SEMA Show 2025 has come and gone, and as always, there is plenty to talk about. It’s easy to rattle on about smoke plumes, tires screeching, and crazy stunts as I did for several days — but there’s more to it all than that.
Scratch the surface and there’s a lot to learn from the SEMA show. It’s an enormous gathering of passionate, intelligent, and well-connected people who care very much about the automotive world. So if you couldn’t make it, here are my main takeaways from the 2025 event.
This is the premier event for gearheads worldwide
The general consensus over the last few years is this. Traditional auto shows are struggling with OEMs pulling back and crowd sizes dwindling. SEMA Show, on the other hand, is thriving and is arguably the main event on any true gearhead’s calendar.
The board at SEMA knows this and is planning accordingly. Sites are being looked at for when the show needs to expand. The “public day” was more blatantly advertised this time around. There is some debate amongst the membership, with a not insignificant number preferring to keep it as an “industry-only” event.
But there’s no denying that a huge surge of public interest and extra money would help SEMA’s cause. The organization’s main focus is lobbying for automotive interests, specifically those of the car modding community. More eyes on their causes means more letters to officials and public pressure in their favor. Money also makes lobbying a lot easier, as shocking as that may sound. So it’s fair to conclude that a strong SEMA Show is both entertaining in its own right and a huge positive for the industry in general.
A glimpse into the future
SEMA is pretty forward-thinking. You don’t just head there to see what’s around now, you use its displays to make an educated guess about where the industry will be in a few years’ time. The organization’s stance on EVs in previous years has caused a bit of controversy and confusion, but it does not contradict this. Every SEMA official you speak to will say the same thing. The organization is not anti-electric vehicle. It embraces all new automotive technology. However, it is anti-mandate and will defend consumer choice to the death.
So it’s not surprising that the “Future Tech” area and a number of independent displays contained alternatively fueled vehicles. Though it must be said, hydrogen was very much the star of the show this year. SEMA’s own future-facing booth showed potential mobile hydrogen refueling stations alongside fuel-cell vehicles and a couple of prototypes that use hydrogen in an adapted internal-combustion engine.
There are obviously other problems with hydrogen at present, such as sourcing it efficiently, but the future looks promising if the universe’s most abundant element becomes the fuel of choice in the coming years. Toyota even had a hydrogen-powered overlanding vehicle that captures the water produced when the gas burns. That water can then be used for showering, cleaning plates, or anything else you could possibly use H2O for.
Then there’s the 3D printing side of things, which is promising on a few fronts. First, it’s great for rapid prototyping. Complex parts can be produced from scratch in hours and completely autonomously. Multiple variations can be produced in the same batch. It’s an engineer’s dream and something that’s already being adopted throughout the industry. AI can even be used to develop parts, though those parts do end up looking oddly organic — as a glimpse at a Czinger 21C chassis will show you.
Beyond prototyping, we will hit a point where every reputable shop has its own specialist 3D printer, and many enthusiasts will too. This benefits pretty much everyone who isn’t a part store. Armed with a CAD file alone, the printer will be able to reproduce pretty much any part in a few hours. So there’s no more frustration as a mechanic hunts for days for a particular component, and ends up paying a massive premium for that same piece. There’s even the potential for vehicles to be assembled entirely from printed components, which in turn creates the potential for weird workarounds. Ever wanted to send exhaust gases through the frame instead of a pipe? Now you can, probably.
SEMA Fest rounds things off
While the public is allowed to buy tickets for the show itself, trade shows aren’t for everyone. Yes, there’s a lot of interesting stuff and you can find some exciting gems — but this is a business-to-business event at heart.
Most of the stalls you pass will be another brand of exhaust, or wrap, or piston. Nothing particularly innovative, but possibly quite good for its price. It’s easy to get distracted by the donuts and the constant revving, but a few minutes on the show floor will remind you that this is mainly about connecting suppliers and manufacturers. And that’s fine.
Which is where SEMA Fest comes in. It’s just all of the fun bits, a “Globe of Death,” Optima Unleashed going all out, exotics on display left and right and center. Oh, and there are some pretty decent bands playing too. This year, it was Neon Trees, The Black Crowes, and Queens of the Stone Age.
Tickets are tiered, with a “VIP” section closer to the main stage. There are plenty of bars too, so you shouldn’t be short of a beer or a cocktail as long as your funds hold out. Couple it with the publicly accessible “outdoors” part of the event, and it’s possible to have a great time at SEMA without paying to enter the main building at all.
