More than 100,000 auto industry leaders were in Las Vegas this week for the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) tradeshow—it’s THE show for new automotive parts, components, tools, and accessories. One of those at this not-open-to-the-public show: our licensing guru Evelyn Salguero, who went to find, and show, inventive items. Here’s her dispatch direct from SEMA:
SEMA makes other tradeshows look like yard sales—whereas many tradeshows are made up of one small booth after another displaying small items on tabletops and shelves, SEMA’s the place to appreciate products put to use in and/or on classic cars (from hot rods to low riders to vintage Ferraris) and the latest rides (like trucks decked out with large flat screens and the sweetest chrome-coated cargo holds). Like you’d expect in Las Vegas, everything’s big, bold and bodacious.
Attendance this year was down compared to last year—some said it was off by as much as 30%—but it was also larger than had been expected. No matter what, I saw a wide array of buyers, manufacturers, shop owners, and others.
For aftermarket products, it looked like the crowds were most interested in three product categories: paint protection, GPS systems and alarm systems. Among them all, I was most impressed by:
- Gold Touch Inc.’s Cosmichrome® paint—it combines quality top coat and base coat in one so there’s no need to apply an expensive, additional top coat. This stuff makes any driver look like a plaaay-yah.
- Elite Auto Tune is a leading U.S. distributor of products for exotic and luxury cars. And they didn’t disappoint at SEMA—in fact, they came to town with some of the most innovative auto accessories of all. The Vario Plus Polar and Vario Plus Sky automotive “smart glass” offer privacy and security by fogging the glass with a touch of a remote control button. The demonstrator told me, ”You can change for the clubs with no one lookin’ in.” And when in Vegas….
- Someone’s got to be practical in Vegas, and the people from LLumar were leading the charge. The company's booth had people crowding around to check out its paint protecting film—film that essentially creates an invisible shield to protect against abrasions, nicks, scratches from insects, small road debris, and winter sand and salt.
Eco-friendly products are also still on the rise. It was cool to see Ford combine green with its muscle car past in showing off a beautiful 1934 Hot Rod with first rear-wheel-drive 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6. You can click here to check it out. It's also pictured with this post.
Overall a great show. The only negative was me losing at the black jack table… but there’s always next year!
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