Year: 2022

And there are more to come in 2023

CoolDrive Auto Parts has added more Specialist Training Events to its roster, recently hosting several training nights in Queensland.
Held in Mackay, Townsville and Cairns across October, these Specialist Training nights were themed around Professional Diagnostic Tools and were held as part of CoolDrive’s ongoing commitment to its workshop customers to ensure they are prepared for the future.
The primary focus of the events was Picoscope oscilloscope technology and how to use the Bosch KTS diagnostic tool to diagnose vehicle faults, with additional discussions around the Secure Gateway Module and protected vehicle electronics in modern vehicles.
“Our October Specialist Training nights in Queensland were incredibly successful and well-attended by our customers, providing both hands-on training and networking opportunities,” CoolDrive Auto Parts Category Manager – Tools and Equipment, Matthew Douglass, said.
“The overarching aim of these events is to ensure CoolDrive customers not only have the tools to properly service and repair modern vehicles but are also equipped with the knowledge and hands-on experience of these new and emerging technologies.” 
A trusted partner to workshops, CoolDrive hosted a number of specialist training events this year, including two weekend-long events coinciding with the Bathurst

The goal to create Australia’s largest national Show n Shine event has proven to be a major success for one of the country’s largest automotive accessories and parts retailers, Autobarn.
The three-week competition conducted from October to mid-November received more than 1,000 entries, with the vast majority being of outstanding quality.
To be in the running to win from a total competition prize pool worth $20,000, anyone could take a photo of their car or bike outside any of the 135 Autobarn stores across the country, upload the image to Autobarn’s Facebook Page or to Autobarn’s Instagram (using the #waxonshowoff hashtag) to be in the draw.
According to Bapcor Retail General Manager – Marketing, Simon Davenport, this competition has brought many outstanding vehicles to Autobarn stores nationwide.
“Autobarn team members across the country have seen everything from trucks, a DeLorean, everyday drives and absolutely everything in between,” Simon said.
“The passion that Australians have for their vehicles is incredible and at Autobarn we’re always here to help people build and maintain their pride and joy.”
Autobarn’s judging team are now faced with the unenviable task of selecting all of the sub-category winners across the Off Road Warrior, Most Unique, Muscle

Two new directors have been welcomed to the AAAA Board

Following the Annual General Meeting for the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), two new directors have been appointed to the AAAA Board.
A number of respected industry leaders were nominated for the four available 2022 Board positions, including two existing directors.
After a strong voter turnout, the new Board appointments were formally announced at the 42nd AAAA Annual General Meeting, which was held on the 24th of October in Brisbane.  
The successful candidates elected to the Board for a three-year term were:
• Mark Pedder – Director at Pedder’s Suspension
• April Harwood – Chief Sales Officer at JAX Quickfit Franchising Systems
• Colette Kirby – Chief Executive Officer at Logicar Australia
• Craig Baills – Owner at Highfields Mechanical.
“We are extremely fortunate to have such an impressive selection of industry leaders offer their services for the betterment of our industry,” AAAA Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Charity, said.
“I wish to congratulate Mark and Craig on their re-election to the Board, and provide a warm welcome to April Harwood and Colette Kirby.
“With more

The manufacturer focused on sustainability and conserving plastics

The UN Climate Change Conference was recently held in Egypt and Hamburg manufacturer Meyle was there to input new ideas with its own sustainability endeavours.
Climate change, the energy transition, the scarcity of resources, increased sustainability awareness and alternative drives – for manufacturers in the independent aftermarket, the need to act has never been as great as it is today.
Meyle says it has now achieved an important milestone – the company is conserving 15 tonnes of plastic a year by eliminating plastic caps from Meyle axial rods, control arms, ball joints and tie rods.
For some time now, Meyle says it has been doing without the protective caps it previously used in the packaging for its axial rods.
And now, control arms, ball joints and tie rods will likewise be delivered in optimised packaging that makes the plastic caps superfluous.
Meyle is additionally saving four tonnes of plastic a year by reducing its use of stretch wrap and thanks to its 2018/2019 transition to paper-based adhesive

