Industry

Mothers Polishes Sponsors 2022 SEMA Battle of the Builders

Posted on by in Industry and tagged , .

DIAMOND BAR, CA (10.12.22) – Mothers Polishes has been named the presenting sponsor of the 2022 SEMA Battle of the Builders, the aftermarket industry’s ultimate vehicle competition featuring customizers who have a vehicle on display at the world-renown SEMA Show.

With exhibitors relying on the builds at the annual trade-only event to showcase their hottest parts and accessories, the vehicles at the SEMA Show are carefully curated and represents the best in the industry.

Mothers Polishes has been named presenting sponsor of the 2022 SEMA Battle of the Builders, the aftermarket industry’s ultimate vehicle competition held annually during the SEMA Show.

“It’s not a casual decision that an exhibitor makes when selecting what vehicle to showcase at the SEMA Show,” said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. “The vehicle they ultimately choose and the builder they choose are the best of the best. It really is the Top Gun of the industry.”

Deadline for builders to enter this year’s SEMA Battle of the Builders sponsored by Mothers Polishes is Oct. 14. Top builders will be recognized in four categories as Class Champions – Hot Rod & Hot Rod Truck; 4 Wheel Drive & Off-Road; Sport Compact, Import Performance, Luxury & Exotic; and Young Guns – before one Grand Champion winner is named on the final day of the SEMA Show, Friday, Nov. 4.

The competition will unfold throughout the week, with the Top 40 announced on Tuesday, Nov. 1, and the Top 12 announced on Wednesday, Nov. 2. The decorated dozen will examine and critique each other’s vehicles at the Show on Thursday, Nov. 3, as they become the final judges and select the ultimate winner.

Throughout the entire competition, camera crews will follow the action for a television special that will air on the HISTORY Channel in January 2023. For more information about the SEMA Battle of the Builders, sponsored by Mothers, visit www.semashow.com/botb.

Synergy Maketing Agency Adds Two 12volt Veterans to the Firm’s Staff

Posted on by in Industry and tagged .

HOUSTON, TX (10.11.22) – Synergy Marketing Agency has announced the addition of two veteran 12volt industry members to the firm’s in the field staff. David Toliver, Synergy Marketing Agency Principal, related “We cover Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi. That is geographically large area and the time was right to have more direct representation in the territory for the vendors we represent. Toby Lewis is onboard as the Regional Territory Director in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Elliot Winter is onboard as the Regional Territory for Central and South Texas.”

Toby Lewis Regional Territory Director in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Toby Lewis is a veteran in the mobile electronics industry with over 30 years of experience. His 12volt journey began at Mad Jacks Audio Video in the late 80s. Mad Jack’s Audio Video was a 7-store chain in the San Diego area that specialized in car and home audio and video. Toby’s career led him to Directed Electronics and Kicker Car Audio but most recently managed trade shows for Extron Electronics, a California based commercial AV company. Toby decided to return to Oklahoma where he has been working on classic vehicle restoration projects.

Based in Tulsa OK Toby is excited to join Synergy Marketing and bring some of the best brands in the industry to Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. Contact Toby at toby@synergyagency.net.

Elliot Winter Regional Territory Director for Central and South Texas.

Elliot Winter, based out of Austin, has worked in the consumer electronics sphere for over two decades now and has an absolute passion for the industry. As a former manager of Best Buy, Circuit City, Ultimate Electronics, Audio Express, Custom Sounds and various small high end shops he has an extensive product knowledge spreading across multiple brands. Furthermore as a former SQ and SPL competitor plus SQ judge he has first hand experience designing systems for a variety of applications. Over the past two decades he has also been heavily involved in the Custom Car world including extensive knowledge relating to builds on rat rods, hot rods and muscle cars thanks to his personal experience and the mentorship of his father long time Street Rod enthusiast, former American Hot Rod Association president, and more. To date his builds and designs have included multiple magazine publications, best of show winners, and more.

David Toliver with his custom Avalanche demo vehicle.

Past his practical experience Elliot comes to Synergy Marketing with a Master’s in Media Communications with focuses including live sound and recording arts. His experience with live sound and recording gives him unique perspective on how music should sound and how to deliver that experience to customers in addition to the ability to think outside the box when it comes to system design. He is a passionate, creative and driven individual always willing to go above and beyond for his customers. Working with him not only means getting the best price for the gear you need but ensures that you will have a passionate and extremely knowledgeable resource for creative ideas, build designs and more. Contact Elliot at elliot@synergyagency.net.

