• by Karl Greenberg , November 4, 2008

Tuesday was the big day. No, not the Presidential election, but day one of the yearly SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show in Las Vegas. What began as a gathering of muscle cars under a highway overpass in 1963 (think "American Graffiti") has become the premiere automotive specialty products trade event in the world, drawing some 120,000 members of the auto business and media from all corners of the globe to gawk and talk shop.

While the show--which runs through Friday--is not open to the public, it has become a rival of traditional auto shows like those that take place in Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York, as a stage for automakers to introduce "halo" vehicles--cars and trucks that may not represent a brand's highest volume but are emblematic of an automaker's highest aspirations.

General Motors, for example, is unveiling its 2010 Chevrolet Camaro at SEMA versus, say, the Los Angeles auto show, which begins shortly. The Camaro is, in fact, the official vehicle of the 2008 SEMA Show.

Ford Motor will use the show to unveil an SVT (Ford's performance sub-brand) version of the new F-150 pickup called Raptor. The company will build it alongside the traditional F-150 in limited numbers.

Peter MacGillivray, VP/Events and Communications for the Diamond Bar, Calif.-based SEMA, says the global financial crisis, the U.S. election, struggling automakers and the gas crisis notwithstanding, the show is off to a strong start.

"I'm looking at tens of thousands of people from the office I'm in right now," he says. "And this is the second-highest exhibitor count we have ever had, so people who may show up with low expectations are going to be surprised."

MacGillivray says about 20% of SEMA attendance is from outside the U.S. "And that's an important group for us because it broadens our base; when business is down in one market, it's up in another, and the SEMA industry is so broad-based we have really tried to work on emerging markets for members."

He says that this year's roster of 15 automakers as official participants is the highest ever. "I don't think there's been any business that hasn't been challenged by the economy, but because dealers are looking for new revenue streams, there is a growing interest with what's going on [in the SEMA business] from OEMs; a down economy makes you look in other places for revenue." He says the show's first-time, dealer-day program was sold out weeks in advance.

Two luxury automakers, Mercedes and Infiniti, are official exhibitors at the show for the first time this year: Mercedes-Benz will have a booth featuring a modified GLK SUV and a Mercedes; Infiniti will use its first official exhibition to showcase five modified vehicles.

Nissan will show 12 highly modified vehicles, including a Nissan GT-R supercar and a Nissan employee-built '32 Ford Highboy with a Nissan 300ZX engine under the hood.