By SEMA Editors

	George Lathouris was named 2013 SEMA Person of the Year.

SEMA awards nominations are due Friday, July 25, 2014. SEMA members have the opportunity to select nominees for the 2014 SEMA Person of the Year, Rep Agency of the Year and WD of the Year Award. These awards have been established to honor worthy candidates for their outstanding contribution to the industry during the past 12 months corresponding to the SEMA fiscal year, July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.

Take a moment to review the SEMA Awards website and review the criteria and listing of past honorees before providing a brief statement, including comments as to why, based on the award criteria, your choice is deserving of this award. All completed nominations forms are confidential and vital to helping the Task Force make their selections.

By SEMA Editors

	George Lathouris was named 2013 SEMA Person of the Year.

SEMA awards nominations are due Friday, July 25, 2014. SEMA members have the opportunity to select nominees for the 2014 SEMA Person of the Year, Rep Agency of the Year and WD of the Year Award. These awards have been established to honor worthy candidates for their outstanding contribution to the industry during the past 12 months corresponding to the SEMA fiscal year, July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.

Take a moment to review the SEMA Awards website and review the criteria and listing of past honorees before providing a brief statement, including comments as to why, based on the award criteria, your choice is deserving of this award. All completed nominations forms are confidential and vital to helping the Task Force make their selections.

By SEMA Editors

	George Lathouris was named 2013 SEMA Person of the Year.

SEMA awards nominations are due Friday, July 25, 2014. SEMA members have the opportunity to select nominees for the 2014 SEMA Person of the Year, Rep Agency of the Year and WD of the Year Award. These awards have been established to honor worthy candidates for their outstanding contribution to the industry during the past 12 months corresponding to the SEMA fiscal year, July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.

Take a moment to review the SEMA Awards website and review the criteria and listing of past honorees before providing a brief statement, including comments as to why, based on the award criteria, your choice is deserving of this award. All completed nominations forms are confidential and vital to helping the Task Force make their selections.

By SEMA Editors

	George Lathouris was named 2013 SEMA Person of the Year.

SEMA awards nominations are due Friday, July 25, 2014. SEMA members have the opportunity to select nominees for the 2014 SEMA Person of the Year, Rep Agency of the Year and WD of the Year Award. These awards have been established to honor worthy candidates for their outstanding contribution to the industry during the past 12 months corresponding to the SEMA fiscal year, July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.

Take a moment to review the SEMA Awards website and review the criteria and listing of past honorees before providing a brief statement, including comments as to why, based on the award criteria, your choice is deserving of this award. All completed nominations forms are confidential and vital to helping the Task Force make their selections.

By SEMA Editors

	George Lathouris was named 2013 SEMA Person of the Year.

SEMA awards nominations are due Friday, July 25, 2014. SEMA members have the opportunity to select nominees for the 2014 SEMA Person of the Year, Rep Agency of the Year and WD of the Year Award. These awards have been established to honor worthy candidates for their outstanding contribution to the industry during the past 12 months corresponding to the SEMA fiscal year, July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.

Take a moment to review the SEMA Awards website and review the criteria and listing of past honorees before providing a brief statement, including comments as to why, based on the award criteria, your choice is deserving of this award. All completed nominations forms are confidential and vital to helping the Task Force make their selections.

By SEMA Editors

	Todd Petersen of MSD Performance was the 2013 SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award recipient.

SEMA is seeking nominations to identify youthful innovators whose work is substantially changing the way the automotive aftermarket is doing business. These nominations will be used to select the third-annual SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award. SEMA will honor the award winner at the 2014 SEMA Show Banquet, which takes place the evening of Thursday, November 6, 2014.

The winning candidate will be energetic and passionate about the enthusiast marketplace. He or she will have contributed a bright, novel way to fix something broken, build something really new or make something better.

He or she may be the MVP on a team that leads with a game-changing product or service. They may have been the first to act on a new trend, invent an original product people did not yet know they needed, or work independently to devise and implement stellar ideas that better suit the changing marketplace of the new millennium.

Whatever the case, the SEMA Gen-III Innovator will be young—less than 40 years of age as of December 31, 2014. If you know someone who exhibits the same pioneering spirit as the original industry founders, we need your help in identifying that person for the SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award.

Please fill out the 2014 SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award Nomination Form and tell us about the person you think deserves a moment in the spotlight. All nominees will be invited, along with a guest, to attend and participate in the SEMA Banquet. Gen-III Innovator Award nomination forms must be submitted prior to close of business, Friday, July 25, at 5:00 p.m. (PDT).

For more information about that award, please visit www.sema.org/innovator or contact Lindsay Bianco at LindsayB@sema.org or 909-978-6692.

By SEMA Editors

	Todd Petersen of MSD Performance was the 2013 SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award recipient.

