Tabla de contenidos para March 2024 en SEMA Magazine

Despite the economic uncertainty of the last year, 55% of automotive aftermarket manufacturers say they expect growth in 2024, up from only 44% last Fall, according to the new “SEMA State of the Industry Fall 2023 Report,” which is now available for download at sema.org/market-research. The report is the latest study in the “SEMA State of the Industry” biannual series that explores the current state of the automotive specialty-equipment industry, including how businesses are doing, key industry trends and metrics, challenges and opportunities along with an outlook for this year and beyond. “Released just prior to the new year, our ‘SEMA State of the Industry Report’ shows that despite inflation and economic unpredictability, including the United Auto Workers [UAW] strike, aftermarket sales continue to grow,” said SEMA Market Research Director…

FIRST TIME’S A CHARM BUILDER: Jared Hancock, J-Rod and Custom, Black Diamond, WA VEHICLE: ’78 Jeep Cherokee Chief CATEGORY: 4-Wheel Drive/Off-Road While Jared Hancock’s hot-rod shop, J-Rod and Custom, has been in business for some 20 years, he admits that this ’78 Cherokee Chief, a four-year project, represents his shop’s first-ever Jeep build. It’s also the first Jeep to ever finish in the Top 4 at Battle of the Builders, and it wasn’t any easy project to take on. One major challenge facing Hancock’s team going in was the fact that Jeep build tolerances of the ’70s left much to be desired, and many months of bodywork were required to get all the panels properly fitted and aligned. All body lines were painstakingly sharpened and straightened via months of arduous…

It’s no secret that the truck market continues to be a prime mover for the automotive aftermarket. More than half of all vehicles on the road in the United States are either a pickup, an SUV or a crossover CUV, and that market share is increasing each year. According to the most recent issue of “SEMA Future Trends,” the light-truck segment—which includes pickups, vans, SUVs and CUVs—is forecast to account for close to 80% of all new-vehicle sales by 2027, with pickup trucks alone making up nearly 50% of all new vehicles sold. As a rule, healthy truck and SUV sales bode well for the aftermarket. Parts and accessories for pickups alone account for nearly a third of specialty-equipment sales, according to the latest “SEMA Pickup Accessorization Report,” with more…

Spend five minutes with BOOSTane inventor Ian Lehn and it’s safe to say you’ll want to spend the day with him. On paper, he’s an engineer that geeks out on formulas and is constantly tinkering in the lab for the next new product. Yet, face to face, Lehn is a humorous, thrill-seeking, accomplished athlete whose profound passion for the aftermarket industry is perhaps surpassed only by his love for his dog. We recently sat down with the latest recipient of SEMA’s Person of the Year award to talk watermelons and race fuel. SEMA Magazine: So, Ian, you mentioned on the phone that you’re leaving for South Africa in a few days. Is that business or pleasure? IL: Yeah, I am. A small amount of business, mostly there for some rugby…

From December 12-14, it seemed as if one couldn’t walk down any aisle inside the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium without bumping into some type of product designed for the Ford 7.3L V8 known as the Godzilla engine. This was, of course, the annual Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, where the racing industry gathers under one roof in search of new business, networking opportunities and, most of all, new products. Here’s just a small sampling of new parts discovered for the Godzilla powerplant while strolling among the 1,000-plus exhibitors: eight-stack EFI from InnoV8, front cover from Late Model Engines (LME), bellhousing to support Tremec transmission from Lakewood, high-mount front drive system from Holley, bolt kits from ARP, lifters from Isky, Magnum crankshaft from Callies, cam…

During the 2023 SEMA Show, SEMA presented its Stephen B. McDonald Lawmaker of the Year Award to California State Senator Anthony Portantino for his work on SB 301, the Zero-Emission Aftermarket Conversion Project. SB 301 is a groundbreaking bill, which currently awaits a final vote by the Assembly, that would create new opportunities for SEMA members. The bill would provide a more level playing field for the aftermarket by providing a rebate to Californians who convert their gasoline-powered vehicles to zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs). A rebate is currently only available for Californians that purchase new ZEVs. California has multiple programs to promote the purchase of new ZEVs, but none assist with ZEV conversions of gas-powered vehicles. SB 301 would fill this gap, making it more affordable for Californians to convert their…

Custom car builders hailing from all parts of North America entered SEMA’s Battle of the Builders Presented by Mothers Polish competition at the 2023 SEMA Show as seasoned competitors jostled with first-time entrants looking to establish themselves. As was the case in 2022, the event featured judging in four distinct vehicle classes: Hot Rod/Hot Rod Truck; Four-Wheel Drive/Off-Road; Sport Compact/Import Performance/Luxury and Exotic; and Young Guns (age 29 and younger). For 2023, roughly 180 BOTB entries made the trip to Las Vegas for the SEMA Show, where their numbers were subsequently whittled down by a panel of industry experts to a Top 12, three in each category. At that point, the 12 finalists took turns judging each other’s work to determine the winner of each category as well as the…

The recent Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, marked 74 years since Al and Mary Slonaker staged the first National Roadster Show in January 1950. (The “Grand” in the title would come later.) That first show drew 100 cars and more than 27,000 spectators to the Exposition Building in Oakland, California, the show’s home until the mid-’60s when it moved into the brand new Oakland Coliseum. We thought it would be interesting to turn the clock back 60 years and check in on the 16th GNRS and its “magnificent array of rod and custom creations, products of the hot-rod sport acclaimed among the most superb ever assembled for a single showing,” as Dick Wells described them in the May 1964 issue of Hot Rod magazine. One of the hallmarks…