Paul McCarthy, president of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), virtually joined other industry leaders in a panel as a part of the Automotive Aftermarket Summit 2020 on Dec. 3 in Shanghai. The session was moderated by Ricky Wang, AASA’s China Aftermarket Forum (CAF) vice chairman and was titled “Global Industry Leaders Assess the Impact of the Epidemic on the Aftermarket in Different Regions: New Trends, New Challenges and New Opportunities.”

Philippe Thegner, CAF chair, delivered the program’s opening remarks. “The summit has been a success as we have been able to provide a robust update on the global market with global leaders,” Thegner commented. “The commentary around the penetration of lower-tier Chinese cities, increasing competition among local and global parts suppliers, and preparing for EV and smart/autonomous vehicle disruption that will scale in China before any other market was inspiring and exciting.”

On the topic of trends as a result of the pandemic, McCarthy said, “The interesting thing about this pandemic isn’t that it’s led to new trends or changed the trends. What it has done is turbocharged them. Things that might have happened five years out, are happening sooner. And they are happening in greater volume. We’ve seen that with digitalization, with e-tailing, with consolidation pressures in the industry.” 

A hybrid event, the panel also included:

• Gaël Escribe, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors, Nexus Automotive International SA (Online)
• Christian Kuechlin, Director and GM of MAHLE Aftermarket Asia Pacific (Onsite)
• Hans-Peter Tuerk, GM of MS Motorservice, Asia Pacific Co Ltd (Onsite)
• Steven Hai, Consulting Lead Partner of PwC China Automotive (Onsite)

AASA’s China Aftermarket Forum (CAF) is a sponsor of the Automotive Aftermarket Summit 2020. AASA’s CAF provides an important forum for senior aftermarket executives of AASA member companies based in China. It provides opportunities for executives to network, gain market knowledge and share best practices with industry peers.

The Automotive Aftermarket Summit 2020 focused on the challenges of the international supply chain after the pandemic and the rise of the demands in localization and regionalization. An additional focus is on the future development of the aftermarket such as supply chain improvement through operation and management. Future trends in automotive aftermarket such as digital trends, platforms and market players integration and cross-collaboration were also discussed.