Custom-car builders from all parts of North America entered the 2021 Battle of the Builders competition. Industry veterans competed with newbies looking to make names for themselves. The format remained the same as in previous years, with winners recognized in four different categories: Hot Rod, Truck/Off-Road, Sport Compact and Young Guns (builders under age 27).

SEMA Launch Pad started in 2013 as a partnership between SEMA Education and the Young Executives Network (YEN). The goal was to promote entrepreneurship in the automotive aftermarket by giving innovators and builders under age 40 a chance to showcase their products before a panel of judges at the SEMA Show. For 2021, 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.

Since you can’t come to the show, we’re going to bring the show to you. That was the theme for the inaugural Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Road Tour held October–December 2020 when the organization summoned members of its creative department to travel to 100 race-parts manufacturers across the country and document their stories in the midst of a global pandemic.

Global Tire Expo—Powered by TIA—was created in 1997 as a result of a merger of the International Tire Expo and the SEMA Show. Since then, it has grown into one of the world’s largest tire expositions under the direction of the Tire Industry Association (TIA). At the 2021 SEMA Show, the Expo hosted an annual membership meeting and honors luncheon, a trio of educational workshops, a press conference and a reception to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

In the world of international auto expositions, the L.A. Auto Show was considered for many years as something of a red-headed stepchild—neglected, maligned and often ignored. That was due in part to the Show’s timing. For years, it was held during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, a time of year when many in the automotive industry are on vacation and only two weeks before the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Industry perceptions began to change in 2006, when the Show moved its dates to late November, and again in 2013, when the Show hosted the Connected Car Expo, a special exhibit of the latest advances in alternative propulsion systems and autonomous technology.

Giving back to the community has been one of SEMA’s values since the founding of the association. In 2007, SEMA Cares began providing support to the Austin Hatcher Foundation for pediatric cancer as well as Childhelp, an organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse, and the Victory Junction camp for children with complicated medical conditions and serious illnesses.

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 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.

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.

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: