Steve Parker Motoring / The Car Nut

SEMA, 2008 - A TIME TO PONDER THE FUTURE OF PERFORMANCE

(Only at SEMA could one see a Bentley-looking Chrysler 300 and with vertical doors, yet; why someone built it, we're not so sure, but it sure got our attention - for better or worse!).

Flush with victory and a good old-fashioned mandate, President-elect Barack Obama, in his first press conference since the election said, "The auto industry is the backbone of American manufacturing and a critical part of our attempt to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I would like to see the Administration do everything they can to accelerate the retooling assistance  that Congress has already enacted."

But many observers think that grave damage has already been done to the Detroit Three, and that the $25 billion in direct government loans already approved and starting to trickle into GM, Ford and Chrysler will be too little, too late.

Several analysts have said that if even one of the Detroit Three files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, when a company dissolves, rather than Chapter 11, which allows a company to stay in business while it reorganizes, more than two million Americans will lose their jobs. (The 2009 Pontiac Solstice Turbo GXP looking better with its hardtop than even Mazda's MX5; but the Mazda's hardtop opens and closes at the touch of a button; below, a T-bucket sponsored by Firestone and the American Trucking Assoication captured many eyeballs at SEMA).

Last week, we spent time at the annual automotive high-performance orgy known as the SEMA Show. Founded in 1963, the Specialty Equipment Market Association is a lobbying group and professional organization made-up of some 7,000 companies worldwide, which manufacture performance and appearance products for a near-$40 billion automotive aftermarket: consumers wanting to personalize their cars and trucks.

Their annual exhibition in Las Vegas draws about 100,000 participants from around the globe, including those from product manufacturers, buyers ranging from teams working for giant chains like Wal-Mart to a single person from a local hot rod shop, members of the enthusiast and general-interest media and the car-makers themselves.

Many of the people and companies we saw at SEMA last week may very well be out of a job or out of business by next year's show. And those on the losing side could range from a closed two-person aluminum wheel repair company run out of a garage to General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

To its credit, SEMA did try to create some excitement for "green" products, services and marketing approaches. One exhibit showcased companies active in the development, deployment and marketing of green technologies, while SEMA tried to prove that being environmentally friendly can also be "cool."

Click below for more on the 2008 SEMA Show, why it was so important as a harbinger of all our automotive futures, and what the "green" quotient was at the show.

SAT RADIO ALMOST A MONOPOLY THANKS TO FCC

(This 2009 Corvette ZR1, in addition to over 600 horsepower, comes pre-wired for XM satellite radio).

Here at SteveParker.com, we get more questions and comments about satellite radio than any other single topic, with most all of them complaints. And the reasons for that are many of the same reasons sat radio has not grown nor prospered as much as many expected since XM started broadcasting (spacecasting?) on September 25, 2001; Sirius went on-the-air (on-the-space?) on July 1, 2002.

But a Federal Communications Commission decision, due any second now, and perhaps already announced in DC, is going to create a monopoly for sat radio in North America.

Now, it's one thing when a government agency deregulates or otherwise loosens restrictions in an industry (say, like in the banking and mortgage businesses, and that worked out great, didn't it?); it's another when that industry is made-up of just two companies.

This "merger" is going to make people even more confused about the sound system in their vehicle; HD Radio is an all-new product which offers some of the same benefits, sound quality wise, as sat radio. In some ways, it might even be superior. (A benefit to consumers is that sat radio receivers, after the XM and Sirius "merger," will be available from any company that wants to build them; HD Radio already welcomes all radio-makers).

The NY Times on Wednesday night (7-23-08) said the Federal Communications Commission was on the verge of approving a merger between XM and Sirius Satellite Radio, a move that would essentially create a North American monopoly in satellite radio.

The combination of Sirius and XM will create one satellite radio company with about 17 million subscribers and programming running the gamut from NASCAR to Indycar, Howard Stern to Oprah Winfrey, Major League Baseball to Martha Stewart.

