Fiat 500’s Title as Hottest Sport Compact Tops Headlines

The second annual SEMA Awards were presented at the 2011 SEMA Show, casting a light on the vehicle models that are most accessory friendly and customizable. The prestigious honors were determined by the vehicle models that exhibitors chose to display most often in their booths. The awards were presented in various categories, including car, truck, 4x4-SUV and, for the first time, sport compact. Recognizing the unique ability that Show exhibitors have to determine trends and influence buying behavior, media took notice and reported on the vehicles that the exhibitors selected. Here are some of the articles that appeared about the awards.

Autoblog As Autoblog pointed out, “Rather than name the top tuned cars, the SEMA Awards name the best cars for tuning.” The idea, of course, is that exhibitors select the vehicles that are most accessory friendly and invest in the potential of those vehicles.		Inside Line Like many publications, Inside Line described the Fiat 500’s win as something of a surprise. With myriad noteworthy sport compacts contending for the SEMA Award, many were indeed surprised by the Fiat’s win. In the end, however, the Fiat 500 outnumbered its competitors, earning the title as the Hottest Sport Compact for the year.
The New York Times The New York Times also described the Fiat 500’s win as a surprise. As the article explained, the landscape is changing. Where else but the SEMA Show would you be able to see the newest, hottest trends just as they are beginning?		AutoWeek Julie Alvin noted that Chrysler was the big winner, garnering two SEMA Awards—one for the Hottest Sport Compact with the Fiat 500 and the other for the Hottest 4x4-SUV with the Jeep Wrangler. The two awards demonstrate how the industry varies and that customization is just as possible with iconic vehicles as it is with new models.