Cars.com 2004 Auto Show

This is the first year the Detroit show has dedicated space to customized cars. The Detroit Auto Dealers Association, which conducts the NAIAS, became interested in such an exhibit after visiting the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas in November, association president Richard Genthe said.

“Everyone in this age of mass merchandising still wants to drive a vehicle that is a unique representation of their individual personality,” Genthe said.

The customized vehicle area is in Michigan Hall, which is located underneath the main Cobo Center exhibition hall and away from the heaviest foot traffic. Represented are extreme offroad vehicles, urban-lifestyle vehicles, customizable performance cars or “tuners” and more than one manufacturer’s racing car. All of the autos on display have exterior modifications, and most have extensive interior and under-hood modifications.

“They all reflect a different personality [or] make a fashion statement,” said Rosemarie Kitchin, spokeswoman for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA).

Among them are modified vehicles in displays presented by Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mopar, Scion, Subaru and Tecstar LLC, which makes original equipment and aftermarket parts and accessories for General Motors vehicles. Genthe said the dealers association invited automakers to bring their SEMA show cars.

Ford brought tricked-out versions of the Ranger and Focus that were shown at the annual SEMA Show in November, as well as the F-150 Scout custom pickup truck designed for mobility-challenged drivers. DaimlerChrysler displayed its SpeedShop aftermarket showcase, which provides performance and appearance parts and lifestyle accessories, and showed a customized PT Cruiser Coupe; a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda customized with the chassis and drivetrain of a Dodge Viper V-10; a lightweight, turbocharged PVO SRT-4 Extreme that weighs 2,400 pounds and generates 280 horsepower; a Dodge NASCAR stock car; and a Jeep Liberator, which boasts a cargo rack, a winch, a full-length power-retractable canvas sunroof, and a 4-inch lift kit and cameras at all four corners for off-roading.

Honda showed its RSX Concept and a RO_JA Honda Accord Concept, fitted with wheels and ground effects by the custom wheel manufacturer. Subaru showed the WRC rally car that won the World Rally Championship and three professionally tuned WRXs based on that WRC, and Scion showed a customized xA and matching xB. Hyundai showed a Tiburon and a Santa Fe customized by Troy Lee Designs, which makes apparel for motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle and bicycle competitions, among its four eye-popping custom creations. Powerful stereos, ultragraphic paint schemes and skater lifestyle accessories were prevalent.

Tecstar displayed custom engines, a customized Chevy Silverado SS pickup truck, a Chevy Suburban Z71 with a custom body kit, a Cadillac Escalade EXT and a Hummer H2, as well as a number of Hummer factory add-ons and parts that will be available by summer, according to Tecstar representative Henry Kwiotek. They include a tire-mountable two-step ladder to aid access to the roof and a roller-style roof rack that allows owners to load heavy items such as canoes without scratching the vehicle. Tecstar also has a heavy involvement in custom wheels — which Kitchin said were usually the first thing to be customized.

“I would imagine that not one of those cars is sitting on factory wheels and tires,” she said. “Wheels and tires are the first things that people choose to change — because they make the most obvious physical statement about a person’s tastes and personality.”

The vehicle-personalization trend has been noticed by manufacturers, which initially responded by offering special-edition vehicles, such as Ford’s Eddie Bauer collection. Recently, automakers have begun to see young, single, first-time car buyers as the next big market and have responded by creating cars designed specifically for customization, as Toyota has tried to do with its new Scion brand.

“Teenagers have always expressed themselves by how they dress and how they drive,” Kitchin said. By customizing their cars, “they can take their personal statement outside their home.

“By modifying their audio in their vehicles, they can show off things to many more people . . . than they can inside their homes.

“Vehicles, for young people, are a social expression,” Kitchin said. “A 17-, 18- or 19-year-old can express his or her personality or sense of fashion in a way that his or her parents wouldn’t allow in their house.”

What about older car buyers? A soccer mom or dad is not just about team transportation, Kitchin said. Parents might install a DVD player for their children or install gear for skis, a canoe or other outdoor equipment.

Kitchin pointed out that we customize our cars to make a statement to others, but we customize our interiors for ourselves. “It’s modifying your vehicle to meet your daily needs, or your weekend needs, or your hobby.”

The Detroit auto show is important to the aftermarket community, Kitchen said. “This auto show is the premier auto show within this country. And judging by the number of journalists here [6,500], possibly within the globe. So the statement this show is making by allowing media and consumers to see what can be done with cars is very significant.”

Kitchin said Suzuki’s unveiling of its new Reno four-door hatchback — shown as a concept version customized to the nines — was a statement for personalization of cars and a direct appeal to tuner enthusiasts.

And Genthe said show organizers might expand the space dedicated to tuner cars at the 2005 show. “It’s been a huge hit,” he said.

Nevertheless, the aftermarket presence at the Detroit show pales in comparison to the aftermarket-industry assembly that SEMA organizes each November in Las Vegas. It’s the most prominent customizing show in the country and is for industry insiders only.

“Aunt Maude from Meredosia [Ill.] can’t walk in [to the SEMA Show] unless she’s in the business,” Kitchin said. “Here in Detroit, every driver who wants to see new vehicles, concept vehicles, what they can buy in the next few weeks or what they can do with their current vehicles, can pay $12 and walk in.”