10 aftermarket trade articles that summarize AAPEX 2025

December 11, 2025

From Wayne Gretzky’s wisdom during the Keynote Breakfast to REPAIR Act momentum – key aftermarket insights from AAPEX 2025

LAS VEGAS – December 11, 2025 – The automotive aftermarket is fortunate to have a healthy ecosystem of trade media. Many reporters and editors attend AAPEX regularly, and though it’s been about a month since AAPEX 2025, news and analysis from the show are still coming out.

If you missed the show or even parts of it, spending some time with the trade media will help get you caught up on key themes stemming from the show.

Importantly, there were hundreds of articles published, including those posted to AAPEX Live. So, we’ve canvased the coverage and curated a list we think provides a broad overview of AAPEX 2025 or covers a specific topic in depth.

1. AAPEX begins with people

Babcox Director of Content Jason Morgan began his coverage of the opening remarks this way:

“When Auto Care Association President and CEO Bill Hanvey took the stage alongside Paul McCarthy, president and CEO of MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers, at the AAPEX Opening Breakfast, they didn’t begin with technology or market forecasts. They began with people.”

It’s people that move markets and Morgan writes, “the aftermarket’s future will depend on the strength of its workforce and the collaboration of its industry partners. Both leaders underscored that message through tangible examples, from technician education to global advocacy.”

Read more: AAPEX opening breakfast delivers a call to action theme via Aftermarket News

2. Lessons business can learn from sports

Wayne Gretzky was the featured speaker at the AAPEX Keynote Breakfast this year. He talked for about an hour during a discussion moderated by Northwood University President Dr. Kent MacDonald.

There were several good pieces about the keynote breakfast. One by Tom Valentino captured some of the highlights in a piece he penned for National Oil and Lube News (NOLN):

“Wayne Gretzky emphasized that success depends on anticipating industry trends and being proactive, much like skating to where the puck is headed.”
“He advised leaders to check their egos at the door, stay humble, and continuously seek advice and learning opportunities.”
“The importance of valuing every team member, from entry-level technicians to owners, was a key message for fostering success.”

3. Play-by-play report on AAPEX

Rob Merwin contributed a report to MOTOR covering each day at AAPEX in chronological order. It’s a solid summary of the key highlights along with photos from the show. It’s worth pointing out that Merwin is also the publisher of another trade publication: Aftermarket Matters.

4. Recapping the week at AAPEX

Adam Malik kept a running tab of news at the show with live updates and frequent posts on the Instagram channel for Auto Service World. He tied it all together in a recap about a week after the show, which includes an easy-to-peruse gallery of photos at the bottom.

Read more: Recapping Industry Week 2025 in Las Vegas via Auto Service World

5. AAPEX is “a first-class show”

Don Taylor, a racing and performance industry consultant, has been to Las Vegas every year but hasn’t been to AAPEX in the last 10 years. So, he made a special trip and what he saw impressed him:

“AAPEX was so fascinating to me. On the main floor, all the booth displays looked professional with first-rate signage and lighting,” he wrote. “Even at the back of the hall, no more card tables with a black tablecloth, and limp cardboard name plaque clipped to curtain backdrop.”

Taylor concluded, “This was clearly not a second-rate affair. This is a first-class show…”

Read more: SEMA and AAPEX Shows via LA Car

6. High school team wins the inaugural student competition

AAPEX hosted its first-ever student engine assembly and disassembly competition this year. Three teams competed, including two from vocational colleges and one team from a high school in Kansas City, Missouri.

The high school team won! The two students, Taem Aljallad and Adrian Madinger, both of whom are just 17 years of age, disassembled and reassembled a Chevy 350 engine in 1 hour and 44 minutes in front of a live audience.

When Hannah Ryder Ross, who was reporting for Indie Garage, “asked what the winning team felt they owed their success to, instructor and veteran tech Jack Stow praised the pair’s exceptional dedication and teamwork.”

She quotes him as saying: “They were focused, they worked hard – together. They put in the work outside of school. They learned the process, learned to trust each other. They just work well together – that’s it.”

Read more: Inaugural AAPEX Student Engine Build Competition shows promise for future via Indie Garage

7. Growing support for the REPAIR Act

Rising costs have strengthened the case for the REPAIR Act, according to Ana Meuwissen, Senior Vice President of Government Relations at MEMA. She noted more and more legislators are familiar with the proposed law and it’s attracting more supporters:

“The coalition behind the REPAIR Act continues to expand, reflecting a wide range of stakeholders. New members include the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association and the Preventive Automotive Maintenance Association.”

8. Auto techs on why the cost of repairs have increased

Writing for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Jack Frimet reports he “joined a group of Right to Repair advocates from iFixit and FULU Foundation in Las Vegas for the AAPEX and SEMA shows.”

He spoke to auto techs, “from across the country to hear firsthand why repairs are becoming more costly, more complicated, and more of a headache.”

The answers boiled down to three key reasons:

“Manufacturers have exclusive access to wireless repair data”
“High costs to access manufacturer-required software” and
“Reliance on manufacturer software is increasing.”

His assessment brings the need for the REPAIR Act into focus.

Read more: 3 reasons your car repair bill is more expensive via PIRG

9. MEYLE stamps out $14,000 in license plates for Northwood University

Germany-based MEYLE was back at AAPEX this year with one of the most talked about SWAG at the show: a machine that stamps out customized German license plates.

It’s proven to be a great way to bring traffic to the MEYLE booth, but the company went one step further this year, according to reporting by Jeff White, a managing editor for Babcox Media.

They partnered with Northwood University to create a fundraiser. Attendees visiting the MEYLE booth could donate $20 and receive a custom-stamped license plate.

“This effort raised $9,171. MEYLE contributed an additional $5,000. These combined efforts emphasized the aftermarket focus on investing in future talent,” he wrote.

10. ASE and the U.S. Secret Service

The National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and the U.S. Secret Service exhibited in a co-branded booth at AAPEX this year.

Why? They need a few good auto technicians.

Kathy McCarron covered the story for Tire Business:

“ASE and the Secret Service, which operates its own fleet of vehicles across the country, jointly exhibited at AAPEX to drive awareness of the wide range of career opportunities available to auto technicians.”

She quotes ASE President and CEO Dave Johnson in her piece:

“Part of the goal here is to drive that point home and get ahead of the shortage by highlighting the interesting career opportunities for auto technicians with the finest security agency in our country,” he added.

Read more: ASE, Secret Service seek a Few Good Auto Techs via Tire Business

* * *

There are just 11 months to go until AAPEX 2026, which will be held from November 3–5, 2026, in Las Vegas, NV at The Venetian Expo & Caesars Forum.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
Guest post: Why imported vehicles are harder to repair in U.S. shops and how to turn the challenge into profit