David Toliver covers Louisiana and Mississippi in his white Chevrolet Avalanche demo vehicle. Contact David at david@synergyagency.net.

Synergy Marketing Agency represents Audiomobile, Dynamat, Gemini Acoustics, Lucas Lighting, Morel, MTX Audio, Musway, Polk Audio. Rhino Box, Rydeen, Reikken, SoundCubed, SQL Audio and Tru Technology.

For more see https://www.synergyagency.net/about-us

Real Performance Marketing Welcomes Joe Stelmack to the RPM Team

Posted on by in Industry and tagged .

BUFORD, GA (10.11.22) – Real Performance Marketing welcomes Joe Stelmack to the RPM Team. “Joe comes to RPM with an extensive business background and solid rep experience. Also, Joe is both an audiophile and has a Powersports background which makes him a good fit for RPM” Scott Hochmuth stated.

RPM has a solid footing in both the Mobile Electronics and Powersports industries across the Southeastern US. Seven team members cover Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Southern New Jersey and Delaware territories..

Joe will be working in central and eastern SC as well as the I-75 corridor from Tifton GA to Naples FL and the I-95 corridor from Savannah GA to Miami FL. Joe can be reached at Joe@realperformancemarketing.net.

RPM represents lines including Wet Sounds, Arc Audio, Audiofrog, Aunex, MB Quart, MTX Audio and Carbine as well as several well-known PowerSports lines in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic areas.

For more see realperformancemarketing.net

SEMA Research: How the Specialty-Equipment Industry Fared in 2022

Posted on by in Industry and tagged .

DIAMOND BAR, CA (10.10.22) – The “SEMA State of the Industry Spring 2022” study released earlier this year reported positive growth for the automotive specialty-equipment industry, with most companies having grown during the past year. However, 90% of the industry had concerns about supply-chain issues and many companies struggled to fill open positions due to a shortage of qualified candidates to hire.

Find out if these concerns remain and how the industry has performed in the past six months in SEMA’s upcoming market research, “SEMA State of the Industry Fall 2022.” Available for free download on October 13, the report is part of a series of studies conducted since the pandemic hit in 2020. The studies take a deep dive into how automotive specialty-equipment businesses are doing since COVID-19 hit, how new- and used-vehicles sales are doing and provide an outlook for the industry’s future. Issues such as supply-chain, production shortages and consumer spending are included.

The new Fall 2022 report will be available for download on October 13, and discussed in-depth during the SEMA Show seminar, “State of the Specialty-Equipment Industry: Trends and Directions,” Tuesday, November 1, at 11:00 a.m., in room N254 of the Las Vegas Convention Center. SEMA Showgoers can sign up for the free seminar at www.SEMAShow.com.

All members are invited to download previous “State of the Industry” reports at www.sema.org/research and mark their calendars to visit the site to download the new report on October 13.

BestCarAudio.com Launches Dealer Locator

Posted on by in Industry and tagged , .

LEHIGHTON, PA (10.10.22) – 1sixty8 media, the publisher of BestCarAudio.com, officially launched its dealer locator today. “Our mission at BestCarAudio.com is to educate interested consumers about existing and emerging technologies for their vehicles and then point them to a qualified local retailer to fulfill the need,” said Mitch Schaffer, 1sixty8 media founder and president. “We have been consistently publishing great content for years, and with the formal launch of our locator, we will now be better equipped to meet the second part of our mission.”

BestCarAudio.com sees over 100,000 unique visitors each month and has a social media following of over 33,000 and growing. “With our strong traffic and social media presence, combined with a mailing list of over 10,000 subscribers, we are perfectly positioned to drive interested consumers to quality retailers and installers,” Schaffer said.

As the name implies, BestCarAudio.com will be very selective about which retailers are allowed on the locator. Certain metrics – including but not limited to maintaining exceptional online reviews – must be met to be considered for inclusion. “We want to be true to our name and make sure that we are sending our readers to the best shops in their markets,” Schaffer said.

While the BestCarAudio.com dealer locator has been in place for some time, it listed only qualified clients of the parent company, 1sixty8 media. With the official launch, the dealer locator will now be open to qualified retailers across the U.S. and Canada.

Schaffer said, “We will now accept applications from non-clients, and those who are accepted will be charged a nominal annual fee of $99 for inclusion. A single sale generated from our locator will likely pay for the subscription fee many times over.”

Interested retailers can learn more and submit their application at https://www.bestcaraudio.com/guidelines-for-inclusion-on-the-bestcaraudio-com-dealer-locator/. Schaffer can be reached at 570-656-6900 or mitch@1sixty8.com to answer any questions about the dealer locator or the variety of other services, products and publications available from 1sixty8 media.

