An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. The term is also used in several other ways, which causes ambiguity. It sometimes means the maker of a system that includes other companies' subsystems, an end-product producer, an automotive part that is manufactured by the same company that produced the original part used in the automobile's assembly, or a value-added reseller.
The automotive aftermarket is the secondary parts market of the automotive industry, concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, equipment, and accessories, after the sale of the automobile by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to the consumer. The parts, accessories, etc. for sale may or may not be manufactured by the OEM.
A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive maintenance services.
An auto mechanic is a mechanic who services and repairs automobiles, sometimes specializing in one or more automobile brands or sometimes working with any brand. In fixing cars, their main role is to diagnose and repair the problem accurately and quickly. Seasoned auto repair shops start with a (Digital) Inspection to determine the vehicle conditions, independent of the customers concern. Based on the concern, the inspection results and preventative maintenance needs, the mechanic/technician returns the findings to the service advisor who then gets approval for any or all of the proposed work. The approved work will be assigned to the mechanic on a work order. Their work may involve the repair of a specific part or the replacement of one or more parts as assemblies. Basic vehicle maintenance is a fundamental part of a mechanic's work in modern industrialized countries, while in others they are only consulted when a vehicle is already showing signs of malfunction.
JC Whitney is a retailer of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories. as well as an automotive content platform via JCWhitney.com and the JC Whitney print magazine It was acquired by CarParts.com, a publicly traded American online provider of aftermarket auto parts in 2010. JC Whitney is headquartered in Torrance, California.
Genuine Parts Company (GPC) is an American service organization engaged in the distribution of automotive replacement parts, industrial replacement parts, office products and electrical/electronic materials. GPC serves numerous customers from more than 2,600 operations around the world, and has approximately 48,000 employees. It owns the NAPA Auto Parts brand.
Carquest Corporation is an American automotive parts distribution network that was sold and currently owned and operated by Advance Auto Parts via independent retailers associated with the network as "Carquest Auto Parts". As of October 4, 2014 Advance operated 5,305 stores, 109 Worldpac branches. Advance Auto Parts and Carquest Auto Parts employs approximately 75,000 employees.
An automobile repair shop is an establishment where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and technicians. The customer interface is typically a service advisor, traditionally called a service writer.
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is an American automotive aftermarket parts provider. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it serves both professional installer and do it yourself (DIY) customers. As of December 2023, Advance operated 4,935 stores and 321 Worldpac branches in the United States and Canada. The company also serves 1,245 independently owned Carquest-branded stores in the U.S., Mexico, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and British Virgin Islands.
The Auto Care Association is a not-for-profit trade association based in Bethesda, Maryland. Auto Care Association's nearly 3,000 members and affiliate companies, represent approximately 150,000 businesses that manufacture, distribute, sell and install motor vehicle parts, accessories, tools, equipment, materials, supplies, and services. Representing suppliers, distributors, retailers, service providers, program groups, manufacturers’ representatives, educators, and publishers, the Auto Care Association protects and advances the interests of businesses providing aftermarket products and services for all classes of motor vehicles.
The Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, sometimes also referred to as Right to Repair, is a name for several related proposed bills in the United States Congress and several state legislatures which would require automobile manufacturers to provide the same information to independent repair shops as they do for dealer shops.
The automotive industry in Canada consists primarily of assembly plants of foreign automakers, most with headquarters in the United States or Japan, along with hundreds of manufacturers of automotive parts and systems, a sector represented by the APMA.
A connected car is a car that can communicate bidirectionally with other systems outside of the car. This connectivity can be used to provide services to passengers or to support or enhance self-driving functionality. For safety-critical applications, it is anticipated that cars will also be connected using dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) or cellular radios, operating in the FCC-granted 5.9 GHz band with very low latency.
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) is an automotive industry association that represents the automotive aftermarket parts and accessories industry and companies that are involved in manufacturing, re-manufacturing, wholesaling, distributing and retailing of vehicle parts, tools, equipment, accessories and services. Established in 1980, the AAAA represents the interests of businesses in this particular market segment on a national level.
The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) was founded in 1904. MEMA represents more than 1,000 companies that manufacture motor vehicle components and systems for the original equipment and aftermarket segments of the light vehicle and heavy-duty motor vehicle manufacturing industry in the United States. Motor vehicle component manufacturers are the largest employer of manufacturing jobs in the U.S., contributing nearly 3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. Motor vehicle parts suppliers generate a total direct and indirect employment impact of 4.26 million jobs, up nearly 18 percent since 2012.
Openbay is an online marketplace for automotive repair and maintenance services and a provider of SaaS for the automotive service industry. in the United States. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it was founded by CEO, Rob Infantino, in 2012.
Android Auto is a mobile app developed by Google to mirror features of an Android device, such as a smartphone, on a car's dashboard information and entertainment head unit.
Bolt On Technology is an American business-to-business software development company based in Southampton, Pennsylvania that designs, develops and sells add-on software for the automotive aftermarket industry in North America.
Auto Parts Warehouse (APW) is an American online retailer specializing in automotive parts and accessories for cars, vans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. It stands alongside CarParts and JC Whitney, as one of the flagship websites of CarParts, an American online provider of aftermarket auto parts, encompassing collision parts, engine components, and performance parts and accessories.
An automotive part retailer is a retail business that sells automotive parts and related accessories to both consumers and professional repair shops, through physical stores and websites. Some automotive parts retailers also offer customer support and services related to automotive maintenance and repair.
