The new Jeep Wrangler was the most popular SUV displayed at the 2007 SEMA Show, and for good reason: as with its predecessors, the new Wrangler is built to be customized. Rugged, long-travel suspension for off-road thrashings; thick, knobby tires for muddin’; or just a simple winch, tube bumpers and off-road lights for looks and function, the Jeep Wrangler begs to be modified.

Judging solely from online auction sales, the market for Jeep Wrangler parts and accessories is plenty healthy. Through the fourth quarter of this year, enthusiasts averaged nearly $1,356,000 worth of Wrangler parts and accessories purchases, according to data from Terapeak, a developer of market-focused research software that monitors online sales and auctions.

That’s up 3% from the third quarter, but still down from second and first quarter highs. In the first quarter of this year, particularly with the approaching spring, sales averaged just less than $1,500,000 a month.

Not surprisingly, exterior parts comprise the bulk of sales, accounting for 40.5% of current fourth-quarter sales. Hard and soft tops are among the most purchased exterior parts, followed by tube bumpers, bumper carriers and doors.

Interior parts and accessories, including seats and center console modules and wheels/tires, round out the top three most purchased categories.

Patti Freeman Evans, a senior analyst who monitors the retail industry for JupiterResearch, explains that the Internet is a key influencer in buying decisions.

"We see online retail plateauing at 10%—15% of total retail down the road," she says. "But that growth will really be organic, not dramatic. We look to the Internet to remain a highly influential channel for retailers to affect customer purchasing regardless of what channel the actual transaction occurs in."

Terapeak's Motors P&A Research provides sellers with access to comprehensive research on the past year of online auction data and allows users to get in-depth research reports on the competition and themselves. More at www.terapeak.com/motors.

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) processed 362,227 patent applications and 323,527 trademark applications during the past year, the highest numbers in history. The USPTO also set records for quality examinations and processing times. For example, the average time from filing an initial trademark application to receiving a preliminary decision was less than three months. The USPTO also initiated a number of improvements such as offering a 12-month accelerated patent examination process and making electronic filings simpler. More than 95% of trademark applications were filed online along with 50% of patent applications.

Protecting the intellectual property rights of SEMA members is a top association priority, beginning when companies register their patents, trademarks, and copyrights with government agencies in the United States (and other countries). SEMA notes that registering intellectual property is a key to establishing legal rights. 

To assist its membership, the association has created a web page called Trademarks, Patents & Copyrights: What Your Business Needs to Know that provides a basic overview on how to register intellectual property. The intellectual property webpage is listed under the “Legislation & Regulations” link on SEMA’s home page, www.sema.org.

For further details, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ruled that employers must pay the cost of providing any personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary to protect workers from job-related injuries. The new rule covers PPE including respirators, hard hats, gloves, goggles, safety shoes, safety glasses, and welding helmets, but there are several exemptions to the mandate.

Employers are not required to provide PPE where none was required before, and the employer does not have to pay for equipment that is lost or intentionally damaged. Additionally, the rule does not cover everyday clothing or weather-related clothes that can be worn off-the-job (winter coats, gloves, hats, etc.), along with ordinary steel-toe shoes/boots, ordinary, prescription safety eyewear or skin creams. OSHA estimates that employers already pay for about 95% of PPE costs. Employers must implement the new PPE payment requirements no later than May 15, 2008.

For details, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

SEMA is looking for four vehicles from the winning categories of “The Most Accessory-Friendly Vehicles” awarded at the 2007 SEMA Show. The four vehicles are:

• Car: Cadillac CTS
• Truck: Nissan Titan
• SUV: Hummer H2
• Hybrid: Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid

One vehicle in each category will be selected to appear on display at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, February 8–17. If you are a builder/owner of one of these vehicles and would be interested in having your vehicle featured in the SEMA exhibit, send a photo and information (name, address, phone, e-mail) to Bill Wolf at billw@sema.org, or call 909/396-0289, ext. 177, by December 1.

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Registration for SEMA Spring Expo and SEMA OFFROAD, February 8–9, 2008, in Indianapolis, is in full swing and available for attendees online by visiting www.semaspringexpo.com and www.semaoffroad.com. The spring events deliver the acclaimed SEMA Show experience to the Indianapolis area and surrounding regions. With a special emphasis on trucks and SUVs, exhibitors will display a variety of products and services covering accessories, restyling, wheels and tires, and mobile electronics.

Want to exhibit at the SEMA Spring Expo and SEMA OFFROAD? Get started by clicking here.

Both shows are sponsored by the Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (TORA) and Professional Restylers Organization (PRO). For more information about TORA, click here or e-mail Jim Skelly at jimsk@sema.org. For more information about PRO, click here or e-mail Ellen McKoy at ellenm@sema.org.   

"Don’t be fooled by the camouflage," the spy shooters at Brenda Priddy & Co. tell us. "This Rolls-Royce is actually the new coupe and not the convertible, as BMW’s engineers would like you to believe. Although with the rear-hinged doors and the cabrio's front fascia the coupe mimics the soft top cruiser, the fuel filler in the B-post offers the best proof of the car's solid metal roof. For the new coupe, the emphasis is more on powerful driving rather than cruising the Cote d'Azur. We expect the coupe to be unmasked at the spring Geneva show."

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