550 exhibitors filled three halls at the NEC this week, when Automechanika Birmingham 2025 kicked off this Tuesday (3rd June). Running through Wednesday and Thursday, the event saw major names including Bosch Mobility Aftermarket, LKQ Euro Car Parts, Castrol and The Race Group, Brembo, Draper Tools, LIQUI MOLY, Niterra UK, Sealey, Snap-on and many more draw thousands of people from across the automotive industry to find out about the latest in tech, training and much more.
Major industry names also filled the various speaker programmes too, while companies from across the spectrum were on hand to share their latest products, services and announcements.
HELLA highlighted its new braking offering, a return to thermal management and additions to its lighting range, as well as the new Hella Gutmann mega macs S 20. Starting with braking, HELLA UK Aftermarket Sales and Marketing Director Ian Boyle said: “The HELLA braking range has been available across Europe for many years. Now it is available in the UK.” He continued: “It’s a congested market, but we think have brought something different. It’s a full product portfolio, and we are now looking for distributor partners in the UK.”
On HELLA’s return to thermal management following the company’s exit from this segment in 2020, National Sales Manager Steve Hudson said: “We will become a serious player in the market again.” The re-launch will be taking place from July, with 6,400 part numbers offering 92% coverage of the car and LCV parc.
Product Manager Dave Clark then provided a look at the company’s iconic lighting range, which hit another milestone this year. “We have reached 125 years this year,” said Clark, “and HELLA has been in lighting from the start.”
Two months on from its UK launch, the company was also keen to put the Hella Gutmann mega macs S 20 into the hands of techs visiting the show. “These tools are perceived to be complex, and at the top end of the price range,” noted Julian Goulding, Head of Garage Equipment. “In fact, the mega macs S 20 is an all-in-one package set at a competitive price, with lots of support to back up users.”
Staying with diagnostics, THINKCAR UK was at the show on its biggest ever stand which it used to great effect show off its new black and white logo. Beyond aesthetics, Managing Director Alex Gillbanks and the team were using the opportunity to meet current and future customers to discuss its range of tools, including the latest updates to the AI-enabled Thinktool Euro 399 14-inch diagnostic tool. “We had a very positive start to the show,” noted Gillbanks. Also on the stand were YouTube stars Darren Quinn from Mechanic Mindset and Bob Shervill from RMS Diagnostics. Visitors to the stand also had the opportunity to win a coffee mug emblazoned with Bob’s “job’s a carrot” catchphrase.
Meanwhile, Launch Tech UK’s stand featured the company’s usual array of tools, with the new X-431 Eurolink tool taking pride of place. “We haven’t stopped all day,” said Marketing Manager James Arrowsmith. “It’s been really busy, which is great as this is the ideal place to meet our target audience.” The company’s DPF cleaning gun tool was also getting a lot of attention from visitors, with many of them also keen to meet influencer Jimmy O’Reilly, who was on the stand too.
Lubricants
Moving over to lubricants, Duckhams was highlighting the QXR, QS, Hypergrade Plus and Classic Oils ranges, as well as its the new and updated Duckhams storybook. Visitors to the stand who found the hidden golden Duckhams rubber duck were able to come away with a goody bag. Members of the Duckhams UK leadership team were on hand to discuss the company’s new route to market. “We are aiming at a direct sales model,” said Director Maqsud Patel, “approaching retailers and workshops. It’s exciting times for Duckhams. We have great brand awareness, and we are offering a lot of marketing support in terms of point of sale materials.” The appearance at the show followed a strategic investment in the company by Zuber Issa CBE, which was announced last week.
The Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS) used the show to launch its new survey of more than 12,000 workshops, undertaken with the support of Comma. It found that 30% of technicians are still unclear on what oil specifications and marketing claims mean and many are still selecting oils based on price, not suitability. VLS Chairman Harald Oosting said: "We know that workshops are under pressure, trying to save money wherever possible. However, using cheaper, poorer quality oils or ones that do not meet the correct specification risks the protection needed for owners' vehicles.”
Parts and more
Looking at parts, Frasle Mobility was using the show to bring together all of its brands. “This is a big one for us,” said Marketing Manager Holly Brailsford. “It’s the first time we have brought all four UK brands together at Automechanika, namely Fras-Le, Juratek, Abtex and Nakata.” Already very popular in Brazil, Nakata is the latest brand to be launched in the UK, offering car, motorcycle and truck parts. “The timing was too good, and the show gives us the chance to show off the brand in real life,” added Brailsford.
Across at BM Catalysts, a spin the wheel game was being used to entice visitors, and once they were on, the entire team were on hand to walk them through the most recent new-to-range additions, as well as tell them about the recently released Garage Pro and Rewards Pro platforms. “These are designed to educate and reward customers,” explained Senior Marketing Manager Tom Valle.
