SEMA show: Take a drive on the wild side

Hot on the heels of the California motor show in Anaheim, California, came the 2004 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas.

GENERAL MOTORS

A RACE-PREPPED Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged, the first showing of the new Pontiac G6 GXP performance concept and the debut of Jay Leno’s latest creation with GM Performance Parts were all out to wow SEMA show-goers.

But the most interesting and relevant of GM’s exhibits was a new, more fuel-efficient version of GM’s small-block V8.

Dubbed LS4, the 5.3-litre engine features Displacement On Demand (the ability to switch between eight and four cylinders) and will debut in the 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP – the first time a V8 will be offered in a front-wheel-drive GM car.

While only approximate performance figures were given, at around 225kW in the Pontiac GP, GM says the new V8 delivers 90 per cent of maximum torque from just 1500rpm and V6-like fuel consumption, thanks to DOD’s 12 per cent better fuel efficiency in light-load conditions.

CHRYSLER

CHRYSLER unveiled six concepts developed by an in-house group of designers, engineers, marketers and product planners called SkunkWerks.

Said to represent testbeds for future vehicle and Mopar Performance parts ideas, the vehicles included:

• qThe Chrysler PT Speedster with Mopar turbo and suspension.
  
  
• The Chrysler Crossfire Drifter with body modifications and a 300kW supercharged version of the SRT6’s 3.2 V6.
  
  
• The Jeep Grand Cherokee Mojave with modified 5.7 Hemi V8 and 22-inch wheels.
  
  
• Decoma International’s modified 300C for the modern business professional who needs a mobile computer and console-mounted cigar humidor.
  
  

FORD

LEFT: Mustang GT Coupe Deluxe NO fewer than 15 modified Mustangs graced the Blue Oval’s stand in Nevada, to cap the model’s 40th birthday celebrations and underline the all-new 2005 model’s go-faster potential.

According to Ford, Mustang fuels an $800 million aftermarket industry, giving it the largest share of the US auto tuning business.

Ford also used SEMA to recognise the top five Mustang specialists: Carroll Shelby, Steve Saleen, Dario Orlando, Jack Roush and Parnelli Jones.

HYUNDAI

THE South Korean auto giant rates SEMA as one of its most important industry events and has launched a number of aftermarket kits there as the marque continues to grow sales and credibility in the US.

This year concepts came from tuners including Axis Sport Tuning, Heavy, K-Daddyz Kustomz, Rick Dore Kustoms, Street Concepts and Troy Lee Designs.

On offer were tweaked Tucsons, Santa Fes and Elantras, plus five Tiburon coupe concepts, including a supercharger for the V6, a convertible and a gull-winged showcar.

HONDA

NOT missing out on the truck action at SEMA was Honda, which showed an updated version of its full-size pick-up concept – and announced it will be named Ridgeline.

Featuring new paint, suspension and wheels/tyres, the four-door, four-wheel drive ute goes on sale in the US next year as a 2006 model, following its Detroit show premiere in January. Offering seating for five and monocoque construction, Ridgeline is powered by a 3.5 V6 with five-speed auto.

MITSUBISHI

RALLIART concepts based on the Galant sedan and Outlander SUV headlined the range at Mitsubishi.

Created at Mitsubishi’s Californian design centre in Cypress, both cars featured the 2005 Magna’s 3.8-litre MIVEC V6, upgraded suspension, brakes, interiors and bodykits.

Ralliart’s Outlander went one better with 20-inch wheels and a Sony Playstation 2 system running on a 30-inch Mitsubishi LCD monitor.

VOLVO

THE Swedish maker took the SEMA opportunity to lower and toughen the XC90 V8 that debuted at Paris in September.

Dubbed the XC90 Power Utility Vehicle, it features a 485kW V8 and was shown alongside the V50 SV concept built by Gothenburg’s special vehicles department and offering 254kW from its 2.5 five-cylinder turbo engine.

Finally, the Evolve-built S40 features a 315kW turbo engine powering all four wheels.

KIA

THE more youthful branch of the Hyundai-Kia partnership, Kia went wild in Las Vegas with six new-generation Spectra specials – each loaded with everything from bodykits to custom suspension, interiors, wheel/tyre packages and audio/video systems. One called Blue Nite even featured a dash-mounted switch for the nitrous oxide system, which is then activated by tooting the horn.