As part of its SEMA Show 2005 preview coverage, SEMA News is preparing an article that will feature some of the project vehicles scheduled to appear in booths at this year's Show. Exhibitors may submit a high-resolution photo or illustration of their booth vehicle(s) along with a list of all modifications that have been performed to stevec@sema.org no later than Tuesday, September 6. Only complete submissions can be considered. Selection of vehicles is at the editor's discretion. See www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=53424 for a submission template.

The next big thing for automotive interiors could be “climatized” seats, according to Andreas Brand, president and CEO of W.E.T. Automotive Systems Ltd. W.E.T. has developed two types of cooling systems to cool down automobile seats, adding to the already strong heated seat market. The heated seat market currently has penetrated about 20 to 25% of the automobile market, which took about 12 years to achieve. Brand believes that cooling seats will obtain the same level of market share in half the time. W.E.T. has two seat cooling systems: ComfortCools and ActiveCool. The ComfortCool system uses a mechanical blower that draws ambient air from the seat, thus removing heat and moisture from the individual. It also works in conjunction with the heating system. The design of the system actually has a minimal impact on the seat design, making it a system that can be added to a seat after its design. The newer ActiveCool system uses two channels, one to blow cool air generated from a small ceramic-based solid-state unit inserted into the seat that works as a heat pump. Both units use what is called a “trim bag,” which is tailored to the design of the seat and fits between the foam and the outer fabric. This design allows for easy installation, which uses a bag, snap ring to attach to the blower, and the control unit, rather than using ducting through the seat and the channels in the foam to circulate the conditioned air. Source: Automotive Design and Production

The Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) has free stickers and public service announcements (PSA) available with a simple message: Take a Kid to a Car Show. The council developed the initiative about five years ago and has been encouraging enthusiasts and members of the trade to share the car show experience with their sons, daughters and grandchildren. Building future enthusiasts and members of the industry could be as simple as creating excitement for the hobby at a young age. Both ARMO and SEMA members are invited and encouraged to use the stickers to support this initiative by placing the stickers on store windows, on the rear windshield or any place that is visible to the public. The PSAs, which are available on CD, can be included in marketing materials, placed on the counter for customers, shared with business partners and more.

As the U.S. population has grown, so has the demand for and popularity of Off- Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation. This was the conclusion of a recent report released by the U.S. Forest Service. The report is in conjunction with the agency’s ongoing review of OHV use on U.S. Forest Service land. The information in the report was collected through 80,000 telephone surveys of individuals 16 years and older between 1999 and 2004. Based on the results of the surveys, estimated OHV ridership has increased from 36 million in 1999-2000 to 51 million users in 2003-2004. According to the latest figures, 23.8 percent of Americans age 16 and older had participated one or more times in OHV recreation in 2004. The survey questions and subsequent report included broad classifications of offhighway vehicles, including: four-wheel drive jeeps, SUVs, motorcycles designed for off-highway use, and ATVs. Recognizing that OHV are frequently used for work related activities, the survey questions focused primarily on recreational use of OHVs. A copy of the report can be downloaded at: http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/OHV_final_report.pdf The report is timely since the Forest Service is in the process of finalizing plans to manage OHV use on Forest Service land. The rule would establish a system of roads, trails and areas designated for OHVs, and prohibit such use outside of the designated system. SEMA has recommended that the Forest Service recognize and designate uninventoried routes or “user-created” trails that came into existence during “open” management of these areas. SEMA noted that these routes serve a legitimate need and do not pose an environmental threat. In some cases, these uninventoried routes may even be more environmentally friendly and provide a better overall access solution than their inventoried counterparts. SEMA also urged strong public involvement and flexible timetables in the process of designating these routes. SEMA has requested similar policies by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management which are also in the process of reviewing their OHV regulations.

OC™ Automotive recently unveiled its AcoustiMax™ substrate, a new light-weight glass-mat composite material for vehicle interiors that provides improved structural and acoustical properties in applications such as headliners, trunk liners, door modules, seat backs and package trays. Highlights of the product's attributes compared to competing materials include: * Up to a 45% improvement in isotropic properties—strength in all directions—which improves overall structural integrity. This is key in reducing waste in the headliner construction and installation process as it often requires good part integrity in all directions as the part is fitted into the vehicle. * Up to a 20% better absorptive sound ability, which improves interior acoustics, an essential consideration in the face of a continuing increase in the use of electronics in cars. * Excellent lofting characteristics, or ability to increase thickness as much as 100% through pre-heating/cold molding process—allowing the material to vary in thickness and still be molded in one process. This attribute is significant in today's marketplace, given that headliners are becoming more and more complex and must be able to hold a variety of audiovisual and other electronic equipment—requiring different thicknesses/strengths throughout a single headliner. AcoustiMax substrate is available in 800 to 1,600 grams per square meter capability, in core sheet thicknesses from 8 to 16 millimeter, and available in various specified widths, and with or without surface film/scrim to match application requirements. "AcoustiMax substrate is the latest example of our commitment to listen to what our customers are asking for, and deliver a product that provides a technologically superior solution to help them advance the products they bring to market," said Gary Nieman, vice president of OC Automotive. "The ability of AcoustiMax to enhance performance and reduce vehicle weight, part numbers and overall system costs, highlights how and why composites are continuing to transform the automotive industry." Source: Owens Corning

Through the years, making a vehicle unique has been dubbed hot rodding, personalizing, customizing and restyling. All of these terms apply; however, which term is used is directly related to the types of vehicles involved. What is known today as the restyling market covers a wide range of automotive specialty equipment. Learn the latest on the restyling market’s numbers and trends by reading “The Restyling Market” in the September issue of SEMA News. Read the article online at www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?ID=53494.

