Nichola Beckford/Contributor

The annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, isn’t called the automotive epicentre of car culture for no reason. Each year, thousands of companies bring their products, new and old, to the industry trade show to display in front of the tens of thousands of buyers in attendance over a four-day period. Such is the importance of SEMA that it sets trends for years to come, so here are the three main takeaways from the 2022 show.

3. Cars, cars, cars

Cars still rule, and not the informal generic use of the word. Everything is a car or vehicle. Car in this case relates to anything that’s not a sport utility vehicle or pickup. The traditional car, in all its forms, from family sedan to super car, continues to be the primary emotional focus for individualism. Smaller words, okay. As popular as SUVs continue to be on the sales charts, it’s the car that people are choosing to modify, and that is reflected by the SUVs near invisibility in the SEMA halls. From classic Ford Mustangs to ultra-modern hyper cars from Ferrari, these are what filled the display booths of many companies. This is because the SUV is utilitarian, nothing more, nothing less. A car still represents a sense of freedom and individuality for many owners. Making it unique, with aftermarket products to match that sense of self is still big business.

2. Parts

The aftermarket and automakers have always had an uneasy alliance. That’s why SEMA exists in the first place. It has taken years for the latter to see the benefits of having a vehicle as popular modification base, but motor vehicles are getting harder to modify. The increased level of electronics in a modern car is enough to force the average person to keep it as close to factory specifications as possible. Even basic tasks, such as upgrading the wheels and tyres could turn into a nightmare. For example, many cars now have tyre pressure sensors. Upgrading the rims may require that system to be reset for the new set, and that’s if the sensors are even are able to work with non-factory wheels. Adding a bull bar to a pickup or SUV used to be a no-brainer, now it could render parking sensors inoperative.

In a weird way, technology has driven technology, making it easier than ever to innovate, but harder to implement. The aftermarket has benefited from computer aided design, 3D printing, digital scanning, and smaller more powerful manufacturing equipment, to name a few. Small companies can now see their idea from start to finish with OEM levels of quality in fit and finish. The next step, getting it to integrate with a vehicle’s electronics is still an uphill battle.

For many aftermarket parts manufacturers, the fight continues, the battlefield has just moved to a digital one, and at SEMA it showed they were all still more than willing to maintain the challenge.

1. Trucks rule SEMA

This one should be no surprise, but it is to many SEMA first-time visitors. It’s an American event in America. Statistically, pickup trucks in all their guises outsell every other automotive category by a significant margin in their country. Americans work and play hard. Pickup trucks support this philosophy, whether it’s hauling bags of cement to the work site or hauling the newest side-by-side for a weekend off-roading fling. SEMA reflects this as every inch of the Las Vegas Convention Centre is filled with pickup trucks of all sizes, shapes, brands, and colours, boasting modifications that go from mild to wild. The typical stereotype of the monstrous lifted pickup with dual American flags aggressively waving from its rear, is in full effect at SEMA. See Bro Dozer in the Urban Dictionary. The newest trend for pickups has been refreshingly more tasteful and utilitarian, Overlanding. Credited to the COVID-19 restrictions, many pickup truck owners have been equipping their vehicles with parts that allow them to head off the grid for adventure. The trend is expected to continue in popularity in years to come.