SEMA: Same As It Ever Was?

I had not been to the SEMA Show (Specialty Equipment Market Association Show) since headlines like this rang out: “GM follows Ford and pulls out of 2022 SEMA”.  What shocking news that was. Even with the COVID pandemic, the manufacturers’ abandonment of traditional auto shows, and online new product introductions, it still seemed like a drastic decision and a strike at the heart of SEMA.

I had the opportunity to check out the state of the 2024 SEMA Show, post-manufacturer-pullout, and post-COVID. I wanted to know, how healthy is the SEMA Show today?

A little background. My perspective of the SEMA show spans three decades of participation, including at least 25 tours-of-duty, ‘working the booth’ for one company or another. Most of those were with Chevrolet, and later the corporate General Motors exhibit.

We were in the middle of the big spending years, and there was a lot to pony up for.  We had a large floor space, which had to be filled with booth display materials created specifically for the show, along with between one and two dozen ‘SEMA Concept Cars’.

These came together just in time for shipping, from a number of outside build shops around Detroit, along with engines gussied-up for display, in a fleet of Reliable haulers. The logistics required for having enough folded-cardboard, giveaway boxes for brochure collectors (pre-digital age) on-hand all week must have earned a bonus for someone at FedEx.

Then there were the special keynote breakfasts for hundreds, if not a thousand total media plus anyone else who got up early enough.  Receptions that never ran out of the largest cocktail shrimp available. Executives flying in on company planes, welcomed by carefully curated fruit baskets in their hotel rooms. Those were the days!

In other words, ‘the manufacturers’ Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler and others, spent a lot of money on the SEMA Show. Some more than others, much of it not seen by show attendees, but ultimately benefiting SEMA, the LV Convention Center, and the town.

Not to take anything away from Ford or Mopar’s own spend, but Chevrolet was a big dog at the SEMA Show for years. It had pull. So many concept cars and product reveals. Race car debuts. Race driver appearances. A secret just-for-SEMA-attendees peek at the newest Camaro. Wow!

I remember when Chevrolet agreed to move its location from the stage area in Central Hall, back to the remote South-East corner (where Honda is today), in order to draw traffic thru the show floor (like locating frequently-purchased items such as milk in the back of a grocery store.) It worked out fine. The loyal, Heartbeat of America Chevy fans followed.

But getting back to today, I wanted to see what the impact of the ‘great manufacturer pull-out’ had on the SEMA I had known and loved.

First impression, walking across Paradise Road it looks pretty busy outside in the Silver Lot. Hey, there’s Vaughn Gitten Jr.’s RTR roadshow with Ford Mustangs sliding around, just like in years past. Is Gitten here with Ford, or Shell, or on his own?

And inside, Toyota has taken over the Central Hall ‘stage’ area from Ford, with ten cool concept cars. Who else is still here?  Honda HRC has a fleet of race vehicles on display including an Indycar, their WEC endurance sportscar, Baja race trucks, and Max Verstappen’s F1 Championship-winning Red Bull / Oracle Honda F1 car. Huh, so not all the major manufacturers are gone…

I walk into the Lower South Hall, which is packed with tire companies you never heard of. They look like made-up generic names and logos for the ‘Cars’ movies. Maybe these are more common than I think, but are you sporting Cosmo’s MuchoMacho tires on your car?

I keep rolling far enough into the lower South Hall, all the way to the escalators, and I come upon the traditional Mopar booth space. And boom! Mopar is here, as big as ever, and as busy as ever. It has accessorized Jeeps, Ram Trucks, old and new Dodge muscle cars… including the new electric Charger. And crate motors. And boards full of accessories. And the loyal Mopar fans are going nuts.

This area has been long established as Mopar’s mecca, and it still is! A place for the faithful to finger the hardware, and talk to a real engineer from the factory, not just a rented ‘product ambassador’. This is the same kind of SEMA attendee interaction that GM and Ford are missing out on. Why aren’t they here?

But I speak too soon. On my way out of the show, I walk thru the Las Vegas Convention Center’s newest addition, the oddly shaped West Hall, and discover a two-story Ford Performance Parts & Accessories booth. A surprising location for it, away from the Central Hall’s ‘Performance and Racing’ neighborhood. Perhaps it’s a penalty for the lack of a broader Ford presence at the show, but at least they are here for their faithful. Hooray!

Also orphaned in the West Hall is another manufacturer, Nissan/Infiniti. They have been in this location several years, trying to find their rhythm, but it always looks low traffic to me. Under the theme of Thrill Road, their booth featured five vehicles “for street, sand and off-grid adventures”.

So, what did I conclude about the manufacturer presence at SEMA? There is no mass exodus. That talk is poppycock, a gross exaggeration.  It’s not the same as we have seen across the board in major city auto shows so far. The 2024 LA Auto Show is coming soon; will it be any different this time? Stay tuned, LACar will tell you.

An update on the headline “Ford, Hyundai and GM Are Out at SEMA Show” (Autoweek, May 20, 2022): Ford is still at least half-in, while Hyundai, on a roll with its performance N-Line vehicles is missing an opportunity with enthusiasts, while GM, full of exciting product news, is the biggest no-show. But others are taking up the slack.

What about the rest of the SEMA Show today?  It is still the greatest auto enthusiast event in its category. A tribal gathering for the aftermarket industry. Big names, big introductions. Most of the legacy exhibitors are still there, while many new companies and product categories keep popping up. And the people. Chip Foose was everywhere, signing whatever was placed in front of him. Barry Meguiar always happy to chat. I enjoyed seeing artist Tom Fritz and custom car show pioneer Bob Larivee at the Art Walk hallway. There were rat rods, show cars, and muscle cars from the past, and more than a handful of electric vehicle conversion companies pointing to a future alternative.

There was lots of buzz around the well-organized, FUTURETECH Studio in Central Hall. Kudos to Luis Morales and SEMA Education for pulling together a real potpourri of vehicles and technologies, the most unexpected being a hydrogen-fueled, outboard boat motor. But that wasn’t the only ‘fish out of water’ exhibitor in the show. It was another auto manufacturer I came across, but almost forgot to mention…KIA. Hyundai’s Twin division chose to show an RV version of its modular van concept, in a tranquil setting, surrounded by happy green cacti. A gentle reminder that not all SEMA accessories have to be about raw performance.

The SEMA Show keeps growing and evolving. I don’t know if the shrimp at their receptions are as large, but the manufacturers are still here, with a notable exception or two, playing an important role.

SEMA may be missing General Motors, but it looks like General Motors is the one missing out.

For more information about the Specialty Equipment Market Association, visit their site.