A new report from the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) reveals that young drivers might just love their cars as much as older generations did.

The new 2018 SEMA Young Accessorizers Report seeks answers for questions such as: Does the generation that grew up with cell phones and connects with friends and celebrities from all over the world still have the need and desire to drive cars? What percentage of youth would rather give up their phone over their car?

The research report was developed to help automotive parts companies understand how to connect with and provide products for this emerging consumer group.

Highlights from the 2018 SEMA Young Accessorizers Report include:

• The 24 million 16-24-year-old drivers in the U.S. drove over 155 billion miles in 2017
• 8 million of those young drivers accessorize their vehicles each year
• Young accessorizers spent over $7 billion modifying their cars last year
• 58% of accessorizers would rather give up their phone for a week than their car for a week
• Social life is very important to young people, and 4 out of 5 say that their car helps bring them closer to their friends

The 2018 SEMA Young Accessorizers Report is filled with additional details about how 16-24-year-olds drive, accessorize their vehicles, shop for accessories, where they buy and how they modify their cars. The 75-page report also includes information on how to reach young accessorizers, parts they purchase and how their car fits in their social life.

The free report is available for download at www.sema.org/research.

For more information, contact SEMA Market Research Director Gavin Knapp via email at gavink@sema.org.