The annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas brings together auto makers, the automotive aftermarket and repair industry, tuners, racers and restorers. Open only to the trade for most of the week, it’s a huge deal: there are more than 2,000 exhibiting companies awaiting more than 150,000 visitors.
SEMA isn’t about global reveals of big-selling new family vehicles, but it is a great chance for some of the vehicle manufacturers to put on a show – this is Vegas, after all. This year, as usual, there were some cool new concept cars and trucks – some of them previewing future production models – to entertain the crowd. TractionLife headed to the vast Las Vegas Convention Center to bring you 12 of the best.
Jeep Scrambler Concept
Jeep came to SEMA seeking a positive reaction to its Scrambler Concept, with a view to putting something similar into production. Given the thumbs-up from show-goers – plus the fact that a Scrambler appears in Stellantis’ Fastlane 2030 product plan – we’d say it’s a shoo-in to get the green light. The Hemi V8-powered concept, complete with Punk’n orange paint and sharknose front-end, is aimed at fast, off-road use. It’s Wrangler-based, but crucially gets an independent front suspension – designed by off-road racer, Casey Currie – more suited to its brief. The pickup bed is as long as a Ram pickup’s, and features reversible, removable seating.
Mitsubishi Outlander Diamond Trail Edition
Following the introduction of a refreshed Outlander Plug-in Hybrid and the new Eclipse Sportback EV, the next step in a full refresh of Mitsubishi’s all-SUV lineup for North America comes with the launch of the Outlander Diamond Trail Edition in Spring 2027. The conventionally powered SUV, which will be billed as a 2028 model, has reprofiled bumpers to increase the approach and departure angles, Nexen Roadian ATX all-terrain tires, a new seating material from which it’s easier to clean the great outdoors, and redesigned roof rails that can support much heavier loads, such as a rooftop tent. In fact, a Thule Approach 2M rooftop tent sat atop one of two, further customized Diamond Trails at Mitsubishi’s SEMA booth, which were shown alongside the standard car – all wearing new Trail Green Metallic paint with contrasting white roofs.
Honda Passport Baja Spec Trophy Truck
SEMA was the stage for Honda to reveal its new Trophy Truck for the 2027 SCORE World Desert Championship – the first to be hybrid powered, which seem appropriate for an auto maker synonymous with gasoline-electric technology. There’s little in common with Honda’s namesake SUV, however, as the racer is powered by a 1,300-hp, 2.4-litre, twin-turbo V6 with an 800V hybrid architecture. That setup makes more power than the 9-litre V8s in conventional Trophy Trucks, says Honda. The truck was developed by HRC with Mason Motorsports and will be driven by two-time Baja 1000 winner, Bryce Menzies.
Ford Bronco ‘Frostwarden’
No big vehicle announcements for Ford at the SEMA Show this year, but no new engine announcement was bigger than the ‘Megazilla 2.0’ crate engine for racers and other custom-vehicle builders. Previously only available as a naturally aspirated engine, at two different power levels, the 7.3-litre V8 can now be supercharged by a 3-litre Whipple blower to provide over 1200bhp – almost twice as much as before – and more than 1000lb ft of torque. Megazilla 2.0 was fitted to a modified Bronco at the Ford booth, called ‘Frostwarden’, which was based around an Arctic search-and-rescue concept. Ford Racing Parts will deliver the first of the new motors from the spring of 2027.
Nissan Sentra Spec-V Concept
Once-beloved sport compacts are all but gone from the North American market, so it’s a pity that this Sentra is only a concept. Still, we can get behind this nod to Nissan’s sport-compact heritage – specifically, the Sentra SE-R, which arrived in the US in 1991. The show car is based on the current, recently refreshed Sentra, ditching its regular, normally aspirated 2-litre and CVT in favour of a 300-hp turbocharged motor and the six-speed manual transmission from the Juke Nismo RS. The hot sedan’s Brembo brakes and Recaro front seats are sourced from the GT-R.
