The shows yet again provided a global stage for ideas, products, and passion

The latest SEMA and Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) Shows were held across four dynamic days in Las Vegas in November.

SEMA Show
At the Las Vegas Convention Centre, SEMA Show organisers state the 2025 edition reinforced its role as “the automotive aftermarket’s most influential worldwide business event.”
With more than 153,000 attendees from 140 countries and regions, 2,300 exhibiting brands – including 500 first-time exhibitors – and more than 2,500 members of the global media, the Show delivered a concentrated environment for innovation, collaboration, and growth.
This year spotlighted ingenuity and resilience, offering a launchpad for product debuts, strategic partnerships, and forward-looking insights.
“The SEMA Show is a global pop-up marketplace where business and culture intersect,” SEMA Vice President of Events, Tom Gattuso, said.
“This year highlighted the industry’s ability to adapt and innovate, from emerging propulsion technologies to next-generation customisation trends.
“By connecting manufacturers, buyers, and enthusiasts in one dynamic environment – and extending the connection well beyond the Show itself – it continues to shape the future of automotive performance, personalisation, and industry direction.”
Innovation ran through every hall and activation. A broad spectrum of propulsion technologies, from internal combustion and hybrids to hydrogen and battery-electric platforms, stood alongside advancements in materials, connectivity, and design.
Between the Show floor and New Products Showcase, organised into 15 distinct product categories, thousands of new innovations debuted, underscoring the industry’s relentless drive to evolve and push boundaries.
The future of ADAS was also on display from market leaders introducing the latest tools and equipment to repair and modify vehicles, and conversations about the future were facilitated in the new ADAS Showcase feature.
The 2025 SEMA Battle of the Builders Presented by Mother’s Polish celebrated the industry’s most innovative custom builds. This year’s category winners included Troy Trepanier’s handcrafted 1936 Ford Roadster (Overall Champion), Tim Franklin’s refined 1960 Porsche 356, Thomas Dickerson’s standout 1967 Chevrolet C10, and Ron Jones’ radically reimagined 1973 VW Thing, each setting new benchmarks for creativity and craftsmanship.
OEMs leveraged the Show to launch bold concepts blending heritage with innovation, reinforcing commitments to performance, personalization, and alternative propulsion; while automotive legends, entertainers, and business leaders elevated the Show’s cultural energy and motorsport icons connected with fans.
SEMA Fest and SEMA Show Friday – Open to the Public bridged the gap between industry and enthusiasts, creating immersive experiences that celebrated car culture and inspired future builders. At SEMA Fest, Fans enjoyed live music from Queens of the Stone Age, The Black Crowes and Neon Trees, motorsports demonstrations, and car displays, while inside the Show, consumers connected with brands and custom builders. These activations reinforced the Show’s role as a cultural and business hub, where passion fuels progress.
Millions of enthusiasts around the globe were able to follow and engage with the Show through 31-hours of content livestreamed on SEMA Live, solidifying the Show as the centre of automotive universe during the most powerful week of the year.
The SEMA Show is a trade show produced by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), a nonprofit trade association founded in 1963. In 2026 it will be held across November 3-6.

AAPEX
At the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum, AAPEX 2025 equipped thousands of automotive aftermarket professionals to work smarter, adapt faster, and meet today’s challenges head-on.
From skills gained in Joe’s Garage to innovations showcased across 1,400-plus product categories, AAPEX organisers state its global community raised the bar.
AAPEX unites the nearly $2.3 trillion global automotive aftermarket industry and historically draws more than 2,600 exhibiting companies from around the globe that display innovative products, services and technologies that keep the world’s 1.6 billion vehicles on the road.
The event provides advanced technical and business management training for professionals to maintain excellence and take their businesses to the next level.
Industry buyers include automotive service and repair professionals, auto parts retailers, independent warehouse distributors, program groups, service chains, automotive dealers, fleet buyers and engine builders.
Part of the action at this year’s show was the inaugural Student Engine Assembly Competition, with two students from North Kansas City School taking the win.
Taem Aljallad and Adrian Madinger, both of whom are just 17 years of age, disassembled and reassembled a Chevy 350 engine in one hour and 44 minutes in front of a live audience.
The duo was coached by Jack Stow, an ASE certified master automobile technician and automotive instructor with North Kansas City Schools.
Two other teams of automotive students from the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and College of Southern Nevada (CSN) also participated in the competition. Both of these vo-tech schools are based in Las Vegas, where AAPEX hosts its annual event, which draws about 45,000 attendees and more than 2,000 exhibitors from 120 countries.
The competition was fielded to help raise awareness of a shortage of auto technicians and based on the successes of the 2025 event, several schools have expressed interest in sending competition teams next year – and there’s even talk of potential international competitors. As such, AAPEX plans to host the student competition again at next year’s show.
AAPEX is co-owned by MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers and the Auto Care Association. In 2026 it will be held across November 3-5.

For more information, visit www.semashow.com and www.apexshow.com