Seen at SEMA: Autobytel Editors Select Ten Hottest SEMA Cars

Annual Trade Show Showcases Vehicles

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show held in Las Vegas is an fusion of the OEM and the automotive aftermarket industries. What typically manifests each year is cool concepts, outrageous custom one-offs, and innovative performance vehicles. According to the editors at Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL), the company dedicated to helping dealers and car buyers connect online, the 2012 SEMA Show was no different, with thousands of vendors and OEMs making the pilgrimage to the desert in order to see and be seen.

An industry-only trade event, SEMA is not open to the public, therefore Autobytel editors scoured the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center to cover the show and offer an insider's view to the public. Autobytel's YouTube channel features videos and interviews from SEMA 2012.

"This year's SEMA show did not disappoint," said Michelle Naranjo, Autobytel's editor-in-chief. "From new product unveilings, heart-stopping ride-alongs, celebrity sightings, and of course all the unique aftermarket mods available, Autobytel editors had no time to waste to see and cover it all."

Having recently returned from the excitement, unveilings, displays and demonstrations of this unique automotive industry trade show, the editors of Autobytel have put together a list of the ten hottest SEMA cars they came across during their time at the show.

Chevrolet COPO Camaro Convertible
This year, Chevrolet decided that less is more and brought only the second convertible edition of the 2012 COPO Camaro to SEMA. The 550 horsepower, supercharged COPO Camaro Convertible features a full roll cage and slick tires to go with its searing orange paint job.

Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Concept
Not to be left out of the drag party, Ford Racing introduced the twin-turbo version of its Ford Mustang Cobra Jet concept. The 5.0-liter V-8 underneath the hood of the Mustang Cobra Jet Concept is aided and abetted by a pair of Borg-Warner turbos that feature almost no lag.

Kia's We Can Be Heroes Justice League Fleet
Kia and DC Entertainment unveiled a set of five "We Can Be Heroes" charity editions of its most popular youth-oriented vehicles, each one paired with a member of the Justice League of America.

ICON Dodge D200 Reformer Series
The ICON Dodge D200 Reformer Series has been given a host of modern upgrades that bring out its big, beefy styling and enormous road (on and off) presence.

1940 Ford Coupe
It might seem unusual to get excited about what for all intents and purposes looks like the 'before' shot on the wall of your local paint shop, but the 1940 Ford coupe on display at Ford's massive chunk of SEMA real estate is notable for the fact that it can be ordered directly from the manufacturer.

Hyundai Cosworth Genesis Racing Series Concept
What set this model apart was its lack of a power-adder, shrugging off forced induction in order to develop 389 horsepower and 325 lb. / ft. of torque from its 3.8-liter all-motor V-6. In addition to breathing on the engine, Cosworth also outfitted the Genesis Coupe with new suspension components, brakes, and a full body kit that gives a track-ready look.

Legacy Power Wagon
Not to be outdone by ICON, Legacy Classic Trucks resurrected a Dodge Power Wagon by giving it a choice of either a four-cylinder Cummins turbodiesel engine or a 425 horsepower Chrysler V-8 engine.

Toyota Dragquoia
The least likely drag vehicle at SEMA 2012 hailed from the Toyota display, of all places. Antron Brown, one of the most successful Top Fuel competitors in NHRA, helped Toyota with its Dream Build initiative by putting together a 'Dragquoia' - that is to say, a version of the full-size sport-utility vehicle destined to rip down the 1320.

Hurst Edition Trans Am
Latching on to a nugget of Trans Am history forever recorded for posterity by the Smokey and the Bandit films, Trans Am Depot brought their Hurst Edition Chevrolet Camaro conversion to whet the appetites of Pontiac fans.

HPD CR-Z Concept
The Honda Performance Division's CR-Z Concept car took the battery-assisted drivetrain found in the standard CR-Z and slapped on a supercharger in order to squeeze out 185 horsepower and 169 lb-ft of torque - just about enough to make the Hyundai Veloster Turbos in your neighborhood sit up and take notice.

For more details on the ten hottest SEMA cars and more Autobytel editors' choices, visit www.Autobytel.com. Watch exclusive videos on Autobytel's YouTube page or join the conversation on the Autobytel Facebook Fan Page.

About Autobytel Inc.
Autobytel Inc., an online leader offering consumer purchase requests and marketing resources to car dealers and manufacturers and providing consumers with the information they need to purchase new and used cars, pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched its flagship website in 1995. Autobytel continues to offer innovative products and services to help consumers buy, and auto dealers and manufacturers sell, more used and new cars. Autobytel has helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online. Through its flagship website, network of automotive sites and respected online affiliates, Autobytel continues its dedication to innovating the industry's highest quality Internet programs to provide consumers with a comprehensive and positive automotive research and purchasing experience, and auto dealers, dealer groups and auto manufacturers with some of the industry's most productive and cost-effective customer referral and marketing programs.

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Autobytel Inc. Media Relations
MSC-PR
Michelle Suzuki
310-444-7115
michelle@msc-pr.com
or
Autobytel Inc. Investor Relations
PondelWilkinson Inc.
Roger Pondel/Laurie Berman
310-279-5980
investor@pondel.com
or
CMC Group, Inc.
Bradley Orr
303-887-4932
borr@cmc-group.us
or
Autobytel Inc.
Curtis E. DeWalt
SVP, Chief Financial Officer
949-437-4694
curtisd@autobytel.com

Source: Autobytel Inc.

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