Canadian Premier Dalton McGuinty announced last week—two weeks before a provincial election—that beginning September 30, a new Ontario law will charge those caught driving 50km/h (31 mph) over the speed limit can be treated as a street racer. That means, according to a National Post report, that police can issue roadside seven-day license suspensions and impound vehicles for a week. If convicted, offenders face fines ranging from $2,000–$10,000.

For a second conviction within 10 years of the first, courts could take away a driver's license for up to 10 years, reports the Toronto Star. Currently, if someone drives 50 km/h over the limit they will get a ticket of about $500 and may, if convicted, have their license suspended for up to 30 days. On the second conviction the court can suspend the license for up to a year.

Officials said that on average, there are about 2,500 convictions in Ontario per year for driving 50km/h or more above the speed limit.

If you missed last Thursday's webcast, "Boost Your Company Image, Sales and Profitability With Good Product Data," the audio and PDF presentation is now available for download at www.sema.org/webinar. Navigate to the menu on the right-hand side of the page, scroll down to "Recent Webinars" and click for the download.

The automotive industry is quickly moving into the world of technology and the benefits are rightfully so: increased sales, fewer returns and improved product exposure. Learn how to produce good and complete product data when presenter Scott O'Toole of Motor State Distributing explains the 17 vital pieces of product data that will help increase your bottom line.

Also, remember to mark your calendar for Thursday, September 13, 10 a.m. (PST) for our webinar "Correlating Parts Service to Customer Wants and Needs." Customer care is important to running a profitable business. Develop the winning tactics that transform one-time buyers into repeat customers, and repeat customers into loyal advocates of your business from presenter Gary Naples of Freelance Associates Inc.

What are the most significant parts ever produced by the specialty-equipment industry? That’s what Hot Rod magazine aims to find out, and it’s seeking your voice in the selection. The staff explains:

“We've compiled a list of 30 products that we feel have played significant roles in shaping the specialty-equipment industry. We'd like you, as an industry insider and member of SEMA’s readership, to take a few minutes to vote on the top 10 products that you feel are most worthy of the Hall of Fame.

“You also have the option of writing in your own candidates. In addition to determining the winners, your votes and write-ins this year will be used to compile the lists for future Hall of Fame voting.

“The 2007 Hall of Fame will have 10 charter inductees that will be featured in the December issue of Hot Rod and later announced at the New Products Breakfast during the 2007 SEMA Show. There will also be an historic display alongside the New Products area.

“Thanks for taking part in the inaugural voting for what will become an annual event. To lend your influence to the decisions, please vote by selecting your top 10.”

To vote, visit: www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB226SQY3YN63

Legislation (AB 616) to require annual smog-check inspections for vehicles 15 years old and older has been approved by the California Assembly and the Senate Transportation Committee. The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration on August 20. AB 616 would also require that funds generated through the additional inspection fees be deposited into an account which can be used to scrap older cars.

In 2004, a new California law was enacted to require lifetime testing of all '76-and-newer model-year vehicles. Pre-'76 motor vehicles would remain exempt under AB 616.

For additional information, see www.semasan.com/main/main.aspx?id=62246.

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org. 

The following information is for exhibitors of the 2007 SEMA Show, October 30–November 2, in Las Vegas.

Register for the New Products Showcase
With the 2007 SEMA Show 75 days away, exhibitors are encouraged to register their products for the New Products Showcase online at www.SEMAshow.com/newproducts.

The 2007 SEMA Show draws in thousands of buyers from throughout the world each year that are eager to see the latest that the specialty-equipment industry has to offer. The New Product Showcase at the Show is a centralized location where buyers and media can view the product and learn of its specs and descriptive information. For additional product publicity, every product in the showcase will be photographed and appear in the SEMA News magazine and on the SEMA website: www.SEMAphotos.com.

More information about the New Product Showcase is located under Tab #7 of the 2007 SEMA Show Exhibitor Services Manual.

Submit Feature Vehicle Applications Online
The 2007 SEMA Show is the temporary home for some of the most dynamic and envy-inducing vehicles in the world. To get your feature vehicle registered, use the online application form located at www.SEMAshow.com/featurevehicles. All feature vehicles entered for the Show are photographed and included on www.semaphotos.com.  

More information about the feature vehicle process is located under Tab #12 of the 2007 SEMA Show Exhibitor Services Manual.

Filler for eNews

Filler for eNews

Filler for eNews

Filler for eNews

From the spy shooters at Brenda Priddy & Company:

Mercedes is preparing its SL sports-roadster for the last half decade before its replacement arrives in 2013. While it underwent a minor facelift last year, modifications for this major overhaul seem to be quite radical and will include an all-new front with a new bumper, air intakes, grille and headlights—the latter reminiscent of those on the CLS four-door coupe.

Some speculate that the car, snapped here testing in Stuttgart, would be a test mule for the entirely new successor of today’s SL, but that’s is very unlikely as mules do not normally have thinly disguised tails, as seen on this prototype. They’re usually either heavily disguised—or not at all. Instead, we reckon the taillights and the bumper of this facelifted model will be slightly re-designed as well—and that's the actual the reason for the black tape on the SL’s rear end.

As Mercedes has always kept engines of the SL up-to-date, we do not expect to change much under the hood.

Photo Credit: Brenda Priddy