At the end of 2009, there were more than 13,000 franchised automotive dealers in China. Many of them are so-called 4S dealerships, which indicates that the dealer not only sells new cars but also services vehicles as well as sells spare parts.

As one of the fastest-growing market sectors in Mexico, the automotive industry presents a timely opportunity for SEMA members seeking to establish a foothold in this expanding consumer base.

Here is a roundup of proposed or recently enacted legislative and regulatory developments affecting the specialty-equipment industry in key overseas markets.

For the sixth year, a panel of top automotive journalists from 15 countries throughout Asia, Europe, South Africa and South America served on the SEMA Global Media Awards (GMA) panel. 

SEMA News recently talked with Stuart Charity, executive director of the nearly 30-year-old Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), and Ben Bartlett, the AAAA’s national membership manager, about the Australian specialty-equipment market amid increasingly positive news that Australia is well on its way to an economic recovery.

SEMA News is interviewing top distributors/retailers in China in a series of monthly articles to introduce the larger players in the evolving specialty-equipment market in China to the magazine’s readers.