The restyling market, generally separated into accessories and appearance, performance, and wheel/tire/suspension products, posted retail sales of $4.1 billion in 2006, making it an 11% slice of the specialty-equipment market, according to SEMA research.
The retail sales number represents a 7.3% increase from 2005, and a $1 billion jump from five years prior. Accessories and appearance products claimed the largest share of the market, accounting for 66.4 percent. Wheel/tire/suspension products followed at 18%, then performance products at 15.6 percent.
SEMA research classifies restyling products as all products used to modify the exterior and/or interior of vehicles, covering a wide range of automotive specialty-equipment products, from sunroofs to ground effects and from grille guards to drop-center bumpers.
"Each year we see more new restyling products unveiled by our members at the SEMA Show as a result of growing demand by mainstream consumers to improve the appearance and functionality of their vehicles," says SEMA research analyst Ty Michael. "In fact, the number of restyling products submitted into our New Products showcase grew by nearly 20% last year.
"Consumers that we survey continuously tell us that one of the top three reasons they buy restyling products is to simply make their vehicles different from others on the road."
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