Cue Andy Williams, because it’s the most wonderful time of the year—and no, we don’t mean the holiday season.
We’re talking about the annual SEMA Show.
Every year the entire automotive aftermarket industry descends on Las Vegas, Nevada to showcase new products, feature incredible project vehicles, and mingle with racers and automotive celebrities. From Jaguars to Jeeps, off-road or on-track, there’s something for every facet of the gearhead world all under one…err…several roofs at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
And it’s also a bellwether event that showcases the future trends, vehicles, markets, and innovations that’ll guide our gearhead culture in the coming year and beyond. So before we cram onto our flights to Sin City, the OnAllCylinders staff is opining aloud on some questions we hope the 2024 SEMA Show will answer for us.
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5 Burning Questions Ahead of the 2024 SEMA Show
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1. What’s the New Hot Car or Truck on the Block?
It seems like every year there’s always an overwhelmingly popular vehicle that shows up in dozens of booths and displays. In years’ past, it’s been the new Ford Bronco, the mid-engine Corvette, and the next-gen. Toyota Tacoma.
But it’s not always as easy as picking the latest, greatest, most exotic car or truck model that’s just hitting the showrooms. For example, the Ford Maverick sport truck was quite popular with SEMA customizers in 2023, despite being released years prior. Conversely, the new Nissan Z car wasn’t as omnipresent as we figured it’d be either.
In other words, predicting what will be next year’s “hot ride” is anyone’s guess—but the SEMA Show always gives us some really good hints.
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2. What’s the New “In” Customizing or Build Trend?
Is chrome making a comeback? Are rat rods still en vogue? Where does Pro Touring go next? What about #VanLife?
Beyond the popularity of a specific car or truck make/model, the SEMA Show is a great predictor of what vehicle trends will take the gearhead world by storm. And it’ll also reveal how those already established trends have evolved over the last 12 months.
At any given show, we’ve seen halls filled with lifted show trucks followed by donks, restomods, sport compacts, slabs, and beyond. And we can’t wait to see what’s next.
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3. What Happening in the Off-Road Market?
For the past few years, overlanding has been *the* trend in the off-road market. From rooftop tents to pull-out kitchens, it seemed like everyone was taking their rig off the grid for some serious adventures.
But the hardcore wheeling folks were toiling away tirelessly in the periphery too. Upgrades like crate axles and relay switch panels popped up to fill critical needs in the off-road market, and innovations like retractable truck steps showed that an old dog can learn a new trick or two.
More importantly, we got some newcomers to the market like the aforementioned Bronco and Jeep Gladiator truck. Now with a reborn Toyota Land Cruiser and the return of the beloved International Scout, it’s always interesting to see what the off-roaders have up their mud-caked sleeves.
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4. Have Electric Drivetrains Hit Mainstream?
What started decades ago as an occasional vehicular oddity has now grown into an entire section of the SEMA Show. Indeed, from space age battery tech to showcases crammed full of EV-swapped classics, electric vehicles are now a highlight of the SEMA Show for us.
An entire EV conversion industry has sprung up seemingly overnight, and it is getting enriched with support from major OEMs, including Ford’s Eluminator and GM’s eCrate systems. Heck, last year we saw a converted E-Type Jag that maintained its manual transmission and didn’t have a single exterior modification that would hint at the electric drivetrain underneath.
All told, we try to stop into at least one EV tech seminar during the show just to get a glimpse of what the future holds for electric vehicles.
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5. What’s Going to Steal the Show?
From all sorts of hi-tech innovations to vintage race car restorations, there are always plenty of standouts during each SEMA Show. Sometimes it’s a fancy new product, other times it’s a jaw-dropping barn find—better still, it’s not uncommon for a major automaker to do a surprise reveal or a vendor to hold an outdoor stunt showcase in the parking lot.
To put it another way: We’d never seen a Nissan Pao in person before…or a Flachbau Porsche…or the Hoonicorn…until we started attending the SEMA Show.
In short, there are about 100 different things we’re anxious to see at the 2024 event—but what’s more exciting for us is the stuff we’re not expecting. Fingers crossed.
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Is there anything you’re looking forward to during the 2024 SEMA Show? Anything you’d like us to track down at the event? Let us hear about it in the comments section below.
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