Body Kits - RetroUSA

| Body Kits |
Body kits, while changing in style and application, remain a popular
product for restylers and their customers. Photos from Dawn Enterprises.
While the days of “The Fast and the Furious” are fading into distant memory,
new applications and price points — as well as a more diverse customer base —
make body kits an enduring hit with today’s restylers.
By Jake Rishavy
|Bo d y K i t s |
I
Drivers who came of age during the sport
compact boom of the early 2000s are
experiencing a shift in the style of body
kits they desire as they age. Today, they
often prefer a more subtle classic look.
Honda Civic kit from Grip Tuning.
78
n recent years, the market for
stylish body kits, like any creative marketplace, has been in
a more or less constant state of
flux: The products themselves
are offered in modestly more
advanced materials, the customer demographics cover a notably broader range and
the styles themselves now range from classic
to futuristic.
The most notable difference in the market for body kits today, however, are the
styles themselves and the vehicles they’re
most often applied to. Namely, two very
divergent vehicle types: American muscle
and energy-efficient (or green) vehicles.
Matt Srugis, marketing director for
Rochester Hills, Mich.-based Grip Tuning,
notes that while the term body kits a few
years back inherently conjured up images
of a hopped-up sport compact, much of
the momentum in today’s market occurs
among domestic applications. The latest
generation of fuel-efficient domestic modRESTYLINGMAG.COM
| Body Kits |
|Bod y K i t s |
els and the re-emerging American muscle
segment are both hot movers, he says.
He notes that the market for kits for
sport compacts has tapered off a bit, but
are still a strong market segment despite a
trend toward add-on lip kits rather than full
replacement fascias.
“The green movement is picking up
steam, and vehicles associated with [fuel
economy] like Ford’s Fiesta and Focus and
Chevrolet’s Cruze present good potential
for consumers looking to differentiate their
vehicle’s aesthetics,” he adds. “The muscle
car segment has really grown with the introduction of the [Dodge] Challenger, the new
Camaro, the 300c and Dodge Charger,
along with the always-aftermarket-friendly
Mustang.”
Looking ahead by looking back
Srugis certainly isn’t the only one citing the
rebirth of the muscle car as a driving force
in the body kit market. In fact, Burnsville,
Minn.-based Retro USA currently focuses
exclusively on this re-emerging market.
The company is thriving by combining
the classic styling of early muscle cars with
today’s more driver- and installer-friendly
body kit components. It recently launched
a line of chrome and chrome-look body kit
components that hint back at those earlier days, with parts including bumpers,
shark gills, ice-cube trays and rocker moldings, says Retro USA’s marketing director,
Donna Green.
“The aftermarket industry was given a
jump start with the emergence of the pony
cars,” she says. “The Camaro just begs for
the shark gills of 1969, the Challenger looks
finished with the chrome it cruised the
streets with in 1970, and the Mustang turns
heads with the gleam of chrome from the
front to rear bumper.”
The company offers a complete retro
chrome kit providing a factory-installed
look, or individual parts including quarter moldings or quarter scoops and rocker
moldings, all offered either chromed or
painted.
In the muscle car segment, as in many
others today, partial kits or even mix-andRESTYLINGMAG.COM
match combinations of parts from the
body kits provided by multiple suppliers, is another emerging trend, says Sean
Tito, Internet sales manager for RKSport,
Murrieta, Calif.
“Lately, the American muscle cars seem
to be a strong candidate [for body kit
applications],” he says, noting that partial
kits are common among enthusiasts of this
segment of vehicles. He suspects these customers are, in some cases, “replacing a part
or mix-and-match with other companies’
components.”
“Body kits years ago were mainly made
from fiberglass and some from urethane,”
he says. “More recently, they are made
from vacuum-formed ABS or injected urethane. Dawn Enterprises now has a lowercost alternative … made of flexible PVC.”
Ernie Bunnell, vice president of sales
and marketing for Newport Beach, Calif.based 3dCarbon, notes that polyurethane
has been the material of choice for 3dCarbon body kits since its inception six years
ago. How the company forms its kits, however, is of interest.
