Monday Eve: Will hit the RAM/Jeep corporate booth in the am after perusing the West Hall (Off-road focus). Other than a free shirt, not expecting too much from Stellantis - given past year disappointments I've become numb. Like trusted friends building up their latest Blind Date set-up, hours later you begin to question if they are really your buddies anymore or just apathetic/don't understand the 'wants & needs'. SEMA should be a place for inspiration, manufacturer concept builds and Branding which reflects a tight kinship with 'Enthusiasts' who patronize and promote them.
The reaction should be 'WHAT IF?!'.... not a 'WTF' apathetic reaction. New vinyl themed graphics and minimal changes are better suited to annual new Car Shows. They are the conservative offering like the girl you bring home and introduce your Parents to. Low risk, socially acceptable and never curses. ***Miss (see below) the more daring and edgy builds. That girl you never bothered to ask her last name. Set off metal detectors after forgetting to remove 'all' piercings and apparently has lifetime ban from Disney Parks and at least two domestic Airlines. The Red Flag
Imagine Stellantis providing @Nitro a SRT TRX 'blank slate'. 'Force Multiply' a build from forum member input, refined to fruition with Corporate backing? At least when I attended the Raptor Assault School (FREE with my Gen2 purchase) the Staff/Engineers genuinely asked for detailed feedback and future 'wants' (V8, HUD display, 37s, etc.).
Yet to see TRX/RHOs (inside), these were the exterior offerings today. The Desert Power Wagon 6wd with TRX underpinnings seemed a great use of common TRX CoPart salvage and theft recovery trucks
-> will confirm 'origin' suspicions with their crew. Guessing that SoFlo Customs (Florida) probably did the 6wd conversion? $600k seems a decent ROI.
The 'SecretFormula' revealed?! Add wheels, add stickers, add 37' tires...and in keeping with add -> add A.D.D. bumpers. Whole buncha' a-d-d. Just the usual (YAWN! 
) 'rinse and repeat' TRX.
Some Backdrop/History: Attended SEMA since late 90's... Monday ritual is a 'Recon' of outside display vehicles. Attendees 'doors open' at 0900hrs tomorrow (Tuesday). The early years were exciting, getting lots of jobber catalogs and often seeing products and pending trends months before they were featured in magazines (Four Wheeler/Four Wheel and Off-Road, etc. RIP). SEMA memories include seeing an odd U-shaped item in the bed of a yellow Ford Ranger tucked in the corner of a side hall...first appearance of the AMP Research Bed Extender. Larger forged wheels with low profile off-road tires. Transition to powerful LED aux lighting, offer a cheaper/more scalable upgrade to the very $ HID offerings. Often brand new models like the Ford Excursion would stand out - having been provided to vetted shops for aggressive builds. Seeing one on 44's, when they were just hitting showrooms was fun. Ford offered passenger rides in their Gen1 Raptors, drifting and jumping them in a paved outdoor arena.
Overland and EV conversions have presence but neutered back from once a dedicated display area. Wheel and tire companies and vinyl/wrap products clearly are lucrative $$ given the number of Vendors, some incredible displays and massive show flooring.
Years ago... When the Dakota crew cab came out - a solid axle/lifted version highlighted the show and magazine covers. Even an early "TREX" lifted 6wd with the V10 and a stretched 3500 Dually with an integrated raised roof sleeper birth drew drew coverage.
Now it's not the Big three - rather offerings by Nissan like their Frontier 'RONIN' concept
and last years Infiniti QX80 with a GTR powertrain reflect Enthusiast and aftermarket kinship. Even Toyota and their themed Snowhunters ->
The reaction should be 'WHAT IF?!'.... not a 'WTF' apathetic reaction. New vinyl themed graphics and minimal changes are better suited to annual new Car Shows. They are the conservative offering like the girl you bring home and introduce your Parents to. Low risk, socially acceptable and never curses. ***Miss (see below) the more daring and edgy builds. That girl you never bothered to ask her last name. Set off metal detectors after forgetting to remove 'all' piercings and apparently has lifetime ban from Disney Parks and at least two domestic Airlines. The Red Flag
Imagine Stellantis providing @Nitro a SRT TRX 'blank slate'. 'Force Multiply' a build from forum member input, refined to fruition with Corporate backing? At least when I attended the Raptor Assault School (FREE with my Gen2 purchase) the Staff/Engineers genuinely asked for detailed feedback and future 'wants' (V8, HUD display, 37s, etc.).
Yet to see TRX/RHOs (inside), these were the exterior offerings today. The Desert Power Wagon 6wd with TRX underpinnings seemed a great use of common TRX CoPart salvage and theft recovery trucks
-> will confirm 'origin' suspicions with their crew. Guessing that SoFlo Customs (Florida) probably did the 6wd conversion? $600k seems a decent ROI.
The 'Secret
Formula' revealed?! Add wheels, add stickers, add 37' tires...and in keeping with add -> add A.D.D. bumpers. Whole buncha' a-d-d. Just the usual (YAWN! ) 'rinse and repeat' TRX. Some Backdrop/History: Attended SEMA since late 90's... Monday ritual is a 'Recon' of outside display vehicles. Attendees 'doors open' at 0900hrs tomorrow (Tuesday). The early years were exciting, getting lots of jobber catalogs and often seeing products and pending trends months before they were featured in magazines (Four Wheeler/Four Wheel and Off-Road, etc. RIP). SEMA memories include seeing an odd U-shaped item in the bed of a yellow Ford Ranger tucked in the corner of a side hall...first appearance of the AMP Research Bed Extender. Larger forged wheels with low profile off-road tires. Transition to powerful LED aux lighting, offer a cheaper/more scalable upgrade to the very $ HID offerings. Often brand new models like the Ford Excursion would stand out - having been provided to vetted shops for aggressive builds. Seeing one on 44's, when they were just hitting showrooms was fun. Ford offered passenger rides in their Gen1 Raptors, drifting and jumping them in a paved outdoor arena.
Overland and EV conversions have presence but neutered back from once a dedicated display area. Wheel and tire companies and vinyl/wrap products clearly are lucrative $$ given the number of Vendors, some incredible displays and massive show flooring.
Years ago... When the Dakota crew cab came out - a solid axle/lifted version highlighted the show and magazine covers. Even an early "TREX" lifted 6wd with the V10 and a stretched 3500 Dually with an integrated raised roof sleeper birth drew drew coverage.
Now it's not the Big three - rather offerings by Nissan like their Frontier 'RONIN' concept
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