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In parts 1 and 2 we checked out the Big Three, both domestically and in the JDM universe. Today we get to the automakers left over - a mishmash of up-and-coming Korean brands, Toyota's luxury division, and producers of one of our favorite AWD platforms, the Impreza.
Despite the fact that technically SEMA is a convention for all things aftermarket, it's the OEMs who dominate the show. SEMA is the place where auto manufacturers bring their latest and greatest rides - tricked out, of course - in the hopes that their new automobiles become the next "must have" whip. After all, billions of dollars are spent every year on aftermarket accessories... what better place to put these new parts than on a shiny new car?
LEXUS
Now in its second year as an exhibiting manufacturer, Lexus brought back everything that made its first booth a hit with the crowd. Toyota's luxury division once again set up a tent right outside the Central Hall, brought back its popular dyno pull and test track attractions and let show-goers play an IS-F edition of Gran Turismo 5. Oh yeah, there were cars in the booth, too.
Lexus is still out to prove that its IS-F is a true competitor to a car like the M3 - a car which also enjoys a healthy amount of aftermarket support - so it called upon companies like Fox Marketing, Import Tuner magazine, 0-60 Magazine and MotorWorldHype.com to give its high-strung luxury sports sedan the tuner treatment. Lexus also unveiled an IS 350 with the latest and greatest F-Sport parts.
Five Axis once again built the star of the Lexus booth - a GS luxury sport sedan. Five Axis gave this GS a full widebody kit, new front fascia and a flat-yet-shimmering gray paint scheme that is unlike anything we've ever seen. This is the second home run in a row for Lexus and Five Axis, and we already can't wait to see what they bring out to SEMA next year.
SUBARU
With its 300-hp turbocharged motor and advanced all-wheel drive system, Subaru's STI is one of the more popular vehicles in the tuner industry. Fuji Heavy Industries' auto division brought many of these turbocharged five-doors to SEMA, including Travis Pastrana's rally-bred STI, the Crawford Performance time attack STI and a VeilSide STI that will be featured in the next Fast and Furious flick.
Surprisingly, the vehicle Subaru was pushing at this year's SEMA was its new Forester. Subaru had two of the CUVs on the SEMA show floor, and they couldn't have been any more different. The flashier of the two was the Mountain Rescue Concept. As the name implies, this bright yellow Forester was designed to tackle tough mountain rescues and boasts modifications like an Air Lift suspension (giving the Subie 14-inches of ground clearance) and 30x9.5-inch Yokohama Geolander tires.
The Forester that tickled our special areas was the Forester XTI Concept. Subaru slammed this CUV to the ground, gave it the powertrain from a Subaru STI and finished off the car with a sportier front fascia and genuine JDM body kit. Subaru has offered Forester STIs in Japan for some time now, and we're hoping that we'll someday be able to buy a ride like the Forester XTI here.
KIA
Kia's booth was uneventful this year, but the vehicles it showed hint that the Korean carmaker will be a serious force at SEMA in the coming years. The two vehicles that appealed to us were the KOUP and Soul Burner concepts. Both vehicles have been on the auto show circuit all year, so it's not like we saw anything new here, but we did like what we saw.
The KOUP is said to be the next Spectra, and if the actual production car looks anything like the concept (and teaser photos are showing that to be the case), this Kia could gain favor with the tuner set. The KOUP will definitely be a hit if the production version comes with the concept's 289-horsepower direct-injected turbocharged four-banger.
Kia's Soul is a compact boxy ride that will compete for the hearts and minds of xB loyalists. It's an odd-looking ride, but people said the same about the original xB, and look what happened with that car. To make the Soul Burner stand out at car shows, Kia sprayed the box flat black, gave it a tribal tattoo-style dragon graphic and blood red trim.
HYUNDAI
Though small in terms of physical size, the Hyundai booth made one of the largest impacts at the 2008 SEMA show. Gone are the pinstriped Accents of SEMAs past, and in their place were nothing but attention-worthy Genesis Coupes and Sedans.
The Genesis sedans on hand show that Hyundai may be the next big brand in VIP-style tuning. RK Sport added a supercharger to the four-doors Tau 4.6-liter V8 and created a 460-horsepower car that can get 27 mpg on the highway. DUB did what it does best and dressed its duo of sedans up with full aero kits, big wheels and obligatory "DUB" badges. DUB rival RIDES Magazine transformed its Genesis sedan into a rolling technology showcase by adding an Apple Store's-worth of Mac products to the vehicle's cockpit. RIDES also made sure to outfit the vehicle with the obligatory full aero kit and 22-inch wheels.
Moving on to the two doors, HKS kept things simple with its bright red turbocharged, four-cylinder Genesis Coupe. The legendary Japanese tuner replaced the suspension and all the factory turbo components with its own gear, while the aero kit came from Ken Style. Street Concepts didn't tear into the motor of its black camo V6 coupe and instead opted to keep its modifications on just the aesthetic side.
The big dog in the Hyundai booth was Rhys Millen Racing's Genesis Coupe. This turbocharged two door underwent a full race conversion, including a fully built motor, full cage and dry carbon fiber wide body kit. As Rhys won't be driving for Pontiac next year, could this Hyundai be a sneak peek at his 2009 drift car?
www.hyundaiusa.com
www.kia.com
www.lexus.com
www.subaru.com
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