Salt Lake City doesn't scream Car Capital of the USA, but it still has its surprising luxury and modified car scene. One big benefit of being in SLC, the trip to Vegas is easy whichever way you take. After a fun drive, we found ourselves ready to scope out our favorite Auto Show.
SEMA always feels like drinking from a fire hose, but after walking the halls and digging through the wild builds and new products, a handful of things really stuck with us. Here are the five cars, concepts, and factory-backed upgrades that stood out most at SEMA 2025.
1. Toyota bZ Time Attack – EVs Built for Lap Times
Toyota didn’t just park an electric crossover on a turntable and call it a day. The bZ Time Attack is a stripped-down, wide-body track car based on the brand’s upcoming bZ EV platform. Power is cranked well past 400 hp, the suspension is lowered on adjustable coil-overs, and the interior is gutted for a full cage and race buckets.
It’s still technically a development mule, but the message is clear: Toyota wants its future EVs to do more than quietly commute. This thing looks and sounds like the test bed for a new era of electric GR cars.
2. Scion 01 Concept – A Factory-Bred Desert Weapon
Over in Toyota’s performance corner, the Scion 01 Concept felt like a cheat code for anyone who loves desert racing. Built as a four-seat UTV using Tacoma-based hybrid running gear and an 8-speed transmission, it’s wrapped in a full race cage and long-travel suspension that meets SCORE and FIA regulations.
It’s the kind of thing you’d normally expect from a small race shop, not straight from an OEM design studio. Even if it never hits showrooms, the idea of a factory-engineered, hybrid side-by-side that’s Baja-ready is exactly the sort of crazy we go to SEMA to see.
3. Hyundai Ioniq 9 Off-Road Concept – Electric Overlanding, For Real
Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 Off-Road Concept answered a question a lot of people have been asking: what happens when you treat a big electric SUV like an overland platform? Starting with a three-row Ioniq 9 Calligraphy, Hyundai and the BigTime crew added a lift, all-terrain tires on white OZ wheels, a roof rack with a serious light bar, and a retro brown-and-tan wrap that looks straight off a 1970s brochure.
Underneath all that style is still a dual-motor, 422-hp EV with real range. It shows how quickly the “adventure build” mindset is crossing over from gas trucks to battery-powered rigs.
4. Ford Maverick 300T Kit – Small Truck, Big Attitude
The Maverick 300T package might be the most attainable fun to come out of SEMA this year. Ford is taking the 2.0-liter EcoBoost Maverick and offering a factory-backed upgrade kit that borrows turbo hardware from the Mustang 2.3.
With a larger turbo, revised tune, upgraded intercooler and a sportier suspension, output lands at roughly 300 hp and 317 lb-ft—without giving up road manners or emissions legality. It’s a perfect example of SEMA energy channeled into something you’ll actually be able to bolt onto a real street truck in 2026.
5. Battle of the Builders ’36 Ford Roadster – Old Metal, New Genius
Among all the slammed trucks and wide-body supercars, the hand-built 1936 Ford Roadster that won this year’s Battle of the Builders felt like rolling sculpture. Troy Trepanier’s team essentially created a coachbuilt car: custom frame, reshaped bodywork, a fully fabricated top and a meticulously detailed engine bay.
Power comes from a supercharged Ford Y-block with modern fuel injection and 3D-printed components, backed by a modern transmission and quick-change rear. It looks timeless from 20 feet away and totally modern once you start spotting the details—exactly what a SEMA hero car should be.
Wrapping It Up
From electric track toys and overland EVs to factory hot-rod kits and hand-built classics, SEMA 2025 proved that “new car stuff” doesn’t fit in a single box anymore. Whether the future is battery-powered, turbocharged, or a weird mix of both, one thing hasn’t changed: enthusiasts will always find ways to push whatever they drive just a little bit further.
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