2026 Will Be a Healing Year for the Aftermarket Industry
It Has to Be a Year
Automotive Aftermarket Products and Services Association (OSS), its members and the industry
held its last meeting of 2025 with the participation of its representatives. at the meeting
regarding the new era the industry is in and the coming years.
Making evaluations, OSS Association President Ali Özçete said: “2023
It was an extraordinary year. With the exit from the pandemic, deferred demand is rapidly increasing.
stepped in; maintenance was done, the vehicles were renewed and they were much better than they should have been.
A high business volume occurred.
“But the real mistake was to accept 2023 as normal,” he said.
Özçete said that 2024 and 2025 are not bad years, but they are now the new normal.
Stating that it is in effect, he continued: “The situation we live in today is
It’s the new normal, whether we like it or not. More expensive labor, tougher competition,
We are faced with lower margins and a more selective customer profile. Old
We cannot manage this new era with habits. This is not a failure; clearly a
climate change.” he said. Continuing his words, Özçete said: “In European markets
The contraction experienced has led to global targets shifting to relatively vibrant markets such as Türkiye.
caused redirection.
This situation affects the sector operating in Türkiye.
leading its stakeholders to face higher growth expectations
opened it. New vehicle sales in Türkiye have reached record levels in the last 3-4 years.
Reminding Özçete, “Most of the approximately 1.2 million vehicles sold in 2024 will be sold in 2026.
It will be out of warranty in 2019. This; maintenance, repair, service and spare parts
means. So the work of this sector is not over, it really starts now. 2023 is behind us
We are leaving it behind, we are reading 2024–2025 correctly and we are planning 2026 with wisdom, balance and togetherness.
“We are building,” he said.
Automotive Aftermarket Products and Services Association (OSS), last member meeting of the year
held with wide participation. In addition to OSS Association members, the industry
The event, which also brought together representatives of the OSS Association, Secretary General Emirhan
It started with Silahtaroğlu’s opening speech. Then the Board of Directors of the Association
President Ali Özçete evaluated 2025 and shared his predictions for 2026.
“We must leave 2023 behind”
Ali emphasized that they came together to photograph the industry honestly.
Özçete said, “We are here to put a sane road map in front of us. The year 2023
It was an extraordinary year for the industry. With the exit from the pandemic, deferred demand is rapidly increasing.
stepped in; maintenance was done, the vehicles were renewed and they were much better than they should have been.
A high business volume occurred.
“But the real mistake was to accept 2023 as normal,” he said.
Özçete said that 2024 and 2025 are not bad years, but new normals are now in effect.
He continued as follows: “The situation we live in today, even if we like it,
Even if we don’t like it, it’s the new normal. More expensive labor, tougher competition, lower margins
and we are faced with a more selective customer profile. This new with old habits
We cannot manage the period. This is not a failure; clearly climate change.”
“The contraction in Europe directed the targets towards Türkiye”
Stating that the contraction in European markets affected global balances
Özçete said, “The contraction in the European markets means that global targets are relatively
caused it to be directed to live markets. This situation applies to companies operating in Türkiye.
leading industry stakeholders to face higher growth expectations
“It opened,” he said. Stating that 2025 is a difficult year for the sector
Özçete said, “If 2025 was a year in which wounds were opened, 2026 is the year in which we heal these wounds.”
It has to be. “We can only do this with reason, balance and realistic expectations.”
he said.
“Labor cost has passed the critical threshold”
Drawing attention to an important structural change in the sector, Özçete said that many repairs are carried out today.
Emphasizing that the cost of labor exceeds the cost of parts, he said: “This
The situation risks increasing the ‘Do It Yourself’ trend. Security, informality “If there is no master, there is no industry”
He stated that there is a serious problem in finding private services and qualified masters.
Ali Özçete said, “Authorized services are perceived as expensive, while private services are perceived as expensive by consumers.
He has difficulty building enough trust in his eyes.
Despite high salaries, young people
He does not choose the profession. This isn’t just a salary issue; reputation and future perception
problem. If there is no master, there is no industry. This is exactly where we need to hold a mirror to ourselves.
“This is it,” he said. Most of the time, manufacturers and distributors are just trying to sell the product.
Stating that he focuses on focusing on the goals above, Özçete said, “While we are trying to manage the targets above, we
We leave the future of the master, the service and the young people alone. existence of OSS
The reason starts right here: We are shaping this industry towards the future.
“to position,” he said.
“The real work starts now”
Reminding that new vehicle sales have reached record levels in Türkiye in the last 3-4 years
Özçete said, “Most of the approximately 1.2 million vehicles sold in 2024 will be under warranty in 2026.”
will be out of scope. This; It means maintenance, repair, service and spare parts. So this
The work of the sector is not over, it really starts now. We are leaving 2023 behind, 2024–2025
“We are reading it correctly and we are building 2026 with wisdom, balance and together,” he said.
We have a strong and corporate cooperation with FIGIEFA.
He also addressed International Independent Automotive Aftermarket Distributors in his speech.
Referring to the cooperation with the Federation (FIGIEFA), Ali Özçete said, ”OSS Association
We are on the Board of Directors and have 19 national associations and 5 purchasing companies from 18 countries.
International Independent Automotive Aftermarket Distributors representing the purchasing group
We have a strong and institutional cooperation with the Federation (FIGIEFA). ‘Made in EU’
critical factors that directly affect our industry and Türkiye’s spare parts exports, such as
Addressing these topics at the European level ensures that Türkiye’s position is correctly positioned.
European institutions and organizations through FIGIEFA in order to explain and make visible
Establishing contact with the European Parliament as an important and concrete opportunity
“We see,” he said.
Automobile Magazine – English