OSRAM is 100 years old in 2025, and at the event the company was bringing attention to a number of new products, as well as the rebranding of a number of popular existing ranges. Starting with new products, the company recently issued a number of dash and reversing cameras, a new range of solar battery chargers and a brand-new LED torch range.
Ring also introduced its new ULTRAINFLATE series of tyre inflators. Moving over to headlight bulbs, Ring launched a new product line into its Xenon range this year in the form of the Xenon220. Meanwhile, the branding of the Ring inspection lighting range will be transitioning to OSRAM from October. OSRAM’s Lighting Marketing Manager, Terri Clark, commented: “We are celebrating 100 years, and we are doing so through the release of new bulbs and much more.”
Digital support
The focus for ZF Aftermarket was two-fold. On the business side, the company was looking to highlight the digital support it offers to workshops via ZF [pro] Manager garage management system (GMS). “Lots of garages are still using paper diaries and we are looking to help them go digital,” said Marketing Manager Mark Hallam. On the diagnostic side, visitors were being shown the benefits of opting for the ZF MultiScan tool from ZF [pro]Diagnostics. The company’s Brake Engineering subsidiary was also represented on the stand, positioning the brand alongside ZF for the very first time.
Also looking to support workshops through a multi-brand approach was ISN Europe. Their stand encompassed ISN Garage Assist, ToolTruck, and Tyre Bay Direct, taking in tools, consumables and garage equipment. ISN’s Tristain Hindle, who recently joined the company from Snap-on, said: “ISN Europe is a one-stop-shop for all your garage needs.”
The goal for TechMan at the show was to promote the latest enhancements to its GMS offering. These included improvements to workshop management, vehicle reporting, job bookings, parts ordering, and invoicing, along with the integration of AutoData.
“Automechanika Birmingham is the perfect place to showcase these improvements,” said Sales Director Leo Freebairn.
eBay, the world’s biggest online marketplace for vehicle parts and accessories, was at the show with a mission to connect with existing sellers along with the wider industry. “It’s been exciting so far,” said Abir Tewari, Director of Commercial Operations - Parts and Accessories at eBay UK. With the company’s Certified Recycled programme enabling users to buy and sell second-hand OE parts, the company continues to expand its offering, while it is also running the Assured Fit programme. The latest innovation is the introduction of automatic VAT invoicing, but there is more on the way.
“The enhancements we’ve been making to the programme so far have been focused more on the seller side,” noted Tewari. “We have been encouraging more and more sellers to join the site, so more inventory shows up. We now have plans make enhancements things on the buyers side, so can see what they are getting.”
Motorvate and back again
Running alongside Automechanika Birmingham this year was the all-new Motorvate showcase, designed to highlight the career opportunities available in the sector for a college-age audience. Among the major names taking part was Autotech Academy. The training provider was promoting its ongoing internship initiative, which helps newly qualified students make the move into employment. At the event, Autotech Academy was looking to entice visitors through an interactive Xbox racing challenge, and those getting the best scores had the chance to get their hands on British Touring Car Championship tickets.
Back in the main show and looking towards ADAS, Repairify was highlighting its offering to garages. Managing Director – International Phil Peace, said: “We were historically bodyshop and glass, and we still cater to that, but are now increasingly in the mechanical space.” On key issues being discussed, Peace observed: “One of the things being looked at in Europe now is ADAS within the annual check-up, and this is being considered for the MOT here too.”
Finally, the big news from TPS at Automechanika Birmingham was the launch of ‘Brands at TPS’. Through the new initiative, workshops will be able to source more than 2,000 third party parts for older vehicles from ZF, Valeo, MAHLE, Bosch, SKF and HELLA direct through TPS, with more brands set to join these in the coming months.
Bosch will bring engine belts, filtration and braking products, while ZF will provide braking, shock absorbers, steering and suspension through Sachs, TRW and LEMFÖRDER. MAHLE will offer filtration parts, with SKF supplying wheel bearings, engine belts as well as steering and suspension parts. Engine electrics will come from HELLA, while existing TPS wiper blade supplier Valeo will expand its offering to encompass fly wheels, clutch kits and hydraulics.
Head of TPS Catherine Baker said: “We are proud to launch ‘Brands at TPS’ and in doing so boost our parts offering to our customers. We remain dedicated to Genuine as our primary offer, but we can now offer a one-stop-shop for our mechanical customers’ needs, including a wide-ranging selection of third-party branded parts.”
Once more brands are added, the ‘Brands at TPS’ range is expected to rise to a total of more than 10,000 parts.
Looking ahead, Automechanika Birmingham will return in June 2027. Before then, the UK Garage and Bodyshop Event is taking place 3rd – 4th June 2026, with 180 exhibitors set to draw 5,000 industry professional back to the NEC next year to find out more on the latest technology, training and more.
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