Trucks, SUVs rule when it comes to customization
One of the nation's top automotive trade shows will be bigger than ever when it opens Tuesday, but not necessarily because of cars.
Rather, the spotlight will be on accessories for pickup trucks and SUVs when the Specialty Equipment Market Association, or SEMA, show takes place in Las Vegas.
"Pickup trucks are back in a big way," says SEMA Vice President Peter MacGillivray, who heads the association's events department. Of the 11 categories of aftermarket automotive products at the show, he says the biggest action is coming in trucks.
Products being promoted will range from camper shells to trailer hitches, and will include fancy tool boxes and storage systems for truck beds as well as custom suspension and lighting.
"Pickups and SUVs are great canvases for personalization," MacGillivray says.
It's easy to understand the focus on accessories for the big haulers. For the first nine months of the year, new-car sales were down 2.1% while total truck sales were up 11.7%, Autodata reports.
And when the October sales tally is released on Tuesday, it's expected to show that pickup and SUV sales are handily beating those of cars. Even better for the auto industry, pickups and SUVs are usually more expensive vehicles that carry higher profit margins, one of the reasons that both General Motors and Ford just reported strong third-quarter profits.
Buyers are spending lavishly on new trucks, and then are spending more money to personalize them.
The average truck buyer spends another $2,000 on accessories, says Michael Albano, a Chevy spokesman. Chevy plans to make a big splash with its truck accessories at the SEMA show, which is expected to have 2,500 exhibitors.
Just as they were a decade ago, before gas prices shot up, trucks are becoming family vehicles again -- and not just the domain of cowboys and contractors who use them for work. The big sales are being fueled by a low gas prices.
Shelby American, a company that hops up cars to give them more performance that wsa founded by the late racing legend Carroll Shelby, is showing a customized truck that it hopes appeals to people who need it both work and play. Shelby will unveil its own version of the new Ford F-150 -- with nearly double the horsepower. The truck's 385-horsepower engine is boosted to 700 horsepower.
The supercharged pickup, priced at $98,995 and available through select Ford dealers, is aimed at well-heeled buyers who want extra oomph out of the truck they may be using in everyday driving.
"You can give it a nice wash job after being out in the desert, take your family out to a nice dinner and it rides really nice," says Gary Patterson, a Shelby vice president of international and strategic sales.
Honda is expected to unveil a concept version of the Honda Ridgeline, its midsize pickup. The production version won't be far behind.
And Line-X, a company that specializes in spray-in coatings to protect truck beds from dings and scratches, has used the truck boom to expand its offerings. It has moved into offering its coatings to entire vehicles for a more rugged look, not just treating the bed. It is also making a push to customize Jeeps, not just pickups.
"We are doing more business than we ever have," says Spike Magnuson, Line-X vice president of strategic initiatives.