If you think that video games are only for kids, think again. After you read the following article, you might want to start looking for styling cues for your own products in a totally different place. Video games such as Grand Theft Auto draw criticism in some circles for sexual and violent content, but the head of a design school says their overall visual style will influence future vehicle designs. Young car designers are taking cues from outré designers of video games, says College for Creative Studies President Richard Rogers. “The aesthetics of video games will have an impact on car designs,” he says. “We’ll start seeing that five to 10 years from now with edgy and futuristic auto designs.” Among pressures auto stylists face is the need to come up with distinctive designs that can be brought to market quickly in today’s highly competitive auto industry, says Rogers. His Detroit college is one of only a few in the United States that specifically teaches auto design. Aspects of the Grand Theft Auto video game’s design may find their way into future auto styling. “The mantra is to get into the consumers’ minds, and figure out their needs and wants when, perhaps in some cases, they don’t know those needs and wants,” he says. Besides expressing creativity, auto designers must address customer emotions, cultural trends and business strategies. “It is not just about making things look good,” says Rogers. “At its best, it’s about making form and function work together. That is hard to do.” Rogers comments on five automotive design trends that are prevalent today: * Muscular and athletic. Examples: Ford F-150 pickup truck and Cadillac CTS. “They express speed, emotion, brawniness and the movements of an athlete.” * Aggressive and intimidating. Examples: Hummer, Dodge Magnum; even the Audi A6, with its bold front end. “I don’t know to what extreme this will go.” * Blocks. Examples: Honda Element and Scion xB. “They reflect simplicity, functionality and are almost anti-style.” * Nature. Examples: Toyota Prius and Mercedes-Benz CLS. “Swooping curves and concave shapes interplay with each other.” * Cultural. Example: Ford Mustang. “These are vehicles with a sense of place. The Mustang is very American and looks it.” Despite the virtues of artistic freedom, designers sometimes need to restrain their creativity, says Rogers. “It is not just about freedom, but about understanding limits as well.” That is tricky to teach, he says. So is the need to verbally communicate what a particular design is about. “We’re trying to teach our auto design students to verbalize more,” he says. “They are good at designing but not necessarily expressing the ideas behind their designs. “The toughest decision—what design will go to market—is not one designers make. So they need to be able to explain their work to the people who do make those decisions.” Important as it is, auto styling is relatively inexpensive, notes Csaba Csere, mechanical engineer and editor of Car and Driver magazine. “When you think about it, you can stamp one car body just as easily as another,” says Csere. “But boy, is it critical.” Chris Denove, a J.D. Power and Associates partner, agrees. “Styling is the most emotional aspect of a car,” he says. “It is the single-most important physical attribute determining if someone is going to shop that car.” Implications for the Specialty-Equipment Industry - So vehicle designers look at video games for design cues. How does this apply to businesses that sell automotive specialty-equipment products? Automotive video games do, in fact, influence what consumers perceive as cool or appealing as well as influence how they change the performance and appearance of their vehicle. Recent results from SEMA's latest Automotive Lifestyles survey—a survey of about 1,200 automotive enthusiast magazine subscribers of all ages—indicate that about one out of every 10 consumers are influenced by automotive-related video games when making automotive accessory purchases. Consumers will then buy vehicles and trick them out to make them look cool and distinct compared to other vehicles on the road. Source: Ward's Auto

Does severe winter weather keep you trapped indoors? Not anymore. Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) has announced the newest member of the Blizzak family of winter tires, the Bridgestone® Blizzak™ Revo1 with UNI-T® Technology. The Blizzak Revo1 tires are designed for severe ice or snow conditions and allow a solid grip on wet and dry roads. The tire contains Tube Multicell compound, which greatly improves the tire’s ice performance in most slippery conditions. Bite particles embedded in the Tube Multicell compound help grab the ice while the Tube Multicell compound cuts through and disperses the water. A cross-riblet surface provides ice traction for a new tire until the Tube Multicell compound is exposed. igzag sipes contribute to upgraded traction on ice through drainage and edge effect, and 3D sipes improve dry performance while maintaining snow, ice and wet traction. The Blizzak Revo1 is available in 11 Q-speed rated sizes and has a non-directional tread design for the 65-60 series and a directional tread design for the 55-45 series.

A 2006 Honda Civic, which will be modified and featured in AutoWeek, will be offered to SEMA members through the SEMA Silent Auction. The vehicle will be built up by AutoWeek and featured in various issues of the magazine prior to the SEMA Show in November. It will then be included in the SEMA Silent Auction, a regular feature of the SEMA Show that includes dozens of memorabilia and collectibles. Proceeds from the silent auction benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund. To learn more about the Silent Auction, which is administered by the SEMA Young Executives Network (YEN), visit www.sema.org/yen.

If you have a clean-looking sport compact and want to show it off at the SEMA Show, the Sport Compact Council (SCC) is looking for you! There is no charge involved for the lucky winner, but the owner is responsible for getting the vehicle to the Las Vegas Convention Center on set-up day, Monday, October 31, and leaving it there on display for the entire week of the SEMA Show, Tuesday through Friday, November 1-4. The vehicle must be decal free, and SCC will provide signage. E-mail a low-res photo and brief description to scc@sema.org. The deadline is Thursday, September 15. Questions? Contact Diane Collins at dianec@sema.org.