SEMA is seeking nominations to identify youthful innovators whose work is substantially changing the way the automotive aftermarket is doing business. These nominations will be used to select the third-annual SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award. SEMA will honor the award winner at the 2014 SEMA Show Banquet, which takes place the evening of Thursday, November 6, 2014.

The winning candidate will be energetic and passionate about the enthusiast marketplace. He or she will have contributed a bright, novel way to fix something broken, build something really new or make something better.

He or she may be the MVP on a team that leads with a game-changing product or service. They may have been the first to act on a new trend, invent an original product people did not yet know they needed, or work independently to devise and implement stellar ideas that better suit the changing marketplace of the new millennium.

Whatever the case, the SEMA Gen-III Innovator will be young—less than 40 years of age as of December 31, 2014. If you know someone who exhibits the same pioneering spirit as the original industry founders, we need your help in identifying that person for the SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award.

Please fill out the 2014 SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award Nomination Form and tell us about the person you think deserves a moment in the spotlight. All nominees will be invited, along with a guest, to attend and participate in the SEMA Banquet. Gen-III Innovator Award nomination forms must be submitted prior to close of business, Friday, July 25, at 5:00 p.m. (PDT).

For more information about that award, please visit www.sema.org/innovator or contact Lindsay Bianco at LindsayB@sema.org or 909-978-6692.

By SEMA Editors

	Todd Petersen of MSD Performance was the 2013 SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award recipient.

SEMA is seeking nominations to identify youthful innovators whose work is substantially changing the way the automotive aftermarket is doing business. These nominations will be used to select the third-annual SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award. SEMA will honor the award winner at the 2014 SEMA Show Banquet, which takes place the evening of Thursday, November 6, 2014.

The winning candidate will be energetic and passionate about the enthusiast marketplace. He or she will have contributed a bright, novel way to fix something broken, build something really new or make something better.

He or she may be the MVP on a team that leads with a game-changing product or service. They may have been the first to act on a new trend, invent an original product people did not yet know they needed, or work independently to devise and implement stellar ideas that better suit the changing marketplace of the new millennium.

Whatever the case, the SEMA Gen-III Innovator will be young—less than 40 years of age as of December 31, 2014. If you know someone who exhibits the same pioneering spirit as the original industry founders, we need your help in identifying that person for the SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award.

Please fill out the 2014 SEMA Gen-III Innovator Award Nomination Form and tell us about the person you think deserves a moment in the spotlight. All nominees will be invited, along with a guest, to attend and participate in the SEMA Banquet. Gen-III Innovator Award nomination forms must be submitted prior to close of business, Friday, July 25, at 5:00 p.m. (PDT).

For more information about that award, please visit www.sema.org/innovator or contact Lindsay Bianco at LindsayB@sema.org or 909-978-6692.

By SEMA Editors

	Mercedes-Benz will select the four most innovative and exciting project vehicles—based on the automaker’s new midsize van concept—to display in its booth at the 2014 SEMA Show. Each of the approved companies will receive a pre-production van and a budget of up to $50,000 to make vehicle modifications based on their design.

Background—Exploring the Potential for a Midsize Van in the U.S. Market

Commercial vans are used mainly by businesses and public services, with a wide array of uses, including package/freight delivery, trade vehicles for carpenters and electricians, mobile repair workshops, emergency services, luxury transportation and even mobile pet grooming. Moreover, they have also captured the imagination of private owners, who use them not only as transportation, but also to realize their passions.

The Sprinter Van revolutionized the large van segment in the United States, bringing the tall, efficient and ergonomic European van to American customers and, incidentally, providing a vehicle template for other manufacturers that are only now bringing in their own European-style vans.

Now, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is exploring the potential of the midsize commercial van segment in the United States. The concept offers up to 194 cu. ft. of cargo space or seating for up to eight passengers in a versatile, compact, efficient vehicle. Many American customers have indicated strong interest in this midsize van concept, according to MBUSA, and the OEM is consequently now evaluating the U.S. market opportunity for the commercial van, targeting mainly small- and midsize businesses that transport cargo and passengers.

A Midsize Van at the SEMA Show

The SEMA Show, with its diverse attendees, provides a natural platform to explore the potential of the midsize van platform. A showcase of diverse van-based designs, developed and executed by tuners and upfitters across the United States, will allow attendees to experience the full scope of the van’s potential and allow them to imagine the different uses for the vehicle. The SEMA Show will also be the first time when this new concept is shown in the United States, presenting a unique opportunity to build awareness for the concept while gathering feedback on unique vehicle variations.

