One of the biggest recent trends in the automotive industry was prevalent at the 2021 SEMA Show: the rise of custom electric vehicles (EVs). More builders than ever before have embraced going electric to create completely custom vehicles that incorporate electric drivetrains. Never before has the industry seen so many battery packs and motors replacing gas engines in old-school rides, hot rods, slammed trucks, and sports cars.

The automotive specialty-equipment industry reconnected in person after nearly two years apart during the annual SEMA Show, held November 2–5, 2021, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. With more than 100,000 attendees, exhibitors, and media participating, the trade-only event was the largest North American automotive trade show since the pandemic shut everything down in 2020.

Every December, the worldwide racing industry gathers in downtown Indianapolis for the three biggest business days in motorsports at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show. Industry professionals navigate through the halls of the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in search of the hottest racing parts and to learn about the latest technology, trends and services. Attendees also have unprecedented access to manufacturers and their products, unlimited networking opportunities with industry leaders, and numerous conferences and seminars unique to the PRI Trade Show that they can attend. The following are some of the publications that report on the annual event.

Since 2013, the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California, has given association members access to high-tech resources that are typically accessible only to large-scale manufacturers. Scanning services, advanced tools and equipment, and an emissions lab recognized by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are among the resources available to help manufacturers develop parts from start to finish. In order to offer these services to new members and increase collaboration with partners in other parts of the country, SEMA purchased a building near Detroit to build a second SEMA Garage. The SEMA Garage Detroit facility is scheduled to open in early 2022. Below are some of the media outlets keeping track of all the SEMA Garage efforts.

Getting youth involved in the automotive industry is a major strategic focus for SEMA. The association invests in the future of the automotive industry through programs such as the SEMA Scholarship Program, the SEMA High School Build Program, SEMA Young Guns, SEMA Show and PRI Trade Show Student Programs, and the SEMA Young Executives Network (YEN)—all of which help develop the industry’s next generation of leaders and innovators. The following are articles that have been recently written about SEMA’s dedicated efforts to encourage youth to be a part of the aftermarket industry.

Since 1967, manufacturers of automotive aftermarket parts have relied on the SEMA Show to debut their products and conduct business, so after having to spend more than a year mostly separated, the industry is eager to reconnect at the 2021 SEMA Show.

After more than a year of forced restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the automotive aftermarket industry is eager to conduct business in person. The demand to reconnect with colleagues and customers in a trade-show environment was clearly evident when SEMA officially announced the return of the in-person 2021 SEMA Show, scheduled for November 2–5, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. News about the return of the 2021 SEMA Show, along with SEMA’s announced plans for the Convention Center’s newly constructed West Hall, generated plenty of media coverage, as seen from the following publications.

As the only parts on a car that actually touch the road on which it travels, tires are essential components of every vehicle. Manufacturers produce tires that are made of many different compounds and designs to meet market needs, and the importance of the rubber component is evident by the more than $4 billion in sales it generates in the aftermarket industry, per the “2020 SEMA Market Report” (www.sema.org/market-research). Below are some of the publications that have kept track of the new tires that were introduced into the market at recent SEMA events.

Among the councils and professional networks that SEMA members can join (visit www.sema.org/councils-networks) is one that represents women in the automotive aftermarket industry. The SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) is comprised of a dynamic group of professionals whose mission is to provide networking, education and recognition opportunities for professional women in the industry to enhance their careers and positively impact the growth of the entire automotive aftermarket. The following are publications that have documented SBN programs and the successes of some of the network members.

SEMA helps manufacturers in the automotive aftermarket industry promote their products through events such as the SEMA Show and SEMA360 as well as programs such as the New Products Showcase. Among those manufacturers are companies that make mobile electronics, which account for more than $3 billion of sales in the aftermarket industry, per the 2020 “SEMA Market Report” (www.sema.org/market-research). The following are some of the publications that cover the mobile-electronics market segment and report on new products and trends in the industry.