Jeep Recon Overwatch Concept
Jeep says that “lightweight materials, thoughtful packaging and functional upgrades” are the watchwords for this trail-ready version of the new Recon EV. The “conceptual” two-inch lift kit points to a likely future aftermarket part that will be available through Jeep Performance Parts (JPP). Using carbon fiber in the fender flares, door jambs and window aperture closeouts reduces mass, while custom rock rails and skid plates prevent damage to the underside. Note that, in addition to the doors, the quarter and rear glass has been removed to bring the occupants closer to the open air.
Toyota RAV4 Woodland Plug-in Hybrid Concept
Toyota’s Woodland badge is being rolled out across the range to denote a ruggedized version of a particular model line. At this year’s SEMA Show, Toyota’s CALTY Design Research operation revealed a set of Woodland concepts (RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, Sienna, bZ, Grand Highlander and Crown Signia) – all with lift kits, roof-mounted cargo storage, chunky fender extensions, satin-black wheels and all-terrain tires. The distinctive Horizon Blue paint is inspired by a 1960s Toyota colour.
Honda Civic Type R HRC Concept
Having first been shown at the Tokyo Auto Show earlier this year, the Type R HRC is due to be launched in the coming months. It will be the first production Honda model to wear the HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) badge since it merged with HPD (Honda Performance Development, as North America’s performance division was formerly known), in 2024. We’ve yet to hear much about the new car’s performance upgrades, but at SEMA Honda confirmed that this hottest Civic of all – shown here in a camouflage wrap – will be sold in North America.
Ram Rumble Bee SRT
You’d think that Ram’s new Rumble Bee trucks were SEMA-ready, right from the factory. But this SEMA build shows how – just in case 777 hp is not enough – owners will be able to upgrade their hot rod pickups. This lowered, widebody quad-cab has a Direct Connection supercharger system that pushes the power to a targeted 900+, while a stainless, cat-back exhaust system from MagnaFlow – also available through the Direct Connection catalog – should ensure the 170-mph truck sounds as mean as it looks.
Tim Kuniskis, Stellantis’ head of American Brands, SRT Performance and Direct Connection division, also used the SEMA platform to announce Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup series from 2027, working in partnership with its existing truck team, Kaulig Racing.
Nissan Frontier Ronin Concept
Described as Nissan’s vision for, “a high-performance, unstoppable off-road truck”, the Ronin takes its name from the Japanese for “masterless warrior” (you might remember the movie starring Robert De Niro). Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged version of the regular, 3.8-litre V6 motor (the turbo comes from the R35 GT-R NISMO), while a 12-inch increase in width and a four-inch lift come thanks to Nissan Titan suspension parts. NISMO Ascend beadlock wheels wear 35-inch Yokohama Geolandar X-AT tires. Away from the mechanical upgrade, the cosmetic makeover includes custom bucket seats, extra gauges and custom seat belts with topographic map-inspired details to complement the topographically mapped, Baltic Teal exterior.
Toyota Land Cruiser Snowhunter Concept
Toyota’s second set of SEMA concepts was based around, “the adventurous spirit of winter” and featured extreme interpretations of five body-on-frame vehicles: Tundra, Tacoma, 4Runner, Sequoia, and the Land Cruiser pictured here. CALTY Design Research again led the design of this snow-tracked family, in which all vehicles feature Snowhunter camouflage, black accents, lighting, lift components, and expedition gear. While the Tundra is fitted to serve as a mobile basecamp, the Land Cruiser is focused on passenger and cargo space.
And finally… Subaru Outback Wilderness Custom
Subaru did not have an official presence at SEMA this year, but this custom Outback Wilderness caught our eye as just the kind of vehicle that might have been on its booth if it had been there. Exhibited with tuning parts specialist, AFE, it takes things further than the regular Wilderness thanks to a package of powertrain upgrades; Falken WildPeak all-terrain tires on Reika R30 Drifter wheels; a Leitner gear pod and roof rack; Warn winch; and AFE lift kit, skid plate and intercooler shield.