Oracle Lighting Features New LED Cargo Light for 2021+ Ford Bronco During 2022 SEMA Show

Posted on by in Industry and tagged .

METAIRIE, LA (10.07.22) – Oracle Lighting will feature its new LED Cargo Light Module (p/n 5887-001; MSRP: $149.95) for 2021+ Ford Broncos during the 2022 SEMA Show, held in Las Vegas, Nev. from Nov. 1-4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth # 20137. The new LED Cargo Light Module is now shipping.

“The Ford Bronco is a great vehicle, but one area for improvement is the factory LED interior lighting in the cargo area,” said Justin Hartenstein, Oracle Lighting director of development. “We have been very impressed with the new Bronco but were totally unimpressed with the LED lighting for the cargo area. The existing lighting doesn’t provide enough usable illumination for storage space. The Bronco is made for adventuring, but this lack of lighting makes accessing cargo at night difficult while on the trail, camping, or tailgating. Because of this, we have developed an integrated cargo light module to easily add a bright LED light to the rear hatch cargo space and, at the same time, lights up the area around the vehicle.”

Oracle Lighting’s Ford Bronco cargo light is designed for hardtop models and uses the vehicle’s existing 12V power source. The design simply replaces the factory wiper motor cover with the new LED module. Installation is simple. Just swap in the new cover using the included parts and plug the adapter into your rear accessory socket. The lights can easily be turned on and off with the flush switch located on the panel.

Additional features and benefits include:
• Installs in factory location
• Replaces factory wiper motor cover
• Mounts using factory hardware
• Illuminated flush On/Off switch
• Dual 5000K white LED cargo light
• Illuminates cargo space and exterior
• Easy plug and play installation
• 1-Year replacement warranty
• Designed and engineered in the USA

Louisiana-based Oracle Lighting has been designing innovative lighting products and technologies for the automotive/12Volt, powersports, motorcycle, and marine markets since 1999. Oracle’s philosophy is this: in today’s world of fly-by-night vendors, we think it is important to partner with businesses that you can trust to be there for you today, tomorrow, and for years to come.

For more information on Oracle Lighting and its full product line, please visit www.oraclelights.com, call (800) 407-5776, or email info@oraclelights.com.

MB Quart Q Speakers Set the Bar for Listening

Posted on by in Industry and tagged .

LIBERTYVILLE, IL (10.07.22) – MB Quart Q Speakers are German-built and unleash higher quality sound in every aspect and detail of listening. ALL-NEW for 2022, MB Quart Q Speakers stand as the top-of-the-line speaker that MB Quart has to offer. Creating unmeasurable detail in sound and captivating immersive clarity throughout every beat and drop, Q Speakers deliver an experience that sets the bar in every category of listening and playback. Crisp detail, sharper beats, and ultimate playback in every aspect of listening – MB Quart Q Speakers look to redefine Music. Defined.

Brian Sherman, Vice President of Product and Marketing, said, “MB Quart has signified the epitome of world-class speakers, and with the highly anticipated launch of German-built Q Speakers, we are pushing the boundary in performance and sound quality while setting the bar in higher audio playback. I am extremely excited for customers to hear the sophisticated and redefined sound that Q speakers are going to showcase within car audio installations.”

ABOUT Q SPEAKERS

Creating immense clarity and detail in every note, German-built MB Quart Q Speakers bring out more layers of detail hidden away in every genre of music. From deeper treble highs in country to lower booms and pop in Hip-Hop, the bar of sound and listening is raised with richer levels in clearer details. Incredible listening detail demands innovation that meets expectations. Q Speakers are crafted with precision and impeccable detail, giving car audio installs a sleek and clean showcase.

Refueling audio with the next evolution of quality in playback, Q speakers transform audio with clearer detail and richness that places the listener in the center of every song. With 1-inch Military A-Spec Titanium dome tweeters with butyl rubber surrounds in a cast-aluminum housing and cone materials with lightweight mica-filled poly blend creating strength and superior frequency reproduction, every beat and note becomes evolved to new layers of immersion and listening dimensions. Audio sessions will never be the same once music is redefined through the Q level of playback and quality. Get ready to embrace the ultimate standard of MB Quart with Q Speakers.

FEATURES INCLUDE (QSE-216 Q Speakers):

• TWEETERS
1-inch military A spec titanium dome tweeter with butyl rubber surround in a cast-aluminum housing, specially made to dissipate heat for peak performance. Stamped in a 9-step progressive die, which gives the overall form a consistent shape. The phase lens is specifically designed for off-axis performance.

