2008 SEMA Show: Hot Trucks and SUV Sizzlers

The red-meat crowd has a lot to celebrate at : The aftermarket accessory business for pickup trucks and SUVs is alive and ready to party like Paris after rehab. On this year's SEMA show party floor, we found our five favorite pickup trucks and SUVs.

Our SUV and pickup picks come from all around the world, starting with PPI Automotive's Audi Q7. Note how this German SUV's 23-inch wheels are a match for the massive Audi grille. At the baby end of the SEMA show SUV spectrum is the Toyota RAV4 Performance Sport Concept crossover that was taking away all the attention from the hotted-up new Toyota Venza models that were on display as well.

Ford delivered a studly Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck to the 2008 SEMA show with wicked V-8 power and more than a foot of rear suspension travel. The company also brought the Ford F-150 Raptor to the proving off-road grounds just outside of Las Vegas (aka, the desert) to show off the beast in its element.

The all-new for 2009 Mercedes-Benz GLK crossover SUV was widely represented at the SEMA show this year. Our pick of the litter is the RENNTech Pikes Peak GLK Hybrid. And finally, in this year's Editors' Choice Awards, we picked the 2009 Ford Flex as both the Best Family Car and as the Utility Vehicle of the Year. But the Kal Concepts/Air Syndicate Ford Flex, with its ultimate sound system and hallucinogenic paint job, captured us like nothing else before.

By Richard Homan Photo credit: MyRide Staff