"The reality of the automotive industry is that car dealers typically generate better profits on the sale of accessories than on the cars themselves," says Rainer Poertner, Executive Vice President of MWW Automotive, a leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of customized, high quality original equipment (OE) accessories for new automobiles to the global marketplace. "Although automobile sales continue to struggle in the U.S., the special equipment market has steadily grown at an average annual rate of 7.4%, with European and emerging markets producing strong sales growth for U.S. manufacturers and suppliers."
Aftermarket products include everything from exterior systems such as rear spoilers, front grills, running boards, side pillar trim kits, stainless steel door sills and performance exhaust systems; interior systems including real wood, carbon fiber, and metallic look dash trim kits; electronic systems including seat heater systems, iPod interface modules; adaptive lighting systems, and more.
"If consumers have become used to customizing their jeans, cell phones, and computer software, why shouldn’t they demand to personalize their cars?" asks Poertner, suggesting the spike in aftermarket sales is part of a larger cultural trend toward customization. MMW’s products are researched, designed, engineered, and manufactured by in-house experts in the U.S. and Germany and deliver innovative, cost-effective, and differentiated parts that reflect today’s customers’ specific and increasingly demanding lifestyle choices.
In an unique aftermarket sales model, MWW delivers its products directly to the assembly lines of automobile manufacturer Vehicle Processing Centers (VPC) in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. "This assures consistency of part styles and color, and ensures that the automobile manufacturers’ warranties remain intact following accessory installation," Poertner explains. "It’s a sales model with solid profit margins, in which the parts are definitely greater than the whole."