• CONE MATERIAL
Lightweight mica-filled poly blend for strength, superior frequency reproduction, and durability. This means that midbass frequencies remain very musical without the distortions that can be caused by the cone flexing and with the curvilinear design the geometry is specifically engineered for the best midbass response and off-axis performance.

• SURROUND / CONE COUPLING
Natural butyl rubber surround for smooth and durable performance. Flexible piston action UV-protected rubber which will be impervious to temperature swings of very warm and cold.

• VOICE COIL / FORMER ASSEMBLY
1.5-inch high-temperature copper voice on Kapton former. The former is lighter and strong than aluminum – which allows the component to support slightly higher frequency extension and efficiency.

• SPIDER
Woven fiber cotton-poly blend spider stabilizes the cone and voice coil in all musical situations.

• COOLING SYSTEM
Balanced Temperature Technology (BTT) is used throughout every component in this Q Speakers system. The cast aluminum radial sink speaker frame, crossover plate, and tweeter frame remove excess heat for predictable long-term performance.

• TWEETER HARDWARE
Hardware for multiple tweeter mounting solutions is included.

• FRAME
A diecast aluminum basket is designed to be lightweight and extremely rigid. The low-profile form can be easily installed in most factory locations with little or no modification.

• MOTOR
A solid neodymium magnet in a low-carbon steel containment cup is the strongest magnet that can be used and focuses all the energy around the voice coil.

• CONNECTORS
A gold-plated, 4-way connection terminal is oppositely mounted for consistent curvilinear cone performance. Connection types include solder, screw-down, spade, or fork terminal.

• ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Q Series audiophile in-ear studio monitors are included to bring the Q listening experience on the go. 3.5mm connection with adapters for both USB-C and Lightning connection.

“We are very excited for loyal MB Quart enthusiasts who have been with us from the beginning – to hear the rich detail, layered definition, and redefined clean sound integrated into every song. MB Quart engineers have innovated these speakers so that audio playback and quality will have been crafted and tuned perfectly – while remaining undistorted and sharp, producing crystal-clarity details,” concluded Sherman.

Alden Stiefel, President of Maxxsonics, mentioned, “I am anticipating MB Quart Q Speakers to symbolize what MB Quart stands for – Music that is redefined. Q Speakers will transform audio into richer quality playback that is crisp, detailed, and layered with higher quality sound. I am very excited for audio enthusiasts and customers to receive these top-of-the-line Q Speakers into their vehicle installations and to see their reaction when they hear music that’s truly defined.”

Sound demands quality met with precision, clarity, and detail – that is what MB Quart Q Speakers stand for. Through innovation and the evolution of technology, Q Speakers now stand as the beacon for sound quality in every MB Quart audio installation. The standard for music has transformed to higher levels of listening and playback with Q Speakers.

Make sure to contact your sales representative or customer service at 847-540-7700 immediately to secure your order.

See complete Q Speakers details on the MB Quart website at mbquart.com.

Echo Sales Announces the Launch of Sister Company Mobile Electronics Distribution (MED)

Posted on by in Industry and tagged .

GRAYSLAKE, IL (10.06.22) – Echo Sales officially announced the new Mobile Electronics Distribution (MED) entity on October 1st 2022. The new company will be co-located with the existing Echo Sales Rep Firm. Rob Osheaski and Mike Lewis will drive Mobile Electronics Distribution (MED) into the future to serve dealers in the territory.

Echo Sales and Mobile Electronics Distribution are located in Grayslake, IL.

Osheaski related “Mike Lewis and I started Echo Sales in 2015.  We had 2 separate 1-person rep firms and combined to double in size.  When we got virtually shut down for Covid in March of 2020 we were concerned about vendors being shut down for an extended time, especially the California based companies.  We decided to blow out one of our offices and small receiving area to stock some inventory. That was the start of Echo Distribution. Over the last two and a half years we added inventory space by knocking out our conference room and 2 additional offices since we were overflowing with product. In July of this year, we expanded to our current location in Grayslake.”

Shelving is in place in the newly expanded warehouse area.

Echo Sales will remain the name of the rep firm and the parent company of Mobile Electronics Distribution (MED). Osheaski and Lewis decided to change the name of the distribution entity so it could chart its own course and not necessarily following the original direction of Echo Sales, which was planned only as a Stocking Rep Distributor  for lines represented and within Echo Sales territories. The new course of MED is full 12-volt distribution for lines and territories beyond that which is represented by Echo Sales. Plans are already in the works for an even larger location to continue the growth of Echo Sales and MED.