“When you say ‘body kit’ or ‘ground effects,’ people think:
adds. “We’re looking to change that view of how people
Kevin Box, Dawn Enterprises
Material developments
While the vehicles to which body kits are
installed have changed significantly, only
some fairly modest — but still notable
and interesting — new developments have
occurred in the realm of body kit materials
and manufacturing.
Kevin Box, marketing manager for
Dawn Enterprises, Valley View, Ohio, notes
that the products supplied by his
organization have changed
somewhat in recent years:
“Our process is unique in the fact that
we utilize a high-pressure process that is
comparable to an OE-quality injection
molding [process],” he says, noting his
company’s kits utilize a two-component liquid chemistry as opposed to others where
plastic is sheet heated and formed using a
Domestic muscle cars, such as Chevy’s Camaro, are among the hottest emerging
markets for body kits. Photo from 3dCarbon.
7[
| Body Kits |
Retro styling that harkens back to the original days of the American muscle car is an
emerging trend in the market for body kits. Photos from Retro USA.
mold. This process produces kits that he
says are smooth, with no pin holes, for ease
of painting.
3dCarbon’s polyurethane has the additional benefit of having received Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)
for bumper impact testing in both Canada
and the United States.
Grip Tuning’s Srugis also notes that
both the functionality and appearance of
less common materials, like carbon fiber,
still appeal to many drivers:
“Carbon fiber body components have
become fairly common and have a high
perceived value to the end user,” he says.
“However, urethane remains the material
of choice when fitment, durability and longevity are concerned.”
In the case of Retro USA’s retro-styled
kit pieces, many of which are chromed or
coated with simulated chrome, the combination of underlying product and coating are equally important. The company’s
research led it to the conclusion that ABS
plastic was ideal for smaller parts dipped in
chrome, while TPO plastics worked better for the company’s thermoformed parts,
which are a “combination of chrome film
laminated to the TPO prior to the forming
process,” Green says.
“The choice for TPO was recognized
by the Society of Plastic Engineers as
they awarded Retro USA with both an
Innovation Award in the Performance and
Customization category and a thermoforming award for our Chrome-Tech bumpers,”
she says.
Regardless of the materials used, RK
Sport’s Tito notes that recent developments
in manufacturing technology have allowed
the industry to vastly improve durability.
“[We’re] engineering them to install easier and adjusting the material used to allow
them to flex more, giving the body part a
longer life,” he says. “Being that cars are so
low these days, it’s good to know that if you
scrape the parts they won’t just crack and
be ruined.”
Subtler styling for an aging
demographic
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Drivers who came of age during the sport
compact boom of the early 2000s are expeRESTYLINGMAG.COM
| Body Kits |
riencing a shift in the style of body kits they desire as they age.
3dCarbon’s Bunnell says buyers of body kits for muscle cars
are “generally in the 35- to 50- year-old range.” These drivers
often own multiple vehicles, are more financially stable and are
heavily focused on quality and image. The often ask to have parts
pre-painted, as well. They are very studious in their research, and
inquiries are always about style, quality and fitment. And then it’s,
‘Oh, by the way, how much is it.’”
According to Dawn Enterprises’ Box, the outsized accessories
of the “Too Fast, Too Furious” sport compacts are quickly becoming a thing of the past:
“Body kits have become more subtle and follow factory bodylines,” he says. “The in-your-face, ‘Fast and Furious’ style with big
scoops and louvers are becoming less popular. It takes more money
to modify your vehicle nowadays, so generally buyers are slightly
older and thus [prefer] the more conservative designs.”
That’s not to say that this aging demographic isn’t completely
unconcerned about cost, however. Dawn Enterprises is aiming to
directly address the perception that body kits are expensive by providing lower-cost options. For example, its RFX Ground Effect Kit
is a six-piece kit for the new Chevy Cruze that retails — painted
and with a five-year-warranty — for less than $350, says Box.
“When you say ‘body kit’ or ‘ground effects,’ people think:
expensive, long install, and fit and finish problems,” he adds.
“We’re looking to change that view of how people think about
ground effects kits.”
