Four Megatrends Driving Technology and Innovation
SEMA News -- April 2009
BUSINESS
By Steve Campbell
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Illustration By Scott Waraniak |
Driving Green, Connected, Safe and Cool
Officials across the country are constantly working on legislative and regulatory proposals that have a direct impact on our industry and your customers. The SEMA Government Affairs Office advocates in support of pro-industry initiatives, and when needed, opposes unfair or restrictive legislation. Here are just a few of the issues facing each of the market segments within our industry.
Most economists are predicting a longer-than-usual recovery after a very sharp entry into the current recession. In conjunction, the auto industry is predicted to be in for drastic changes, not only in what it will look like and how it does business, but also in the technologies that will emerge in new vehicles. In a recent interview, SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak detailed not only where the automotive world appears to be headed, but what the association is doing to help its members ready themselves for the coming opportunities.
Over the years, quite a bit of attention has been paid to both the compact-performance and urban-lifestyle markets. At their respective roots, each market is very different: Compact performance has involved enthusiasts looking to enhance the performance (hence, the name) of small economy and sports cars and the urban market had a completely opposite makeup of enthusiasts who were more concerned about vehicle appearance, typically involving large sedans and SUVs. Today, these differences still exist in many ways. However, both compact-performance and urban enthusiasts now share enough similarities to bring these segments of consumers closer together.
By Steve Campbell
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Illustration By Scott Waraniak |
Driving Green, Connected, Safe and Cool
In the specialty-equipment industry, certification often represents a laborious but required undertaking for the selling of aftermarket parts. To ease the process for members, SEMA created and recently revised the Black Book—a guide to achieving emissions compliance status with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
By Linda Spencer
Congress Rejects Wasteful Spending Program That Costs American Jobs