HOLLY HILL, FL (01.26.26) – Metra Electronics is heading to Las Vegas, Nevada to host training sessions at KnowledgeFest, February 3-5 at the Paris Hotel. Metra will showcase their latest aftermarket installation products at booth #401. A fully customized Ford Lightning featuring Heise LED, Metra, and VIBE Audio products will also be showcased at the booth. Metra’s training sessions will cover new products launched at the 2025 SEMA Show, including all-in-one premium vehicle-specific audio kits with VIBE speakers, Metra’s next-generation radio platform, PROSCENIUM, new and updated dash kits, Heise LED vehicle accent lighting, and much more!

Training sessions include:

“Metra’s 2026 New Products Overview” on February 3rd at 1:30 PM

This session offers an overview of Metra’s 2026 product lineup, highlighting new and updated dash kits, speaker adapters, harnesses, and integration solutions. Attendees will explore the latest Install Bay accessories, iBeam camera enhancements, Heise Lighting innovations, Vibe Audio speakers and plug-and-play kits, Axxess category expansions, the new AXRSC category, and recent updates to the Metra Online website.

“Metra & Vibe Audio Kits” on February 3rd at 2:45 PM & February 4th at 5:30 PM

This session highlights Metra and Vibe Audio’s vehicle-specific audio solutions, featuring new direct-replacement speaker kits for BMW, Mercedes, and Tesla. It also explores plug-and-play audio kits for select trucks and SUVs, and provides an overview of RTA-based tuning concepts used with Axxess DSP and Vibe DSP amplifiers.

“PROSCENIUM: The Car Radio, Re-Imagined” on February 4th at 4:15 PM & February 5th at 10 AM

This session introduces PROSCENIUM, Metra’s next-generation radio platform. Topics include OEM-quality materials, dual screen sizes, compatibility with Metra 95-style dash kits, built-in programmable interfaces, custom GUI design, wireless and wired CarPlay and Android Auto, HD Radio, SiriusXM readiness, and vehicle CAN system communication.

Metra’s customers can register for the KnowledgeFest event at no cost using Metra’s VIP code, available by request from their sales representative. Once registered for the event, attendees will also need to register online at KnowledgeFest.com for each training session they will attend.

TEMPE, AZ (01.20.26) – Mobile Solutions is proud to announce its Digital Fab MasterClass, scheduled for Jan. 23-26, 2026 at the company’s headquarters in Tempe, Ariz.

“Our Digital Fab MasterClass is where old-school craftsmanship meets future-ready innovation,” said Bryan Schmitt, founder, president, and CEO of Mobile Solutions. “This immersive four-day workshop is engineered for fabricators, builders, and designers who want to elevate their interior and fabrication skills to an elite, professional level.”

This hands-on experience blends advanced digital fabrication technologies with high-level craftsmanship to deliver precision, efficiency, and OEM-quality results. Attendees will design and build a complete take-home project using modern fabrication techniques, advanced upholstery processes, and digital manufacturing tools—learning the same methods used by today’s top builders and award-winning shops.

What You’ll Learn During the Digital Fab MasterClass:
• Digital Fabrication & Future-Forward Techniques

• New process: advanced 3D printing techniques that deliver professional, repeatable results
• 2D & 3D CAD/CAM workflow efficiency using Fusion, Aspire, Corel, and Light-Burn
• Live scanning and surfacing demonstrations featuring Peel 3D technology
• Expert-level laser cutting and engraving techniques with hands-on instruction
• Basic-to-advanced drawing examples focused on shape creation and precision line work
• Accent lighting and layering strategies for maximum visual impact
• Custom trim techniques using aluminum machining, acrylic fabrication, and composite
• materials

Is your 3D printer just an expensive paperweight? Not after this class. Participants will learn practical, real-world methods to optimize equipment, streamline software workflows, and achieve consistent, high-quality results using accessible tools and proven processes.

Don’t Miss: Elevated Finishes & Professional Styling:
• Surface texturing techniques using paint and coatings
• Pressed metal grille and insert forming
• Shadow trim and specialty visual effects, including marbling and wood grain
• Veneer and vinyl-wrap techniques for OEM-level design execution
• Professional methods for finishing panel backs with serviceability and refinement in mind

Featured All-Star Guest Presenters:
• Dean Beyett – 5 Star Car Stereo
• Wesley Cato – Anything Car Audio
• Gabrielle Williams – Peel 3D
• Anthony Medina – Medina’s Interior Shop
• Gary Bell – Stinger Solutions

“This MasterClass moves attendees firmly into the Future Fab mindset—combining design, digital automation, advanced materials, and high-end finishing techniques that set elite shops apart,” Schmitt added. “Participants leave with greater confidence, expanded capabilities, and a finished project that demonstrates what’s truly possible.”