Among the conditions that both companies had already accepted were planning for à la carte programming  that would give consumers flexibility in which channels they pay for, permission for any electronics company to develop devices that would receive the new, single-company service, a price freeze for three years and several more.

XM beating Sirius as the first spacecaster is something which has worked to that company's great favor. In the car business, perhaps more than any other, being first out of the gate doesn't guarantee success, but it can sure help. From September, 2001, to July, 2002, there was only one satellite radio company you could actually hear and which was getting all the publicity in car magazines and websites, TV and even traditional radio and newspapers ... you name it, if someone was seriously searching for news about sat radio, they eventually found themselves on XM's website for almost 8 months.

Even more important than XM's earlier launch was one of its owners. In 1988, a consortium of eight companies grouped together to buy one of the sat radio licenses, which were going to be made available by the FCC. Hughes electronics, then-owned by General Motors, was one of those eight.

Hughes made the satellites for XM's system, and GM was the first car-maker to announce sat radio would be available across their entire product line. GM bundled their OnStar service with XM, the two systems using the same exterior antennae for both. GM cars and trucks with OnStar are already pre-wired for XM and in most cases, the radio in that car or truck is ready and able to receive XM. All someone has to do is activate the service. Ask someone at the dealership to do that. It's not difficult, but based on my mail, it's a little too tough for a lot of people.

Click below to find out why car dealers are one of sat radio's biggest problems.

CASH REWARD! "CAR NUT" CAMERA GOES MISSING IN SEMA MEDIA ROOM; SONY DSC P-200 7.2megs; NO QUESTIONS ASKED AND CASH REWARD IF RETURNED!

On Thursday of the SEMA Show, we visited the SEMA Media Room at about 4pm. We sat at a table in the Media Room which was to the left of the registration booths (as one faces them) and next to a water bottle stand. About 5-10 minutes after we left the Media Room, we realized we didn't have one of our cameras with us, a Sony DSC P-200 7.2meg cute little digital shooting unit (shown in photos).

Naturally, we headed back to the Media Room quickly, but not terribly worried, because we figured no professional journalist would actually keep a camera which wasn't his or hers, and, also, there was Convention Center security posted at the Media Room area entrance. We returned to find the camera "missing". We asked around and one of the SEMA people at the registration desk told us that someone had been asking about "a lost camera", but she had no other information. THE CAMERA WENT MISSING IN A TIME SPAN OF NO MORE THAN 10 MINUTES from the time we left the Media Room to our return! In my mind, at this point, our camera had been stolen.

The camera is just over two years old, still in near-perfect condition, has been to Japan with us twice and is just a neat little (and dependable) unit which we've enjoyed using. Thankfully, there were no critically-important photos on the Sony Memory Stick in the camera; we had copied all our Tokyo Motor Show photos onto our office computer hard drives before leaving for Las Vegas and SEMA.

We know that many media members visit this site, so if anyone, media or not, has any information whatsoever on this missing/stolen camera which leads to its return to us in good condition, we will pay that person a suitable CASH REWARD ... WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED! Please e-mail us at [email protected] with any info you may have --- It will be greatly appreciated ... And it'll earn you some good karma, too!

DIGITAL MISHAP DELAYS SEMA COVERAGE; SEMA SHOW A "WINNER", SAY PARTICIPANTS; "TREASURE ISLAND" HOTEL A RIP-OFF; MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER TEST VEHICLE A SAVING GRACE

A digital mishap --- Actually, one of our cameras went missing --- Means a slight delay in our SEMA Show coverage. And the camera (a Sony P200 7.2-meg model ...REWARD IF FOUND, NO QUESTIONS ASKED [e-mail us through this site]!) went astray in the SEMA Media Room, no less, supposedly off-limits to the more nefarious elements who might attend the show. So much for honest journalists and/or the security in SEMA's Media Room, where Convention Center security personnel are stationed.