Project Vehicle Proposal

A midsize commercial van can provide the basis for numerous different vehicle concepts and designs that require a larger vehicle and deliver more excitement and utility than is possible in a passenger car. To explore these possibilities, MBUSA will host a tuning and upfitting competition to develop and build the most exciting midsize van concepts. Tuners and upfitters across the United States are invited to propose showcar concepts based on the midsize van. MBUSA will select the four most exciting concepts to be realized. Each vehicle’s creators will receive a pre-production van and a budget of up to $50,000 to make vehicle modifications based on their design. All four vehicles will be displayed in the Mercedes-Benz Vans booth at the 2014 SEMA Show, and they will compete with one another for the most votes by SEMA Show attendees and Internet voters.

Each proposal should focus on one or two of the different uses for which the midsize van would be perfect—and take it to the extreme. Concept ideas include:

• Ultimate Roadtrip Van: The vehicle you’d want to take on the longest, best vacation of your life.
• Perfect Mobile Office: Everything you need to be productive and comfortable on the road in one compact package.
• Definitive Tailgating and Party Van: The van that provides the right setting for a party anytime, anywhere.
• Success on Wheels: The van that lets you grow your business by taking it mobile, taking advantage of the space the midsize cargo van offers.
• Limo on Steroids: The van for group transportation with over-the-top style.

MBUSA is open to considering any concept that takes the van to the next level. Concepts that focus on commercial applications are especially welcome. A total of four concepts will be selected to be built by aftermarket companies and displayed to compete with one another at the SEMA Show. Only one project vehicle per theme will be awarded.

Following the Show, the four aftermarket companies will take possession of the vehicle for the next 12–18 months for the purposes of their approved marketing plan, but MBUSA reserves the right to schedule the vehicles for display with written notice in advance. Vans will ultimately be returned to MBUSA at the conclusion of the promotional period with all modifications intact, which become the property of MBUSA.

Aftermarket companies and upfitters that wish to apply for this opportunity must submit proposals that include the following information:

• Executive Summary – One-pager to focus on the key benefits of the proposal and prior experiences to support this new role.
• Vehicle Description – List of specific modifications and accessories to be added, including a total customer pay price, along with a color rendering.
• Examples of previous project vehicles by the applicant.
• Promotional plan – Detailed marketing/PR plan for the show vehicle over the next 12–18 months.
• Timing – Specific dates, vehicle delivery and project timing and completion date. Vehicles must be completed by October 20, 2014.
• Commitment to feature the vehicle with the Mercedes-Benz logos and nomenclature intact with visible likeness to the production vehicle.
• Feature the van with its original engine, though power-boosting accessories are acceptable.
• Commit to creating weekly progress reports during the vehicle build process, including photos.
• Allow photo/video production by MBUSA during the build process, if requested by MBUSA.
• Booth number for their exhibit space at the 2014 SEMA Show.
• All costs associated with preparing the response to this Request For Proposal shall be borne solely by the aftermarket companies/upfitters.
• Finally, this Request For Proposal does not constitute a binding agreement between the aftermarket companies/upfitters and MBUSA. It should be made clear that a project vehicle will only be awarded upon the execution of an agreement by MBUSA and the aftermarket companies/upfitters, as required by MBUSA.

All proposals must be submitted to MBUSA via email to sema@mbusa.com by July 28, 2014.

Proposal Submission: July 28, 2014
Award Recipient Notification Date: August 4, 2014
Vehicle Delivery: Mid-August

Preliminary Project Van Specifications

Measurements

Length/width/height (in.): 202/76/74
Wheelbase/ground clearance (in.): 126/5.7
Payload/Towing (lbs.): 2,579/5,000
Cargo capacity (cu. ft.): 194
Cargo area length/height (in.): 92/54

Powertrain

Configuration: Rear-wheel drive
Engine: 4-cylinder gasoline, turbocharged, direct injection
Total Displacement: 2.0L
Horsepower: 211 @ 5,000 RPM
Net Torque: 273 lb.-ft.

By SEMA Editors

	Mercedes-Benz will select the four most innovative and exciting project vehicles—based on the automaker’s new midsize van concept—to display in its booth at the 2014 SEMA Show. Each of the approved companies will receive a pre-production van and a budget of up to $50,000 to make vehicle modifications based on their design.

Background—Exploring the Potential for a Midsize Van in the U.S. Market

Commercial vans are used mainly by businesses and public services, with a wide array of uses, including package/freight delivery, trade vehicles for carpenters and electricians, mobile repair workshops, emergency services, luxury transportation and even mobile pet grooming. Moreover, they have also captured the imagination of private owners, who use them not only as transportation, but also to realize their passions.

The Sprinter Van revolutionized the large van segment in the United States, bringing the tall, efficient and ergonomic European van to American customers and, incidentally, providing a vehicle template for other manufacturers that are only now bringing in their own European-style vans.

