News

This collection of photos from www.semaphotos.com features new and classic Cadillacs from the 2011 SEMA Show. In addition to pictures of display vehicles, the site also includes photos of products, celebrities, the SEMA Show floor and more.

Around the same time that Kia released sketches of the automaker's upcoming flagship sedan, the photographers at Brenda Priddy & Co. were busy shooting a prototype of the vehicle—codenamed KH—undergoing winter testing near the Arctic Circle.

Students preparing for careers in the automotive industry may be eligible to receive automotive scholarships—ranging from $1,000–$4,000—through the 2012 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund (SMSF). The scholarship application requires college transcripts and letters of recommendation and is now available at www.sema.org/scholarships.

Local and prospective members will gather at the Pheasant Run Resort (St. Charles, Illinois) during the Race & Performance Expo for an evening of networking with local industry leaders and SEMA staff at the first SEMA Town Hall Meeting for 2012.

A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow companies to market collision-repair parts without infringing a design patent after a vehicle has been marketed for two-and-a-half years. Under current law, a design patent covers the ornamental design for an object having practical utility for a 14-year term.

Legislation that originally threatened to provide localities with the authority to raise from $100 to $500 the amount charged for an annual license tax for vehicles that do not display current license plates was approved by the Virginia House of Delegates. 

Irwindale Speedway Cancels Season
Irwindale Speedway, which opened in 1999, has canceled the 2012 season and appears to be closing, according to the Los Angeles Daily News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Irwindale was considered among the best short track and drifting facilities in the nation. However, last Saturday, workers were dismantling the pit grandstand and taking apart storage areas, according to the Daily News report. In addition, the large billboard bordering the San Gabriel Valley River Freeway was not lit up and the track's website was taken off the Internet.

The West Virginia House of Delegates has introduced a concurrent resolution urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revoke its decision to allow the sale of gasoline with 15% ethanol (E15) until there is clear and convincing scientific evidence that E15 does not pose a risk to any gasoline-powered vehicle or equipment.

A SEMA-supported bill to create a statutory definition of a “vintage travel trailer” and provide for a one-time $40 registration fee was approved by the Utah Senate Transportation Committee and now moves to the floor of the Senate for a vote by all members. The bill has already been approved by the House of Representatives. 

SEMA-model legislation that would allow Iowa’s vehicle hobbyists to install and use aftermarket modified exhaust systems that meet a 95-decibel limit was introduced in the Iowa State Senate.