Attention SEMA manufacturing members! Get an up-close preview of the new 2008 Ford Focus coupe and sedan at an exclusive members-only July 24 measuring session in Diamond Bar, California. The deadline to register is Friday, July 20. Cameras ARE permitted at the session. This is a California...

Filler for eNews

Volkswagen AG announced Tuesday that sales of its VW brand cars in the U.S. rose 15 percent in June, its best sales month since August 2006. The increase can be attributed to “strong market acceptance of the entry level Rabbit and a 44.9% surge in deliveries of the sporty GTI,” the company said in...

Photos and information courtesy of Brenda Priddy & Co. Although BMW’s 1 Series coupe isn’t expected to arrive on our shores until sometime during the 2008 calendar year, we finally managed to get extremely clear and detailed shots of the area around the c-pillar and the rear quarter window, as well...

SEMA-supported legislation that would, among other things, allow the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to adopt rules exempting new vehicles from the emissions-inspection program was approved by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Janet Napolitano...

With the close of the 2007 legislative session in New York, following is a status update of important legislation:Street Rods/Customs: SEMA-model legislation to create a vehicle titling and registration classification for street rods and custom vehicles was introduced in both the New York Assembly...

SEMA is supporting a bill to exempt vehicles driven less than 5,000 miles in the previous 12 months from emissions inspections. Under the measure, the vehicle must have been owned by one individual for at least one year. For further details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA-opposed legislation that would have repealed the state's 25-year rolling emissions exemption was defeated in conference committee. The defeated Senate amendment would have repealed the exemption and replaced it with a provision requiring all vehicles '80 and newer to be tested for the remainder...

ON THE MOVE: It seems likely that three-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. will move to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series next season. Hornish will not change teams, simply move from Penske Racing’s Indy-car operation to its stock-car team. All Penske Racing teams are housed in the same North...