Automotive aftermarket
Ensuring that a vehicle is well maintained is vital to extending the working life of Europe’s vehicle fleet.
The automotive aftermarket and aftersales sector is a complex, robust and highly competitive market that provides the support network for Europe’s millions of cars, vans, trucks and buses. The automotive aftermarket’s multi-faceted and diverse segments cover the whole repair, maintenance and service spectrum from parts supply to fitment and servicing.
Passenger car and commercial vehicle owners rely on a network of parts suppliers, fitters and repairers to keep their vehicles in correct working order. 90% of consumers are satisfied with the repair and maintenance offerings of the highly competitive market. They make informed decisions about where to repair their vehicle based on factors such as price, convenience, quality and the age/value of their vehicle. Consumers’ preferences are not fixed, and change as their vehicles age. Accordingly, vehicle manufacturers are not dominant players in the aftermarket maintenance over the lifetime of the average vehicle.
The small and medium enterprises that comprise the so-called ‘authorised’ repair networks are an integral part of the total aftermarket and provide a valuable service for those customers who value the quality, transparency and expertise they provide. Customers choose to visit the authorised repairer network based upon their own set of deciding factors in the same way that other customers choose to use the services of the independent network.
Authorised repairers add value by focusing on a limited number of brands and by agreeing to meet the high service, training, equipment and customer service standards of the vehicle manufacturers. They are independent businesses, but it is this concentration on quality repair and maintenance which is responsible for consistently high quality and consumer satisfaction ratings. Authorised repair network customers appreciate the transparency regarding price and parts quality offered by the authorised networks.
The automobile industry is working to make sure that there is a fair and balanced automotive aftermarket in which consumers can access reliable, cost-effective repair and maintenance services that ensure the correct treatment of their vehicles over the course of their life-cycles.
