Events Coverage
SEMA Show 2006: Audi Perspective
By by: George Achorn, photos by author, Jamie Vondruska and Bryan Joslin
Nov 5, 2006, 23:09

As auto shows go, there is no equivalent to SEMA. It’s not exactly a world auto show like Detroit, Frankfurt or Paris as not all manufacturers are represented. It’s not an enthusiast show, though you’ll see many of the finest enthusiast-built cars from around the U.S. and the world on display here. So what is the SEMA Show exactly? In short, it’s a trade show for the automotive aftermarket, but look more deeply and you’ll see just how much it has to offer. No surprise then, Audi’s success in America as of late directly translates into more things to see than ever for the Audi enthusiast. In fact, Audi of America is looking more deeply at future involvement in the event, which could even include the company having its own display in the future.

Originally held in 1967 at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, the SEMA show has grown over thirty years to fill the Las Vegas Convention Center and then some with over 10,000 exhibitor booths and over 2,000 display vehicles.

Last year, Audi’s corporate cousin Volkswagen joined the list of manufacturers with official booths at the show, only the second major European manufacturer to maintain a full exhibit at the event following Volvo. Though none of the German “Big Three” luxury manufacturers have yet to display in an official capacity, we hear there’s a strong possibility both Audi and BMW will reconsider that stance for 2007 and even encountered one of several exploration teams that included Audi AG executives while walking the show.



Published earlier last week, an interview with Audi of America’s new Vice President of Marketing Scott Keogh also touched on the subject of SEMA. In that interview, Keogh commented...

“The best place to answer (whether or not Audi should attend) is SEMA. We’re going to read the market, take a look at it, and then determine whether or not it makes sense to go through third parties or go out there and flex our muscles by doing it ourselves. It’s something we’re testing, taking a look at, and we’ll probably make that call in the next few weeks.

I think there’s good opportunity. But, the instant you over commercialize it, or the instant corporate gets too involved in it, I think that’s a sure sign it’s going to head in the wrong direction. I think (the aftermarket) is something we’d prefer would happen organically, rather than something we’d like to get our fingers on.”

Walking around the show, it was certainly apparent there was plenty for Keogh, his Audi of America and his Audi AG colleagues to see. In addition to the always-amazing array of automotive products and quality show cars, there was also a larger-than-ever presence of Audis peppered throughout the halls and display lots of the Las Vegas Convention Center.



One of Audi’s hottest new offerings is the Q7 SUV. SEMA is SUV-friendly, so it was no surprise that the Q7 would make a showing. The two Qs encountered were most impressive.

MTM showed off a silver example that paired their potent supercharger system for the 4.2 and good for 500hp with the company’s first foray into body kits with partner EDAG. MTM boss Roland Mayer could be seen walking the show at Las Vegas, while his stunning Q7 was displayed in the entranceway to the convention center’s North Hall.

Showing another take on the Q7 was fellow-German-tuning house Nothelle. Nothelle North America built the first stateside Q7 to feature the company’s body kit for the SUV. The Nothelle Q7 also featured Nothelle wheels, Movit Brakes, a custom exhaust, suspension lowering module, and rear-seat headrest-mounted DVD players from VizuaLogic in whose booth the Nothelle Q7 was displayed. VizuaLogic offers replacement Q7 headrests fitted with their top-mount DVD players that also include trick auxiliary input jacks for iPods capable of video playback. Fitted with two of these units, the Nothelle Q7 could network the same video content to both screens, or feature independent content.



German Audi tuner Oettinger is back on the scene in strong fashion following financial setbacks that the company suffered over the past few years. That’s all behind Oettinger now and the company’s U.S. distributor CEC is back to showing the Oettinger line in force. An Oettinger-built A3 from Penske Audi made the annual CEC Fashion Show at the Bali Hai Golf Resort on the Southern end of the Las Vegas Strip last Wednesday evening, though it was an Ibis White S4 Avant showcasing Oettinger’s new A4/S4 body kit and CEC Signature Wheels that stole our hearts at the CEC stand in the center of SEMA’s South Hall, also known as the SEMA Show’s ‘Wheel Hall’.

Another Oettinger A3 in white could be found at the Tokico booth.



Elsewhere in the wheel hall, additional Audis and a wide array of Lamborghinis were also found. STaSIS’ own SPEED Touring racecar was displayed, as was an S8 by the website AutomotiveRhythms.com featured in the Rennen Wheel booth with 22-inch chromed alloys that make the car’s stock 20-inch wheels appear small in comparison.



At the Volkswagen stand, there were obviously no Audis to be seen. Still, with key components like the potent 2.0T FSI engine shared between the brands, it’s no surprise that the Volkswagen press conference was a veritable “Who’s Who” in the Audi aftermarket business. Further, a GTI on the Volkswagen stand built by Alabama-based APR showcased the company’s new Stage III kit for transversely mounted 2.0T applications. This should be good news for A3 owners or those considering a second-generation TT, and we're told a longitudinal offering will follow shortly for A4 owners.

In the exhibition field outside, several more Audis could be found. 3T Motorsport displayed a silver B7 A4 sedan, and near that sat a white A3 from Supreme Power Parts. Not far away was the RS 4 driven by Mario Andretti in this year’s Bull Run 2006.



SPEED’s own display, near Truck Trend’s off-road Proving Ground, featured Audi’s Lime Rock winning R8 racecar. This summer marked the last full-fledged competition of the R8, and its display at SPEED’s trailer was a welcome cap to the final season.

Continuing its growth year-after-year, the SEMA Show has become a must-attend for those in the aftermarket industry and seemingly for car manufacturers as well. Poll any grouping of Audi enthusiasts and we’d guess there’d be a virtual 100% vote for Audi to take part in the show with its own booth next year. Whether or not Audi executives will choose that direction for 2007 remains to be seen, though we do hear that Audi will be more involved next year… with or without its own stand. As an enthusiast, if you have any suggestions for Audi in their consideration of involvement for next year, post them in the discussion forum linked below. Those comments will most certainly be shared with Audi as they work to make their decision.

For more discussion on this story, click on the link to our discussion forums to the left.	For more photos of the car in this story, click on the link to our gallery at the right.

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