"Everyone wants to know when or if they can get this," said Ally Kay, a Toyota product expert.
Car campers are responding to the call for outdoor activities.
According to insiders in the automotive and aftermarket industries, the inability to provide shops, performances and other forms of entertainment has made it popular to travel by car to camping — land travel — during the pandemic.
In recent years, this approach has developed enough for SEMA to dedicate a portion of the Las Vegas Convention Center showroom to the landing device; that portion debuted in 2019 and returned in this year's show. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 show has been cancelled.
Individual settings vary, but can include trailers, portable refrigerators, showers, toilets, kitchens, storage rooms, and rooftop tents. Many products need to be fixed on a pickup bed, while others are vehicles that have been modified to resemble more sturdy mobile homes.
Parker Brink, CEO of Pull Kitchen, said that during the pandemic, tents and RV camping, onshore and outdoor activities were “very popular”, and the company sold complete kitchens connected to pickup beds. Brink said that the suppliers and suppliers working with his company "are seeing positive things" in the outdoor products industry.
Sam Lee of BTR Auto Customs in Illinois said: "With COVID, you really can't go anywhere, but you can travel with your family and have fun in the wild."
Toyota showcased a number of pickup trucks designed specifically for land use at the SEMA auto show on Wednesday. One of the models is based on Tundra's redesigned desert chasing tundra concept truck in 2022 for land and desert driving. But the Tacoma conceptual model called "Tacozilla" seems to have stole the limelight. A steady stream of onlookers circled the truck. This truck is like a classic camper. It has an overhead sleeping compartment for two people, a shower/toilet, a gas stove, a sink and a partition. Between seats.
The name of Tacozilla is derived from the nickname of "taco". Tacoma drivers call this pickup truck series "Taco" because it is "the beast in the vehicle", Toyota product expert Ally Kay said. The Tacozilla has yellow, orange and gray stripes on the body, reminiscent of Toyota campers in the 1970s and 1980s.
"To say the least, people hype about it," Kay said. "Everyone wants to know when or if they can get this."
Gear company iKamper launched its new disco series of four-piece cooking equipment on Monday and highlighted the product at its exhibitor booth on Wednesday after the successful Kickstarter event. Nathan Hendrix, managing director of iKamper, said that the company was founded in 2013 but grew rapidly in 2017 because one of its rooftop tent products has been sought after.
The Disco series includes an adjustable height tripod; a washable dish-shaped cast iron frying pan; a smaller traditional cast iron frying pan and a portable propane stove. It can come in many forms and costs $490. If purchased through its Kickstarter page, it will cost $400.
SEMA predicts that by 2025, light trucks will account for nearly 70% of all new vehicle sales. The association's market research shows that pickup trucks account for the largest share of special equipment spending-sales of 14.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, accounting for about 30% of the market.
An association’s “State of the Industry” report predicts year-on-year growth in sales of aftermarket truck products (such as suspension components, pickup truck beds, tractors, and off-road tires) in 2020. According to SEMA, this suggests that “federal stimulus funds and government stay-at-home orders may encourage truck and jeep enthusiasts to invest extra money and time on their favorite projects.”
Hellwig Products is benefiting from reduced external industry competition, said Mike Hallmark, marketing and international sales manager for load and swing control products company.
Hallmark said that people have turned their attention to camping and camping equipment, and his company sells products that can support the extra weight of land truck equipment.
He said that a successful landing is self-sufficient.
"You are only limited by budget and time out," Hallmark said.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.
The airline announced that United Airlines will add 44 new flights to and from Las Vegas in January to meet the expected surge in CES demand.
The SEMA Ignited post-show festival, which started on Friday afternoon, is the end of a week-long event held in Las Vegas for the Special Equipment Market Association Conference and Trade Show.
SEMA opened at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Tuesday morning, where Ford introduced the Eluminator electric crate engine for retrofitting internal combustion engine vehicles.
The National Association of Broadcasting Companies brings 90,000 to 100,000 broadcasting professionals to Las Vegas every April and will return in 2022.
It is expected that more than 100,000 car enthusiasts from all over the country will participate in the special equipment auto show SEMA, which starts on Tuesday.
The number of tourists in Las Vegas tells the same story. Hotel occupancy rates remain average, but resort operators have managed to keep average daily room rates at their highest levels during the pandemic.
The Drone Racing League will host the DRL Vegas Championship Race on the opening night of CES on January 5, bringing its high-speed professional drone racing track to Las Vegas.
On Thursday, on the first day of the National Hardware Show held in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, attendees had the opportunity to learn about trends and innovations in home improvement and DIY.
At the National Business Aircraft Association Conference in Las Vegas, the helicopter-driven mobile company Blade demonstrated how it can avoid air commuting traffic.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s board of directors unanimously approved the sale of a 10-acre former Las Vegas Strip property to a Chilean resort and real estate developer for $120 million on Tuesday.
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