SEMA Show 2022: A Car Enthusiast’s Dream

Another SEMA Show has concluded! After seeing the packed event halls at the SEMA Show 2022 event from November 1-4, it’s time to reflect on the products, trends, triumphs, and faces that make it all come together. Although the news leading up to the event focused on the absence of some of the Original Equipment Manufacturers, this trade show is really about the automotive aftermarket.

The SEMA Show is so big it could take weeks, let alone days, to actually see the entire show. There are so many attendees, vendors, builds, and parts on display, that a person could get lost in Central Hall alone. However, with the recent expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center, there are four more giant buildings to put a hurt on your feet. As anyone who has ever been there before will tell you — you better have a good pair of walking shoes! As the industry’s most important event played out, here are some of the highlights from the SEMA Show 2022.

Top Events and Winners

SEMA Show Exhibitor Appreciation & Vehicle Reveal Party

Though the show doesn’t officially start until Tuesday morning, Monday is the end — the end of setting up for the show! Monday evening is a chance for everyone to take a breather after working feverishly setting up their show booths (sometimes for days). This party takes place outside the convention center. As you might expect, it is a relaxed affair where exhibitors and media get to have a couple of refreshments and see the debut of some select vehicle builds as they cross the block before being parked inside. SEMA Show host Kevin Oeste of V8 Speed and Resto Shop in Red Bud, Illinois, always does a fantastic job introducing the vehicles and interviewing the builders.

SEMA Show Kickoff Breakfast

The Kickoff Breakfast on Tuesday morning is the official start of the SEMA Show. This year’s breakfast was hosted by industry personality Jarod DeAndra, the voice of Formula Drift. For the first time, the awards for SEMA Manufacturer of the year and Channel Partner of the year were announced during the breakfast. Also, the New Product Awards winners were announced, including two new categories for Electric Vehicles and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Ken Block and Brian Scotto took the stage to talk about “Electrikhana,” the newest video from the Gymkhana series featuring the new all-electric Audi S1 Hoonitron.  

2022 Award Winners:

SEMA Manufacturer of the Year: Baja Designs Inc.

SEMA Channel Partner of the Year: Turn 14 Distribution

The Best New Product Award winners can be found here.

SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet

The SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet is the annual celebration of the specialty-equipment industry and is highlighted by top-flight entertainment. It also provides the backdrop for the presentation of industry awards that include honoring the SEMA Hall of Fame inductees, SEMA Person of the Year, SEMA Gen-III Innovator of the Year, and Automotive Influencer of the Year.

2022 Award Winners:

2022 SEMA Person of the Year: Josh Poulson, owner of Auto Additions, was recognized as SEMA Person of the Year for his volunteer leadership contributions, philanthropy, and overall influence on the industry.

Gen-III Innovator of the Year: Mike Burns, CEO of ValvoMax, was recognized as Gen-III Innovator of the Year for his outstanding commitment to the industry and a high level of involvement with SEMA committees, task forces, councils, and overall participation.

Automotive Influencer of the Year: Larry Chen, a content creator and world-renowned automotive photographer was named winner of the first annual SEMA Automotive Influencer of the Year award. The award was created to honor a content creator or influencer who has built an engaged audience and used his or her platform to positively impact car enthusiasts of all ages.

Battle of the Builders

SEMA Battle of the Builders recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of SEMA vehicle builders. The competition shines the spotlight on the amazing talents and craftsmanship of the people who keep our passion burning. It allows enthusiasts and fans a chance to learn the stories behind the builds, get to know the builders, and be inspired along the way. It is always a hotly contested competition with many builders waiting to debut their latest creations to wow the SEMA Showgoers. We were happy not to have to judge the group of cars this year. How anyone could pick just one is beyond us. Congratulations to everyone who competed!

2022 Top 4 Battle of the Builders:

Hot Rod/Hot Rod Trucks: Mike Ring – Ringbrothers, 1948 Chevrolet Pickup Loadmaster

Sport Compact, Luxury, and Exotics: TJ Russell, 1991 Porsche 911

4-Wheel Drive & Off-Road: Jim Ring – Ringbrothers, 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer

Young Guns 29 & Under: Josh Michels, 1966 Chevrolet Corvette

Overall Battle of the Builders Winner: Ringbrothers, 1948 Chevrolet Pickup Loadmaster

Trends

Electric Vehicles

With the huge push toward electrification, there was a noticeable electrifying effect this year as more builders brought out EV and hybrid builds than ever before. It is certainly the hottest trend at the moment and in the near future. There were certainly some incredibly out-of-the-box creations in this category giving enthusiasts another option for “motorvation.”

