Sterling
Heights, MI - SportRack Automotive, a leading
supplier of innovative automotive exterior accessories has
secured exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute one
of this year s most acclaimed auto accessories, the Flip-Step™,
a patent pending third LED brake light, running light and
hitch receiver step combination. Selected by Motor Trend
s Truck Trend Magazine as one of the top 30 new product
introductions at SEMA 01, the Flip-Step™ adds safety,
functionality and style to any vehicle with a hitch receiver.
With
the popularity of vehicle roof top storage systems and step
bumpers getting higher and higher off the ground, the Flip-Step™
provides a well-thought-out solution to a common problem.
SportRack is committed to providing high quality and innovative
solutions for the automotive OEM and aftermarket, and the
Flip-Step™ is an ideal fit into our line of products,
said SportRack President and COO Richard Borghi.
The
original Flip-Step™ that debuted at last year s SEMA
show now sports a newly enhanced lens design and single-hand
latch mechanism, and two additional steps have been added
to the line to meet consumer demand. SportRack will debut
these new steps at this year s SEMA show in Las Vegas. The
original Flip-Step™ has a 6 x9 step platform which
folds up to show off the recessed LED light array on the
face of the step. The smaller 5 ½ x 7 SUV step is
designed to blend with the styling of the small to medium
SUVs and is available to fit either the standard 2 hitch
receivers or the smaller 1¼ receivers. The larger,
beefier 6½ x 9 MAX step is designed with a boxier
shape to match and enhance the styling of vehicles such
as the Hummer, Land Rover and Super Duty trucks. Installation
is easy: The Flip-Step™ simply slides into the trailer
hitch receiver and plugs into the existing trailer wiring
to connect the super bright LED brake and running light
array.
"What
sets this product apart from other hitch steps is the quality
and exacting engineering standards with which it is made,"
said inventor Bill Schlicht of Nu-Tec Designs, LLC. Made
of high quality cast aluminum and designed to be a strong
and secure platform from which to access the truck bed or
roof rack, the steps are available in either a black powder
coat wrinkle finish or chrome finish. The steps are conservatively
rated at 300 pounds for the SUV step and 500 pounds for
the MAX and TRK steps.