By Juan Torres

Applications for the 2022 SEMA Show are now available at www.semashow.com/buyabooth. The event taking place November 1–4 in Las Vegas is the premier automotive trade event in the world.

Manufacturers of automotive parts and accessories exhibit at the SEMA Show to promote new products, increase brand awareness, generate leads for future orders, build and strengthen relationships through in-person networking, and generate media coverage.  

“Nothing compares to the SEMA Show. There’s a unique energy and mystique about the Show that makes it the ideal place for manufacturers to promote their products and raise brand awareness,” said SEMA Vice President of Events Tom Gattuso. “With buyers and media from all over the world in attendance, exhibitors have unlimited opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations that lead to profitable business partnerships.”

With more than 100,000 professionals in attendance at the 2021 SEMA Show, the event was Las Vegas’ No. 1-attended trade show last year. It also marked the Las Vegas Convention Center’s first full-capacity event since the pandemic. Exhibitors found valuable ROI by participating at the Show, with nearly all participants rating their experience as positive and noting that they plan to return in 2022.

“In-person interactions have greater meaning today than ever before,” said Gattuso. “The ability to communicate face-to-face, witness a live product demonstration, and take a photo with a celebrity is rare. The SEMA Show offers four full days of valuable activity both on and off the Show floor.”

In addition to more than 4.6 million of convention space, the SEMA Show includes interactive experiences, celebrity appearances, unique seminars with dynamic speakers, and unique panel discussions.

Companies may apply for space at the 2022 SEMA Show at www.semashow.com/buyabooth. To be included in the Priority Booth Space Selection Process, applications must be received by Monday, April 4. For more information, visit www.semashow.com.

View the list of participating manufacturers to date.

In partnership with Ford Motor Company, the SEMA Garage will host a Measuring Session for the all-electric ’22 Ford F-150 Lightning. The event will allow SEMA members to have a close-up experience with Ford’s first ever all-electric F-Series truck.

New F-150 Lightning features will include:

• SuperCrew Four-Door Cab
• Four-Wheel Drive
• 5.5-Foot Cargo Bed
• Extended-Range Battery Option
• Standard Ford Co-Pilot360 2.0 Technology (ADAS)

This will be an in-person event at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California. In order to comply with state and local health guidelines, this event will require scheduled appointments. Due to high demand, all appointments will be time limited.

Event Dates: April 11–April 15

Details and registration for the SEMA Garage '22 Ford F-150 Lightning Measuring Session.

By Fredy Ramirez, Jay Carpio and Carr Winn

Nissan Product Planning Manager for Nissan North America Sam Cates provides a behind-the-scenes look at the ’23 Nissan Z, which was the featured vehicle at a recent SEMA Garage Measuring Session.

The seventh-generation Nissan Z is powered by a 3L V6 twin turbo, which is the same powerhouse featured in Infiniti's Q50 and Q60 Red Sport 400 models.

By SEMA Editors

Dates and locations have been scheduled for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows, measuring sessions and activities.

By SEMA Editors

Latest Jobs Added to SEMA Career Center

Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.

Marketing Associate/Technical Writer
FOX Power Vehicle Suspension Group is hiring a product marketing/technical writer with a passion for taking complex subjects and breaking them down into consumer focused, relatable elements to inform and educate end users. This position will be responsible for writing and editing technical information for documents. Candidates should have photographic, illustrative and layout skills to convey complex procedures and concepts.

Sales Manager
AccuTune Off-Road Inc. is hiring a sales manager. The ideal candidate has at least five years’ experience managing an inside sales team or running a store in the automotive industry. Experience managing employees, cultivating a team environment and motivating them to achieve sales and customer service goals is required.

Accounting Manager
Hellwig Products is hiring an accounting manager responsible for the supervision of the day-to-day aspects of Hellwig’s accounting functions, including management of accounts receivable and accounts payable departments and supervision of two accountants. Daily activities include cash reconciliations, accounting process resolutions and supporting daily accounting transactions. Weekly and monthly activities include full charge general ledger accounting/reconciliations, payroll processing, fixed asset ledger accounting, weekly cash-flow projections, tax-compliance reporting and coordination with company’s third-party PR/HR companies. This position will also support the annual budget and special projects as directed by the CEO and consulting CFO. 

By Rachel Tatum

Alex Taylor will join SEMA Young Guns followers for an Instagram “Ask Me Anything,” Tuesday, March 29, from 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (PDT).

Alex (@alextaylorracing), owner of Alex Taylor Racing, is a builder, racer and automotive content creator within the high-performance automotive industry. Taylor has grown up in the automotive world and began racing the car that she and her parents built and at the age of 16. She was the youngest competitor at Hot Rod Drag Week. She devotes as much time to content creation as she does with building and racing, producing and sharing videos of her build updates, installs and racing adventures. Taylor and her dad recently built a new full-tube chassis ’55 Chevy that she will use to take her racing career up a notch—she plans to upgrade her NHRA license later this year.

SEMA continues to actively recruit automotive influencers for the SEMA Social Media Correspondent program. Apply now to be considered.

Nearly 680 applications have been received for the '22-'23 SEMA Scholarship Program. The program issues funds to students and recent graduates who aspire to lead the industry. Volunteers are needed to assist with reviewing applications and selecting winners.

Becoming a SEMA scholarship judge is a fantastic volunteer opportunity to give back to the industry and connect to the next generation of up-and-coming automotive talent. The entire evaluation process is online and easy to use. There is great flexibility and a variety of time commitment options, so volunteers can create a schedule that works best for them.