Osheaski and Lewis are joined by staff team members Patrick Virock,Adrian Manrique, Jennifer Fritz, Donna Lewis, Betty Yarborough, Don Geiger and Doug Hansen. Echo Sales has a presence in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and small segment of Ohio. The firms specialize in Car, Motorcycle, Marine and RV products.

Echo Sales and MED are located 888 E Belvidere Rd Suite 419 Grayslake, IL 60030, 847-847-4775. See www.echosales.net for more

Design Engineering Releases C5 & C6 Corvette Transmission Tunnel Thermal Shields

Posted on by in Industry and tagged .

AVON LAKE, OH (10.06.22) – Dramatically reduce the amount of heat transferred through the transmission tunnel and into the vehicle’s interior in Chevrolet Corvette C5 and C6 models with Transmission Tunnel Thermal Shields from Design Engineering, Inc.

Precision CNC-cut for a perfect fit and ease of installation, the shields reduce console and interior temperatures and serve as a barrier to unwanted road noise. Extremely lightweight, they are not affected by wind, water, or other harsh conditions.

“A well-known and longtime problem with many Corvettes is the amount of heat transferred into and through the console,” said Mike Buca of DEI. “These shields reduce the negative effects of in-cabin excessive high temperatures and improve the experience of driving a Corvette.”

Made of 10mil embossed aluminum bonded to a high-temp, finely woven, needle-punched glass fiber composite material, the shields can withstand direct temperatures up to 1750°F (955°C) and feature an aggressive self-adhesive backing that holds past 450°F (232°C)

They are available as a single Trans Tunnel Plate Heat Shield, a 4-piece Trans Tunnel Side Shield kit, or a complete 5-piece set (C5 #50530 & C6 #50532). Installation is performed without removal of the Transmission Tunnel Reinforcement Plate, and kits for C7 Corvette models will be available soon.

For more information about Transmission Tunnel Thermal Shields and DEI’s complete line of performance heat and sound control products visit www.designengineering.com.

Metra Electronics to Unveil Over 100 Products at SEMA 2022

Posted on by in Industry and tagged , .

HOLLY HILL, FL (10.05.22) – Metra Electronics has announced that it will have two booths at the 2022 SEMA Show, November 1st-4th at the Las Vegas Convention Center; booth #11139 in the North Hall and its off-roading and powersports products on display at booth #60031 in the West Hall. Metra has supported SEMA throughout its virtual events and other safety protocols because the trade show is so vital to 12volt and other industries. This year will mark a return to pre-pandemic attendance for the SEMA show, and the manufacturer is looking forward to welcoming a larger number of 12volt enthusiasts to their booths than they’ve seen in the past two years.

Metra Electronics is planning big surprises for this year’s SEMA show. The manufacturer will unveil a new brand developed under the Metra Electronics umbrella, focusing on offering high-quality products that every installer needs when designing flexible audio systems. Additionally, more than 100 new products will be introduced, including a new line of lithium series batteries under its Shuriken brand. These batteries are designed for numerous applications, including audio, motorcycle, marine, auto racing, powersports, and more. Also, Heise LED will introduce three new controllers that will work with an all-new mobile app for smartphones and tablets to allow users to control Heise RGB, RGBW, and Chasing lighting products all from one app. The brand will also display new LED wheel lights, rock lights, tailgate bars, lightbars, and more in an assortment of exciting new styles.

Metra continues to push forward with the development of new dash kits that, when combined with their radio replacement interfaces from Axxess, bring new vehicle fit applications to the market. An assortment of their newest additions to this product line will be unveiled at SEMA, with many more planned for the future. Metra will also showcase next-generation DSP products, new accessories for Ford Bronco and Jeep, and several new innovations from iBEAM Vehicle Safety Systems. The iBEAM display will include vehicle-specific rearview mirror T-harnesses, a Universal Streaming Rearview Mirror with a built-in 9″ Monitor, and more.

Also to be featured are motorcycle audio and lighting products from Saddle Tramp, including headlights, LED accent lighting, saddlebag lids, keystone lights, and more. Metra’s Install Baybrand will also be on display as it continues to add to its comprehensive collection of professional 12volt installation products with new connectors, terminals, fuses, cable ties, switches, relays, and more. These products are designed using the best available materials and construction to ensure ease of use and years of reliability.

Additional product announcements will be released leading up to the show with more details, and new product catalogs will be available to download at MetraOnline.com shortly after the event.