Organizers say that preparations are in place for the Autopromotec Conference – 2018 State of the Industry, the event that puts the spotlight on the future of the automotive aftermarket, taking place June 13-14.
At the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, Bologna, the largest indoor event facility in Italy, a host of industry experts from around the world will offer their input in a series of roundtable discussions designed to gather ideas and information, and familiarize participants with products and solutions in a setting conducive to discussion and networking.
Conference Topics
The conference discussions will center on four macro themes currently revolutionizing the mobility sector: digitalization and connectivity; electrification; autonomous driving; and shared mobility, where the central component is the role of humans, who are a key factor of the technological innovation as creators, not just passive users.
The car repairer who will be doing business in the near future will be a technician able to interpret the information supplied by the vehicle, the data bank and the equipment. They will be trained and updated in order to keep pace with the technical and safety requirements dictated by these new technologies. It is a compelling challenge for the future of companies in Italy and around the world.
Electric And Hybrid: The Market Of The Future
In 2017, 1.3 million electric vehicles were sold globally. This figure is 1 percent of the total market; however it represents a significant leap (up 58 percent) compared to 2016. According to EV-Volumes, a Swedish analyst firm, at the current rate of growth eight out of 10 new cars will be electric in 2030.
And what about trends in Italy? According to UNRAE data on fuel supply systems, the month of May 2018 noted a big drop in registrations of diesel-powered cars, dwon 10.1 percent, a decline of over 4 percent, with the final share being 51.7 percent of the market. In cumulative terms, the decrease was 4.2 percent for a share of 54.1 percent. The other fuel supply system noting a decrease was LPG (down 3.5 percent during May and down 3.7 percent for the period from January-May), which maintained its share stable. On the growth end is petrol (up 3.1 percent), which rose to 35.2 percent in May; hybrids also increased by 12.3 percent (for a 3.9 percent share), while the volumes of methane-powered cars doubled (2.8 percent of the total) and electric cars increased by nearly 300 percent: 594 units are unprecedented, and while the electric car market is still considered niche, the trend confirms that the “silent revolution” is arriving in Italy as well.
Conference Agenda
After introductory greetings by AICA President Mauro Severi and Autopromotec CEO Renzo Servadei, the agenda for the first day will feature speakers from local government with Palma Costi, regional minister for production activities, energy plan, green economy and post-earthquake recovery of the Emilia-Romagna Region, and Irene Priolo, council member for mobility policies, Municipality of Bologna.
In addition, the Innovation Area will be active during the conference. This area will host about 20 organizations, including research laboratories, university spin-offs and start-ups, selected in collaboration with Aster, a company promoting innovation and technological transfer in the Emilia-Romagna Region, available to conference participants for meetings and B2B matchmaking.
For more information, visit autopromotec.com/conference.
