The Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association trade show, held in Las Vegas every year, showcases the latest and greatest products in the aftermarket automotive world. Known by industry professionals and enthusiasts simply as SEMA, it has traditionally been a place where cutting edge technology is debuted. The latest iteration of the show was no exception with lots of goodies on display that over 60,000 buyers couldn’t wait to get their hands on. We had the opportunity to visit this much-anticipated trade show, which spanned over one million feet of exhibition space at Las Vegas Convention Center. Here are some of our top picks.
Gryphon PowerAll
Nothing is worse than coming back to your vehicle and realizing that you’ve left your lights on after parking, and then having to call an expensive recovery service for assistance. The PowerAll by Gryphon Mobile Electronics comes to the rescue – measuring only 6.5-inches long, 2.9-inches wide and 1.2-inches thick, it is a compact and lightweight car battery jump starter, USB power bank and LED flash/strobe light in one. A full charge can provide 20 jump starts!
GT X-vue
Korea’s GT Co. has come out with the X-vue, a portable device that adds safety features like forward collision warning and lane departure warning to any vehicle. The unit has a 3.5-inch touchscreen and comes with a detachable windshield-mounted camera that calculates relative speed and distance to objects in front of you, providing an alert if it believes there could be a possible impact. It will also warn you if you drift out of the current lane you are travelling in.
DashCommand
Designed by Palmer Performance Engineering for anyone who wanted to know what their vehicle is really doing, DashCommand is a virtual dashboard – represented on a smart phone or in-car screen – that can display digital gauges, show your road speed, indicate your fuel economy and a host of other stats. For those hitting the racetrack, there are advanced features such as a skid pad and inclinometre with ability to record logs so you can review the data for further analysis.
HoloShift Head-Up Display
Whether you’re a weekend racer or someone trying to squeeze the most mileage out of each drive, Holoshift by LightSpeed Automotive Technology can help you achieve your performance or fuel-saving goals. Place the unit on your dash and HoloShift projects a tachometre, customizable shift light and engine warning lights onto your windshield via nine ultra-bright LEDs that can be seen even while wearing sunglasses. Works with almost every engine configuration.
Mobile Home
Try asking Siri to call the office while driving and balancing your iPhone on your knee – it’s not ideal. Luckily Beanco Technology has developed Mobile Home, a Bluetooth device that works with your vehicle’s existing hands-free system. Keep your phone in your pocket and press the Mobile Home button instead to have full access to Siri’s functions. Commands are given into the in-car microphone and responses are heard through your audio system speakers.
SLAMSTOP
If you like quiet, you’ll love SLAMSTOP, an electronic door retracting system that allows for a noiseless automatic closing of car doors both front and rear. Rather than using force, a mechanism “catches” a slightly closed door and pulls it shut, similar to what you might find in high-end luxury automobiles. Minivan owners need not feel left out, as it’s even compatible with sliding doors. Professional install recommended and is powered by your car’s 12-volt electrical system
SmartNav 5
Jealous of all the new vehicles coming standard with features like GPS navigation, a backup camera and Bluetooth capability? Fret no more, because the SmartNav 5 OEM replacement rearview mirror by App-Tronics has all that and then some. Everything is displayed on an integrated five-inch touchscreen that still allows the driver to see behind the image, which can be turned off in lieu of audio directions when using the GPS function. There is also an optional add-on radar detector package.
TextBuster
If you can’t control the urge to check an incoming text message or shoot off an email while in traffic, you might want to consider installing TextBuster. A small device that installs under the dash in minutes, it disables the driver’s phone from accessing text, email or Internet functions while operating their vehicle. If any attempt is made to disable the TextBuster, it will notify the administrator of the unit. Does not block phone calls or interfere with other hands-free or Bluetooth items in the vehicle.
Tzone GPS tracker
Kind of like ‘Find My iPhone’ but for your car, the Tzone 3G GPS vehicle tracker can help you keep tabs on your precious asset at all times. Small in size it can be easily hidden anywhere in the car, has an internal GSM and GPS antenna and is waterproof. In a worst-case scenario, users can activate a remote engine power cutoff by sending an SMS text message. Works with motorcycles, fleet vehicles and almost anything else on wheels.
VISIONDRIVE black box
When it comes to accidents, you can never be too prepared. GeoCross Co. offers some peace of mind with the VISIONDRIVE black box real-time event recorder that has front and rear facing cameras to capture incidents, complete with audio. Recordings can be started manually or automatically via motion detection, and saved to SD memory cards up to 32-gigabytes in size. Emergency power backup and built-in passkey lock security ensure your valuable information doesn’t get lost.
By Benjamin Yong
Photos: Benjamin Yong, SEMA
