Mopar, FCA U.S.’ purveyor of accessories and performance parts, is offering a peek at what it is preparing to roll out for Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas in early November.
A mix of production and concept Mopar products have been bolted on to transform Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat vehicles, demonstrating how the Mopar brand can help owners personalize their vehicles.
It’s also a reflection of the newly rediscovered importance that aftermarket accessories can make a major impact on an automaker’s bottom line. FCA is just one of several makers that have been upping the ante with their presence at SEMA in recent years.
(Second time is the charm as workers approve FCA-UAW contract. For more, Click Here.)
In FCA’s case, it’s bringing nearly 20 vehicles, as well as hundreds of Mopar parts and accessories, to the 15,345-square-foot Mopar SEMA exhibit at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Mopar, which is the source for genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands, is a contraction of the words MOtor and PARts was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product, but it truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era.
It has now become a major business unit inside Fiat Chrysler, which has helped it spread the brand around. Revenue from the sales of Mopar-branded equipment havsincreased by 20% so far this year, according to Ross McGinnis, vice president of Mopar.
(Click Here for details about Ford’s presence at this year’s SEMA show.)
More than one third of the vehicles sold by FCA U.S. dealers are outfitted with Mopar equipment. The orders for equipment average more than $700 per vehicle for the Jeep Wrangler.
McGinnis said Mopar Performance Parts can enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical service and customer support.
The parts and kits are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This offers a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide, he said.
(To spur interest in its aftermarket parts biz, Chevy re-introduces Red Line, Click Here.)
Mopar distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. It operates more than 50 parts distribution centers and 27 customer-contact hubs globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide.