Next, getting there: We were one couple in need of comfort. And from where we live, the time and hassle it takes to fly to Las Vegas just isn't worth it when driving there is only about a four-hour slog (and the I-15 can be a fun road, at the right time of day). The 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander we drove from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas and the SEMA Show came through like a champ. After more than a week in Japan and the TOKYO MOTOR SHOW, including schlepping (look it up), at times, two roller suitcases, each weighing-in at over 75 pounds, through rush hour in the Tokyo subway system (and yes, gray-uniformed and white-gloved train personnel do physically shove people into the cars to allow the doors to close), coming home and getting over jet lag and then needing to get to Las Vegas for SEMA after only a few days of recovery, we were very happy with this all-new Outlander. We'll have a full road test on this sporty little crossover/SUV in short order on this site. But Outlander's new styling, which features a 2 inch improvement in wheelbase (for better handling and a smoother ride) and a 3 inch lengthening in overall length (for more cabin and rear stowage room and an optional third-row seat), a 3 liter V6 "Mivec" engine producing 260 horsepower (replacing the tepid 4-banger in 2003-2006 models which pumped out a measly 160hp) and a six-speed automatic tranny which also allows manual-type shifting all impressed us.

Seeing the new Mitsu Lancer Evolution X at the TOKYO MOTOR SHOW only a few days earlier has us thinking: This might be one car company, which has received only tepid attention in the US, that might be ready for a renaissance of sorts with American buyers at all pricing levels. With a full load of luggage and camera/video equipment and a driver and passenger looking for a comfortable, hassle-free ride, Outlander delivered. I didn't have to use the manual-shift feature at all to climb the brutal Cajon Pass coming or going, and my wife didn't need to use the small pillow which she usually needs in the small of her back in almost every SUV we're in, even the crossovers which generally offer a smoother ride than those still built on truck chassis. Mitsu encourages drivers to make use of the unique All-Wheel Drive system on the new Outlander by leaving it in full-time AWD, and the small dial on the center tunnel which allows switching between front-wheel drive, four-wheel 50/50 lock and full-time AWD is elegant in appearance and ease of use. Complaints? Too much cabin wind noise at freeway speeds and a relatively high lift-over when putting luggage (or anything heavy) into or taking it out off the rear storage area, and a system check and sound system read-out which are almost impossible to read in daylight, at least on non-GPS equipped models like ours. GPS models have large, bright screens which might cure that particular problem. Most impressive, though, is the $27,285 price tag on our fully-turned-out test vehicle, a topline LS AWD model.

The show itself was bigger and, said every single show exhibitor we asked, better than ever business-wise (and we asked every one we talked with, probably more than 50 exhibitors, ranging from giants like Ford Motor Company, displaying everything from single parts to entire vehicles such as complete, turn-key race cars, to the many smaller, even mom-and-pop-sized companies, which specialize in producing or marketing just one or two specific products). While concerns about fuel prices and state and national emissions laws (and those of foreign countries, such as Australia and the entire EU) have SEMA member companies more worried about their future than ever before, the reality belied expected problems at the show concerning sales numbers. Company executives reported to us that the show was "good", "fantastic", and even "wonderfully unexpected" for them. The automotive aftermarket business seems healthier than ever, and if there were any major downturns for any manufacturing and/or marketing companies, we didn't see it or hear about it at this 2007 edition of the SEMA Show.

Our photos and stories this year will include plenty about the products and exhibits from the perennial giants (Toyota was the the featured Original Equipment Manufacturer of the show), and we'll also focus on some of the smaller, single-booth companies, some of which displayed many of the best new products of the show. Any run-of-the-mill million- or even billion-dollar company should be displaying what we call "Oh My Gods!" at the show every year; but developing that kind of product for smaller companies is a tremendous challenge, yet several of them came through with flying colors. You'll be reading about and seeing these products in the days to come on this site.

Keep visiting this site as we update it daily starting Sunday with SEMA news and photos, also the story of how a huge outfit like the one which owns Las Vegas' "Treasure Island" hotel apparently needs to engage in classic "bait and switch" to fill their rooms on a weeknight and how the Las Vegas Hilton came through in a pinch ... and how that hotel's Benihana Restaurant has become a quaint but pleasant anachronism in today's fast-moving world.