Now, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is exploring the potential of the midsize commercial van segment in the United States. The concept offers up to 194 cu. ft. of cargo space or seating for up to eight passengers in a versatile, compact, efficient vehicle. Many American customers have indicated strong interest in this midsize van concept, according to MBUSA, and the OEM is consequently now evaluating the U.S. market opportunity for the commercial van, targeting mainly small- and midsize businesses that transport cargo and passengers.

A Midsize Van at the SEMA Show

The SEMA Show, with its diverse attendees, provides a natural platform to explore the potential of the midsize van platform. A showcase of diverse van-based designs, developed and executed by tuners and upfitters across the United States, will allow attendees to experience the full scope of the van’s potential and allow them to imagine the different uses for the vehicle. The SEMA Show will also be the first time when this new concept is shown in the United States, presenting a unique opportunity to build awareness for the concept while gathering feedback on unique vehicle variations.

Project Vehicle Proposal

A midsize commercial van can provide the basis for numerous different vehicle concepts and designs that require a larger vehicle and deliver more excitement and utility than is possible in a passenger car. To explore these possibilities, MBUSA will host a tuning and upfitting competition to develop and build the most exciting midsize van concepts. Tuners and upfitters across the United States are invited to propose showcar concepts based on the midsize van. MBUSA will select the four most exciting concepts to be realized. Each vehicle’s creators will receive a pre-production van and a budget of up to $50,000 to make vehicle modifications based on their design. All four vehicles will be displayed in the Mercedes-Benz Vans booth at the 2014 SEMA Show, and they will compete with one another for the most votes by SEMA Show attendees and Internet voters.

Each proposal should focus on one or two of the different uses for which the midsize van would be perfect—and take it to the extreme. Concept ideas include:

• Ultimate Roadtrip Van: The vehicle you’d want to take on the longest, best vacation of your life.
• Perfect Mobile Office: Everything you need to be productive and comfortable on the road in one compact package.
• Definitive Tailgating and Party Van: The van that provides the right setting for a party anytime, anywhere.
• Success on Wheels: The van that lets you grow your business by taking it mobile, taking advantage of the space the midsize cargo van offers.
• Limo on Steroids: The van for group transportation with over-the-top style.

MBUSA is open to considering any concept that takes the van to the next level. Concepts that focus on commercial applications are especially welcome. A total of four concepts will be selected to be built by aftermarket companies and displayed to compete with one another at the SEMA Show. Only one project vehicle per theme will be awarded.

Following the Show, the four aftermarket companies will take possession of the vehicle for the next 12–18 months for the purposes of their approved marketing plan, but MBUSA reserves the right to schedule the vehicles for display with written notice in advance. Vans will ultimately be returned to MBUSA at the conclusion of the promotional period with all modifications intact, which become the property of MBUSA.

Aftermarket companies and upfitters that wish to apply for this opportunity must submit proposals that include the following information:

• Executive Summary – One-pager to focus on the key benefits of the proposal and prior experiences to support this new role.
• Vehicle Description – List of specific modifications and accessories to be added, including a total customer pay price, along with a color rendering.
• Examples of previous project vehicles by the applicant.
• Promotional plan – Detailed marketing/PR plan for the show vehicle over the next 12–18 months.
• Timing – Specific dates, vehicle delivery and project timing and completion date. Vehicles must be completed by October 20, 2014.
• Commitment to feature the vehicle with the Mercedes-Benz logos and nomenclature intact with visible likeness to the production vehicle.
• Feature the van with its original engine, though power-boosting accessories are acceptable.
• Commit to creating weekly progress reports during the vehicle build process, including photos.
• Allow photo/video production by MBUSA during the build process, if requested by MBUSA.
• Booth number for their exhibit space at the 2014 SEMA Show.
• All costs associated with preparing the response to this Request For Proposal shall be borne solely by the aftermarket companies/upfitters.
• Finally, this Request For Proposal does not constitute a binding agreement between the aftermarket companies/upfitters and MBUSA. It should be made clear that a project vehicle will only be awarded upon the execution of an agreement by MBUSA and the aftermarket companies/upfitters, as required by MBUSA.

All proposals must be submitted to MBUSA via email to sema@mbusa.com by July 28, 2014.

Proposal Submission: July 28, 2014
Award Recipient Notification Date: August 4, 2014
Vehicle Delivery: Mid-August

Preliminary Project Van Specifications

Measurements

Length/width/height (in.): 202/76/74
Wheelbase/ground clearance (in.): 126/5.7
Payload/Towing (lbs.): 2,579/5,000
Cargo capacity (cu. ft.): 194
Cargo area length/height (in.): 92/54

Powertrain

Configuration: Rear-wheel drive
Engine: 4-cylinder gasoline, turbocharged, direct injection
Total Displacement: 2.0L
Horsepower: 211 @ 5,000 RPM
Net Torque: 273 lb.-ft.