Performance products drive innovation and consumer enthusiasm, guaranteeing the continued health and growth of every business in the distribution chain, from manufacturers to retailers and marketers to media. And because clean-air regulations govern so much of the manufacturing, sale and use of products in this category, SEMA has long emphasized the need for emissions compliance on the part of its member manufacturers while simultaneously striving to protect them from overly burdensome regulation.
In what has become a highly anticipated September tradition, SEMA News is once again pleased to present the annual “35 Under 35” listing of rising industry talent. This marks the fifth anniversary of this special feature, and we think readers will agree that the young trendsetters profiled in the following pages once again prove that the future of the automotive specialty-equipment industry is in extremely capable hands.
There are literally hundreds of car-care products on the market today, each aimed at making cars look good. According to a SEMA market report, the market for wax, cleaning products and other chemicals was worth $1.49 billion in 2015. The majority of the products, roughly 61%, are sold in brick-and-mortar auto-parts chains and retail chains.
Mach 1 Mule
The Mustang 5.0 pictured includes a quad exhaust setup, as seen on the GT350, and with a beefier rear axle.
’17 Silverado 3500 HD
This is the Chevy Silverado HD, featuring the latest Duramax diesel engine, conducting cold-weather testing.
Ram HD Truck
Spotted among various Chrysler prototypes is a heavily modified Ram HD with a cobbled-together front end.
’17 Camaro ZL1
This is the ’17 Chevy Camaro ZL1, caught while track testing in Milford, Michigan.
Cap World is a SEMA-member company specializing in truck caps, truck trailers and other truck accessories—or, as the company’s website proclaims, “everything but the truck.” Alongside a recent 30-year anniversary milestone came recognition from the Light Truck Accessory Alliance (LTAA), as Cap World was named Retailer of the Year for 2015. Each of those accomplishments explains how Cap World has stood out as a retail success story.
In addition to hot products and leading manufacturers, the annual SEMA Show attracts top vehicle builders who debut their one-of-a-kind creations in front of more than 140,000 industry professionals at the world’s premier automotive trade gathering. For many of these builders, the SEMA Battle of the Builders is their chance to prove that they are among the elite. Hundreds enter; only one can win.
SEMA Ignited, conceived as a way for SEMA Show exhibitors to extend their brands to a consumer audience, kicked off Friday night after the weeklong, trade-only SEMA Show ended. The Ignited event, situated just a short walk from the Las Vegas Convention Center, gave thousands of car enthusiasts a magical opportunity to view singular automotive creations on display at the world-famous SEMA Show.
Racing & Performance continues to be the largest section at the SEMA Show, increasing steadily in net square footage from year to year. In 2015, exhibitors also entered nearly 1,000 racing and performance products into the New Products Showcase—growth of more than 25% over 2014. LED lights and EFI solutions were among the most-scanned products that piqued buyer interest. Other standouts included Brembo’s B-M8 monobloc caliper, winner of the Best Engineered New Product award; C&R Performance’s drag race barrel intercooler, winner of the Best Performance-Racing Product award; and aFe Power’s DFS780 series diesel fuel system, winner of the Performance-Street Product award.
Why export? One of the proven methods to increasing the health of your firm is to diversify your customer base, which can improve your bottom line, lead to product-improvement ideas and improve a firm’s ability to ride out future economic downturns. It is also the way to reach the 97% of consumers residing outside the United States and take advantage of global demand for products made in the United States.
It takes dedication, hard work and drive to build and grow an automotive specialty-equipment business. Even more so to grow an entire industry. Yet to help its members succeed and prosper, SEMA relies on individuals from every industry segment to step forward and bring their own vision and initiative. Consequently, it seems only fitting once a year to celebrate an individual whose contributions best embody this SEMA mission. For 2015, that individual is Kathryn Reinhardt of MagnaFlow, who found herself named SEMA Person of the Year at the recent 2015 SEMA Show Industry Banquet in Las Vegas.