Although the auto industry is suffering through dark times, there's a faint light glowing in the form of this year's SEMA show. With automakers scaling back at some of the world's largest auto expos, the 2009 aftermarket extravaganza is anticipating one of its highest turnouts in years, from both exhibitors and attendees.

As the featured automaker at SEMA 2009, Ford is leading the charge, and in addition to plenty of bespoke offerings from both the Blue Oval, SEMA organizers are planning to announce "several 'first-ever' programs" in the coming weeks. With all the doom and gloom surround the industry, we're looking forward to a respite later this year, and it looks like the SEMA show, running November 3 through 6, could be it.

Participation at last year's SEMA show was notable for its absences, with the event's organizers struggling at the last minute to fill vacated floor space with companies that would have normally been shunned to the outer regions of the Las Vegas Convention Center. As the economic melt-down continues, last year's trend has extended from parts suppliers and mom-and-pop operations to big-name automakers.

Last year, Nissan formally announced that it would only attend one show per continent during its fiscal year (April 1 through March 31) and since Nissan considers SEMA to be one of the "major" shows in North America, it won't be attending the 2009 aftermarket extravaganza. Nissan's Darryll Harrison told us that the automaker wouldn't be participating in any more U.S. expos this year, and with its fiscal year ending in March of 2010, don't expect Nissan to appear at another event in the States until late 2010 (read: LA Auto Show).

Mazda's participation at SEMA will be significantly reduced this November, with the automaker deciding to forgo formal Mazda or Mazdaspeed stands in favor of releasing a few vehicles to select aftermarket firms to trick-out and display at their own booths. Mazda's Director of Communications, Jeremy Barnes, justifies the scaling back of its trade-show presence by saying, "We have chosen to focus our funds where we can directly access consumers" and SEMA isn't it. Barnes went on to say that the new Mazda3 will be prominently featured at this year's event, with at least two models being built for show duty with the automaker's full cooperation, along with a few yet-to-be-disclosed projects.

General Motors and Ford are expected to attend, although the jury is still out on Chrysler, and Honda is currently evaluating their presence, although it may be reduced compared to previous years. No matter what automakers pull-out of this year's show, expect less products on tables, fewer vendors on the floor and even fewer attendees as the aftermarket continues to struggle to keep its head above water.

Pontiac fans are undoubtedly going to miss the role-out of new concept cars from the not-long-for-this-world GM division. But for a lucky two, that thrill can be experienced every day on their own driveway as two past Pontiac show cars have popped up on eBay Motors for sale.

First up is the Pontiac Vibe GT-R that debuted at the 2002 SEMA show in Las Vegas. Boasting a unique Opera Red Metallic paint job, ram-air induction hood scoop, special body-kit, PIAA driving lights, 19-inch rims, custom suspension, Kenwood hi-fi, a full Momo interior... oh, and a 190hp 1.8-liter DOHC four, the Vibe GT-R was created as a rolling showcase of aftermarket possibilities for the Toyota-based tall hatch -- without focusing on the pesky performance end of things.

Joining the unique Vibe is the Pontiac G6 GXP show car which debuted at the same show two years later. GM's Performance Division built the show car for SEMA to test public reaction for a performance-oriented G6. Reaction was good, and the car went into production, but the show car maintained a more stunning visual appearance. The show-quality orange hue is offset by the dark grey splitter up front and diffuser around back, and the engine and suspension were tweaked to show the Pontiac's performance potential.

With GM forced to sell off its collection of past concept cars and Pontiac going the way of the Oldsmobile, both these low-mileage cars present unique opportunities for enthusiasts and collectors to get their hands on a piece of soon-to-be-history. Follow the links to view the auctions, which both end at 6pm Pacific time on May 3, or click on the thumbnails below to see the images in our high-res mega galleries. Props to Berto for the tip!





[Source: eBay Motors]

Anyone who has ever attended SEMA knows that tuning and scantily clad women go hand-in-hand. The cars + girls formula works very well in the US, but what about Europe? The 2009 Bodensee Tuning World auto show in Germany runs from April 30 through May 3, with over 250 exhibitors spanning 880,000 square feet of exhibit space. The show will have tons of sweet rides – and judging by the show's commercial, it'll have a few beautiful women as well.

After the jump is 57 seconds of demographic-specific advertisement for Bodensee 2009. The commercial features three scantily clad women tuning a car and giving it a very thorough cleaning. If you're wondering if the spot is a bit racy, it took us four passes to realize that the women were working on a Ford Focus. Needless to say, the Bodensee commercial isn't for everyone, and some may be offended by its content (including your coworkers, significant others, small children, and assorted small mammals). For the rest of you, hit the jump to see it for yourself.

Call it the Lamborgawdy LP300ZX. This "tuned" Nissan was spotted at China's version of SEMA, the Beijing Automobile Accessories and Decorations Show. It's from a firm called MPS, which stands for Max Power Sports. Apparently, they bumped the stock 300 hp engine to a more Lambo-esque 500 poinies, so at least the "Power" part seems somewhat credible, but the real draw is that Lamborghini Murcielago body kit. It apparently takes a lot of extra bodywork to create a faux mid-engine look. Note the "Driftmaster" sign in the backround. We doubt this would be fun to run in the D1. We'd stick with the LP670-4 as driven by Sam Hubinette for sideways duty, and have to say we prefer the Tractorri Mustang in the Lamborghini Frankencar category. Check out the gallery below.


