PITTSBURGH, PA (12.07.25) — On Sunday, December 7th, the 10th Annual Tows for Tots Toy Drive was the place to be in Pittsburgh. Community members were invited to gather at the Castle Shannon Volunteer Fireman’s Hall from 9 AM to noon. The family event encouraged attendees to enjoy coffee, donuts, friendship, and festive atmosphere—all while donating new, unwrapped presents for children. It was a powerful show of generosity from the Pittsburgh community.

Team Nutz, represented by Ed and Nina Natel, was once again on-site, showcasing the eye-catching Team Nutz Jeep and Excursion. Many attendees stopped to admire the vehicles, both of which played Christmas music throughout the morning.

When the event wrapped at noon, more than 100 tow trucks lined up for a 10-mile parade through the city of Pittsburgh. The Team Nutz Excursion held the final position in the procession, spreading holiday cheer by blasting Christmas music along the entire route.

Ed Natel shared, “It’s so amazing to see so many smiling faces and people having fun at the Fireman’s Hall. When we hit the street for the parade, people were dancing along the road, and everyone was happy—honking horns and waving. Team Nutz will certainly be back next year for the 11th Annual Toes for Tots Toy Drive.”

The holiday season is a major opportunity for 12volt retailers to create memorable in-store and online experiences. Team Nutz excels in this area as well, with festive lighting displays outside the shop, holiday décor inside, and themed social media posts that keep their brand front and center across their marketplace.

Stay tuned for more as 12volt Central Studios continues to spotlight positive stories that drive excitement and joy throughout the holiday season.

ORLANDO, FL (12.11.25) – Join Directed for a targeted training session designed to help you get up to speed on the new DIRECTED BP1 GM Global B Interface. This session provides practical guidance on system integration, installation efficiencies, and programming workflows.

Key Takeaways:
☑️ How the BP1 integrates with DIRECTED digital remote start and security systems

☑️ How the interface simplifies installations on GM Global B vehicles

☑️ Plug and play functionality and digital immobilizer communication through D2D2.0

☑️ How the BP1 eliminates the need for a customer to give up a key on newer GM models

☑️ Step-by-step programming overview using the DKPROG tool

☑️ Two identical training sessions available for flexible scheduling!

Download the event flyer here.

See the meeting links below:

Tuesday, December 16th 11:00am EST
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Wednesday, December 17th 8:00pm EST
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LAS VEGAS, NV (12.07.25) — Siemens CEO Roland Busch will take the keynote stage at CES 2026 to outline the company’s vision for AI-enabled industrial systems spanning manufacturing, infrastructure and transportation. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) confirmed Busch will present a technology roadmap built on AI, automation, and digital twins, signaling what Siemens describes as a pivotal shift toward AI-ready industrial ecosystems.

According to CES organizers, Busch will focus on how Siemens’ industrial tools connect real-world systems with digital models to improve planning, engineering, and long-term operations. “AI and digital twins will revolutionize industrial environments, streamlining design, planning, engineering, operations, and maintenance,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO and Vice Chair, CTA. “Roland Busch and Siemens are showing how AI, combined with data and deep domain know-how, can reinvent entire industries.”

Siemens plans to use its CES presence to demonstrate AI-driven workflows and applications alongside partners and customers. Demonstrations will feature what the company describes as industrial-grade AI – systems designed to run in factories, buildings, and transportation networks with high reliability and clear operational benefits.

Busch framed the moment as part of a broader technological inflection point. “It is always a defining moment when a new general-purpose technology becomes available: There was a world before electricity; today, electricity is ubiquitous. There was a world before AI, right now we are transitioning to a world that makes full use of it – including in factories, buildings, grids, and transportation,” he said.

With more than three decades at Siemens and a background in physics, Busch has led initiatives across automation, smart infrastructure and industrial digitalization. Under his leadership, Siemens was included in TIME’s 2025 World’s Best Companies list. Kinsey Fabrizio, President of CTA, said Siemens’ involvement aligns with the show’s broader theme. “Siemens embodies the spirit of CES – where human creativity meets tech transformation,” she said.

Busch will speak January 6 at 8:30 a.m. PST at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Other CES keynote speakers include leaders from AMD, Caterpillar, Havas, Vivendi and Lenovo. Siemens will host product demonstrations, livestream discussions, and an on-site mobile experience center throughout the event.

Learn more and register for CES 2026 today at CES.tech.

HOUSTON TX (12.10.25) – The first week of December, David Toliver put a plan in place to make dealer calls between Houston and Dallas. As part of the plan, Ceasar Olaes, MTX National Sales Manager, flew into Houston to hit the road.

David Toliver, Synergy Marketing Principal, has been the area representative for MTX since September 2022. Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana make up the territory Synergy Marketing covers.

An additional component of the trip was making dealer calls with Jorge Grijalva, who recently joined the firm to cover northern Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

“Ceasar flew into Houston Monday evening and early Tuesday we hit the road. Our first stop was to see Kevin West at XXtreme Soundz Salado. Kevin runs a strong shop there and as an MTX dealer most recently ordered the new MTX ThunderLink Wire products. Kevin indicated that consumers certainly see the value with the MTX quality of the products.” West also told the 12volt Central Studios, “We work with car audio customers and a lot of marine, bikes, and Powersports customers. They all recognize the quality of MTX products across the board.”

