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Custom Trucks Headline SEMA 2022 in Vegas
The custom vehicles always vie with the city for flashiness when car builders roll out their custom builds in Las Vegas for the annual SEMA show.
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Real Truck’s Race Support F-150 Lightning pickup.Image courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
The SEMA trade show is the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association's annual gathering in Las Vegas where custom car builders and the specialty parts suppliers that provide the hardware they use to modify cars gather annually to show off their latest work.
SEMA says the show includes thousands of product innovations from new and iconic exhibitors, the latest product and custom vehicle trends, and more than 70 free professional skill-enhancing education sessions.
There are more than 1,300 exhibiting companies representing the $47.8 billion automotive aftermarket, with 30,000 industry participants attending the show, which is not open to the general public.
Carmakers showcase the work of their own engineers as well as the creations of third-party tuners to highlight the customization possibilities of their vehicles. Click through the gallery to see some of this year's batch.
About the Author
Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.
A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.
Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.
Dan, testing the 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish. ANDY MORGAN/ASTON MARTIN
He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.
He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.
He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.
He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.
Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.
He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
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