Judging begins April 4 and continues until May 16. To learn more and apply, visit the SEMA Scholarship Judge Application.  

For general details about the SEMA Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness program, visit www.sema.org/scholarships. 

By Ashley Reyes

Crossover Utility Vehicles (CUVs) are the fastest-selling type of vehicle in the United States, accounting for 45% of passenger vehicles sold in 2021. They are also the most common type of vehicle on the road, accounting for almost one in four vehicles on the road, according to the new “CUV Market Snapshot” from SEMA Market Research.

The report, which helps businesses better understand the CUV market and identify opportunities, provides detailed analysis on the CUV landscape, opportunities for the aftermarket, accesorizer profiles and an outlook for the future.

As vehicle preferences among Americans change, light trucks (pickups, SUVs, CUVs and vans) are becoming a larger share of the overall vehicle population. OEMs are shifting production away from passenger cars to more profitable light-truck platforms, largely driven by CUVs.

Additional key findings from the SEMA report include:

• Consumers spent $7.7 billion on specialty-equipment parts for CUVs in 2020—more than was spent on SUVs.
• Off-roading is an emerging opportunity segment within the CUV market. Thirteen percent of CUVs modified in 2020 were taken off-road, and vehicle manufacturers are introducing new options to their CUV lineups specifically aimed at off-road enthusiasts.
• Electrification is coming to the CUV market. Forty new electric CUV models are slated to be released in the next three years.
• By 2035, 59% of new CUVs sold are expected to be electric, hybrid, plug-in, or fuel cell.
• 47% of CUV accessorizers research parts using social media or online videos.
• There are currently more than 130 CUV models on the road, and more than 170 models projected to be sold from 2022–2028.
• CUV accessorizers can be found in any age group. The diverse spread of makes and models make these vehicles a match for almost anyone.

The complete “CUV Market Snapshot” is available to download for free at www.sema.org/research.

This report is the focus of the upcoming SEMA webinar, “CUV Market Snapshot – Emerging Opportunities,” on March 31.

Register for the Emerging Opportunities webinar.

The following candidates are vying for a seat on the SEMA Board of Directors.

Manufacturer—(3) Open Seats

• Brian Herron, Opus IVS
• John Torvinen, Performance Assembly Solutions
• Kathryn Reinhardt (Incumbent), 4WP Factory/Pro Comp/Rubicon Express/Smittybilt
• Marcus Umlauff, Toyota Motor North America
• Melanie White (Incumbent), Hellwig Products
• Norris Marshall, Marshall Engines/BluePrint Engines

Manufacturers' Rep—(1) Open Seat

• Mark Taylor, KAM Marketing
• Richard Butler, R&R Marketing Consultants

Voting will take place online May 10-19, and is open to current SEMA-member companies. Votes must be cast by each company’s primary contact. Details on the upcoming election will be sent to the member company’s designated primary contact beginning Friday, April 29. Winners will be announced by June 1.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA applauds Kansas lawmakers for passing H.B. 2594, “Exempting certain modifications on antique vehicles from vehicle identification number offense seizures and dispositions,” as a critical step forward in protecting the rights of restorers and owners of classic vehicles in the state.

SEMA-backed Kansas law H.B. 2594 will exempt certain modifications on antique vehicles from VIN offense seizures and dispositions.

The catalyst for the legislation came from an automotive enthusiast in Kansas who purchased his dream car in 2017—a ’59 Corvette convertible—from a dealership across state lines in Indiana. When he tried to register the car back home in Kansas, the Kansas Highway Patrol seized it as “contraband.” According to Kansas state law at the time, the Corvette must be crushed and has been sitting in a Topeka impound lot ever since, while the owner pleads his case in the state court system.

Under the previous Kansas law, police were required to seize and destroy any car on which the vehicle identification number (VIN) “has been destroyed, removed, altered or defaced.” There was no exception for a car lawfully purchased by someone who had no reason to be aware of its VIN issues. In the case of this ’59 Corvette, the dashboard VIN plate had been removed years ago during the car’s restoration and reapplied with new rivets.

Upon learning of the case in late 2021, SEMA worked with Kansas Rep. Leo Delperdang to introduce H.B. 2594 and prevent this from happening again. The new law protects restorers and owners of classic vehicles while not impeding law enforcement from carrying out their duties. It clarifies that a VIN may be removed from an antique vehicle “if the removal and reinstallation are reasonably necessary for repair or restoration unless the person knows or has reason to know that the antique vehicle is stolen.”

The bill cleared both the Kansas House and Senate unanimously and has now been signed into law by Gov. Laura Kelly. It can be viewed in its entirety here.

While an extreme case, the Kansas enthusiast’s experience prompted SEMA to begin evaluating other states’ language to help ensure this severe incident remains an isolated occurrence. The process seeks to add clarification to similar existing laws to protect classic car restorers and owners.

In Arizona, SEMA-supported legislation (H.B. 2480) has been introduced to allow complete restoration of pre-’81 vehicles, including temporary removal of the VIN when necessary. H.B. 2480 changes existing law to allow the removal and reinstallation of a VIN on pre-’81 vehicles if reasonably necessary for repair or restoration. Prior to the new bill, enthusiasts who intentionally removed or altered a VIN, regardless of reason or vehicle model year, were guilty of a felony.

The Arizona bill passed the legislature and awaits approval or veto by Gov. Doug Ducey. The bill can be viewed here.

These bills are just two examples of the work SEMA undertakes every day to protect the automotive hobby and our freedom to pursue them. To learn more about SEMA’s legislative activities, visit www.semasan.com.