SEMA News - October 2010

Hottest Vehicles at the Show? How About the Exhibitors’ Choice?!

The SEMA Show is without a doubt one of the strongest indicators of emerging trends in the automotive industry. Each year, SEMA exhibitors must decide which vehicles will be their “canvass” of choice to highlight the innovative and exciting new products they’ve worked so hard to bring to market. Naturally, exhibitors will select the vehicles for their booths that they believe are the hottest and provide the best opportunity to attract buyers and media at the Show. So why not capture that selection—that “vote”—in an all-new SEMA industry award program? The idea makes great sense, and that’s why this year’s SEMA Show will feature a new award centerpiece: the “SEMA Award: Hottest Truck, Hottest Car and Hottest 4x4-SUV.”

How many exhibitors have chosen the Mustang as their canvass? How many chose the Camaro? On Monday night before the Show opening, all the vehicles on display in exhibitors’ booths will be counted, and we will deliver the exhibitors’ choice for each of three classes—truck, car and 4x4-SUV. On the opening Tuesday of the SEMA Show, we will host a prime-time media luncheon and announce the winners in each of the three classes.

To add value to this award, the SEMA staff will announce several weeks before the Show the list of “contenders”—the models that will be in the running to win the SEMA Award for the upcoming Show. How will we determine the contenders? A panel of industry experts will look at several indicators of what SEMA Show exhibitors are eyeing as the trend-leading vehicles this year. Show pre-registrations of feature vehicles will be a strong indicator. Among other indicators, we will also look at participation levels in the prior year’s SEMA vehicle Measuring Sessions, design data downloads from our SEMA Technology Transfer program and magazine covers of industry project vehicles.

Once the contenders are announced, debate and discussion will undoubtedly ensue. But it will be the exhibitors’ ultimate selection—the most prevalent vehicle model in each class on display in exhibitors’ booths at the SEMA Show—that establishes the SEMA Award winners. Is it possible a model could win which was not a contender? It’s possible, but it’s pretty unlikely.  And such an outcome would be a story in itself!

To add value to the new SEMA Award, SEMA staff will gather and have ready, for each of the contenders, a comprehensive list of the new and exciting products our  manufacturers have available for each of these vehicles.

We are very excited to finally have the SEMA Award that brings together the leading vehicle models each year as viewed through the customized, tricked-out and outstanding vision of our SEMA manufacturer exhibitors. What better recognition for the number-one vehicle models in the eyes of SEMA’s exhibiting companies? Look for the SEMA Award unveiling ceremony Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at this year’s  spectacular SEMA Show!  

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO