2026 Policy Boost Drives Rapid Expansion and Upgrading of Auto Aftermarket

As the inaugural year of China's "15th Five-Year Plan" (2026–2030), 2026 saw the General Office of the State Council issue early in the year the "Work Plan for Accelerating the Cultivation of New Growth Areas in Service Consumption." For the first time, "automotive aftermarket services" were singled out as a key sector for development, aiming to promote emerging business models such as vehicle modification, leasing, RV camping, and motorsport events. The policy explicitly supports innovation across the entire automotive consumption and distribution chain, calls for removing restrictive measures, improving standardization systems, and enhancing international cooperation and automotive culture development. The Ministry of Commerce stated it will adopt multiple measures to expand and upgrade automotive consumption. Currently, China’s automotive aftermarket has surpassed RMB 1 trillion in scale, growing at an annual rate exceeding 10%. Consumer demand is shifting from traditional repair services toward high-quality, personalized, and integrated service offerings. Although certain segments still face developmental bottlenecks, coordinated efforts between government and enterprises, along with cross-sector integration and innovation, are fostering new business models, increasing industry concentration, and driving the aftermarket toward high-quality growth.