Editor’s note: Get more news from the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas by checking out our dedicated page for daily updates.
The Specialty Equipment Marketing Association, better known as SEMA, handed out its annual best new product awards Tuesday morning at a breakfast in Las Vegas.
The event, which was held in the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, was attended by thousands of exhibitors and some members of the media.
Sixteen awards were given out in various categories, with nearly 3,000 products submitted for consideration by a panel of SEMA judges.
“Winners are selected based on a variety of factors, such as superiority of innovation, technical achievement, quality and workmanship, consumer appeal and marketability, and more,” according to a SEMA news release.
A full list of the winners and the category in which they claimed victory is below:
• Collision Repair & Refinish Product: ITW Evercoat for the OPTEX Color Changing Body Filler and Putty
• Engineered New Product: Flaming River Industries Inc. for the VDOG carriable angle gear
• Exterior Accessory Product: Lund International for the AVS Aeroskin LightShield Hood Protector
• Interior Accessory Product: Speed Dawg Shift Knobs for the Dodge Drag Pack 1320 Racing Stripe Shift Knob
• Merchandising Display: Dee Zee Inc. for the Rotary Running Board Display
• Mobile Electronics Product: AAC for the Trigger 4 Plus
• Off-Road/4-Wheel Drive Product: Rancho/DynoMax for the Rancho JL Wrangler Sport Suspension System
• Packaging Design: Pedal Commander for the Pedal Commander Performance Throttle Response Controller
• Performance-Racing Product: Turbosmart for the Kompact-EM Universal Blow Off Valve
• Powersports Product: Warn Industries Inc. for the VRX 45-S
• Street Rod/Custom Car Product: Flaming River Industries Inc. for the VDOG variable gear (Editor’s note: This product won two SEMA awards)
• Tire and Related Product: Cooper Tire for the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S
• Tools & Equipment Product: Newarch Tech LLC for the NewArc SRS-3 Portable Wheel Straightening System
• Van/Pickup/Sport-Utility Product: Brandmotion for the Radar Blind Spot System with Cross Traffic Detection
• Wheel and Related Product: Wheel Pros for the Asanti Wheels AB-816
Other awards were handed out Monday by the SEMA Light Truck Accessory Alliance.
Matt Steele and Bruno Massel, the hosts of Truck U on Velocity, were named the influencers of the year. The best new product costing more than $500 was the Truck WallSlide from CargoGlide and the top product with a price tag under $500 was Dee Zee’s Hex Series Side Steps.