The Digital Fab MasterClass will be held Jan. 23–26, 2026, from 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at Mobile Solutions headquarters in Tempe, Ariz.

Seating is extremely limited to ensure maximum hands-on instruction and personalized attention.

For more information, please visit www.mobilesolutions-usa.com.

TORONTO, ON (1.20.26) – The 68th Annual Toronto International Boat Show is happening January 17th through the 25th at the Enercare Centre in Toronto’s Exhibition Place. Importel and Wet Sounds are in the center of the action in booth G561. Importel’s Ricky Lima and Bill Truax, along with Paul Zlatar from ATG, are in the booth connecting with attendees.

The large booth spotlights Wet Sounds’ wide selection of marine products including amplifiers, speakers and marine receiver along with wake tower speakers and IP67 rated portable radio. Wet Sounds catalogs and swag items are also available. In the adjoining booth SiriusXM Canada brand partner is spotlighting the SXV300 Connect Tuner.

On a huge show floor there are over 500 exhibitors and 1000 boats available for attendees to check out the latest products to get ready to make waves during the marine season 2026.

Importel is focused on the 12volt installation car audio and electronics including marine, powersports and motorcycle. With locations in Toronto and Edmonton the company supplies everything retailers and installers require to run a successful business. For over 40 years Importel staff members have shopped the world to find their customers the very best values available anywhere…. price comparisons will prove this to be correct.

“This is one of the largest shows in North America and next year we want to go even bigger” Lima, National Sales Manager, related.

Watch for more to come from Importel.

SHREVEPORT LA (01.19.26) – The 12volt Central Studios offers multiple ways for 12volt industry members to connect across the 12volt community and with consumers while delivering fresh industry news. Custom QR Codes, the 12voltSTP Tool and 12volt Central Studio offer easy to use opportunities to connect with industry members and consumers. A SMARTPHONE is all it takes!

With a SMARTPHONE the 12voltSTP Tool works with an image txt plus a few words and PRESTO it can happen. The number is 318-469-2526.

In today’s AI driven and social media world it is more important than ever for members of the 12volt industry to connect with industry members and consumers. These activities are more important than ever to drive in-vehicle automotive upgrades awareness and business for brick and mortar retailers. Consumers can’t feel the bass in their chest or appreciate the separation of mids and highs on a smartphone or laptop.

Many 12volt industry members only use a QR Code to scan a restaurant menu. QR Codes have so many positive ways for 12volt industry members to utilize this positive technology.

The 12volt Central Studios staff has created a new tool that works across the board. A high-quality glasses and screen cleaning microfiber cloth, with a custom QR Code, is the answer. Screens on mobile devices tend to collect smudges of all kinds. With this cleaning cloth a custom QR Code linking to a company’s website can be created and printed on the cloth to be seen by users several times a day as they clean their screens. The 6” by 6” cloth fits in a pocket or rests on an office desk. Even used by an installer in the install bay during a head unit installation.

Trade shows and consumer events are terrific venues to hand out the cleaning cloth to attendees. Driving pre-event attention to an exhibitor’s booth is also an option. The cloth is also much less expensive, and easier to ship than T-Shirts. Reps on the road could give a dealer his cleaning cloth to continue visibility for his company’s website and brands.

In person trade and distributor shows are terrific to connect and show new products in one-on-one settings. Trade show and distributor show attendance over the last years has diminished. The 12volt Central Studios can put companies in their customized studio to connect and deliver their important marketing messages.

Industry members must realize marketing in a 24/7 journey. Budweiser and Coke spent millions with TV ads over the Holidays. Again, a SMARTPHONE and utilizing The 12voltSTP Tool, can put a company’s marketing ball in play!

Please email mike@12voltnews.com for more details.

TEMPE, AZ (01.19.26) – Automotive audio pioneer Wayne Harris will feature his world-famous Terminator vehicle during a special live interview during MasterTech Expo 2026, held March 12-15, 2026 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Ariz., offering attendees a rare look into one of the most iconic builds in car audio history.

Open to all MasterTech attendees and exhibitors, the Terminator will be on hand and the featured session will take place March 12 from 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM in the Delta AZ Ballroom.

Harris has been a driving force in the 12-volt automotive audio industry since the early 1980s. A designer, engineer, entrepreneur, and innovator, he has earned multiple Design & Engineering awards, he holds several patents for audio technology innovations, and was named one of the Top Ten Most Influential People in Car Audio from 1987–1992.

Originally built in the mid-1980s – well ahead of its time – the Terminator featured groundbreaking concepts including one of the first true symmetry-based system layouts, including six Power 1000 amplifiers and a rotating amplifier rack that redefined what was possible in mobile audio design. The vehicle pushed extreme power levels for its era and became a benchmark for competitive audio builds.

