Hot Import Nights Brings Its 2006 Competitive Spirit to Charlotte; Hot new talent flocks to Hot Import Nights event to compete for top honors in categories including custom car design, dancing, DJing, modeling and more.

IRVINE, Calif. -- Action Media takes XM Satellite Radio's Hot Import Nights (HIN) 2006 to the Charlotte Merchandise Mart on May 13, from 5 p.m. to midnight. HIN is the nation's largest lifestyle custom car show, and this year it is taking the ultimate custom car festival to a new level by creating a show that celebrates all elements of youth culture. Charlotte will host competitions in several burgeoning youth lifestyle scenes, including several types of dance competitions, the search for Miss HIN 2007, DJ competitions and of course, the ultimate custom car contest.

Returning sponsor Valvoline will present Super Street Cars on Tour with the one-of-a-kind Charge Speed STI straight from Japan, the newly designed, wide-body Tein Civic SI, the full carbon fiber chassis C West S2000 and the chameleon color-changing HKS-powered IS300. Show visitors can get up-close and personal with the hottest, trendiest cars in the customized world, straight from the pages of the top tuner magazines. In addition, motocross champion Travis Pastrana will feature his Subaru rally car.

This year's HIN competitions go beyond the hottest cars at the show, with dance, b-boy, poker and Miss HIN competitions running all night. The XM Satellite Radio Stage features these b-boy competitions while the Mazda Nightclub welcomes back Miss Lisa to set the musical mood for the night. The Mazda stage will also host the new Rockstar National Glo-Go Dancer Competition, where Glo-Go dancers show off their go-go skills in city-to-city competitions against local dance teams. Finally, the Bombshell Models are back to challenge anyone willing to take them on at a hand of poker for this year's BombSearch, the poker-playing competition that will test the card skills of local ladies across the nation in the search for the next Bombshell Model.

Rounding out the competitions for the night will be the search for the next Miss HIN. Miss HIN 2007 will truly be the "queen of the scene," as each city crowns their own queen who will then compete for the reigning title of Miss HIN 2007 against other local winners at the show finale in Miami. HIN International Spokesmodel Ursula Mayes, Miss HIN 2005, hosts the Queen of the Scene competition. Ursula can be seen elsewhere this year as one of Maxim's "Sexiest 100" and on the new NBC program, "Deal or No Deal". Miss HIN 2006, Amber Lancaster, will also make a special appearance at the Charlotte show. A former Seattle Seahawk's Sea Gal, Amber was Miss Hawaiian Tropics and last year's Miss Makita.

Those who want to capture all the action of the Charlotte show but cannot attend can now visit HINCity.com for the latest HIN updates and to upload their own profile. The creation of HINCity earlier this month now brings all the live experience of HIN online and combines this content with all the elements of a social networking site like profiles, forums, video and photo sharing.

XM Satellite Radio's Hot Import Nights is presented by returning sponsor Valvoline Synpower, in addition to returning sponsors Dunlop Tires; Meguiar's; Mazda; Circuit City; Chevrolet; Subaru; NGK Sparkplugs; and media sponsors Modified Magazine, Modified Luxury & Exotics, Super Street; Import Tuner; Sport Compact Car; Rides; Performance Auto & Sound Magazine; Road and Track; and Car and Driver magazine. New 2006 sponsors include Rockstar Energy Drink; Shell V-Power; Atomic Loud Speakers; and the National Guard. More information on HIN can be found at www.hotimportnights.com.

About Action Media and Vision Entertainment

Action Media, parent company of Vision Entertainment, is the leading media and event company targeting the Gen X-Y audience, integrating lifestyle events including cars, music, video games and fashion. Producing more than 20 annual events in the top North American markets, Action Media and Vision Entertainment are now one of the leading communities for every positive aspect of youth culture. The current portfolio of Vision Entertainment events includes Hot Import Nights, VIP Auto Fashion Show, Nightshift, the RC Expo (RCX), Fresh Tracks Snow and Skate Expo and Holiday Havoc. Action Media's online assets now include Online Showoff and Model Showoff as well as a partnership with IGN.com.

2006 Hot Import Nights/Night Shift and VIP Schedule

HIN         Charlotte         Merchandise Mart                 May  13
HIN         Atlantic City     AC Convention Center             May  20
HIN         Indianapolis      Indy Convention Center           June 17
NS          New York          Shea Stadium                     June 24
HIN         Orlando           OC Convention Center             July 8
NS          Chicago           Soldier Field                    July 29
HIN         Los Angeles       Los Angeles Convention Center    Aug  19
NS          Las Vegas         Sam Boyd Stadium                 Sept 9
NS          San Francisco     SBC Park                         Sept 23
HIN         Seattle           Qwest Field                      Sept 30
HIN         Dallas            Dallas Convention Center         Oct  7
NS          Phoenix           Firebird Intl. Raceway           Oct  14
VIP         Los Angeles       LA Convention Center             Nov  18
HIN         Honolulu          Blaisdell Convention Center      Dec  2
HIN         Miami             Miami Beach Convention Center    Dec  16