AAAA News

Ten years ago, the average workshop could reasonably anticipate what the next week’s bookings
would look like.

Investment decisions were incremental. Tooling and training followed a manageable curve. Businesses could keep up by being good operators, backing their instincts, and investing steadily over time.
That world has changed – quickly. Today, vehicles entering Australian workshops are heavier, more software-driven, connected, and increasingly defined by sensors and advanced driver-assist systems.
The challenge across the aftermarket is not willingness or professionalism. It is the pace of structural change — and knowing where investment will deliver the greatest return.
The new vehicle market tells the story. Over the past decade, Australia’s car parc has not simply evolved – it has been reshaped.

SUVs and utes now dominate new vehicle sales. Passenger cars, once the core of the fleet, have contracted sharply. Medium and small SUVs, together with light commercial utilities, now account for the majority of new registrations.

At the same time, the brand mix has shifted. Manufacturers such as GWM, BYD and MG – barely visible in the Australian market a decade ago – now represent a significant share of new vehicle sales.
Electric vehicles rightly attract attention, and EV capability must form part of any forward-looking strategy. Battery electric vehicles are forecast to represent a growing but still modest proportion of the total fleet by the end of the decade, even when combined with plug-in hybrids. Petrol and diesel vehicles will remain the majority of cars on Australian roads well into the 2030s.

The more immediate and widespread shift, however, is Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). ADAS penetration is accelerating rapidly. With Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) now mandatory on new vehicles, projections suggest that by 2030 close to half of vehicles in the national car parc will be equipped with advanced driver-assist technology. This shift changes the way vehicles are diagnosed and repaired, requiring calibration equipment, scan tool capability, software subscriptions, technician training, and quoting accuracy.

The operational pressure to “work around” these systems in a busy environment is real – but so are the risks. This is not theoretical change; it is the daily operational reality across thousands of workshops.
Importantly, this acceleration in technology is occurring against a backdrop of continued demand. The broader aftermarket remains resilient. Demand is strong. The vehicle fleet is expanding and ageing simultaneously, supporting sustained service and repair activity. However, capability is the constraint.
Workforce shortages consistently rank as the leading concern for businesses across the sector.
Technician recruitment and retention sit ahead of most other pressures. Projections indicate a significant shortfall in qualified technicians in coming years, placing further strain on productivity and succession planning.

When rapid technological change converges with workforce pressure, hesitation becomes understandable. Tool upgrades are deferred. Training is postponed. Investment decisions are delayed. The result can be uneven capability and growing operational stress.
The question, then, is how to maintain clarity and confidence in the face of this pace of change.
The answer is not to chase every headline, nor to invest reactively. It is to make informed decisions based on real capability and real-world experience. Businesses that understand the direction of the car parc and invest deliberately will be well positioned. Those that delay may find the gap widening more quickly than expected.

This is precisely why the Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo matters. Co-located with the Collision Repair Expo, it is not simply a trade show, but a concentrated, once-every-two-years gathering of workshops, suppliers and industry leaders to assess where the market stands. From 14-16 May 2026, the Expo offers the chance to step back from daily operational demands, examine the broader trajectory of the fleet, plan with intent and invest with confidence.

The Expo will deliver world-class business and technical training led by respected international and local experts, addressing the issues shaping our industry. Alongside these programs, the exhibition floor brings together leading brands and the latest tooling, diagnostics and calibration systems.

It is where technicians and workshop owners build capability, where equipment manufacturers and trainers can be questioned directly on real-world implementation, and where emerging technologies can be compared side-by-side. It is also where those already implementing ADAS calibration and EV safety procedures will share practical lessons learned.

The Australian aftermarket has never been passive. It has adapted from carburettors to fuel injection, from mechanical systems to electronic control, from analogue diagnostics to networked vehicles. Each shift has required investment and collaboration. The next decade will be no different – except in speed.
The future of the aftermarket is already arriving in workshops every day. The next decade is not approaching. It is here.

To explore the valuable training program sessions and other features of Australia’s largest aftermarket event, and to register for free, head to www.autoaftermarketexpo.com.au