.m. (EDT), to get a look inside this brand-new competition and see who was named the winner of the SEMA Battle of the Builders.

For more information, visit www.semaignited.com.

The first-ever SEMA Battle of the Builders competition will be featured on the Velocity network in a one-hour television special set to air Sunday, March 8, at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). The program features the top-10 builders, their vehicles and their journey through the inaugural competition. More than 125 vehicle builders and car customizers entered the contest, and the top 10 were selected by three of the top automotive magazine editors—Sam Du from Super Street, David Freiburger from Hot Rod and Fred Williams from Peterson’s 4 Wheel & Off-Road.

The finalists voted among themselves to determine who would be named the winner of the competition. The top three finalists and winner were announced at the first-ever SEMA Ignited event that took place at The LINQ Promenade in Las Vegas after the close of the 2014 SEMA Show. Tune in to the Velocity Channel on March 8, at 8:00 p.m. (EDT), to get a look inside this brand-new competition and see who was named the winner of the SEMA Battle of the Builders.

For more information, visit www.semaignited.com.

The first-ever SEMA Battle of the Builders competition will be featured on the Velocity network in a one-hour television special set to air Sunday, March 8, at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). The program features the top-10 builders, their vehicles and their journey through the inaugural competition. More than 125 vehicle builders and car customizers entered the contest, and the top 10 were selected by three of the top automotive magazine editors—Sam Du from Super Street, David Freiburger from Hot Rod and Fred Williams from Peterson’s 4 Wheel & Off-Road.

The finalists voted among themselves to determine who would be named the winner of the competition. The top three finalists and winner were announced at the first-ever SEMA Ignited event that took place at The LINQ Promenade in Las Vegas after the close of the 2014 SEMA Show. Tune in to the Velocity Channel on March 8, at 8:00 p.m. (EDT), to get a look inside this brand-new competition and see who was named the winner of the SEMA Battle of the Builders.

For more information, visit www.semaignited.com.

The shooters at KGP Photography got their first look at some prototypes for the overhauled ’16 Kia Sportage caught cold-weather testing. The latest Sportage gets all-new styling, bringing it in line with the latest models to grace the Kia model range. The updated styling is expected to sit atop the same powertrain lineup as the current model. Sources say that increased attention will be given to the interior environment, with the latest updates available to the Uvo passenger interface, and a larger infotainment screen. Further attention is expected to be made toward refinements to the Sportage's ride and handling, and improvements to the noise vibration and harshness characteristics.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

The shooters at KGP Photography got their first look at some prototypes for the overhauled ’16 Kia Sportage caught cold-weather testing. The latest Sportage gets all-new styling, bringing it in line with the latest models to grace the Kia model range. The updated styling is expected to sit atop the same powertrain lineup as the current model. Sources say that increased attention will be given to the interior environment, with the latest updates available to the Uvo passenger interface, and a larger infotainment screen. Further attention is expected to be made toward refinements to the Sportage's ride and handling, and improvements to the noise vibration and harshness characteristics.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

The shooters at KGP Photography got their first look at some prototypes for the overhauled ’16 Kia Sportage caught cold-weather testing. The latest Sportage gets all-new styling, bringing it in line with the latest models to grace the Kia model range. The updated styling is expected to sit atop the same powertrain lineup as the current model. Sources say that increased attention will be given to the interior environment, with the latest updates available to the Uvo passenger interface, and a larger infotainment screen. Further attention is expected to be made toward refinements to the Sportage's ride and handling, and improvements to the noise vibration and harshness characteristics.

Photo credit: KGP Photography

Compiled by SEMA Editors

	Rick Phillips

Yokohama Tire Corp. Announces Organizational Changes
Yokohama Corp. of North America (YTC) announced several organizational changes effective February 1. Rick Phillips was promoted from senior director, commercial and OTR sales, to vice president of sales, consumer, commercial and OTR. He will report to Takayuki Hamaya, YTC chief operating officer. Larry Kull, former senior director, tire business planning and sales operations, is now senior director, consumer sales. He will report to Phillips. Fred Koplin, former senior director, consumer sales, is now senior director, marketing. He will report to Hamaya. Andrew Briggs, former senior director, marketing, product planning and technical services, is now senior director, tire business planning, product planning and sales operations. He will report to Hamaya.

Action Car and Truck Accessories Acquires CTP Distributors
Action Car and Truck Accessories located in Eastern Canada has acquired CTP Distributors/Custom Truck Parts Inc. of Western Canada. The union enhances the company's competitive positioning within the wholesale, retail and fleet upfitting sectors while offering more choices and greater convenience.

"Now that we will be combined under one umbrella, CTP and Action will be the only truly national aftermarket accessory company that deals in all aspects of the aftermarket accessory business in Canada," said Bill Kluyt, CEO of CTP Distributors Inc. "I am very proud of CTP and what we have accomplished in 22 years, but even more proud and excited of what the combined efforts of CTP and Action will bring to the aftermarket accessory business in Canada!"

In addition to enhancing the wholesale and retail sectors, the new landscape will position the company as the largest commercial fleet installation network in Canada, a segment of the business with tremendous opportunity and growth potential. The combined companies will now consist of four major distribution centers (Surrey, Edmonton, Pickering, Moncton), four secondary distribution points (Calgary, Grande Prairie, Winnipeg, St. John's), 37 retail stores with installation facilities and e-commerce stores catering to wholesale, retail and commercial fleet segments.

"Action has the utmost respect for what the team at CTP Distributors has achieved and I have followed their success in becoming the largest and best source for truck accessories in Alberta and British Columbia." said John Chamberlaine, president and CEO of Action Car and Truck Accessories. "Combining our two entities to become Canada's undisputed overall national leader will allow for opportunities for all involved."

Surf City Garage Names Kahn Media Agency of Record
SCG Brands—parent company of Surf City Garage and Paradise Road Car Care—has announced that it has retained Ventura County-based Kahn Media Inc. as its agency of record. Kahn Media will be charged with public relations, social media marketing, brand journalism and strategic communications to help the Orange County-based company market its washes, waxes, polishes and surface care products, which are available nationwide and in more than 20 countries across the globe. Kahn Media will work with Surf City Garage and its associated brands to promote product awareness, educate enthusiasts about premium car care trends and forge new relationships in the automotive industry.

“Mopar Road Ready” Program Set to Launch in 2015 to Help Teen Drivers
Mopar has set plans in motion to give a helping hand to young drivers across the United States with an advanced driving program called “Mopar Road Ready,” designed to teach safe and defensive driving techniques. Sponsored by The Chrysler Foundation and supported by Mopar, the program is dedicated to training and educating teenage drivers will be available to those between the ages of 15–19 with a learner’s or driver’s license and at least 30 hours of driving experience. Three two-day sessions will be offered in Pomona, California, (February 14–15), Gainesville, Florida, (March 21–22) and in the Detroit area (May 2–3) free of charge to registered teens and their parents and guardians.

Mopar will work collaboratively with the NHRA Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe), two nationally recognized non-profit 501(C)(3) organizations that share similar missions of promoting the importance of safe and responsible driving. Young drivers who are interested can register online.

PDRA Extends Partnership With VP Racing Fuels
The Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) has announced it has extended its partnership with VP Racing Fuels, which will be designated “Official Fuel of PDRA” through 2017. As part of the agreement, VP will provide trackside fuel service for the all-eighth-mile drag-racing series and post season awards up to $1,000 in each class for the series championship.

Adam Booth

MotoUSA Names Adam Booth Off-Road Editor
Motorcycle USA has announced the hiring of Adam Booth as its new off-road editor. Booth brings 17 years of publishing industry experience and a lifetime of off-road enthusiasm to the MotoUSA staff. Effective immediately, he will lead off-road content production for the publication’s 1 million unique monthly visitors. Booth joins MotoUSA after working at Dirt Rider for the past three years, where he served as senior editor. Prior to that, he spent seven years as associate editor for Dirt Bike. In addition to his motorcycle magazine experience, he also logged a seven-year stint as editor of BMX Plus! magazine.

