Featuring 184 exhibitors from 26 countries and country pavilions from Turkey, Taiwan, China and India, the inaugural edition of Automechanika Jeddah began on Tuesday.

The Saudi debut of the Automechanika brand is the 15th of its kind around the world and the second in the Middle East organized by Messe Frankfurt, aside from the Dubai edition.

Running up to Jan. 28 at the Jeddah Centre for Forum and Events, the exhibition, being organised in conjunction with ACE Group, has attracted a wide representation of international and regional brands.

According to analysts Frost & Sullivan, the demand for spare parts in Saudi Arabia, which was valued at SR 14.24 billion in 2013, is expected to grow at 7.7 percent annually over the next five years to reach SR 20.62 billion by 2020.

"Automechanika Jeddah, which is our first Saudi adventure is indeed a significant milestone event for us as organizers," said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East. "Since setting up our Dubai subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt in 2002, we have, built up a successful portfolio of nine world-class trade shows and 13 conferences.

Michael Johannes, VP mobility and logistics, Messe Frankfurt Exhibitions GmbH said: "Since it was founded in 1971, the Automechanika brand has become the leading international trade fair for the automobile sector worldwide.

Muwaffaq Al-Harith, chairman of the ACE Group, observed: "Automechanika is the largest aftermarket show for spare parts and accessories in the world.

Somy Massoud, export manager at Universal Energy Storage, said: "Our expectations as a launch partner is to be able to obtain better range of contacts in the Saudi market."

Automechanika Jeddah encompasses the six core product sections. The trade show delivers the latest products and solutions in the fields of parts, systems, tuning, workshop equipment, bodywork and paintwork, car wash, IT & Management and the latest automobile services.