Ahead of SEMA Show, Mopar Looms Large

Chrysler Group Fiat 500 Beach Cruiser, one of the Mopar vehicles scheduled to be shown at SEMA.

The primary intention of the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association trade show in Las Vegas, scheduled from Tuesday to Nov. 2, has always been to showcase aftermarket accessories developed for the automotive industry. But as car manufacturers have become more invested in how its vehicles are customized, the SEMA Show has developed into an important forum, much like a traditional auto show, for demonstrating the personalization possibilities of a brand's rides.

Lest their efforts be swallowed in the commotion of a trade show covering one million square feet of exhibition space, a number of automakers have previewed their offerings in recent weeks. Mopar, the parts and accessories division serving Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, SRT, Ram and Fiat, introduced perhaps the largest factory-backed assortment of vehicles.

Though the Jeep Wrangler is often called the most customized vehicle on the market - a whole industry of aftermarket parts suppliers has sprung up to serve it - Jeep has not traditionally done much with it. So SEMA represents a coming-out party of sorts for Mopar's increased emphasis on Jeep parts.

The Cherokee Half and Half concept is a striking demonstration of the difference that in-house customization can make. The car has a zipper graphic down the middle, so one-half of the vehicle is stock, the other half is fully Mopar-ized.

The Jeep Wrangler Sand Trooper showcases a 375-horsepower conversion kit for Chrysler's venerable 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine. There's als o a five-inch lift kit, which includes suspension and axle mods; 42-inch mud-bogger tires; a full underbody skid plate, winch, rock rails and auxiliary storage compartments.

Every accessory on these cars, including the Wrangler's half doors, is available from Mopar.

The Dodge Charger Juiced is the brand's rear-drive sedan rendered street-legal hot rod, with a 650-horsepower V-10 crate engine stuffed in it. The exterior gets assorted graphics and accents for the Copperhead paint scheme.

Dodge said when the 2013 Dodge Dart went into production, there were already more than 150 Mopar parts and accessories available for the compact sedan. The busy-looking Dart Carbon Fire concept apparently has all 150 of them bolted on.

The new 2013 SRT Viper arrives from the factory built at the edge of road-car performance, but a race-inspired custom yellow paint job amplifies its already considerable bad-boy image. Carbon fiber is used for accents, inside and out. The distinguishing attribute of the interior is a sort of bumblebee color scheme. Racing seats, with six-point safety harnesses, are sure to remind the boulevard poseur that it is always better to look good than feel good.

Other highlights among the 24 different Moparized vehicles scheduled to be displayed include the Chrysler 300 Luxury concept, with subtle touches intended to remind attendees that the recently redesigned 300 has gone through rehab successfully and is now a recovering urban gangster.

The Urban Ram, meanwhile, may attract the disenfranchised 300 customizer, with an appearance and handling-enhancement package that the company said would amp up the truck's “intimidation factor.”

A playful take on the West Coast car-customizer vibe, the Fiat 500 Beach Cruiser has an entertaining surf motif. The charcoal-gray, matte-finish 500 features a body widened by a foot both front and rear, with old-school fender flares that cover aluminum Mopar prototy pe wheels. Red paint brightens the rims, as well as satin and brushed center caps that impart a clean look while hiding the lug nuts.

The exterior metal work receives a satin, brushed finish on the door handles, mirrors and Mopar fascia accents, including the front chin spoiler and Mopar roof-rack surfboard carrier. Headlamps are tinted, and cues from vintage hot-rod culture are found on the prototype Mopar hood and rear deck lid, which include louvers that are functional and aesthetically appealing. Teak woodwork on the slats of the roof rack, which carries a custom surfboard painted to match the body, round out the Vegas-bound supermini's C.V.

“The SEMA Show is the perfect place for us to showcase our vast portfolio of proven, quality-tested Mopar performance parts and accessories,” Pietro Gorlier, president and chief executive of Mopar, said in a media statement. “We hope that showgoers look at each of these vehicles and get inspired to customize and acc essorize their rides.”