I just came back from 3 days at the SEMA show in Las Vegas and it was a great event but a real eye opener. I haven't been to SEMA for about 6 years and it's grown tremendously...I feel like I must have walked 100 miles. The automotive industry is alive and well but the trends have really changed. From what I saw, it looks like the old hot rod days are finally dying off. Other than some muscle cars, there weren't many hot rods on display. The 4x4 truck culture is huge with monsterous lifted trucks everywhere. The 4x4 truck accessories are endless. Also if you are into the autocross race cars, SEMA is the show to go to if you want to see the latest technology in suspensions and electronics. I also noticed the large number of the exhibitors that were Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese companies that were promoting their electronic automotive gizmos. They are starting to take over the automotive aftermarket business.
It was a great weekend but on the flight home, it was a little sad thinking that hot rodding, at least as I know it...is starting to fade away.