SEMA show emphasizes muscle cars for 2006; Is this wise?
Three of the American automotive industry's giants will shine at the 2006 SEMA Show, simultaneously celebrating the continuation of their musclecar heritage and the SEMA Show's 40th anniversary. DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors will share the title of Vehicle Manufacturers of the Show.
The three automakers represent not only a storied performance legacy but also the very roots of the specialty-equipment industry. 
This raises the obvious question: With gas quite possibly over $4 per gallon or more by the time of the SEMA confab in Las Vegas, will the average consumer be more interested in saving gas or in creating horsepower? SEMA opens on Halloween, 2006, which might be a poor harbinger for the aftermarket's near-term future. We'd like to see SEMA and their many member companies focusing not only on horsepower, but on FUEL SAVINGS at the same time.
As someone who well-remembers the very first SEMA Shows at the Anaheim Convention Center, when Mickey Thompson, Alex Xydias and Wally Parks teamed-up to create the organization, SEMA has always tried to be and prided itself on being at the forefront of the coming, future marketplace. If the next show focuses only on horsepower, SEMA will draw some terrible publicity from the mainstream media. In those early days, SEMA stood for "Speed Equipment Manufacturer's Association". Today it means "Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association" --- SEMA does not have to go to their roots to remain relevant in the 21st century. In fact, by emphasiziing performance and high mileage and low emissions, SEMA will be just where they need to be in the market.
"The Mustang, Camaro and Challenger helped bring many of our industry's earliest businesses into being," said SEMA President and CEO Christopher J. Kersting. "The current production and concept versions of those fabled cars are now kindling similar passion in a new generation of auto enthusiasts and are once again providing opportunities for our member companies."
Project vehicles celebrating these high-performance street machines are expected to be featured throughout the Show floor in November.
The 2006 show will feature exhibits from the largest contingent of automakers in its history, with 14 OEMs now participating. The SEMA show has also attracted more and more car dealers in the last five years, attesting to their recognition that specialty equipment means additional sales in the showroom. There has been a five-fold increase in dealer attendance since the 2001 Show.
The 2006 SEMA Show takes place Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information, visit www.semashow.com.
SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association founded in 1963, represents the $32 billion specialty automotive industry of 6,466 member-companies. The industry provides appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger and recreational vehicles.
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