Ten years ago only three automakers attended the show; this year over a dozen took part—the latest evidence that the business of customizing cars has finally gone mainstream.
It's been a long time coming. Gone are the days when "aftermarket" conjured images of delinquent teens tooling around in '50s-era jalopies fitted with double-barrel carbs and smoke-belching twin exhausts. Today, aftermarket adherents are as likely to include an honor roll high school kid as a middle-aged suburban guy. Gone, too, is the time when a customized part meant merely a spoiler or a chromed hood-scoop. Some 1,400 new products debuted at SEMA this year, which ran from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, and they've morphed in sophistication to include things like light-as-air suspension systems and calfskin seats.
Not every driver can afford a new sedan to trick out, however, which is why automakers have realized that aftermarket is an effective way to reach the pre-owned marketplace, too. For obvious economic reasons, the youth demographic is heavily represented in used-car owners. For these kids, deprived of the perks of a new set of wheels, the need to customize and individualize becomes incredibly strong.
Full 2006 SEMA Auto Show Gallery link
2006 SEMA Auto Show Photo Gallery
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