Technological advancements in restyling and car-care products and accessories enable this sector of the automotive aftermarket to continue to thrive. The launch of new vehicle models and the shift from smaller cars to trucks and SUVs provide additional opportunities for customization. In order to survive in this marketplace, manufacturers must be innovative and keep up with the latest trends and evolving vehicle technology.

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including radar blind-spot detection, backup cameras, driver connectivity and collision and lane-departure avoidance systems, continue to gain momentum in the $1.5 billion mobile-electronics industry. These technologies are not only being offered in new vehicles; aftermarket manufacturers have also adapted products to fit many older vehicles that are already on the road.

The 2018 SEMA Show featured nearly 3,000 new products on display in the New Products Showcase—the No. 1 destination for attending buyers and media. All products entered were eligible for SEMA New Product Awards in 16 different categories, including street-performance, racing, off-roading and mobile-electronics, and each category had one winner and two runners-up. The annual competition recognizes the development of ground-breaking new products introduced to the automotive specialty-equipment market.

Responsible for keeping us connected and safe on the road, mobile electronics new products are leading the charge into the automotive future. The 2016 SEMA Show was well represented with mobile electronics products from across the globe, focusing on driver safety, vehicle information and much more. In total, the category covered nearly 50,000 sq. ft. of exhibitor space, an increase from 2015. The following is a collection of mobile electronics new products from the 2016 SEMA Show.

There’s good news for the truck, SUV and off-roading segments. Current SEMA research shows the aftermarket trend lines for all three categories rising. Certainly the renewed strength of these markets was demonstrated at the recent 2016 SEMA Show, where manufacturers introduced an impressive 567 fresh truck, SUV and off-road parts and accessories into the New Products Showcase.

Each year, the SEMA Show is the gathering place for hundreds of exhibitors in the racing and performance markets. In 2016, Racing & Performance sprawled across more than 270,000 net square feet in the Central Hall, Racing Annex and Performance Pavilion. In addition, exhibitors entered nearly 1,000 racing and performance parts and accessories in the New Products Showcase. We’ve gathered the entries here, along with some comments from a few member-company representatives about where they anticipate future growth. Take a lap through these innovative offerings from some of the industry’s leading manufacturers.

The SEMA Show is home each year to the Global Tire Expo (GTE), put on by the Tire Industry Association. The GTE is a centrally located display of the latest in tire and tire-related products, featured in the South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The other major display of tire new products is the New Products Showcase, located in the convention center’s Skybridge. The following pages contain many of the tire and tire-related products that were displayed at the 2016 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.

New products from specialty-equipment companies.