SEMA

How's this for green tech? Coach Builders Ltd. created this bright green convertible Dodge Challenger for the 2008 SEMA Show. According to Coach Builders, it will cost you about $16,000 to lose the top of your Challenger, not including the price of the vehicle itself. Doing a little math, converting a Challenger SRT8 will cost as much as $60,975, if you opt for the uconnect GPS, Kicker stereo system, and six-speed manual tranny.

Adding a little go to the show, Coach Builders Ltd has also supercharged the 6.1-liter Hemi V8 producing 560HP and 510 pound-feet of … Read more

The 2008 SEMA Show was packed to the gills with interesting announcements.

Chevrolet--hot on the tails of the freshly available Dodge Challenger--made a huge push for its upcoming Camaro, unveiling a few conceptual special editions.

Both Volkswagen and Honda showed us how they planned to combine eco-tech and performance-tech with their VW CC Eco Performance Concept and Honda Civic HFP Sedan Concept.

AT&T showed us how they planned to bring TV to the car with its CruiseCast satellite TV system. Conversely, GoPro showed us how to put your car on TV with its GoPro Hero camera system.

Aside … Read more

Scion, Toyota's youth-oriented sub-brand, has made vehicle customization tantamount to the experience of purchasing and owning its vehicles. So at the world's largest aftermarket car parts show, SEMA is hot Las Vegas, you can bet that Scion had a big presence with some truly unique vehicles.

Models ranged from an xB pickup truck conversion to a wide-body tC. Oddly, we didn't see any examples of the xD.

View the full gallery of Scions at SEMA.

While Honda didn't roll out any new models or concepts at SEMA 2008, it did introduce a few new trim levels and accessory packages to some old favorites. The Civic Honda Factory Performance Concept sedan represents Honda's quest to bring the performance of its Type-R and Si models in line with its green initiatives.

Along with the HFP Civic, there were tuned Fits by Mugen and Tjin, tuned Pilots and Ridgelines, and a rather hot Accord Coupe. These vehicles represent the broad range of directions that owners take when customizing their Honda vehicles and the degree to which … Read more

Hyundai's Genesis is the new kid on the block and Hyundai's new jack of all trades, with a sedan taking aim at luxury buyers and a coupe that's pulling the double duty of targeting the tuner market with a 2-liter turbo model and the upmarket enthusiast with it's V-6 model. With a marquee aimed at such a wide gamut of buyers, it's no wonder that when the Korean automaker put a few Genesis models into the hands of master tuners--DUB, RK Sport, and Rhys Millen Racing, among others--the results varied so wildly.

My personal favorite … Read more

Perhaps you're the owner of a fine driving machine capable of high-speed precision driving, the likes of which mere mortals can only dream. Or maybe you've got a beater that you take on the back roads every weekend. Either way, how do you share your driving experience with your pals on your favorite video-sharing site or car forum? GoPro may just have the solution for you in the way of its Wide Hero mountable camera.

GoPro's Lotus Exige was on hand to showcase the cameras. The vehicle was equipped with four cameras that I could see: one … Read more

Volkswagen rolled out some new high performance concepts with an eco twist at the 2008 SEMA Show. Among the models displayed were a hot-rod version of the Tiguan crossover SUV, the CC Gold Coast Edition, and the Jetta TDI Cup (the race-ready version of VW's clean diesel Jetta).

The main event was the unveiling of the CC Eco Performance Concept, a version of the CC that not only bests the stock model in raw power, but also in fuel economy.

View the full Volkswagen Performance Concepts gallery.

At 2008's SEMA Show, I took a spin in a Toyota Sienna with a rather unique feature designed and installed by AT&T: CruiseCast Satellite TV. I have to say after seeing the system, I'm impressed.

We here at CNET Car Tech have test driven vehicles equipped with satellite TV, such as the 2009 Dodge Ram and Durango Hybrid vehicles with their Sirius Backseat TV systems. These systems have two fatal flaws. First, the signal is poor even at its best. At its worst, it's unwatchable because of spotty reception. Secondly, the selection of channels is … Read more

The Chevrolet Camaro was unveiled over a year ago, yet it's still not on showroom floors. With the Camaro being named the official vehicle of the 2008 SEMA Show, what can GM do to make us pay attention to its interpretation of the muscle car? Unveil a slew of special editions, that's what.

In all, four special edition Camaro concepts were unveiled at the 2008 SEMA Show Keynote speech, ranging from the relatively mild Black Edition to the high horsepower Camaro LS7 Concept to the full blown Camaro GS Race Prototype.

Click here to view the 2008 SEMA Show: Chevrolet Camaro Keynote photos.… Read more