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Elite Member
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Hoodbridge, Virginia
Age: 43
Posts: 5,078
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Elite Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Hoodbridge, Virginia
Age: 43
Posts: 5,078
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Toyota at SEMA, Debut FJ Cruiser, Yaris and new Rav4
http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/funonw...ema/index.html
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Toyota will be unveiling three vehicles this week at an auto industry trade show the public isn't allowed to attend.
But even though it's only open to members of auto-parts-related industries and the media, the Specialty Equipment Market Association's annual Las Vegas trade show has become one of the biggest events on the annual auto show calendar. It's also one of the weirdest.
Toyota will be unveiling a small car called the Yaris and a redesigned version of the Rav4 small SUV. The Yaris will essentially replace the Echo, a car that Toyota stopped selling in the United States after the 2005 model year.
The Rav4 will be larger than the current version.
The company will also be showing the new FJ Cruiser, a rugged retro-styled SUV modeled after the classic Toyota FJ40 off-roader.
The annual SEMA trade show attracts the interest of younger car enthusiasts who are most likely to be interested in the kinds of "aftermarket" items -- designer wheels, performance engine parts, aerodynamic body add-ons and such -- that are a main attraction of the show.
The first SEMA show, in 1967, had 97 exhibitors and 3,000 attendees. Today, aftermarket auto parts retailing is a $26-billion-a-year industry, according to SEMA, and the show attracts about 2,000 exhibitors.
Even though the purpose of the show is for auto-parts makers to connect with the retailers and auto customizing shops that use their products, cars themselves are another big attraction.
Car companies will often give their latest models to customizing shops so that they can create "show-car" versions. There will be at least seven customized versions of the new Ford Fusion mid-sized sedan at the show, for example.
Carmakers want to show that their vehicles make good platforms for customization since that's often something that younger car buyers are looking for.
"The reason Ford Design supports SEMA projects and travels to the show are to identify future design trends and take a look at what SEMA member companies can do to further enhance our products and gain consumer attention," Melvin Betancourt, design manager for Ford Vehicle Personalization, said in a company statement.
Likewise, General Motors will be showing off several different customized Chevrolet HHR wagons and Chevrolet Cobalt cars.
The Honda Civic, for example, owes much of its success to the car's popularity with young buyers who customize the car with aftermarket performance and body parts. Honda will be officially unveiling the redesigned Honda Civic Si, a high-performance version of the Civic, at the show this year.
Car customizing shops and performance shops also create cars independently to tout their capabilities.
Galpin Motors, a California auto dealership that specializes in customization, has created a customized Mazda5 for the show, said Beau Boeckmann, a company vice-president. The Mazda5 is a small van-like wagon with sliding doors and three rows of seats.
"We built a mobile tattoo parlor in ours," he said.
CNN.com and CNN/Money will have coverage from the show starting Tuesday
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