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News - Motor Show - SEMAMental metal at SEMA 2025Here are the top OEM reveals at SEMA 2025, from the flat-out cool to outright manic5 Nov 2025 EACH year, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas offers up a mecca of custom metal from across the automotive aftermarket, but OEMs also roll out their most daring creations.
Hosted from 4-7 November at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, this year’s event saw a showstopping array of custom parts, innovations, and builds from across the $US52 billion specialty aftermarket industry, with something for everyone … provided they have a thirst for top-shelf custom cars.
From a Gymkhana-ready Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo, to a Mattel ‘Matchbox’ Jeep Wrangler, immaculate Pure Vision Designs ‘67 Pontiac GTO and everything in between, SEMA offered more eye candy than car nuts will find elsewhere.
As has become a trend in recent years, the OEMs rolled out some of their wildest real-life creations at the show, offering a mix of performance-focused road-going models and mental one-off builds (because, why not?), showing that even the big end of town knows how to have fun.
Here are our favourite OEM unveilings from SEMA 2025, as we celebrate the manufacturers that dare to be different.
Nissan on PatrolNissan was not holding back at this year’s SEMA event, rocking up with a bevy of on- and off-road weapons, from beefed-up contemporaries to a 745kW classic off-road racer.
The first desert-ready cab off the rank is Nissan’s Dune Patrol concept, which reimagines the incoming Y63 Patrol as an off-road racer-meets-overlander to pay homage to the nameplate’s off-road racing history while perhaps offering some hints as to the tough look of a future Aussie-developed Warrior flagship.
Performance upgrades include custom long-travel racing suspension, pumped arches, a cat-back exhaust, and prototype Nismo 18-inch AXIS beadlock wheels wearing 37-inch Yokohama rubber.
In order to make the Dune Patrol desert-ready, Nissan also fitted frame-mounted rock sliders, an on-board air compressor, skid plates, lighting, a roof rack and MOLLE mounting panels for storage cases, fuel and water canisters.
In true SEMA fashion, the racy retromod scene was well-represented, in Nissan’s case, a Forsberg Racing YQ (better known as the GQ) short-wheelbase Patrol, finished in period-correct Mobil 1 livery.
The race-ready GQ ‘Shorty’ is powered by Nissan’s big-bore TB48 inline six, an engine that’s as known for its thirsty fuel consumption as it is for its prodigious power potential, with a big Garrett turbocharger hanging off the side to produce 745kW.
It rides on NISMO 17-inch AXIS beadlock wheels, shod with 35-inch Yokohama Geolandars, suited for sand dunes and gnarly climbs.
Street MaverickFord also rolled in with a duo of wild on- and off-road creations, which included the ultimate Raptor spec and a punchy street truck with a Mustang turbo transplant.
The Maverick – a compact, low-riding sub-Ranger ute that Australia sadly does not receive – was given a front-to-back, bottom-to-top rework using Mustang and Mach-E goodies for the 300T show car.
A larger turbocharger from the 2.3-litre EcoBoost Mustang, along with upgraded Mishimoto intercooler and Borla exhaust, takes the Maverick’s 2.0-litre engine to 223kW/429Nm (up 37kW and 54Nm).
Upgrades extend beyond the engine bay, though, with Ford also fitting 20-inch Mach-E GT wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Elect rubber, as well as revised springs, rear dampers and a thicker stabiliser bar for a lower stance and improved performance.
Of course, the mini truck was also given a visual rework with either a black or bronze colour scheme, complemented by 300T badging.
According to Ford, the package is designed for 2025 Maverick XL, XLT and Lariat models running the 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine and all-wheel drive, representing a return to form for the iconic street truck category.
Upping the ante, Ford also showed the ultimate F-150 Raptor R variant, teasing what is possible with the holy-grail Raptor model when a bigger 3.0-litre Whipple supercharger is bolted to the already potent 5.2-litre V8.
This particular Raptor R now produces 671kW – up on the standard supercharged V8 that makes 537kW – which will put every other high-performance off-road ute to shame if the big Whipple becomes a factory option in the future.
It is a far cry from the Ford Ranger Raptor available Down Under, with its 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbocharged engine producing 292kW – less than half of what this Whipple-equipped Raptor R makes.
Because who doesn’t love a whining V8 in an off-road-ready ute?
Infiniti and beyondA favourite reveal at this year’s SEMA show was Infiniti's QX80 R-spec build, proving that engineers are still, on occasion, given the opportunity to bring their wildest fantasies to life.
Infiniti’s flagship luxury SUV was gutted, the original driveline replaced with a GT-R-sourced VR38DETT Nismo engine offering four-figure horsepower capability.
The 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V6 was rebuilt with JE pistons, Boostline rods and ARP rod bolts, before ETS exhaust manifolds were fitted and Garrett G-series turbochargers bolted up – hinting at just how far Infiniti intends to take the performance of this SUV.
According to Infiniti, the VR-equipped QX80 is capable of producing 745kW, which should equate to performance that eclipses a standard Nissan GT-R supercar.
To ensure the burly SUV stops, Infiniti fitted GT-R-sourced carbon-ceramic brakes, while handling is enhanced by custom coilovers atop 24-inch GT-R-themed wheels wrapped in enormous 315mm rubber.
Visuals are equally menacing, with a custom bodykit fitted that is wider, lower, and apparently more aerodynamic too, finished in a Midnight Purple hue that honours the iconic R34 and R35 GT-R models.
Blistering bZToyota turned up to SEMA with seven vehicles, which fit within its stand theme of ‘Powered by Possibility’, ranging from hydrogen-powered off-roaders to retromod classics, even showing off a buggy concept.
Exploring alternative future fuels, petrol, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were represented – but a few standouts stole the show.
Front and centre was Toyota’s bZ Time Attack Concept, an all-out electric racer aimed at motorsport use, taking the brand’s base bZ and giving it a seriously hardcore makeover, including functional aerodynamics to achieve high levels of downforce and a lightweight construction that makes full use of the combined 300kW output – up on the base model’s 252kW.
Suspended by Tein coilovers and riding on fat 19x11-inch BBS wheels, the bZ Time Attack has an Alcon brake setup with Hawk pads adapted from Toyota’s 86 Cup program for uprated stopping power.
The concept is fitted with a full FIA-spec chromoly roll cage plus OMP racing seats – and Toyota admits the SEMA show car doubles as a testbed for its future EV motorsport development. A one-make race series, perhaps?
An equally radical caged creation was Toyota's Scion 01 off-road buggy concept, which is a four-seat UTV with a hybrid Toyota heart.
The project was brought to life by North American Toyota engineers, who applied their off-road passion to create “the ultimate outdoor adventure experience”, and the result is nothing short of awesome.
At its heart, the Scion 01 uses the turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain from Toyota’s truck range, producing more than 220kW but also capable of operating in electric-only mode for a silent experience.
With an FIA-compliant roll cage, Toyota claims the Scion 01 is capable of high-speed racing, off-road trail running and technical rock crawling, offering more power, capability and range than current UTV options.
“At Toyota, innovation drives us to explore new possibilities and redefine the future of mobility,” said Toyota Division Marketing group vice president Mike Tripp.
“SEMA is the perfect venue to showcase how Toyota’s powertrain diversity meets the needs of today while pushing the limits for tomorrow.
“Whether you choose gas, hybrid, electric, or hydrogen, Toyota vehicles prove that efficiency, performance and adventure are possible in every form.”  Read more |
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