The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, the premier annual trade in automotive specialty products, showcased the most popular and flashy cars in the automotive industry. This year’s show began on October 31 and ends on the third day of November at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The SEMA show reflects automakers’ sense of environmental concern, as well as their desire to customize vehicles to make their lineup more appealing to auto enthusiasts. An amazing concept car was the EcoJet, created through the efforts of General Motors in collaboration with Jay Leno. The car is powered by a 650-hp turbine engine that generates 585 pound-feet of torque. It runs on biodiesel, a clean-burning fuel from renewable resources.
“We live in an age where caring and the environment don’t seem to mix, but we wanted to show that not every eco-friendly vehicle has to drive like a Prius,” Leno said during the EcoJet’s SEMA show unveiling.
SEMA also launched a new hybrid category for its vehicle design awards. In the standard prizes the winners were the Ford Shelby GT500, the Toyota Tundra and the Jeep Wrangler. Chevrolet Silverado Classic Hybrid emerged as the winner in the new hybrid category. The muscular vehicle uses powerful Chevrolet Silverado truck parts including the electric motor that helps its 5.3-liter Vortec V8 engine to create amazing performance.
“The Silverado came out of nowhere, as a lot of other hybrids were getting a lot more press. Yet the Silverado has more accessories available than any other vehicle.” So while green is cool, customization is still king at SEMA,” said Peter MacGillivray, vice president of SEMA. However, the Silverado cannot drive on electricity alone unlike the Prius and Civic. Honda Civic Auto Parts and Toyota Prius’s are designed to work well even when only electricity is running.
Consequently, Shelby and Tundra proved their value, while parts for Jeep Wrangler showed their innovative potential.
At the show, a prototype version of the limited-edition Mugen Civic Si sedan was shown. Furthermore, the show will never be complete without revealing automotive surprises, including the most expensive and powerful vehicles. In fact, the show showed a car with a $2 million prize tag. Said car has a set of diamond-encrusted rims.