Global aging of vehicle fleets spawns a trillion-dollar aftermarket: eBay focuses on the dual-core markets of Europe and the United States and unveils its 2026 plan | The Frontline

Author: Ou Xue

Editor: Yuan Silai

Against the backdrop of the continuous growth of the global vehicle population and the increasingly obvious trend of vehicle aging, the automotive aftermarket is undergoing a structural transformation.

Recently, at the annual automotive aftermarket sellers' summit held by global e - commerce platform eBay in Xiamen, the key trends in this transformation were revealed.

eBay platform data shows that currently, the global automotive aftermarket is presented with a structural opportunity, with the market size exceeding $2.3 trillion and the global vehicle population surpassing 1.6 billion.

North America and Europe, as the core markets, continue to release their potential driven by the trends of vehicle aging and online shopping. The average vehicle age in Europe and the United States has exceeded 12 years, driving the continuous release of demand for vehicle maintenance, repair, and modification. Meanwhile, the trend of online shopping is reshaping the industry at an unprecedented speed, bringing a historical growth window for platform sellers.

The market opportunities are accompanied by the upgrading of operational thresholds. eBay platform data shows that high - value and high - threshold "large and heavy parts" and core repair components demonstrate amazing growth potential.

Taking the US site as an example, the annual sales of engine assemblies by Chinese sellers have increased by up to five times, the sales of differential assemblies have increased by over 60%, and the sales of bumpers have increased by 45%. In addition, commercial vehicle parts are becoming a high - growth and diversified segment. The two - year growth rate of steering knuckles for commercial heavy - duty trucks has exceeded 56%, indicating that B - end professional procurement is accelerating its migration to online platforms.

Wang Sijie, the vice - president of the cross - border logistics enterprise Winit Group, said that under the pressure of tariffs, the rising cost of offline channels may instead prompt some consumers to shift to online shopping.

Huang Bujin, the general manager of the South China region of the China Large Customer Team of eBay's China Cross - border Trade Division, said in an interview with media including 36Kr that taking the commercial vehicle industrial belt in Shiyan, Hubei as an example, a group of enterprises that used to supply parts to original equipment manufacturers are now trying to directly target the end - consumer retail market through eBay.

However, this transformation is not easy. "It takes time for them to shift from a B2B mindset to understanding and trying the B2C model, including a change in mentality, but the prospects are broad," said Lin Wenkui, the general manager of the Greater China region of eBay's International Cross - border Trade Division.

The core bottleneck in the online sales of "large and heavy goods" lies in cross - border logistics fulfillment, especially the last - mile truck delivery system. Pan Zhehu, the general manager of the East China region of the China Large Customer Team of eBay's China Cross - border Trade Division, detailed the pain points in an interview: The US truck delivery market consists of a large number of small companies, with problems such as unstable delivery times, large price fluctuations, and difficulty in system integration, resulting in consumers being unable to track their goods as easily as they can with express delivery.

To address this, the eBay platform is trying to "smooth out the uncertainties for sellers" and reduce their risk of trial - and - error by optimizing products (such as collecting detailed delivery requirements when placing orders), integrating resources through cooperation with large - scale certified warehouses, and providing targeted freight subsidies.

However, although both the European and American markets are core growth areas, their development paths and stages are significantly different. The North American market has formed a large online base, and competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Growth comes from more in - depth professional differentiation.

eBay analysts believe that sellers are evolving along three paths: First, focusing on a large number of long - tail SKUs to meet diverse and sporadic demands; second, concentrating on the most popular commodities such as vulnerable parts, competing in terms of supply - chain scale and efficiency; third, finding a unique niche by specializing in appearance or performance modification parts, moving from the "replacement" market to the "upgrading" market.

The growth logic of the platform has also changed, shifting from simply providing traffic support to solving systematic bottlenecks. For example, by solving the warehousing and logistics problems of truck delivery and special products such as tires, the platform aims to "quickly introduce a large number of products that were not easy for Chinese sellers to handle before."

In contrast, the European market shows the "blue - ocean" characteristics that the US market had several years ago. eBay data shows that the European market not only has a huge demand for basic vehicle maintenance but also shows a strong consumption trend in areas such as personalized modification (appearance), technological upgrading, and professional tools.

Taking the German and British sites as examples, in the past three years, the strategic product categories on the British site have shown rapid growth. The sales of brake discs by Chinese sellers on the British site have increased by 16 times, the sales of taillight assemblies have increased by 9 times, and the sales of radiators have increased by over 4 times. On the German site, the sales of shock absorbers have increased by 9 times, the sales of charging piles and charging guns have increased by 6.5 times, and the sales of headlight assemblies have increased by 3.5 times.

For sellers, branding is considered the key to building long - term competitiveness. Jiang Zhenyang, the CEO of Shenzhen Xinshengshang Technology Co., Ltd., believes that automotive parts are not purely standard products. A brand represents a commitment to quality and service, which can gain consumers' trust and create premium space.

Li Haoyu, the deputy general manager of Shenzhen Sangzhen Automotive Parts Technology Co., Ltd., also said that a brand is a natural result of providing consumers with a reliable and consistent experience, which requires the support of a professional team and partners to fulfill commitments such as product warranties.

Facing the common problems of a large number of automotive parts SKUs and complex inventory management, sellers emphasized the importance of data - driven management and supply - chain collaboration.

Jiang Zhenyang introduced that the core lies in accurate demand forecasting, making core raw materials more universal through product design, shortening the supplier delivery cycle, and enhancing the agility of the supply chain. Li Haoyu added that they are working on connecting the data between the sales end and upstream suppliers to achieve information collaboration, so as to flexibly adjust procurement plans and first - mile logistics methods and optimize inventory turnover.

Despite challenges such as global market fluctuations, intensified competition, and increasing compliance requirements, sellers and the platform remain cautiously optimistic about the prospects of cross - border exports of automotive parts.

They believe that while increasingly strict regulations are raising the entry threshold, they are also promoting the standardization of the industry, which is beneficial to long - term players who adhere to product quality, branding, and compliance. eBay said that in 2026, it will also explore the introduction of the live - streaming e - commerce model in categories such as automotive parts and continue to conduct offline penetration and ecological construction in key markets to jointly expand growth space with Chinese sellers.