The Auto Innovation Centre is a centre of excellence for the automotive industry

The Auto Innovation Centre (AIC) will become a new Zero and Low Emission Vehicle (ZLEV) hub, supporting the vehicle evolution within the aftermarket manufacturing, service, repair and modification sectors.
The AIC was awarded a grant by the Victorian Government as part of its Zero Emission Vehicles Commercial Sector Innovation Fund. 
Working closely with the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the grant will allow the AIC to break down barriers for aftermarket product manufacturers to ensure modified ZLEVs remain fit for purpose, and provide automotive technicians with opportunities to be upskilled on ZLEV technology. 
Both initiatives are designed to support consumers to access safe, reliable and affordable ZLEV aftermarket parts, servicing and repair.
The AIC enables aftermarket companies to
fast-track product development through vehicle and product level testing and 3D scanning and owns a fleet of vehicles and a modern, well-equipped workshop and training facility.   
“The AIC is uniquely placed to support
the automotive industry’s uptake of Zero Emission Vehicles given our existing role supporting
the aftermarket with testing services, and our facility built with automotive training and development in mind,” AIC Managing Director, Luke Truskinger, said.
“The

NSW Fair Trading urges consumers to stop, check and verify

Scams Awareness Week 2022 was held in early November, and NSW Fair Trading Commissioner and Head of SafeWork NSW, Natasha Mann, explained the theme of this year’s awareness week was how to spot a scam.
“Stop, check, and verify is the message we’re sending consumers – to take the time to check whether an offer or contact is genuine before acting on it,” Natasha said.
“Due to the ‘fly by night’ nature of many scammers, it can be difficult for law enforcement agencies to track scammers down to take action. This is further complicated by many being located abroad.
“From January 2021 to September 2022 there were 1693 potential scams reported to NSW Fair Trading. Of those, 900 related to online marketplaces which primarily involved consumers buying from fake websites, generally based overseas. More than 490 of the 1693 potential scams involved non supply for goods purchased.
Natasha noted NSW Fair Trading was also seeing consumers fall victim to Facebook and other online marketplace scams, shipping containers and fake websites using fake ABNs and ACNs with no intention to supply, and scams around the purchase of tickets to events, where

Capricorn Group CEO David Fraser asks if we are ready, as our industry enters a new era

As we say goodbye to 2022, I can’t help but feel that, as an industry, we are on the precipice of something special.
The expected transition to electric vehicles is the obvious starting point.
In Australia, the new Federal Government looks to be getting more serious about moving this transition forward, while in New Zealand the government has been introducing initiatives to encourage EV adoption for some time.
We see from Capricorn’s State of the Nation 2022 report that our Members are now servicing an average of four EVs or hybrids a month (up from 2.5 last year).
The face of our industry is also changing. Millennials (the eldest of whom are now 40) are taking over more of our businesses as older generations retire and they’re keen to do things their own way, embracing change and technology.
The ongoing skills shortage also means we are looking at who we welcome into the industry.
We are doing more to encourage more women into the automotive trades.
The fact that three of the five Capricorn Rising Star

It is both fascinating and understandable to see the many similarities between the Australian automotive aftermarket and the American market

Our recent attendance at SEMA and AAPEX in Las Vegas was an opportunity to compare our Australian market conditions with the real-world experience of American car owners, their buying patterns and their aspirations for the future.
Independently of any other nation, we have been forecasting Australia’s key auto trends; specifically, ADAS integration into new models and EV take up.
Sitting in on AAPEX seminars and meeting with the Auto Care Association, their data experts and their government relations team revealed a very similar pattern to our own experience.
Their data, and ours, predicts a slow and steady take up of EVs reaching 30 percent of new sales in 2030. After this slow growth occurring over the next seven to eight years, the numbers start to escalate quickly with 55 percent of new car sales by 2035.
Again, this translates slowly into the whole car parc – by 2030 we expect to continue to have 88 percent of the car park on petrol or diesel. The key messages from the American

It is clear that the Australian car-parc is transitioning to include more vehicles that are zero and low emission

Electric and hybrid vehicles are central to this transition, and hydrogen and sustainable fuel powered ICE vehicles are also prominent in discussions about our evolving car-parc.
There are many consumer, manufacturer and regulatory dynamics impacting the rate of growth of the ZLEV population in Australia, but the fundamental driver of this transition is an environmental one. We want and need to reduce automotive industry carbon emissions across the country.
The ZLEV transition will undoubtedly play a leading role in efforts to reduce carbon emissions. However, this transition is not the only way to reduce emissions and we can all play our part to positively impact what the future looks like. The automotive aftermarket industry consists of 50,000+ businesses, employs over 300,000 people and is worth $25B annually to the economy. An industry as large as ours has a responsibility, and a great opportunity to make an important impact on carbon emissions alongside the ZLEV transition.
Why should we be investing in measures to reduce our carbon emissions? The environmental benefits for our future are obviously the primary motivation. Further to this,