The Terminator Vehicle
The Terminator began life as a 1960 Cadillac hearse before Harris transformed it into one of the most legendary show vehicles in automotive audio history. Packed with massive subwoofers, multiple drivers, and staggering power output for the time, it helped shape early competition culture and left a lasting impression on anyone who experienced it in person.

Today, Harris has been carefully modernizing, refurbishing, and rewiring the Terminator, preserving its original spirit while ensuring it remains period-correct. Decades later, the vehicle remains a cultural icon, still talked about by competitors and enthusiasts who remember seeing – and hearing – it dominate early car audio events.

Live Interview & Walk-Through
Attendees will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear directly from Harris as he walks through the history, design philosophy, and technical innovation behind the Terminator.

The session will be hosted by Matt Schaefer and Gary Bell of the Old Fashion Podcast.

For anyone passionate about car audio history, innovation, and legendary builds, this is a moment not to be missed.

Register today at www.mastertechexpo.com.

DIAMOND BAR, CA (01.16.26) – SEMA has issued a call for speakers for the 2026 SEMA Show, taking place Nov. 3-6, 2026, in Las Vegas. Organizers are seeking experts who can present new ideas, trends, technologies, and expertise at sessions that will help industry members take their businesses and careers to the next level. The Show will host education days Tuesday, Nov. 3, through Thursday, Nov. 5.

Innovative thought leaders and dynamic presenters who can share new skills and ideas targeted to the automotive aftermarket are invited to apply at www.semashow.com/speakers.

The educational sessions are a key pillar of the SEMA Show, where thousands of industry professionals gather to learn new business strategies and best practices. The SEMA Show education program provides relevant, engaging, and inspiring information on the industry’s complex issues and topics.

Topics of focus for 2026 include:

• Aftermarket updates and future trends
• Emerging and executive leadership
• Legislative and regulatory
• Sales and marketing
• Small-business strategy
• Talent management
• Vehicle technology
• Industry segment-specific topics

Speaker proposals for the 2026 SEMA Show must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 13, at www.semashow.com/speakers.

For more details, contact SEMA Senior Manager of Professional Development Gary Vigil at garyv@sema.org or 909-978-6738.

The 2026 SEMA Show is set for Nov. 3-6 in Las Vegas. Interested exhibitors can buy a booth and learn more at http://www.semashow.com/exhibitor. Attendee and buyer registration opens on May 4; to sign up for notifications, visit here.

For more information, visit www.semashow.com.

DIAMOND BAR, CA (01.15.26) – The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is accepting nominations for its Hall of Fame, honoring individuals whose career-long contributions have enhanced the automotive aftermarket industry.

The SEMA Hall of Fame has a long-standing tradition of recognizing individuals whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness, and accomplishments have left a profound mark on the specialty-automotive market. Established in 1969, it pays tribute to business leaders, innovators, media members, and volunteers across the SEMA ecosystem who have shaped progress and created opportunities for future generations.

“The SEMA Hall of Fame represents those who have dedicated their careers to making a difference, both on and off the road,” said SEMA Manager of Recognition Programs Joe Escobar. “Without their passion and commitment to progress, the industry would not be where it is today.”

Nominations are open until Friday, March 13, at http://www.sema.org/hof. Nominations should provide detailed examples of the nominee’s impact on the industry, including specific achievements, leadership roles, and contributions that demonstrate long-term influence and distinction.

Nominee qualifications include:

• The candidate must have made contributions that extend beyond the local level and reach throughout the national and/or international level.
• The candidate is and/or has been involved in the automotive specialty industry and/or SEMA for a minimum of 10 years, although 15 years is preferred.
• The candidate must have made outstanding contributions toward enhancing technology, professionalism, dignity, and/or general stature and growth of the automotive specialty-equipment industry.
• The candidate must have conducted him/herself with a high degree of integrity both within and outside of the automotive specialty-equipment industry.
• The candidate must be 50 years of age or older by the 2026 SEMA Show or they may be any age if deceased and the nomination is presented at least one year posthumous.

The Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in May and honored during the SEMA Leaders & Legends Gala in July. Contact SEMA Manager of Recognition Programs Joe Escobar at josee@sema.org for more information.

Visit sema.org for more.

TORONTO, ON (1.13.26) – The International Centre in Toronto was packed the weekend of January 9-11. The North American international Motorcycle SuperShow and the AMA North America ArenaCross event packed the International Centre filled with exhibitors, demos and products enthusiast could check out leading up to the bike season. The AMA ArenaCross was an added benefit as enthusiast could see riders navigating tight turns and flying high over mounds on the dirt track.

KICKER was on site with a large presence showcasing the latest products and connecting with enthusiast with KICKER Distributor GEMSEN. The large KICKER presence was in a high traffic area connecting the large different halls.

