New Models Take Center Stage

A host of cars and trucks that could be important to SEMA-member retailers and manufacturers were debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Among those likely to be of interest to enthusiasts and the companies that serve them are the ’14 Corvette, ’14 Lexus IS and ’14 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Also shown was a concept version of what is thought to be Ford’s next F-Series pickup. If there was a single theme to the show, it was about enhancing mileage without sacrificing performance.

Selling to the Young Motorsports Segment

There is little doubt that motorsports has matured as a mainstream sporting genre in the last five decades, helping to grow the performance aftermarket into a stable, nearly $30-billion industry. Of course, the hope is that both motorsports and the industry will also stay forever young amid this maturation, with fresh new faces rejuvenating the racing scene and manufacturers continuing to revitalize their product lines. So which racing segments are “young” today, and how does the industry engage them?

Breaking news from SEMA member companies, including National Business Media, Skyjacker Suspensions, Design Engineering, Holley Performance Products and more.

The Racing & Performance section of the SEMA Show is the largest on the floorplan, completely taking over the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center each year.

In 2012, a total of 507 exhibitors set up booths, entering a vast array of their latest offerings into the Ideas Alive, featuring the New Products Showcase. The following pages represent more than 500 of the new and featured products that exhibitors registered in the Showcase. Along with the products, journalist Steve Campbell interviewed industry executives to get their thoughts about the trends they perceive and some words of advice about what might lie ahead.

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