The Middle East’s potential as a key growth region for the automotive aftermarket will be underlined by a strong international presence of more than 1,800 exhibitors from 61 countries at the upcoming Automechanika Dubai 2019, to be held in Dubai, UAE.

Automechanika Dubai, the industry’s largest regional trade fair, will take place from June 10 to 12, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Connected cars, ride hailing services, and an increasing consumer base are key trends driving the market according to global research company Aranca, while in the Gulf region, the Dubai Expo 2020, and the decision to allow woman to drive in Saudi are other key discussion points keeping industry players hopeful.

According to Aranca, in 2018, the Middle East’s car parc (vehicles in use) crossed 21 million, with new passenger cars sales reaching 1.03 million units and commercial vehicle sales comprising 270,000 units for the year.

Approximately 27 million vehicles are expected to be in operation in the Middle East by 2023, comprising 18 million passenger cars and nine million commercial vehicles. The auto aftermarket is therefore also expected to observe a steady rise, and will reach a value of about $18.5 billion by 2023 compared to its $15 billion value in 2018, said Aranca.

Participating exhibitors include Cyprus headquartered Alco Filters, which will build on its millions of dollars of revenue generated every year in the Middle East with its vast range of 3,500 filters.

Loizos Louca, Alco Filters’ managing director, said: “Our company has grown by 480 per cent since we started exhibiting at Automechanika Dubai which coincided with our focus on the Middle East and African (MEA) region since 2010.”