Tabla de contenidos para September 2024 en SEMA Magazine

With barely more than two months to go before the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, we have good news to report. This year’s premier trade event is set to convene November 5–8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) amid enormous industry support. As of now, it’s on track to top 2,400 exhibitors and 150,000 attendees, with millions of square feet of exhibits, display vehicles, new-product introductions, live-action demos, educational events and more. All in all, the Show is seeing 7% growth, returning it to pre-2019 participation levels. This is reason to celebrate, as it speaks to the strength and resiliency of our industry. And celebrate we will. This year’s Show will introduce a first-ever Tuesday-night industry party titled “Industry Night @SEMA: Featuring the Goo Goo Dolls.” The program…

Jarod DeAnda has been around the block—and then some. His groove in the aftermarket culture was formed in the ’90s when, like many of the era’s teenagers, DeAnda’s life was the essence of suburban street culture, parked somewhere at the intersection of the skateboarding scene and modified cars. He unashamedly confesses to not being fluent with a wrench, but his lifelong passion for the industry and people that drive it has seen him become the voice, and at times even the face, of many of the industry’s most prominent events. From the SEMA Show’s Industry Banquet hall in Las Vegas, to the deserts of off-road racing, to the bellowing smoke show of Formula D, DeAnda puts personality into performance. SEMA Magazine: Jarod, you’ve been around the industry for a long…

In 2017, the RV industry had a high of 500,000 units sold, and the marketplace seemed to be primed for that to continue to an even higher peak the following year. Then COVID-19 hit. Within the span of a couple of months, the momentum ground to a halt as factories closed for a month or two. When the factories reopened, sales took off because an RV offered a family a way to take a vacation while maintaining social distancing. “Overall, the RV industry has been on a growth pattern of more than 40 years,” said RV Industry Association Spokesperson Monika Geraci. “The industry hit a peak in 2018, and 2020 was looking like it was going to be a good year and the pandemic hit.” When the pandemic arrived in…

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The overland industry, especially in North America, saw a decade-plus of consistent, steady growth followed by double-digit growth for four-plus years. Then the pandemic hit, and after a few months of stagnation, the industry saw nearly two years of vertical growth. As the pandemic has subsided and the world has recalibrated to the new normal, we’ve witnessed about two and a half years of declining sales, with more companies, including auto manufacturers, trying hard to attract the overland customer. Through my experience reporting on this industry for more than 13 years and talking to a wide range of industry leaders for this article, the feeling is that we’re a larger industry than we were in 2019, and may soon see a similar steady growth curve to what the industry was…

The newly completed spring “2024 SEMA State of the Industry” report is now available. Released by SEMA Market Research, this latest report is one of a suite of research studies the association conducts over the course of a year, including the mid-year “SEMA Market Report” and the “Future Trends Report,” which is generally released at the beginning of the year. Taken together, the three studies allow industry participants to assess the size and scope of the market, look at trends as they are forming, and benchmark their companies against others in their segment. SEMA business members can download all three reports free as a benefit of membership at sema.org/research. MANUFACTURERS CONTINUED TO SELL THROUGH BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE CHANNELS MOST SELL THROUGH SPECIALTY RETAILERS AS WELL AS DIRECT TO CONSUMER…

STATE UPDATE CALIFORNIA—VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY: California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a SEMA-sponsored bill creating a financial rebate program for converting gas-and diesel-powered vehicles into zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs). California has multiple programs to promote the purchase of new ZEVs, but none assist with converting gas-powered vehicles to ZEVs. If enacted into law, this bill would have leveled the playing field by offering Californians up to $4,000 to convert their gas-or diesel-powered vehicle into a ZEV—allowing the Golden State to support small businesses and maintain its rich car culture while assisting consumers who want to convert their vehicles to cleaner technologies. “SEMA is profoundly disappointed by Governor Newsom’s lack of foresight in vetoing SB 301,” said Mike Spagnola, SEMA’s president and CEO. “This legislation would have advanced environmental sustainability and leveled the playing…

SEMA and PRI members and other advocates for the specialty automotive aftermarket and motorsports parts industry recently converged on Washington, D.C., for the 2024 SEMA and PRI Washington Rally. In all, more than 100 industry leaders, including business owners, executives, SEMA council leaders and the SEMA Board of Directors, met with lawmakers to highlight the importance of Congress passing legislation that helps the industry and protects its future. Rally participants educated lawmakers on how the specialty automotive industry generates a $337 billion annual economic impact for the U.S. economy while employing more than 1.3 million Americans. Advocates also shared economic impact numbers for their home states and congressional districts, creating greater connectivity for lawmakers in the communities they represent. This year’s Rally marked the 17th time that SEMA and PRI…

If you’ve signed onto the 2024 SEMA Show as an exhibitor, you’ve likely heard already: This year’s trade event, slated for November 5–8 in Las Vegas, promises to be among the biggest ever. With industry participation seeing approximately 7% growth over prior years, the attendee numbers are now expected to top 150,000. That creates a lot of opportunity for the Show’s projected 2,400 exhibitors, yourself included. But how will you leverage it and stand out in the crowd? Fortunately, there are steps you can take right now for a successful return on your SEMA Show investment, says Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. “I’d say that the number-one step is to really start thinking through your plan right now, ahead of the Show,” he advises. “A good plan will…

Every small business relies on branding and marketing to succeed and grow. However, many specialty automotive business owners struggle with branding and marketing strategies, leaving them stymied—and unreasonably impatient—when crafting a successful marketing strategy. Small-business expert Barry Moltz recounts the story of a company that he once advised to hire a marketing manager to help them focus their goals and efforts, which had been ill-defined, scattershot and ineffectual. They did so, but let the manager go after a week of seeing no progress. “That is really the problem with a lot of small businesses,” says Moltz. “They don’t have a longterm marketing plan to try to figure out what works and what doesn’t work. They have to be able to test [a plan] so they can duplicate and grow the…

In the mid-’60s, racing driver Parnelli Jones was a force to be reckoned with, whether in Indy cars, midgets, sprint cars or stock cars. His was a name synonymous with speed, so much so that law enforcement officers of the era would greet speeders they pulled over with the line, “Who do you think you are, Parnelli Jones?” When a California Highway Patrol officer asked that very thing of the driver of a Ford Fairlane he stopped on the Long Beach Freeway in 1964, imagine his surprise when the answer was, “As a matter of fact, I am Parnelli Jones.” It almost sounds too good to be true, the stuff of legends made up about legends, but Jones told the story in his 2012 autobiography, which he titled with the…