Obviously, Vegas is no place for subtlety. Everything in town screams newer, bigger, faster, more. The lights are brighter, the stakes are higher, and the action is non-stop, 24/7. But for car lovers, there are four days of the year when the Las Vegas Convention Center shines brighter than the latest casino on the Strip. These are the days when the SEMA Show, put on by the Specialty Equipment Market Association, jams the massive convention center and the surrounding area with hundreds of highly customized cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs. SEMA has become the world’s preeminent venue for showing off every imaginable genre of specialty auto part, from high-octane racing fuel to the latest wheel designs.
Naturally, Kia was there in full force.
For the past three years, Kia has shown jaw-dropping custom cars built with a cornucopia of aftermarket parts; cars with price tags that hit six figures and second gears that blast the speedometer into triple digits. This year, however, marked a new era, as Kia showed off its freshest idea: its very own line of automotive accessories. Kia’s booth exhibited attainable custom cars, built-up exclusively with components from the new Kia-branded accessories program. The four cars on display—the Rio and Rio5, Spectra and Spectra5–utilized components that are (or soon will be) available from local Kia dealerships around the country. Once the desired Kia parts are picked, they can be fitted by the dealer or, in many instances, installed by handy owners as a weekend driveway project.
Both Rios got the royal treatment, with genuine Kia performance and appearance accessories including stylish spoilers and ground effects kits, custom cat-back exhaust systems with chrome tips, strut tower braces reinforcing the suspension, hyper ground wiring kits to improve electrical performance, and stylish doorsill plates to dress up the interior.
The SEMA Spectras were personalized with a similar array of upgrades, with mesh grills accenting the exterior, and interior mods like gauge kits, a leather shift knob, and sport pedals.
And that’s just the start. At the show, Kia announced that it’ll be rolling out even more performance parts for the Rio and Spectra models, with cold air intakes and short-throw shifters added to the menu for both models. In addition, Rio will have the option of performance springs, while an under-car suspension brace, upgraded brakes, and a high-performance clutch will be offered for Spectras. A thumping Kicker audio system, which will replace the stock unit and speakers with high-end Kicker components, including a subwoofer with amplifier, can be had exclusively in the Spectra5.
Needless to say, Kia showcased its ‘Power to Surprise’ at SEMA 2006. What innovations will Kia unveil at SEMA 2007? Our lips are sealed. But this is Vegas, after all, so you can bet it won’t be subtle.
You can learn more about SEMA by visiting www.sema.org.