ArenaCross made all the arrangements for KICKR to be on site. Lorin Morrell, Maddog Media, was on site in the booth along with GEMSEN partners Dave Singh and Mike Danbrook.

“As with ArenaCross events across the US there was so much excitement with attendees at the event at the Toronto Centre. We had a chance to show many new KICKER products as attendees spent time in our booth. In addition, there were a large number of KICKER banners around the track plus the PA announcers spotlighted to KICKER brand and announced the T-shirt toss contest. One of the wrapped KICKER T-shirts had a certificate for a free KICKER BULLFROG to be picked up at the booth and a happy young man and his family came by to pick up the BULLFROG. Having Dave and Mike in the booth was terrific” Morrell stated.

Dave Singh related “KICKER is a major brand on our linecard for dealers across Canada. Seeing enthusiast at this big show will certainly put the KICKER brand front and center for upgrades for motorcycle products, Powersports products and of course Car Audio products for consumers at our dealers across Canada.”

The next ArenaCross Round 6 is in Memphis, January 24 with around 7 happening in Calgary AB January 30th and 31st. Stay tuned for more as KICKER will continue Livin’ Loud on ArenaCross Championship Circuit.

For more see kicker.com

DIAMOND BAR, CA (01.13.26) – The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is accepting nominations for its Hall of Fame, honoring individuals whose career-long contributions have enhanced the automotive aftermarket industry.

The SEMA Hall of Fame has a long-standing tradition of recognizing individuals whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness, and accomplishments have left a profound mark on the specialty-automotive market. Established in 1969, it pays tribute to business leaders, innovators, media members, and volunteers across the SEMA ecosystem who have shaped progress and created opportunities for future generations.

“The SEMA Hall of Fame represents those who have dedicated their careers to making a difference, both on and off the road,” said SEMA Manager of Recognition Programs Joe Escobar. “Without their passion and commitment to progress, the industry would not be where it is today.”

Nominations are open until Friday, March 13, at http://www.sema.org/hof. Nominations should provide detailed examples of the nominee’s impact on the industry, including specific achievements, leadership roles, and contributions that demonstrate long-term influence and distinction.

Nominee qualifications include:

• The candidate must have made contributions that extend beyond the local level and reach throughout the national and/or international level.
• The candidate is and/or has been involved in the automotive specialty industry and/or SEMA for a minimum of 10 years, although 15 years is preferred.
• The candidate must have made outstanding contributions toward enhancing technology, professionalism, dignity, and/or general stature and growth of the automotive specialty-equipment industry.
• The candidate must have conducted him/herself with a high degree of integrity both within and outside of the automotive specialty-equipment industry.
• The candidate must be 50 years of age or older by the 2026 SEMA Show or they may be any age if deceased and the nomination is presented at least one year posthumous.

The Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in May and honored during the SEMA Leaders & Legends Gala in July. Contact SEMA Manager of Recognition Programs Joe Escobar at josee@sema.org for more information.

Visit sema.org for more.

LIVERMORE, CA (1.12.26) – “We had an incredible night for Northern California on Tuesday, January 6th, as GS Distributing officially kicked off the new year with a full house of KICKER dealers from across Northern California and Northern Nevada” Shams Nabi, President Nabi Industries Inc, related.

Dealers traveled from more than two hours away to be part of a special evening that marked the first KICKER training held in Northern California in over 10 years. The strong turnout highlighted the demand for in-depth product knowledge and the commitment dealers have to continuing to grow their businesses with industry-leading brands.

Attendees had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with KICKER’s leadership and training team, including Tom Heath, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Tracy Focht, Western Regional Sales Manager, and John Myers, Senior Global Trainer. The session delivered valuable insight into KICKER’s product lineup, along with hands-on training designed to help dealers confidently sell and support KICKER products in today’s competitive market.

With nearly 80 people in attendance, the room was packed with energy, engagement, and meaningful conversation. Dealers were able to ask questions, share feedback, and connect not only with the KICKER team but also with retailers from across the region. The event reinforced the importance of education, strong partnerships, and collaboration within the 12-volt community.

“This event really set the tone for what we want to accomplish in 2026,” said Ron Vinoya, Area Sales Manager for GS Distributing. “Seeing dealers travel long distances to attend and engage at such a high level shows how valuable hands-on training and direct access to our vendor partners truly are. We’re proud to host events like this and look forward to continuing to support our dealers with education, access, and opportunities to grow.”

“We’re extremely encouraged by the level of participation and enthusiasm shown by our dealer base. This event set a strong foundation for the year ahead, and GS Distributing looks forward to hosting more trainings, dealer events, and collaborative opportunities as we continue building momentum into an exciting and successful 2026” Nabi concluded.

Visit gsdistributingcompany.com for more.