The Toyota HiLux is among the best-selling vehicles in the world—hitting more than 14 million units sold in 135 countries worldwide since its introduction. The 1-ton, double-cab, 4x4 pickup benefits from a reputation for reliability and sturdiness, and offers performance and appearance customization opportunities for a wide range of specialty-equipment manufacturers.

Announcements from Performance Improvements, The Coker Group, Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA), Prestolite Performance, LKQ Corp., and more.

It’s been a long time coming, but the SEMA Data Cooperative (SDC) beta phase is up and running at full speed, with more than 80 specialty parts companies participating.

Starting life as a concept of the earliest SEMA business technology volunteers, the SDC represents the culmination of more than 10 years of effort and evolution into what is arguably the most complete and advanced product data repository ever to serve our industry. The fully operating beta phase represents a real-life “test drive” of the complete SDC production model, which will seamlessly transfer to the live production system late in 2012.

From Model Ts to musclecars and beyond, the restoration of classic automobiles has been a thriving segment of the automotive specialty-equipment industry for decades. Dozens of new restoration products were introduced to warehouse distributors, jobbers and retailers at the 2011 SEMA Show, and the following pages contain a brief look at all of them, complete with contact information and, where applicable, part numbers.

Jon Wyly was named chief executive officer of the newly formed SEMA Data Cooperative (SDC) in March of 2012. His career in the specialty parts marketplace spans 30 years and has included key roles in sales, marketing, e-commerce, business technology and data management. A lifelong automotive enthusiast, he is well known in the industry, having worked for 25 years at Arrow Speed Warehouse and, more recently, at Keystone Automotive.

Restylers and Dealers Create a One-Stop Shop for Consumers to Purchase Specialty-Equipment Parts and Accessories 

With new-car sales growing and the economy slowly ticking upward, SEMA News checked in with restylers and restyling experts to find out what to expect in that segment for 2012. Our sources reported that both enthusiasts and more general-market consumers are starting to loosen their purse strings and indulge in specialty-equipment parts to go along with the new rides they just bought.

Web marketers looking to get the most from social media can no longer ignore Pinterest (www.pinterest.com). This social network devoted to the posting of photo and image collections has quietly become the number-three social network in the world. Indeed, according to figures released by Experian Hitwise in early April, Pinterest brought in 104 million visits in March, lagging behind only Twitter, which drew 182 million visits, and goliath Facebook, which attracted 7 billion visits.

We’ve all seen them—on the showroom floor, on the retail shelves, at parts counters. Point-of-purchase (POP) and related merchandising displays compete for our attention daily. But do they really work? How are they created? And why should manufacturers consider adding POP/merchandising displays to their marketing mixes?

“They’re the last three feet of closing a sale,” said Jim Redfield, CEO of Griffin Chase Oliver Inc., a specialist in merchandising display production. “That’s the bottom line.”

From modifying a vehicle’s original-equipment appearance with products such as new grilles or complete body kits to buffing oxidized paint on a classic muscle machine, car-care and restyling products can dramatically change a car’s look or add features unavailable from the OEM. Hundreds of items aimed at doing just that were introduced in the New Products Showcase during the 2011 SEMA Show, and we’ve gathered them here to give you a quick look at the innovations and trends that are bringing sparkle to the marketplace.