European automotive supplier body CLEPA says it is to “take action” next week concerning the contentious issue of access to vehicle repair and maintenance information.
The topic has been a hot potato for some time now with CLEPA apparently frustrated in its attempts to liberalise the market, branding the stance of vehicle manufacturers as “protectionist.”
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CLEPA CEO Lars Holmqvist appears determined to bow out – his tenure as chief of the supplier body will end this April – with a victory in a long-touted aim of the organisation to free up the information sector for independents.
“They [OEMs] are making it extremely difficult – it is quite clearly protectionist,” Holmqvist told just-auto from Sweden. “They want to extend costs on the component manufacturers… we are looking to fight it. First of all, we will take it further in a legal process – we are using the legal means at our disposal.
“We have sent a letter to the chairman of ACEA [European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association] and he has not even bothered to answer, so we have given up, we will have to do it the hard way.”
The CLEPA CEO added efforts could start in one European country and “escalate” to an EU level, in bid to to stop vehicle manufacturers being “greedy,” with Holmqvist enjoying the ear of politicians at extremely senior levels in Brussels.
“The only thing we are talking about here is money,” he said. “It is not about quality or safety. We have some hope we will be able to solve it rather quickly – the European Commission has also tried to talk to the carmakers.
“We find it so important and also the Commission is concerned by the attempt by the carmakers to block this business. Millions of people work in the aftermarket and most of them are small and medium enterprises.”
Holmqvist will step down as CEO on 2 April to be replaced by PSA board member Jean-Marc Gales. The new chief was formerly with Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, General Motors and BMW.
ACEA was not immediately available for comment.
