Lucas Bell 
The SEMA Awards presented each year help create awareness for aftermarket products, as well as draw attention to the partnerships forged between the organization, its aftermarket suppliers, and the automakers themselves. According to Mike Spagnola, SEMA VP of OEM & Product Development, knowing which vehicles the SEMA Show exhibitors are the most excited about helps everyone in the market analyze trends. The five category winners are as follows:
SEMA Car of the Year: Ford Mustang
It is not entirely surprising that the Ford Mustang took home the title of SEMA Car of the Year for 2019, as it has long been one of the most popular muscle cars on sale in the United States since its introduction in 1964. In fact, up until it was surpassed by the Dodge Challenger earlier this year, the Mustang was the best-selling muscle car on the market. As a result, the aftermarket is vast when it comes to the Ford coupe, which is key to taking home this award. With all of the hype surrounding the release of the Mustang Shelby GT500 prior to SEMA this year, we also aren’t surprised that the Mustang remains such a popular base for SEMA-level builds.
SEMA Truck of the Year: Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet rolled into SEMA with all sorts of special edition variants of the Silverado, including the oh-so Detroit Carhartt Edition Silverado HD and the Chevrolet Silverado HD Z71 Sport Concept. Factory built projects and unveils tend to fall to the wayside when it comes to SEMA, simply because there are so many vehicles that are showstoppers in their own right. While we loved other pickup trucks at the show like the Mopar Lowliner, we will tip our cap to Chevrolet for building the volume of SEMA trucks that they did, especially considering that there as a UAW strike to deal with.
SEMA 4×4/SUV of the Year: Jeep Wrangler
It was almost a foregone conclusion that the JL Jeep Wrangler was going to secure this spot, as it is without a doubt the most popular off-road 4×4 to modify here in the states for the tenth year in a row. While the Jeep Gladiator might have stolen some of the Wranglers thunder as of late, there is no denying that the plucky SUV is still a force in the off-road world, with a galleon full of Mopar accessories to offer. SEMA 2019 is a good time for Jeep to take home this award as well, as the release of the upcoming Ford Bronco draws nearer. Once the reborn 4×4 is on the market, the Jeep Wrangler may be unseated.
The Audi RS3 took home the title of SEMA Sport Compact of the Year, and the Polaris RZR secured the coveted SEMA Powersports Vehicle of the Year award. None of this year’s category winners is all that surprising, but it is always a treat to see what vehicles people in the aftermarket industry are most excited about. Afterall, it is those folks that help us all to make our cars the personalized performance machines that they are.
The Toyota Supra got nothing.
