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/

SHREVEPORT, LA (12.08.25) – Christmas 2025 is just 17 days away. Holiday lighting outside the store and in the showroom can be a big ticket to drive sales for brick-and-mortar retailers. The in-store experience is more important than ever as the ever-growing AI universe and online activity add to the challenges faced by brick-and-mortar retailers across all categories.

Proactive 12volt retailers across the US are taking steps to create a Holiday theme at their stores. Below are examples of proactive 12volt retailers attracting consumers to their stores and creating the in-store experience. Social media posts spotlighting these activities are extremely important.

Proactive 12volt retailers have big cards in the deck to play to drive business. The “In-Store Listening Experience” and the “Professional Installation” cards are strong aces to play every day. The in-store experience of demonstrating top-quality sound with orchestrated live demos in the showroom is the first ace. Concertgoers are spending billions every year to enjoy the live music experience. Proactive 12volt retailers can put that concert experience in a consumer’s daily driver to enjoy on the way to work—without the big ticket price or the hassle of crowds in a concert arena.

Offering expert installation is another ace in the deck for 12volt retailers to play every day. Installation professionals understand the important aspects of speaker placement for staging and system tuning. Consumers need to understand the importance of professional installation to deliver the concert experience in their daily drivers.

For more see 12voltnews.com.

BOCA RATON, FL (12.05.25) — ZZ2, a leader in OEM-integrated automotive technology solutions, is proud to announce the newest addition to its growing product lineup: the DIZZPLAY Screen Replacement for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, officially shipping on December 10th, 2025.

Following the overwhelming success of the DIZZPLAY Screen Replacement for BMW—which quickly became a top seller among dealers and installers nationwide—ZZ2 is expanding its next-generation infotainment upgrade to the Mercedes-Benz market, bringing larger 10.25″ to 12.3″ brighter HD displays and advanced connectivity. As always, the company stands behind its quality products with a 3-year warranty on all DIZZPLAY screen replacements.

Built on the powerful zOS Linux-based operating system, the new system delivers ultra-fast boot-up times and a seamless user experience that feels factory-made—only smarter and more capable.

Tiago Sperandio, Vice President of ZZ2, commented, “The response to DIZZPLAY in the BMW market has been nothing short of incredible. Dealers love how easy it is to install, and customers love how transformative the upgrade feels. Expanding DIZZPLAY to Mercedes-Benz was the natural next step. Our mission at ZZ2 has always been to elevate the driving experience through seamless, intuitive technology—and DIZZPLAY for Mercedes-Benz represents exactly that. We’re proud to deliver an upgrade that feels factory-made while offering the modern features today’s drivers expect.”

The DIZZPLAY Screen Replacement for Mercedes-Benz begins shipping December 10th, 2025, through authorized ZZ2 dealers and distributors.

Dealers interested in early access can visit ZZ2.com/dizzplay or contact their ZZ2 sales representative.

KERNERSVILLE, NC (12.08.25) – Jimmy Cook, the owner of Sounds Good Car Stereo in Kernersville, NC, passed away on Monday December 1, 2025.

Sounds Good Car Stereo is a longtime 12volt retailer in Kernersville NC that is very connected with the community. Boomer Robinson, Ambassador Sales related, “Jimmy was a very good friend and customer for many years. Hearing the news that he had passed away was very sad for me, his family and his friends across the industry.”

David Holland, Shiflet & Dickson stated, “Jimmy was a very good customer and attended many of our dealer shows. It was a very sad day when I learned that he had passed away.”

Jimmy was just 50 years old and spent the majority of his life working in the 12volt industry. Jimmy was proceeded in death by his father Jimmy Cook Sr. He is survived by his mother and his wife Penny Cook along with two beloved children Rylee and Alexander. Funeral services and dates have not been determined.

Boomer Robinson, Ambassador Sales, contributed information to the 12volt Central Studios.