[Source: thetycho]

Reiterating their position from last December, SEMA has issued a statement against the ever-more-likely "Cash for Clunkers" proposal. This proposal, which would give Americans a financial incentive to get rid of older vehicles in favor of new models, could grant incentives of $3,000 to $5,000 to scrap vehicles that are at least eight years old and buy a new car that gets at least 27 miles-per-gallon on the highway (24 mpg for trucks). SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, joins the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) in taking their opposition public. Here's their reasoning:

SEMA and the AAIA basically say that there are tremendous downsides to the Obama Administration's plan. SEMA argues that taxpayer dollars would be wasted "on a program that may produce an artificial spike in sales, but does not reduce emissions or increase fuel efficiency." SEMA also warns that the program will be "misused by those who own two or three older cars and seek to take advantage of the taxpayer give-away. Many of these cars aren't frequently driven, if at all, so destroying them will not clean the nation's air or make us less dependent on foreign oil." The AAIA puts the whole thing even more bluntly: Cash for Clunkers "will harm the environment, negatively impact car owners, waste billions of taxpayer dollars and hurt the hundreds of thousands of vehicle service and repair businesses in America."

The AAIA represents 100,000 repair shops, parts stores and distribution outlets while SEMA has 7,358 member companies. Clearly, both of these organizations benefit from having older cars that are no longer covered by warranty on America's roads. SEMA admits as much, saying that the government's proposal will "hurt thousands of independent repair shops, auto restorers, customizers and their customers across the country."

The AAIA recently tried to fight the bill by saying that landfills would be stuffed to the gills with scrapped cars if it becomes law. Of course, 84 percent of cars (by weight) are recycled and 95 percent of vehicles go through the recycling process in the U.S. There are other environmental reasons to oppose the proposal: tremendous amounts of energy and resources are required to build new cars, for example. And, without a requirement of a mpg increase from the scrapped vehicle (not just the stated minimums for the new vehicles), the Cash for Clunkers program won't necessarily have a huge impact on greening the nationwide fleet. But the government is interested in stimulating sales right now, and scrappage programs like have shown that they can work.

[Sources: SEMA; Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association / Photo: dave_7, CC2]

The shell of the Lamborghini Gallardo that was gutted to make the bizarre Ford-Mustang-meets-Lamborghini Tractorri showcar is for sale on eBay.

The orange bull is laid out like Humpty Dumpty for some well-heeled Alice – or Alistair – to put back together again. The only thing is you'll need to find a new engine, driveline, suspension, interior, and electronics among other things, since they were all used for the SEMA car. Or, you could just pick up the innards of a Mustang and make the inverse of the Tractorri -- the Mustardo, perhaps? You can bid at the link, or just have a look at the exploded-parts-diagram gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Jake!




[Sources: eBay; The Mustang News]

While CES is and should be known for its unabashed display of geekery, it has also become a venue to display some top-notch custom automobiles. Take for instance the Ford Flex at Sony's XPlod display. Sony says it wears an "urban-themed custom paint job" on the outside and a long list of the company's XPlod audio products on the inside. The urban decor impressively even extends to the doors' kickplates and interior frames. Now that's attention to detail.

A couple of booths over (which in CES speak means several thousand yards away), Monster skipped the fancy paint and just went for the fancy cars. Their super-blue Bentley GT looked almost stock until closer inspection revealed Monster's logos imprinted on the roof and the Bentley trunk badge replaced with the Monster's corporate red M. Monster's booth was also home to a Lambo Murcielago whose exterior was mercifully left unscathed by such blatant branding.

Other cars of note were Toyota's Ducati Tacoma from SEMA and a really bad-ass, turbocharged, LSX-powered Cadillac wearing some sweet leather seats and a Strut S grille and wheels. Check out the gallery for high-res photos of the second round of the cars of CES. You can also peruse the Round 1 cars by clicking here.


Photos Copyright ©2009 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc.

We're sure that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has nothing but the best intentions with her controversial "Cash for Clunkers" program, which would offer financial rewards to individuals who turn in their older cars to get crushed. It's true that environmental standards get tougher each year, so new cars are vastly more eco-friendly than those sold just a few years ago. Regardless, the backlash from classic car aficionados has already begun, and at least one heavy-hitter is putting its considerable weight behind blocking the legislation. SEMA has called on its members to write or call their Representatives, urging them to vote against the plan, arguing that classics will be destroyed and a ready supply of hard to find parts would be eliminated.

It seems unlikely that anyone who owns a vehicle of any value would hand it over to the government to crush, especially since the program couldn't offer enough cash to purchase a new car outright. So, the question of whether or not to support Pelosi's program may hinge on the future value of cars that are currently considered worthless. In other words, how much is that mint '86 Ford Taurus likely to be worth in 20 years? Perhaps a compromise of some sort can be reached that would seek to save historically significant machines from the great junkyard in the sky. Check out the full releae from SEMA after the break.

[Source SEMA via AutoblogGreen]

Cars-n-Coffee is a weekly gathering of automobilia in Irvine, California at Ford's former Premier Auto Group parking lot. Every Saturday morning from 6AM, Ferraris, Jaguars, Lamborghinis, Porsches, '50s hot rods, Mercedes, Camaros, you name it, rumble their way into the lot. On one recent overcast morning, Autoblog headed down to the dawn soiree, having been offered a drive in the Hurst HEMI Challenger. Although 6AM is closer to our bedtime than it is to reveille, we stayed up and paid a visit to the Challenger, hoping to find out if it had any hope of being a champion. Follow the jump for the story.


Photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.