DIAMOND BAR, Calif., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ford Motor Company will be
the featured Vehicle Manufacturer of SEMA Show 2003, according to SEMA, the
Specialty Equipment Market Association. The annual show is planned for
Tuesday-Friday, Nov. 4-7, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
"We are delighted that Ford, which has been a strong supporter of SEMA and
the aftermarket industry, has chosen to culminate its yearlong celebration of
a century of automotive leadership at SEMA Show 2003," said SEMA President and
CEO Christopher J. Kersting, C.A.E.
Kersting added that Ford has been a major cornerstone of SEMA's close
relationship with the OEM community. "It was Ford with whom we began our
technology transfer program between the car companies and our manufacturer
members. Ford has been very enthusiastic about participating at our
International Auto Salon, our annual OEM Tech Talks and measuring sessions,
and also very generous in its provision of project vehicles for our SEMA
members to modify, customize, and display at the SEMA shows and other venues.
We're happy that our showcase opportunity will provide global news coverage to
Ford as it concludes its 100th anniversary celebration."
In the past several years, it has become the custom for OEMs to use the
SEMA Show venue to launch new car and truck models and to gain the automotive
industry's reaction to concept vehicles. Kersting anticipates that Ford will
continue to maintain that tradition with its unprecedented presence at this
year's SEMA Show.
"Ford Motor Company is pleased to be the featured marque of the 2003 SEMA
Show," said Jan Valentic, Vice President, Global Marketing, Ford Motor
Company. "As the Vehicle Manufacturer of the Show, we recognize the
importance of our participation during Ford's centennial celebration that
binds our global brand marketing efforts together with the aftermarket. For
us, the SEMA Show is the ultimate expression of human creativity and invention
-- certainly a trait that has been passed down from our founder Henry Ford.
As an international venue, the show enhances Ford's opportunity to showcase
the flexibility of our brands for personalization and accessorization."
In addition to Ford, other OEM exhibitors at SEMA Show 2003 will include
The Chrysler Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi,
Nissan, Panoz, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota. The OEM presence at the SEMA Show
has grown from three manufacturers to the current 13 over the past five years.
SEMA Show 2003 will occupy the Las Vegas Convention Center. Currently,
1,269 companies have contracted for exhibit space totaling a record 824,000
square feet at the show that incorporates the International Tire Expo. The
2003 show will be organized into 12 sections, with the carmakers' exhibits
distributed throughout the 2 million square feet of exhibits and hundreds of
specially constructed project cars and trucks.
SEMA Show 2002 featured more than 1,500 project vehicles, had
approximately 900 entries into its new product competition, and attracted
86,787 AAIW attendees from more than 100 countries. The SEMA Show is held
concurrently with the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX). The two
trade shows comprise the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW), one of
the two largest business gatherings held in Las Vegas.
The annual SEMA Show, open only to the automotive industry, is one of
several shows produced by SEMA for the various markets and market niches its
wide-ranging membership covers. More information about SEMA Show 2003 is
available at http://www.SEMAshow.com .
SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, represents the
$27 billion specialty automotive industry. Founded in 1963, the trade
association has more than 4,500 member companies. It is the authoritative
source of research data, trends and market growth information for automakers
and the specialty auto products industry. The industry provides appearance,
performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger cars,
minivans, trucks, SUVs and recreational vehicles. For more information,
contact SEMA at 1575 S. Valley Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, CA, 91765-3914; call
909/396-0289; or visit http://www.sema.org or http://www.enjoythedrive.com .
SOURCE (SEMA) Specialty Equipment Market Association
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Related links:
http://www.sema.org
CONTACT:
media, Rosemarie Kitchin, ext. 104,
rosemariek@sema.org, or Lisa Guth, ext. 181, lisag@sema.org, both
of SEMA, +1-909-396-0289
NOTE TO EDITORS: Image available at http://www.sema.org/images/31611.jpg
CAPTION: The Ford Motor Company will be the featured Vehicle
Manufacturer of SEMA Show 2003, culminating its yearlong
celebration of a century of automotive leadership.
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