Featuring the highest number of exhibitors to date, Automechanika Dubai, the largest international trade exhibition for the automotive aftermarket industry in the Middle East, has opened with 1,938 exhibitors taking part.

 

Mattar Al Tayer, Commissioner General for Infrastructure, Urban Planning and Well-Being Pillar and Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Dubai, inaugurated the show. 

 

Celebrating two decades of success, the 20th edition of Automechanika Dubai is taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre until October 4 and is expected to attract more than 45,000 visitors. 

 

61 countries

Spanning 14 halls, the three-day event showcases 61 countries and houses 20 official international pavilions. The Lubricants Technology Conference and Innovation4Mobility are new to the event this year, with key show features including the Academy, Awards, AfriConnections, Modern Workshop, Pitstop Challenge and Automotive Logistics Forum and Vehicle Safety Workshop. 

 

Several stands were visited by Al Tayer on the opening tour of Automechanika Dubai 2023, including Rhinomotive, a game-changing automotive brand based in the UAE that offers a high-quality automotive aftermarket product portfolio, and Triangle Tyre Co, a leader in technology and innovation which is also known for being the pioneer of low-carbon and green development in the Chinese tire industry. Lucas, a UK-based automotive aftermarket company with a 140-year heritage and a global portfolio of quality parts, was also visited along the tour. 

 

Mahmut Gazi Bilikozen, Portfolio Director at Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Automechanika Dubai, said: “Over the past 20 years, Automechanika Dubai has established itself as the foremost networking hub for professionals in the automotive aftermarket industry in the region, connecting them with the broader Middle East, Africa and key CIS countries. This year features our largest edition to date, and to accommodate the show's growth, we have widened the space by 64 per cent in terms of net square meters compared to 2022.

 

Packed schedule

“During the next three days, there is a packed schedule of show features – from the Automechanika Academy to EV training and the Automotive Logistics Forum - which will enable businesses to stay on top of the latest industry insights, access new market opportunities and put their businesses into a new gear for the year ahead.”

 

Innovation4Mobility kicked off for the first time at Automechanika Dubai with two highly engaging discussions. Discussing ‘The UAE’s vision of Future Mobility’, the opening Innovation4Mobility session was led by Eng. Somayyah Alyammahi, Head of Productivity Projects and Demand Management Section at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. This was followed by a fascinating discussion on consumer preferences and behaviours in the Electric Vehicles (EV) sector by Hasan Nergiz, Managing Director for Al Futtaim Electric Mobility Company. 

 

Elsewhere on day one, the Automechanika Academy, the leading knowledge-sharing platform of Automechanika Dubai, offered in-depth industry insights and strategic market updates from a panel of leading experts. 

 

Key topics at the Automechanika Academy included ‘Driving into the future with Electric Vehicles (EV)’ hosted by Volvo’s Market Director and Sustainability Leader Kivanc Karayol and ‘Tackling the rising challenge of counterfeits in the aftermarket automobile industry’. 

 

Automotive aftermarket

Through these insightful discussions, attendees were kept up to date on the current and future state of the MEA automotive aftermarket and the changing trends impacting the global automotive aftermarket industry. 

 

At the Modern Workshop, garage and workshop professionals received insights into the latest innovative techniques in the sector through workshops and live presentations. Hosted by Bosch, Calibration of Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and their importance for driver safety was a key focus of the workshop. 

 

Automechanika Dubai 2023 will cover eight specialised product categories: Parts & Components, Electronics and Systems, Accessories and Customising, Tires and Batteries, Car Wash and Care, Oils and Lubricants, Diagnostics and Repair and Body and Paint.-- TradeArabia News Service