by Matt Konkle
Managing Editor
LAS VEGAS—It may be while you are waiting in a chair at the Harry Reid International Airport. Or perhaps in line for a taxi. Maybe walking the strip. Or checking into one of the numerous hotels dotting the landscape like so many stars above the desert sky.
Inevitably, the question arises.
You in town for the auto show?
And, for most, the answer is yes.
Of course, calling the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) just an auto show is like saying a McLaren F1 is just a car.
Nope, the SEMA show is much more.
According to show organizers, more than 150,000 people descended on the Las Vegas Convention Center for day one, ready to wander through 2,400 brands that took up space in five convention center halls in areas that ranged from small 10-foot by 10-foot table areas to wide open locations with multiple display vehicles and all kinds of product layouts.
While many (mostly first timers to the event) solemnly vow to see everything the show has to offer, in reality It is impossible to march through everything on day one at SEMA, but a good place to always start is in the show’s Lower South Hall, where loads of new manufacturer product is propped up on tables and display racks.
Lighting, wheels, tires, technology, suspension, off-road products—you name the category and SEMA has a spot for any manufacturer that wants to show off something new it created.
From there, a short walk back towards the lobby leads to the spectacle that is Mopar / Jeep display area, where we spent most of our first event day.
So, as we did last year, we’ll keep some notes during our travels, and as we visit vendors and manufacturer display booths throughout SEMA week, we’ll pick out one of the top things we’ve done each day, as well as a product we’ve seen that should make some noise in 2026, and find one vehicle that really stands out in the SEMA crowd.
We call it the SEMA Three 2.0.
One: The Mopar / Jeep SEMA Display Area
It was only two years ago when Stellantis, Jeep’s owner, made the last-minute decision to pull out of the 2023 SEMA show, leaving a 15,000-plus square foot plot of Lower South Hall barren just a few scant days before the thing opened.
Well, thankfully Stellantis reversed course last year and has reclaimed its familiar spot, filling it with several new and familiar concept vehicles, product displays, contest registration terminals, shirt giveaway inside a restored Kaiser M725, and a ton of other stuff.
In short, Mopar and the Jeep division didn’t show up to just shake hands; they arrived to make a statement.
For the auto enthusiasts, the biggest draw seemed to be two new concepts: the ‘Dude’ Ram 1500 and the Moparized Dodge SIXPACK Charger.
’The Dude’ is based on the Ram 1500 Big Horn, and is a neat revival of that sport-truck persona from the early 1970s. Designers gave it a vibrant Sublime Green exterior mixed with black accents, satin black 22×10-inch wheels, lowered stance, side-exit exhausts and the legendary 5.7-liter HEMI V8 (395 hp) up front, as well as a Mopar Cold Air intake.
As far as the Moparized Six-Pack Charger concept, its dark purple paint scheme certainly pulled in interest. Built on the 2026 Dodge Charger platform, it features carbon-fiber body components, vented fenders, custom Brass Monkey 21×11-inch wheels and a 550-horsepower 3.0-liter Twin-Turbo “SIXPACK HO” engine.
So why does this matter for Jeep and aftermarket fans? Well, because these automotive concept builds are laboratories for parts, wheels, finishes and performance enhancements that will filter down to broader product lines, many of which will end up on Wranglers, Gladiators and other Jeep models in the coming years.
Besides those two concept builds, the automaker also brought six concepts it introduced earlier this year—five from April’s Easter Jeep Safari and the Chrysler Pacifica Grizzly Peak Concept.
That vehicle, dubbed the ‘ultimate adventure minivan’, saw designers lift the front 2.75 inches and the back 2.5 inches, as well as add 31-inch BFGoodrich 31-inch KO2 tires on 18-inch rims, Rhino Rack Pioneer Roof Storage System, and TYRI and Baja Designs lighting.
Rounding out the Jeep concept vehicles were the familiar faces of J6 Honcho, Gladiator High Top Honcho, Blueprint, Sunchaser and Rewind, all part of the 2025 EJS concept crowd.
Two: SPARQ and The Rise of AI in the Aftermarket
Walk the new products section of the 2025 SEMA Show and you’ll quickly see a trend that’s impossible to ignore.
Artificial Intelligence.
This technology has officially joined the aftermarket. From smart wheel systems that monitor terrain in real time, dash and backup cameras that swivel 360 degrees and use AI to assess threats to your vehicle, to adaptive lighting that learns your driving style, AI is showing up in more and more products.
We ran into one just after picking up our media badges Tuesday morning that may overhaul how you talk to your vehicle, helping owners make more informed decisions before taking their vehicle in for service.
SPARQ.
We’re all familiar with the various code readers of the world. Those units are plugged into the OBD II port, which then can read trouble codes and/or clear them if warranted.
Well, SPARQ rolls in AI tech to take this process in an entirely new direction.
Users can pop the device into that port, and then use a smartphone app to ‘converse’ with their vehicle to figure out things like “what is that noise in my engine”, or “how much wear do I have left on my brakes”, or even simply “why is my check engine light on?”
Then, using the answers, owners proactively take action and fix minor issues before they become bigger problems.
And the best part, the product does not have any subscription cost. Just the price of the unit.
Also, after speaking with the manufacturer rep, they say future SPARQ upgrades will add even more functionality to the product.
So keep that name somewhere in your memory as you may be seeing SPARQ on the Quadratec landscape in the coming months.
Three: Best Jeep
On the edge of Crown Automotive’s exhibit area in the right corner of West Hall sat a beautifully reconstructed 1946 CJ-2A, clad in a lighter green paint scheme, gray soft top and offsetting yellow wheels.
We’re always suckers for flat fender Jeeps, so maybe that influenced our pick today, but Crown Automotive, one of the leading manufacturers of aftermarket hard parts for Jeep vehicles (among other things), always seems to find perfect ways to show off their products.
Nothing fancy on this one, just a beautifully restored Willys that, once again, definitely followed the mantra Crown provided of ‘Just build something cool’.
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