Vehicle reveals are always special events at the SEMA Show, with car covers flying off throughout Show Week. Among the many exciting builds for the 2021 Show was a ’69 Mustang restomod project owned by four-time Grammy award winner and multi-platinum artist Keith Urban, and built by the SEMA Garage. The build was made possible through a partnership with Ford Motor Company, Jay Leno and numerous SEMA-member companies.
The 2021 SEMA Show clearly indicated that a large portion of our industry values an event that provides face-to-face contact, innovative new products, networking, and the opportunity to renew its love affair with the automobile. Congratulations are due all around, and especially to those who worked through obstacles and overcame uncertainties in order to make the 2021 Show their priority.
The return to a live SEMA Show just wouldn’t have been complete without the specialty-equipment industry’s celebrated SEMA Industry Awards Banquet. Traditionally held Thursday night at the Show, the annual gathering honors industry innovators, volunteers and personalities who make significant contributions toward the advancement of the specialty-equipment industry.
Industry news from SEMA-member companies, including Truck Hero, ZF Aftermarket, Pirelli Tire and more.
Since its inception in 2013, SEMA Launch Pad has been the automotive specialty-equipment market’s ultimate competition for entrepreneurs under the age of 40 who are ready to introduce their products to a worldwide audience. However, because SEMA is always looking for ways to improve the event and to broaden its appeal, some changes were made for 2021 to encourage even greater competition: The age limit was removed to make it easier for more participants to qualify, and the amount of cash prizes and other considerations were increased, with more participants than ever featured in SEMA’s publications and social-media channels.
The automotive specialty-equipment industry reconnected in person after nearly two years apart during the annual SEMA Show, held November 2–5, 2021, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. With more than 100,000 attendees, exhibitors, and media participating, the trade-only event was the largest North American automotive trade show since the pandemic shut everything down in 2020.
After the ups and downs of the past two years, it’s reassuring to know that consumer spending in the automotive sector continued at a healthy pace. In fact, the sector remains the single biggest retail segment in the United States, accounting for 20%—more than $1.2 trillion—of retail spending in 2020, according to the latest “2021 Retail Trends Report” from SEMA Market Research.
Steve Matusek, founder of Aeromotive Inc., has been appointed treasurer of the SEMA Board of Directors.
The products featured below are from SEMA Data member companies that have attained Gold- or Platinum-level data, which means that their product data is robust and complete—likely to drive customer purchase decisions. SEMA Data members meeting data scorecard requirements are invited to submit product releases for consideration to enews@semadatacoop.org.
Each year prior to the SEMA Show, exhibitors are polled on the new vehicles that, in their judgment, represent the best opportunities for customization and accessorization via the aftermarket for the coming year. Vehicles are chosen in five distinct classes, and the winners are announced ahead of the start of the Show. This year’s announcement was made on Monday, November 1, before the first day of the 2021 Show. The winners were: