The automotive industry is going through a period of massive technological and regulatory change, admits LKQ Euro Car Parts’ B2B director Matt Robinson.
“Two dominant and converging trends, electrification and the ageing car parc, are reshaping the aftermarket landscape and are forcing businesses to maintain a constant balance between delivering for today and investing in tomorrow,” Robinson tells CAT. “And in this uncertain context, one thing is clear: no single business – no matter how large – can tackle the aftermarket’s biggest impending challenges and opportunities alone.”
A challenge shared
“Whether it's closing the skills gap, navigating the EV transition or fighting for the right to repair, it’s important that as an industry, we focus on shared solutions that benefit everyone”, he enthuses. To that end, “wherever we go – whether it’s a trade show, customer engagement activity or trade body meeting – there is a welcome sense of collaboration”.
Skills are a prime example. With the well-documented shortage of new talent coming into the sector, this year’s Automechanika Birmingham provided a great opportunity for parts manufacturers, suppliers and repairers to come together and promote the sector, engage young talent and support training providers, said Robinson.
At this year’s event LKQ joined forces with Motorvate and big industry names including Bosch and Toyota GB to spotlight career opportunities in the aftermarket and inspire the next generation of technicians.
“Crucially”, says Robinson, “this approach will help us not just to attract new talent, but also to upskill, engage and retain those already working in the sector – while ensuring independents can continue to compete for work”.
Developing diverse skillsets
Robinson can’t oversell the importance of the aftermarket keeping up with new technologies, and that invariably involves regular training – even if it takes staff away from their work.
He says: “As vehicle technologies continue to evolve – be that through electrification or automation – training will be critical to ensuring independent workshops can complete every job. For example, data released in April 2025 revealed 28% of technicians are qualified to service EVs, but the IMI projected that if current training rates persist then there will be a shortfall of nearly 30,000 qualified technicians by 2035. And despite 13% of vehicles featuring ADAS technology, just 2% of technicians are qualified by the IMI to service and repair these systems.”
The trend concerns Robinson, who concedes that technicians need to successfully mix the old with the new.
He adds: “Continued economic uncertainty means that at the other end of the spectrum, we’ve got more and more drivers keeping older vehicles for longer. Autotrader has predicted that by the end of the year, there will be 10.1 million cars aged between five and ten years old on UK roads – up from 9.2 million in 2019 and well above the recent low of 8.7 million in 2017. These diverging trends mean that technicians will have to maintain a more varied skillset from ever before. So it’s a no brainer to bring in expertise from all corners of the sector to inform our training programmes.
“Whether it’s key-cutting masterclasses in collaboration with Autowave or an overview of the latest battery trends with VARTA, our priority as training providers is to ensure that we’re working closely with suppliers, industry organisations and our customers themselves to identify a) the areas where technicians require further training, and b) the best format for us to deliver it.”
Industry alliances
Shared advocacy and industry alliances also have a role to play in driving progress in the aftermarket outside of the garage, says Robinson.
“CAT readers will be well aware of the challenge presented by the net zero transition. The integrated nature of the automotive sector means that making any meaningful progress on this – be it through encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles or reducing Scope 2 and 3 emissions in the supply chain – will be nigh on impossible without collaboration across the industry.
“This thinking underpinned the decision for our parent company LKQ to announce a new European joint venture with SYNETIQ, a specialist in vehicle salvage and recycling. LKQ SYNETIQ will combine our unmatched distribution reach and data-driven logistics network with SYNETIQ dismantling, reuse and remanufacturing expertise to broaden the range of sustainable, recycled and remanufactured parts available to UK workshops – creating an innovative solution that is greater than the sum of its parts”.
At a boardroom level, such alliances can be key in making sure that the voices of the independent aftermarket are heard where it matters. Robinson explains: “Last year, we joined leading industry voices including Halfords, Kwik-Fit, the RAC and the IMI in signing a joint letter to the Transport Secretary outlining the contribution of the automotive aftermarket to the UK’s social and economic infrastructure.
“Our goal was to engage with our customer and supplier networks across the country to identify and prioritise five key requests to support the UK aftermarket’s long-term vitality and viability. This included a call to align vehicle type approval and motor vehicle block exemption regulations and to eliminate the potential for automakers to restrict access to in-vehicle data and other essential inputs required to diagnose, service or repair a vehicle – particularly in the context of ADAS.”
Shaping success
Along with the rest of the industry, the aftermarket is going through a sea change like it’s never seen before, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that there’s safety in numbers. Robinson stresses: “If we want to thrive in a market shaped by complexity, then we must lean into partnerships. That means sharing knowledge, aligning on training, pooling data and speaking with one voice when it matters most.”
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