Bunnell also notes that kits for compact cars often lean toward
the tried-and-true staple parts — front air dam, side skirts, rear
lower and a rear wing or spoiler — kits for muscle cars are often a
bit more aggressive.
“Our muscle car applications, [for] Mustang, Camaro, etc.,
usually have a more aggressive design that would include a front
bumper replacement,” he says. “We also have a wide variety of
accessories like hood scoops, spoilers and functional fender vents
that are increasingly becoming more popular.”
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| Body Kits |
The aging consumer demographic in the body kit market, which now reaches into
their 50s and beyond, values quality and appearance over price, in general. Photo
from 3dCarbon.
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Retro USA’s Green agrees, noting that
its kits are something of an anomaly: As
opposed to creating a modern look, Retro
USA kits “re-create the styling elements
that were present on the ’60s and ’70s pony
cars,” she says.
“Most body kits for these cars build on
new styling elements with ground effects,
restyled fascias with chin spoilers and air
diffusers,” she adds.
Grip Tuning’s Srugis notes that quantifying customer demographics isn’t always
so simple. Often, age and socioeconomic
levels vary greatly by vehicle type.
“Sport compacts will typically be the
18- to 30-year-old demographic, whereas
the higher-priced vehicles [like] Camaros,
Challengers, Chargers and 300s are usually
a more mature audience, but one that still
looks to differentiate their particular vehicle
from others on the road.
“Most of our customers put quality first,
but much of that depends on the demographic, as more affluent customers expect
a very high level of quality,” he adds. I see
consumers spending $1,000 to $1,500, not
including paint, but it really depends on
how much disposable income they have to
invest.”
Still selling at the dealership?
Like in so many other automotive accessory markets, restylers selling body kits have
traditionally generated a large percentage
of sales by expediting for local dealerships.
However, with the recent turbulence with
vehicle manufacturers, the question begs
to be asked: Are dealerships still where the
smart money is?
Dawn Enterprises’ Box says that while
new-car dealers remain an attractive customer for local restylers, cost concerns are
more a factor now than just a few years ago.
“New-car dealers and retail customers
are always the best avenue, but the amount
of money a new-car dealer can load onto
a car has come down a bit, too,” he says.
“From our experience dealers don’t like to
go past the $1,500 range on aftermarket
add-ons. Our RFX kits are a great alternative for these dealers because it allows them
to modify a new car with a body kit and still
be able to make a great profit.”
RESTYLINGMAG.COM
Grip Tuning’s Srugis agrees, noting similar concerns with downward cost pressures
at dealerships, and noting one widely overlooked alternative: Enthusiast and specialty
car clubs.
“Price is definitely an issue for [dealers]
as they need to maintain a fair margin on
the accessories,” he says. “A combination of
dealer and individual customers is a solid
bet. However, the ‘enthusiast’ demographic
can be a very lucrative one. By becoming immersed in online enthusiast culture
and even local model-specific car clubs, an
installer can focus on specific models.”
As easy as it is to make generalizations,
however, RK Sport’s Tito notes that how
lucrative a dealership customer is depends
largely on the individual personalities of
leaders at a given dealership:
“[Dealers] are great customers to pursue, depending on the ownership and the
team they have to prepare special vehicles,”
he says. “Some dealers want nothing to do
with that work and some are all about it. I
would say [dealer sales are] picking up overall, though, and the word’s getting out that
people will spend the extra money and buy
it right off the lot.”
Beyond mere financial concerns, 3dCarbon’s Bunnell also notes that the recent
earthquake and corresponding tsunami in
Japan are adding additional layers of challenge for restylers, especially those selling
to dealers with product lines dependent on
Japanese parts. Experts are predicting that
supply chain delays caused by the disasters
will remain through the summer.
“The feedback I’ve been hearing is that
the new-car dealer inventory will probably be affected across the board from the
[March] events in Japan through August,”
says Bunnell, noting that restylers may want
to adjust their inventory accordingly. “After
that we should see things get back to normal.
Regardless of these challenges, at least
one constant in the body kit market remains:
A great deal of customers — both retail and
wholesale — hold body kits in high regard.
As that market grows, with new products
and a more diverse customer base, body kits
are sure to maintain that high regard for
years to come.
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