The next stop was Jack’s Stereo in Waco. There they met up with Jorge, who came down from south of Fort Worth to spend time with dealers and meet Ceasar to get a full understanding of the MTX product line and plans. Jorge has been active in the territory for many years and maintains strong relationships. In addition to visiting Jack’s Stereo in Waco, they also visited the Jack’s Stereo location in Killeen.

Jorge arrived in Waco in his Hyundai Veloster, which now includes MTX gear since joining Synergy. Mike Sykora and Dean Law at Jack’s Stereo were very impressed with the MTX demo sound quality in a daily driver.

Following those calls, Toliver headed back to Houston while Ceasar and Jorge continued north to spend time with more dealers before Ceasar flew out of Dallas on Friday, returning to San Diego.

Toliver shared, “Results from this trip are very, very positive. At every stop we made along the way—well over 20—dealers were all very impressed with MTX products and plans for 2026. All certainly liked meeting Ceasar one-on-one in their store. MTX had a strong showing at the recent SEMA Show and we were able to give dealers the heads-up on new products that are on the way. Spending real-world time with Jorge connecting with dealers makes me feel I made the right decision adding him to the Synergy Marketing Team. Watch for more to come!”

For more, see synergyagency.net and @synergymktagency.

WASHINGTON, DC (12.10.25) – The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is the first-ever winner of the Federation International Automobile (FIA) President’s Award for Excellence in Communications, honored for its groundbreaking, multi-year, multi-channel effort to protect vehicle choice in the U.S. by stopping EV mandates. The award was announced and presented earlier today at the FIA General Assemblies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

For this new award, which recognizes outstanding communication efforts that inspire, inform, and engage, SEMA was selected from a global pool of entries from across FIA’s member clubs.

SEMA’s entry highlighted the strategies and tactics it deployed during its historic two-year national advocacy campaign to defend Americans’ right to choose internal combustion, hybrid, or electric vehicles. In response to California’s 2035 zero-emission mandate (adopted by 11 states), SEMA launched a multi-channel political, media, and grassroots campaign to protect vehicle choice. Through the Driving Force Action SuperPAC, digital activism, and direct congressional lobbying, SEMA mobilized 7,000 small businesses, 70 million automotive enthusiasts, and lawmakers from across the political spectrum. The effort resulted in President Donald Trump signing a bipartisan Congressional Review Act resolution repealing California’s Advanced Clean Cars II waiver, reaffirming technology neutrality and preserving automotive freedom nationwide.

“Congratulations to CEO Mike Spagnola and SEMA on being awarded the 2025 Excellence in Communication Award,” said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “SEMA’s commitment to advancing our shared mobility values and championing consumer choice is inspiring. Their project has shown what can be achieved through unity, and I look forward to continuing our work together and seeing the progress of this campaign.”

“SEMA is honored to accept this award on behalf of our members and the broader U.S. community of automotive enthusiasts and consumers, for whom we fought this battle,” said SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola. “Our fight was never about preventing electric vehicles from gaining a foothold in the market; rather, it was about our right to choose, our ability to innovate, and our belief that technology-neutral government policies are necessary to help the free market thrive. The American automotive aftermarket has long been a shining example of our nation’s engineering prowess, and we’re anxious to continue this work to help every small business, family, and automotive enthusiasts to live their best, most prosperous lives through the vehicles they choose.”

For more information, please see SEMA’s highlight video submitted for the initial nomination.

CULVER CITY, CA (12.10.25) – – Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), the joint venture between Sony Group Corporation and Honda Motor Co., Ltd., today announced that it will be exhibiting at CES 2026, which takes place in Las Vegas, NV January 6-9, 2026. Ahead of the show’s public opening, SHM will be holding its first ever independent press conference on Media Day at its booth (LVCC, Central Hall, Booth #20800) on Monday, January 5, 2026. During the conference, SHM will share exciting new updates for its first model, AFEELA 1, now presented as a pre-production model, and showcase an all-new concept model. Currently available to reserve, the AFEELA 1 will begin deliveries to California customers in 2026.

At CES 2026, SHM’s booth, its largest to date, will feature several AFEELA 1 pre-production vehicles in multiple color variations, alongside a new AFEELA concept model, demonstrating the company’s commitment to the evolution of the AFEELA brand as consumer interest in the brand continues to grow and as the AFEELA 1’s launch approaches.

The entire booth will showcase examples of the values that the AFEELA brand offers: Autonomy (evolving autonomy), Augmentation (expansion of the body and space-time), and Affinity (collaboration with people and symbiosis with society).

More details are below:

CES^® 2026 Sony Honda Mobility Press Conference

• Date and Time: Monday, January 5th, 5:00 PM-5:30 PM PST
• Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Sony Honda Mobility AFEELA Booth (Central Hall Booth #20800)
• Live Streaming of the Press Conference: AFEELA Official YouTube Channel

*Registration on the official website is required to enter the CES^® venue.

CES^® official website: https://www.ces.tech/