This '31 Studebaker built by Choppin' Block Custom Fab in Fresno, California, and featured in the Toyo Tires display (owned by Toyo's Adrian Puente), won CarDomain's pick for Best Hot Rod.

CarDomain Network recently announced its Best of SEMA 2008 Awards, naming its picks for the top display vehicles at  the SEMA Show. Winners were selected by visitors to the CarDomain website.

The 2008 CarDomain Best of SEMA Award winners were:

Muscle Car—Dale Jr. Edition Camaro, featuring a 6.2L E85-capable V8, Shorty headers and Hurst short-throw shifter. Factory ground effects, rear diffuser, rear lip, and interior and exterior JR Motorsports trim round out the package.

Racing and Motorsports—Viscardi Boyz Mustang, featuring twin Turbonetics Y2K 91mm units plumbed to an all-aluminum 598 cu. in. Ford big-block capable of more than 3,000 hp.

Exotics—Lamborghini Reventon, which comes with a V12 engine generating about 650 hp and top speed of more than 211 mph.

Off-Road—ICON FJ43, featuring Recaro Carbon Sport seats, a 450hp LS-series V8, 4L65E auto transmission, Atlas II transfer case, Dynatrac axles with four-wheel power-assisted vented and slotted disc brakes.

Trucks—Baldwin Motorsports F-150 offering a Roush Racing 427 cu. in. V8 capable of 140 mph on dirt and nearly 3 ft. of wheel travel. 

Luxury—ASI's Bentley Continental GT Speed, featuring exhaust, ECU and cooling system upgrades that help it achieve 800 hp.

Restoration—'71 Nissan Skyline GT-R.

Sport Compact—Vivid Racing EVO X, featuring Rotora six-piston calipers (front), AME wheels and Porsche GT3RS paint scheme courtesy BASF.

Hot Rods—Toyo '31 Studebaker, featuring a chopped roof, new frame, custom-fabricated hood to cover a Zoops-outfitted Chevy 350 with three two-barrel carburetors, custom airbag suspension, Centerline wheels and Toyo Proxes 4 tires.

Green—X Prize Fox Body Mustang, which puts down a claimed 400 hp while achieving 80 mpg.

Tune in Sunday, December 14, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. (EST) to see highlights from the 2008 SEMA Show on the SPEED Channel.

The one-hour special includes features from the trade show, with industry personalities and experts Sam Memmolo, Bryan Fuller, Matt Steele, Bruno Massel and Jessie Combs hosting the program. It is scheduled to re-air December 19, 2008; December 20, 2008; and January 3, 2009.

Check local listing for details or visit www.speedtv.com/programs/sema-las-vegas.

Manufacturers: Demonstrate the quality, reliability and use of your product within the industry by conducting a product demonstration at the upcoming Technical Skills & Training Conference, set for Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28, 2009, in Orlando, Florida.

This all-new truck and restyling conference and expo provides key decision-making buyers the opportunity to get hands-on with your products in a private setting. The one-hour, face-to-face technical training sessions are ideal to provide product training, general training or other customer-related sessions that aid manufacturers in selling or maintaining business relations with clients, customers and attendees. 

The conference also features sales, marketing, cash-flow and inventory management tips through its educational sessions. 

To exhibit at the Technical Skills & Training Conference, use the application form available by clicking here. For more information on the Technical Skills & Training Conference, click here, or contact Show Management at 702/450-7662, ext. 120, or e-mail salesmgr@convexx.com. 

The SEMA Technical Skills & Training Conference is sponsored by the Truck and Off-Road Alliance and the Professional Restylers Organization, two councils within SEMA.

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In an effort to provide the freshest talent base to its member companies, SEMA has added a new Internships Wanted section to the Classifieds feature of www.sema.org/classifieds.

For the past six weeks, current students and newcomers to the automotive industry have been able to post their resumes and business objectives to the SEMA website. There are currently more than 25 ads posted by potential interns based throughout the United States.

“These interns have all either participated in SEMA’s Scholarship Program or have attended the SEMA Show, so they are already familiar with the market and are prepared to start a career in the specialty-equipment industry,” said Nathan Ridnouer, SEMA senior director of member services.

“We realize the importance of making sure that the industry has access to today’s top students and tomorrow's industry leaders,” he added.

To see the list of students and newcomers interested in working for your company, visit www.sema.org/classifieds and click on the Internships Wanted link.

Several students who attended a 2008 SEMA Show welcome reception received association scholarships, including Clemson University's Reza Saeidpourazar (far left), a $2,000 graduate award winner. SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting, second from left, is flanked by University of Northwestern Ohio students (L-R), Douglas Meyung, Eric Doke, Marcus McClean and Autumn Hawkins, all recipients of two-year scholarships. Joining them are SEMA Chairman Jim Cozzie (back row, left) and SEMA Scholarship Committee Chairman Paul "Scooter" Brothers.

The deadline for students to apply for SEMA's four-year, two-year, graduate, loan forgiveness and member/dependent scholarships is April 1, 2009.

Over the past two decades, SEMA scholarships have supported over 400 students with more than $1,000,000 in scholarship awards. The SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, founded in 1984 to foster leadership opportunities in the specialty-equipment marketplace, rewards the best and brightest students engaged in studies leading to careers in the automotive aftermarket or related fields.

In order to apply for the 2009 program, applicants must visit www.SEMA.org/scholarships to access the new online application. As in past years, the applicant must provide complete contact information, education history and work history. Scholarships will be awarded based on the selections of SEMA judges and the Scholarship Committee.

To qualify, applicants must have a 2.5 minimum GPA, 25 minimum credits for two-year scholarships, 50 minimum credits for four-year awards, proof that the student is in an automotive field of study and a completed application.

