Once upon a time, companies desiring to offer custom parts for a particular car bought one for themselves, took it apart, and determined how to make their stuff fit properly. The automobile manufacturers were fairly ambivalent about the entire aftermarket industry for a long time. None offered help, some were hostile. But somewhere over the years they began to notice that modified cars drew attention to the brand.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) grew from those hot rodding roots and today works closely with many of the global automobile manufacturers to facilitate the agendas of both manufacturers and aftermarket companies. Now the list of parts available to modify any of the American “Big Three” vehicles makes the New York phone book look like a short story. The Japanese machines followed more than a decade ago and that list of options has exploded.
(Click through to read more about how the automakers allow aftermarket companies to measure vehicles.)
SEMA now coordinates “Measuring Sessions” where auto companies make their new models available for SEMA members to take precise measurements of, say, the mounting points of a grille, or an exhaust system. Obviously those measurements are somewhere in the terabytes of data created during the design and production process, but as James Hope, Volvo Cars of North America Product Communications Manager explained “It’s easier for the SEMA member companies to come to a measuring session and take down the dimensions they need.” Which brings us to the interesting matter of Volvo and the aftermarket product industry.
At the 2006 SEMA show Volvo Cars of North America showed a seriously customized C30 putting out 600 horsepower. The folks back in Sweden were most uncomfortable with this clandestine tweaking by the mavericks in the U.S., but the huge positive response to the result set them back on their collective heels. Since the C30 was, and is, aimed at the younger driver, it was designed to be personalized from the start. The factory Custom Build Program offers a host of exterior and interior choices - encouraging the aftermarket suppliers just made sense. This January 24th, near SEMA headquarters a few miles east of Los Angeles, Volvo participated in their first ever measuring session. About 40 representatives from suppliers of wheels, interiors, exhaust systems, grilles, and other add-ons braved the cool winter weather to crawl over the C30 and the S40 taking measurements and noting assembly techniques. We’ll be watching for the results over the coming year. Tell us what you think of the Swedish machines and their push to attract younger drivers.