Barry Meguiar’s family has been in the car-care business for 109 years, and he’s personally headed up the company that carries the family name for more than four decades. As the president of Meguiar’s Inc., he’s seen the economic roller coaster trundle up and down many times before, but he’s never seen anything like the past couple of years. Despite the fact that his company not only weathered the storm but actually prospered, posting a double-digit gain in 2009 alone, he said that the recession has battered the car-care industry like none other in his lifetime. [Read more]

Will Ford's new accessories program for the 2011 Fiesta bring a new wave of customizers into the industry?

Hot Rod and Motor Trend publisher to set up VIP section featuring automotive legends and SEMA Hall of Famers at Pasadena car show.

The two TV hosts will join other automotive legends from the SEMA Hall of Fame, along with 150 cars, for the second-annual public event on July 24.

The SEMA Show is the premier destination for buyers in the specialty-equipment industry looking to find new products and services for their customers. In 2009, 25,086 buyers went to Las Vegas specifically to bring the newest restyling and car care offerings from the SEMA Show floor into their own retail shops. Exhibitors in the Restyling & Car Care section registered 105 products in the New Products Showcase, and buyers scanned those entries more than 4,874 times.

2011 Jeep measuring session

One of the most profound effects of the recession was the decline in U.S. vehicle sales, which plummeted from nearly 17 million in 2006 to about 10.6 million in 2009, according to Ward's AutoWorld. And while the downturn hobbled nearly every facet of the automotive aftermarket, some of the greatest damage occurred in the restyling category, whose very existence is predicated on available vehicle inventory. [Read more]