The applicant will also need to supply SEMA with two letters of recommendation, an essay and current official transcripts, which must be faxed separately. Working for a member company or being a dependent of an employee of a member company significantly enhances the applicant's chances.

Students Activities at the SEMA Show

During the 2008 SEMA Show, the association worked with exhibitors, sponsors and partners to create the new Student Program, which included a number of volunteer opportunities. The goal of the program was to provide each student with the chance to participate in an essential industry event.

The students were asked to select and identify their top three volunteer opportunities, and then SEMA staff placed each student in a volunteer program on a first-come, first-served basis, with consideration of the student's field of study or area of interest and his or her school's geographic region.
   
The list of volunteer opportunities included events such as the SEMA Show Luncheon and Keynote Address, the New Products Awards Breakfast, the Young Executives Network (YEN) Reception & Mentoring, the NHRA Breakfast, council receptions and the SEMA Awards Banquet.

Students who attended the SEMA Show under the volunteer program also participated in a full slate of activities. On Monday evening, November 3, before the Show began, they were invited to a welcome reception where they received Show materials.

On Wednesday morning, they attended a Student/Member Networking Breakfast, which provided an excellent networking opportunity to help the student attendees build new contacts and meet key leaders in the automotive industry. On Thursday, students attended a Student/Manufacturer Representative Networking Breakfast designed to help them learn about manufacturer representatives and meet additional industry leaders.

The student programs at the SEMA Show provide insider views on how the industry operates and give students key contacts and insight to help bridge the gap between school and a profession.

For information about similar programs during the 2009 SEMA Show, contact Nathan Ridnouer via e-mail at nathanr@sema.org or call 909/396-0289, ext. 137.

During the recent webinar, “How to Make Money With the Right Social Media Tools,” Engauge Communications’ Director of Social Media Chad Israel provided insight on how to use social media and networking tools for cost-effective advertising and reaching new customers. Israel explained that social-media outlets, such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, are extremely useful for reaching customers due to the speed of communication.

“In its purest form, social media is word-of-mouth marketing,” said Israel. “What was once you telling a friend that something is good, now, via social media, results in hundreds of friends receiving the exact same message at the same time.”

With current economic conditions and the credit crunch, obtaining new customers and customer outreach are more important than ever. Traditional advertising and marketing outlets, which can be costly and have a less-than-desired return on investment, are not as effective as they once were.

Israel also says that reaching younger buyers through traditional marketing and advertising methods, such as TV, radio and newspaper, is difficult because their interests are varied and can change rapidly.

To reach new customers, Isreal suggests understanding the current climate of the marketplace and redefining your strategies and tactics of how to reach new consumers and understand the limitations of traditional outlets.

“Take a step back, and don’t commit to long-term, costly advertising initiatives,” he explained.

Israel provided these guidelines for getting started with social-media outlets. 

To get started today, Israel says to start creating what he refers to as your company’s social-media footprint by creating online content and becoming active with online communities. He suggests developing a page on MySpace and inviting people in your area to your online community, creating a Facebook Fan Page for your business, establishing a YouTube channel to build a video log of current content and registering your company with the Google Local Business Center to help you index and search ratings in your demographic area.

To hear all of Israel’s tips, including using Twitter to broadcast messages through a large network and examples of what types of Internet ads to buy, download the complete presentation at www.sema.org/webinar.

At first glance, this development mule looks like the European Honda Accord Tourer. Not so, says spy snapper Brenda Priddy. Instead, Priddy says it is the long-rumored Accord-based crossover (looks like a wagon to us). While most of the body on this mule is non-production Priddy says, the front-end, grafted from a U.S. market Accord, is likely to end up in the final product.

We can also see fender flares that have been tacked onto the body and covered with tape that matches the color of the paint.

Priddy also notes that the fenders tacked onto the body indicate that the wheel track has been widened slightly, and the additional length of sheetmetal and glass suggest a final product longer than the Accord Tourer.

The new car is expected to start production late 2009 at one of Honda's Ohio plants. A teaser concept is expected at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Powertrain options will likely include the 4- and 6-cylinder choices for current Accords or possibly the turbocharged 2.3L found in the current Acura RDX.

All-wheel drive is also a likely option; although not clear in the bottom photograph, separate photos reveal a stout rear differential.

"Latitude" is one rumored model name, although Priddy says Honda allowed that trademark to expire several months ago.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed several revisions to the early warning rules, but the changes should have no impact on most manufacturers of specialty equipment.

In 2002, the NHTSA established an “early warning” system for reporting information to the agency that could provide clues to potential future safety problems. Most of the direct reporting requirements are limited to vehicle and tire manufacturers. 

Under the current rules, all vehicle and equipment manufacturers must provide the NHTSA with notice of fatalities that are alleged or proven to be the result of defects. Furthermore, large-volume vehicle manufacturers (more than 500 vehicles annually), large-volume tire manufacturers (more than 15,000 tires of same size and design annually) and child-restraint system manufacturers must supply the NHTSA with “early warning” information about injuries, property damage, consumer complaints, warranty claims, field reports and production data every calendar quarter.

Equipment manufacturers are not required to supply early warning materials, but reporting is triggered under two circumstances: 1) an incident or allegation involving a death; 2) the company issues recall notices, advisories or customer-satisfaction campaigns referencing a defect, failure or malfunction, whether or not such defect is safety-related.

With respect to the revisions, the NHTSA is proposing to raise the threshold for large-volume vehicle manufacturers from 500 to 5,000 or more vehicles. The NHTSA is also requesting that manufacturers subject to the reporting requirements consistently reference the same product name from quarter to quarter, and that tire manufacturers provide more information identifying tires subject to recall. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein: stuartg@sema.org.