Alternative Fuels

Electricity wasn’t the only alternative means of propulsion, Mike Copeland of Arrington Performance has been doing a lot of work with Hydrogen and has seen some stellar results with his Chevy pickup and new Ford Falcon. The pickup was running in the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. The word is that it did pretty well for an “old truck.”

Trucks

Trucks have been hot for quite some time, and that trend still shows no signs of slowing down. SEMA might very well be the greatest gathering of all thing truck related. Whether, autocrossing, Overlanding, slammed, or jacked sky high, you will see it all at the SEMA Show.

Most of the truck activity is outside in the main concourse, but a whole wing is dedicated to Overlanding. Products included rooftop tents, sunshades, portable kitchen systems, and much more. While popular in remote parts of the world, Overlanding has taken off in the United States. The SEMA Overland Experience featured industry experts identifying key Overlanding opportunities and trends that can add important new profit centers for your business.

Young Blood

Something everyone is happy to see was the infusion of young kids getting involved in the automotive hobby. It is something SEMA and the entire industry have been pushing to get the younger generation involved, and it appears to be paying off. With the Young Guns competition within the Battle of the Builders, to the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow competition, and social media phenoms, we were happy to see some young kids getting involved and learning from their heroes.

Riley’s Rebuilds nearly broke the internet earlier this year when she hit Facebook looking for extra Edelbrock carburetor parts for her business of rebuilding them to pay for her Jeep. Everyone jumped at the opportunity to help this entrepreneurial upstart. She had so much business that she recruited a bunch of her girlfriends to help out. They all get some side money and have become internet sensations.

At the Edelbrock Group Booth

Although it was planned for 2020, Covid pushed the debut of the Edelbrock Group power brands into one booth until 2021. This year saw some expansion of new products and displays for customers to peruse. Some celebrities even stopped by.

“Overall the show was very good, and we are happy with everything,” said Mark Campbell, VP of Sales at the Edelbrock Group. “Booth traffic was great. We had a ton of international customers who stopped by to visit, we haven’t seen them since 2019!”

Many of our partners stopped by, including Pat Musi and Clay Millican. Musi Racing Engines has been a partner of Edelbrock since the early days and hosts the Edelbrock Race Center in its Mooresville, North Carolina shop. The Edelbrock/Musi 555 engine was on display in the booth on a ’32 Ford Chassis built by Heidts. Millican was fresh from an appearance at the NHRA Nevada Nationals. His team wheeled the Edelbrock/COMP Cams dragster into the PRI booth late on Monday evening.

New Product Highlights

The Edelbrock Group brands had many new products on display during the show, and foot traffic was high throughout the week as people clamored to see what R&D has been keeping a secret all year. Below are some of the fresh new products on display during the show.

FAST LSXHR Intake Manifold Intercooler For LS Engines

Features & Benefits:

• Convenient placement minimizes under-hood piping
• Large -16AN water inlet/outlet
• Welded billet construction
• O-ring sealing on both air and water sections
• Necessary hardware included
• Durable black powder-coat finish
• Designed to work with LSXHR 103mm IntakeManifold and most Hi-Ram style intake manifolds

Learn more here.

Edelbrock VRS-4150 Race And Performance Series Carburetor

“Edelbrock’s new VRS-4150 Race & Performance Carburetors are designed with features for easy tuning and a versatility that appeals to both racers and street enthusiasts looking to improve their performance,” said Campbell.

Features & Benefits:

Learn more here.

Edelbrock Twin-Force Turbocharger Kits for Ford 2017-2020 F150 Raptor Trucks

Features & Benefits:

COMP Cams Camshafts for Ford’s 7.3L Godzilla Engine

Features & Benefits:

Learn more here

Edelbrock XTS 102 Intake For Ford 7.3L Godzilla Engines

Features & Benefits: