Ask anyone who drives a car and they will tell you the same thing: the buying doesn’t stop when you drive out of the lot. In fact, in 2017, the automotive aftermarket in the U.S. was an industry worth $287 billion.
Through 2020, the projected compound annual growth rate of the automotive aftermarket is 3.6%. Whether you have purchased a brand new vehicle or a used one, there’s always something new and exciting available to make your car even better than the day you purchased it.
These aftermarket parts can be categorized in two different groups. The first group is accessories. The second group consists of performance parts, and sometimes these are import performance parts. Customers have the choice of having their vehicles serviced, or of doing it themselves. Let’s have a look at what items make up these two categories.
Accessories are items that are made to be added on after the sale of the original vehicle. These accessories can be designed for customization of the vehicle, like a monogrammed initial plate. They can also be designed for comfort, such as plush seat cushions.
Accessories may also be added for safety (extra mirrors, for example), convenience (extra cup holders, perhaps) or performance. Subaru upgrades are a good example of this area. Performance parts for Subaru upgrades and other brands could include a fuel surge tank for high power output, or Cosmis wheels for racing, for instance. And, a new turbo and other upgrades are available to get your Subaru WRX STI to go as fast as possible, which is a horsepower higher than 500.
Or, the accessories may be specifically related to the type of car–for Subaru upgrades, as stated, one may need Subaru performance parts. This is true for other models, as well, such as Acura performance parts, Hyundai performance parts, or Mazda performance parts.
The other category, import performance parts, deals with parts of the car that have been rebuilt or remanufactured due to various causes: for example, wear and tear. Also, damage to a fuel surge tank from an accident, for instance. Certain foreign cars require import performance parts, which are specialized items.
It is an exciting hobby for many do-it-yourselfers to work on their cars. Clearly, since by 2020 the automotive aftermarket industry is projected to reach $722.8 billion worldwide.
Finding accessories and import performance parts can turn any vehicle into a statement of one’s own personality. Remember the movie ‘American Graffiti’? If ever there was a movie that celebrated the love affair that humans have with their cars, that was it.
Cars are in such demand and so popular! Just look at the Subaru: about 59,841 were sold in the U.S. alone in June of 2018. And everyone involved in the automotive industry is delighted that cars bring people so much happiness–and that cars bring them such substantial profits. Totally a two-way, win-win street!