Automechanika Frankfurt is the world’s leading trade fair for the automotive service industry. At the international meeting place for industry, repair shops and automotive trade premieres are celebrated and trends are set.

Founded in 1971 Automechanika Frankfurt has developed to become the most important meeting place for the industry, dealership trade and maintenance and repair segment. We take a look back on five decades of trade fair history and its showcased innovations.

50 years automotive aftermarket

• 1970s: Green, yellow, red and orange – colours were striking in the 70s. As the range of cars on offer increased, more importers entered the market. Safety was a key area of focus. In 1971 – the same year Automechanika was founded- the airbag was patented in Germany. In 1978 ABS (anti-block-system) hit the market.
• 1980s: Environmental aspects are a focus area with the special emission test (ASU, Abgas-Sonder-Untersuchung) being introduced to Germany in 1985. The decade also witnesses a boom time for car parts: Spoilers rocker panels, custom wheels and lowered suspensions are all the rage. Yet the highpoint is the fall of the wall in 1989, the opening of the East creates a new market for many.
• 1990s: Affordable telephone networks and mobile phones become available – resulting in in-car-phones. Soon to be followed by navigation systems that can be retro-fitted. At the same time, the digitisation of the automotive business goes hand-in-hand with the introduction of workshop networking.
• 2000s: The possible impacts of hybrid cars on work in automotive workshops are a topic of discussion as they require special training courses for high-voltage technology. The internet is increasingly serving as a source of information. The end of the decade witnesses the market launch of the first Tesla. Apple launches the iPhone and eventually impacts the features found in cars.
• 2010s: Topics like digitization and connectivity revolutionize complex processes in vehicles and workshops. Features such as automatic parking assistants offer insights into a future of autonomous driving. The demand for alternative drive systems increases.