At the CLEPA General Assembly held in Brussels on 5 June, European automotive suppliers endorsed their priorities for the year to come: Post-2020 CO2 emissions reduction’s strategy; Automotive technical regulation 2014-2019; EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; Conflict minerals; Air Quality, Road Safety, ITS, Automated Driving, Skills gap and Aftermarket, to name just the most relevant ones.

“We should concentrate our efforts on innovation to maintain our technological leadership. Perhaps even more important is that we deliver a solid contribution to the re-launch of the European industrial policy” said Mr. Arnaud de David-Beauregard, CLEPA President.

During the past couple of years, the adverse economic situation threatened the global long-term competitiveness of the sector and its position in Europe.

However, the economic outlook is now changing slightly: recovering from the crisis does not mean that the risk of stagnation or decline has been successfully averted.

Automotive suppliers employ 5 million people in Europe and invest yearly over 18 billion Euros in R&I, bringing to the market an increasing diversity of products, with ever shorter development and product cycles. Regulatory requirements and customer expectations have made it increasingly important to develop new technologies and systems, for higher comfort, environmental and safety performance.

Referring to the challenges European automotive suppliers are facing while reviving and remodeling their business in order to even better reach global growth, Mr. Arnaud de David-Beauregard stated: “We need to reinforce the cooperation between suppliers and vehicle manufacturers at all levels. This will strengthen Europe’s competitive advantage worldwide”. 

The CLEPA General Assembly hosted for the second time the Automotive News “European Supplier Choice Survey Awards”. BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz Cars and Porsche AG were named the top three automakers in terms of openness to supplier innovation, according to the 2014 European Supplier Choice Survey. “The biggest shift in the 2014 survey was the increased importance suppliers have given to being able to trust the OEMs in terms of confidentiality and willingness to share innovations. This demonstrates that new technologies are an asset that should be well protected and jointly nurtured,” said Thomas Schiller, a partner at Deloitte Consulting GmbH in Munich.

Note to Editors

CLEPA is the European Association of Automotive Suppliers. 112 of the world's most prominent suppliers for car parts, systems and modules and 25 National trade associations and European sector associations are members of CLEPA, representing more than 3 thousand companies, employing more than 5 million people and covering all products and services within the automotive supply chain. Based in Brussels, Belgium, CLEPA is recognized as the natural discussion partner by the European Institutions, United Nations and fellow associations (ACEA, JAMA, MEMA, etc).

Facts about the European automotive industry

• Some 12 million people are employed in the European automotive industry
• European automotive suppliers employs directly 5 million people
• European automotive suppliers invest €18bn in RDI per year. They are one of the biggest private investors into research and innovation
• Per year, 16 million vehicles are manufactured in Europe, contributing to the stability and growth of the European economy

For more information, please contact: 

Mrs Amalia Di Stefano, CLEPA Deputy CEO, Tel.: +32 2 743 91 35 www.clepa.eu