Ford, GM will be 'no-shows' at 2022 SEMA Show

LAS VEGAS — The SEMA Show will have a decidedly different look this year, as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. — two of the show's largest exhibitors over the past decades — will not be present.

Ford and GM long have been the "anchors" of the largest exhibit hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, but earlier this year the vehicle makers acknowledged they had opted out of exhibiting this year.

American Honda and Hyundai Motor America also will not be exhibiting this year, but representatives of Honda have told trade media the vehicle maker will be at the SEMA Show in some form.

With Ford, GM, Honda and Hyundai out, Stellantis N.V. becomes the show's largest vehicle maker exhibiting, with booths in the Central Hall for its Dodge brand and in the South Hall for its Mopar brand, which is marking its 85th year in business.

The only other vehicle makers exhibiting this year are Toyota Motor (Central Hall), Nissan North America (West Hall); and Volkswagen of America (North Hall).

At the same time, the show will feature an expanded "Electrified" section with advancements in electric vehicle (EV) technology, including new products and solutions for EV platforms and conversions.

The lower South Hall, site of the Global Tire Expo and the wheels/wheels accessories collective, is about two-thirds full and thus approximately 16,000 square feet larger than a year ago. In terms of tire companies exhibiting this year, the total is up slightly from the comparatively lower pandemic-impacted turnout in 2021.

The SEMA Show list of exhibitors shows there will be approximately 100 tire makers, importers, distributors, etc. of tires, tubes and/or tire-related accessories, along with over 35 equipment and tools suppliers, a dozen or so software suppliers and 50-plus wheel companies.

Among the larger tire company exhibitors in terms of booth space (2,000 square feet or larger) are Atturo Tire Corp.; Cooper Tire & Rubber; Greenball Corp.; Sentury Tire Corp.; Toyo Tire USA; and Zhongce Rubber Group Co. Inc.

Of these Atturo and Toyo also have secured booth space outside the South Hall, along with Coker Tire Co., Cooper's Mickey Thompson brand, Giti Tire, Maxxis International and Predator Tire/Venom Power.

Toyo also will be operating its "Treadpass" exhibition space — located between the Central and South Halls of the LVCC — a ninth straight year, this time showcasing 28 world-debut vehicle builds and an art installation and demonstration.

For Giti Tire, this marks the company's return as a SEMA Show exhibitor for the first time in a decade. The company will be promoting its involvement with its GT Radial brand in Formula Drift, including offering visitors rides in a drift car in the Silver and Gold lots outside the LVCC.

Giti/GT Radial garnered second in the Formula Drift Tire Cup this year behind Nitto Tire Corp. and ahead of Falken Tire.