As off-road editor, Booth's role includes bike reviews, multi-bike comparisons, technical features and industry news. He will be based in the company’s Irvine, California, office. Former MotoUSA off-road editor Justin Dawes remains on staff as senior editor. Dawes will continue to contribute dirt- and street-related feature content. He will also continue leading MAG Media Group’s ATV/UTV website, 4WheelDirt.com, where he serves as editor.

RxSpeed Launches as One-Stop Shop for Automotive Parts
RxSpeed, a comparison search engine for the motor vehicle aftermarket, has officially launched, featuring the an advanced product database showing consumers where to buy products at the lowest cost. Following the announcement of its beta version at the 2014 SEMA Show, RxSpeed.com has completed its usability testing and released its latest version for general availability. The company plans several more updates heading into the spring of 2015. RxSpeed is designed to aggregate automotive parts and retailers using its proprietary software platform. According to the company, RxSpeed is built on big data, taking in millions of records every week from a variety of brand sources, then organizing that data by linking the correct vehicle-fitment databases and part-category databases. The end result is an easy-to-use search engine that links shoppers to parts for their year, make and model vehicles, providing a list of retailers selling those products. RxSpeed currently features 470 different brands representing more than 1 million parts with 27 million vehicle applications to search in its database.

Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA eNews. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.

Fred Offenhauser	Nile Cornelison
Jim Cozzie	John Menzler

SEMA members have the opportunity to submit their nominations for the 2015 SEMA Hall of Fame. The award has been established to honor outstanding persons in the automotive specialty-equipment industry whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness and accomplishments on a national basis have enhanced the stature of and significantly contributed to the industry’s growth.

A rule of thumb to qualify could be to ask yourself the following question: “If this person had never existed, how would SEMA and the industry be different?”

The 2014 SEMA Hall of Fame inductees included Fred Offenhauser, Nile Cornelison, Jim Cozzie and John Menzler.

Please take a moment to review the Hall of Fame website and SEMA Hall of Fame criteria and listings of past inductees. In order to assist the Hall of Fame Committee in making their selection, please provide a brief statement, including accomplishments and comments as to why, based on the award criteria, the individual is deserving of this honor. Your completed nomination form is confidential and vital to helping the Hall of Fame Committee make their selection for the 2015 SEMA Hall of Fame.

Please submit your 2015 SEMA Hall of Fame form by Wednesday, March 18, 2015. If you have any questions, please contact Lindsay Bianco at 909-978-6692 or lindsayb@sema.org.

Fred Offenhauser	Nile Cornelison
Jim Cozzie	John Menzler

SEMA members have the opportunity to submit their nominations for the 2015 SEMA Hall of Fame. The award has been established to honor outstanding persons in the automotive specialty-equipment industry whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness and accomplishments on a national basis have enhanced the stature of and significantly contributed to the industry’s growth.

A rule of thumb to qualify could be to ask yourself the following question: “If this person had never existed, how would SEMA and the industry be different?”

The 2014 SEMA Hall of Fame inductees included Fred Offenhauser, Nile Cornelison, Jim Cozzie and John Menzler.

Please take a moment to review the Hall of Fame website and SEMA Hall of Fame criteria and listings of past inductees. In order to assist the Hall of Fame Committee in making their selection, please provide a brief statement, including accomplishments and comments as to why, based on the award criteria, the individual is deserving of this honor. Your completed nomination form is confidential and vital to helping the Hall of Fame Committee make their selection for the 2015 SEMA Hall of Fame.

Please submit your 2015 SEMA Hall of Fame form by Wednesday, March 18, 2015. If you have any questions, please contact Lindsay Bianco at 909-978-6692 or lindsayb@sema.org.

MAVTV will air highlights from the 2014 SEMA Show, starting Thursday, February 5, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. (EST), and repeating at 11:00 p.m. (EST) and Thursday, February 12, at 8:00 p.m. (EST).

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, drawing the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place, 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.