New Life in the Aftermarket

Pricey auto accessories like Lamborghini-style flip-up doors, 24-inch rims and 10-inch television screens are fueling the latest spending craze in the automotive industry, with young enthusiasts and old hot-rodders alike "pimping out" their cars. It's a booming $31.5-billion-a-year business, whose customers no longer fit the stereotypical image of street thugs, hip-hop stars and celebrities.

From the St. Louis Dispatch

ST. LOUIS — Pricey auto accessories like Lamborghini-style flip-up doors, 24-inch rims and 10-inch television screens are fueling the latest spending craze in the automotive industry, with young enthusiasts and old hot-rodders alike “pimping out” their cars.

It’s a booming $31.5-billion-a-year business, whose customers no longer fit the stereotypical image of street thugs, hip-hop stars and celebrities. “We’re seeing a lot more of a younger white crowd and people in their 40s and 50s dressing up their wheels, it’s not just the kids anymore,” said Paul Perez, owner of Wheel Image Automotive in Bridgeton, MO.

But the average customer is young and big spending – the coveted 18-to-25-year-old male with some disposable income and more credit than their hot-rodding baby boomer fathers. What do they want? Bigger and better wheels with lights are most popular. Twenty-inch-diameter wheel rims will suffice, for now.

The aftermarket car parts industry has been growing an average 8 percent a year during the last 10 years, with 9 percent growth in 2004, according to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA).

“The industry was graying about 20 years ago, but the youth market is the fastest growing category in our industry,” said Peter MacGillivray, vice president of marketing and communications for SEMA. “A younger group is being turned on by cars and they’ll be buying a lot of products in the next 20 to 30 years.”

At GDS 4×4 & Drivetrain Service in Maryville, IL, the average customer is between 16 and 50 years old. “They all want suspension and body lifts for tire clearance, and bigger wheels so you can see more of the rim,” said Kathy Shadwick, who co-owns the business with her husband Gary. A suspension lift for all four tires at their business could cost about $2,000, and up to $4,000 on some trucks, depending on the vehicle.

But it’s the look, not the money, that matters for serious car hobbyists like Mark Hamilton Jr. The 23-year-old loads trucks for a living, but he spent $65,000 this year to soup up his 2004 Chevy Avalanche truck. That includes a custom $6,000 paint job to coat the truck in “sunset orange and gold ‘sicle,” he said.

Inside, there are matching orange leather seats with his nickname, “Big Bro,” stitched on the driver’s seat. A 10-inch flip-down screen extends from the ceiling, where it’s connected to a DVD player and a Sony PlayStation.

The truck rides on 24-inch Vevino Concept rims, which cost about $5,500 for a set of four. “I’ve spent enough, for now,” Hamilton Jr. said.

But it’s not just about cars anymore. Hamilton wasn’t even the biggest spender who lined up their rides last Sunday at the 2005 Dub Magazine Car & Auto Show inside America’s Center in St. Louis.

The 12-city annual tour is promoted as a “lifestyle” event, with hip-hop concerts, contests, and the requisite pinup model, Vida Guerra, who straddled motorcycles and signed autographs for fans.

“This started with hot rodders, who were young, aspiring and motivated and tricking out their cars in the ’50s; it’s the same kind of passion today,” said Myles Kovacs, president and co-founder of five-year-old Dub Magazine. “Dub” is slang for 20-inch rims, though it can also describe a $20, or double “dime” bag of marijuana.

For advertisers and sponsors, there’s street credibility and a coveted market at these multi-city shows.

Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Procter & Gamble are sponsors for the tour. And DaimlerChrysler’s high-performance division, Mopar, is collaborating with the magazine for a “DUB Edition” of the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Magnum.

Chrysler is currently running a $75 million advertising campaign that pairs Snoop Dogg with former Chrysler chief executive Lee Iacocca. Of course, their golf cart is outfitted in rims and there’s a tiny television screen on the golf bag.

But for some enthusiasts, if you can see past the pricey chrome, it’s still an age-old hobby.

Nikko Henderson, 32, of Tulsa, OK, entered the auto show Sunday to show off his 1972 Monte Carlo, outfitted with 22-inch Beatnik rims. He’s been fixing it up slowly, and has spent close to $40,000 on upgrades. “Everybody does it, it’s an American hobby,” Henderson said. “We fill our time by messing with our cars.”

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