The holding of the International Week of the Automotive Industry in Mexico from July 10 through 14 at the Centro Banamex will coincide with the closest scrutiny ever experienced by the sector worldwide, a sector in which Mexico is emerging as a solid center for the production of automobiles and parts and in which it is ranked in 11th place.

The organizers of the above mentioned International Week, the associations INA, APRA, MEMA, SEMA, AAIA y Messe Frankfurt, announced the 4th International Congress of the Automotive Industry in Mexico (known as CIIAM) from July 10 through 12 and the exhibition of automotive components for the aftermarket, original equipment and service, PAACE Automechanika México, from July 12 through 14.

Ramón Suárez Fernández, Executive President of the National Autoparts Industry (INA), said that in the first two months of 2006 the sector’s production grew 14.9% in relation to the same period of 2005. In February alone, the value of components assembled in Mexico was $2.1 billion, $181 million dollars, or 9.4%, up on February, 2005.

INA is one of six organizations behind the staging of the Automotive Congress (CIIAM) and PAACE Automechanika México. Parts exports via Mexico’s vehicle assembly plants total $13 billion dollars a year and the parts are produced at 350 plants in Mexico, according to Suárez. He said the value of Mexico’s parts production in the first two months of 2006 was $4.257 billion, 14.9% up.

In this context and within the framework of the International Week of the Automotive Industry in Mexico Mexico’s largest commercial exhibition for the automotive aftermarket, original equipment and service centers, PAACE Automechanika Mexico, will take place.

Dirk Ebener, Vice President of Messe Frankfurt, Inc., said that 11 international pavilions, Brazil (two), Italy, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Japan and Taiwan’s parts sector would feature at the show. Five hundred and fifty companies from 14 countries would have booths.

Ebener stated that PAACE Automechanika México would cover a record area of 21,000 square meters and 17,000 visitors were expected to attend.

Peter MacGillivray, SEMA’s Marketing and Communications Vice President, said that this year the Salón de SEMA, present at PAACE Automechanika México for the second successive year, would be almost twice as large as last year.

Highly tuned and modified cars would be exhibited by SEMA members living in Mexico and there would be retroalimentation activities, promotions, souvenirs, audio and video displays, etc., said MacGillivray.

Agustín Ríos Matence, Coordinator of the 4th International Congress of the Automotive Industry in Mexico (CIIAM), said the event had become hugely relevant in the national automotive arena and had developed into the most important forum for the sector in Latin America in view of Mexico’s membership of a North American region which produced almost 20 million automobiles, trucks and buses annually.

Among the speakers at the congress would be Otto Lindner, Presidente of the Executive Council of Volkswagen de México; Holger Ploog, Volkswagen Mexico’s Technical Development Director; Everardo Elizondo, Deputy Governor of the Banco de Mëxico (Mexico’s Central Bank); George Magliano, Automotive Leader of Global Insight; Marcos Pérez, Product Development Director of Ford Motor Company Mexico; Charles Visconti, President of Robert Bosch Mexico; and Eduardo Solís, Head of the Economy Ministry’s Investment Promotions Office.

The congress’s theme would be Mexico-USA: Revolution or Evolution. It would be held from July 10 through 12 and be attended by 350 people. The panels would cover engineering, raw materials and energy, finance, technology, the aftermarket’s future and purchasing.

Other speakers at the congress included: Bo Andersson, Global Purchasing Vice President for General Motors Corporation; Marco Bañuelos, Director of Logistics and Supplies of Kenworth Mexicana; Leo Torres, Director of Supplies of Ford Motor Company México and Oscar Albin, Purchasing Director of DaimlerChrylser Mëxico.

Press Contact:

Contact USA:
WT Glasgow, Inc.
10729 W. 163rd Place
Orland Park, Illinois 60467
Tel. (708) 226-1300
Fax. (708) 226-1310
Mail: info@wtglasgow.com
Web: www.paaceautomechanika.com

Contact International:
Messe Frankfurt, Inc.
1600 Parkwood Circle, Ste. 515
Atlanta, GA 303391, USA
Mail: paminfo@usa.messefrankfurt.com
Web: www.automechanika.de

Contact México:
Messe Frankfurt México, S. de R. L. de C. V.
Leibnitz 162, Col. Anzures
11590 México, D. F.
Tel. +52 (55) 5545 4488
Fax: +52 (55) 5545 0947
Mail: info@mexico.messefrankfurt.com
Web: www.messefrankfurt.com.mx