Growing in Southeast Asia: Messe Frankfurt partners with GIAMM on Automechanika Jakarta debuting in 2026

Jakarta, 17 September 2025. During today’s press conference, Messe Frankfurt announced the expansion of the Automechanika trade fair brand in Southeast Asia, highlighting Indonesia’s advantages as an emerging economy with a robust automotive industry, the largest in Southeast Asia.^[1] With a Letter of Cooperation signed between Messe Frankfurt and the Indonesian Automotive Parts & Components Industries Association (GIAMM) to organise the fair, the partnership leverages a combination of international and local resources, networks and expertise to advance the sector. Scheduled from 24 to 27 September 2026 at Jakarta’s all-new Nusantara International Convention Exhibition (NICE), this inaugural event underscores the company’s commitment to building trade platforms in high potential growth markets. The show expects to feature 350 exhibitors across 15,000 sqm of exhibition space.

“Messe Frankfurt’s presence in Southeast Asia continues to expand in efforts to support new trade routes burgeoning across the region. In this regard, Automechanika Jakarta is an important addition to the company’s Mobility & Logistics portfolio. Indonesia has strong potential, especially within the automotive supply chain; shifts in investment towards the country’s manufacturing and logistics sectors emphasise its significance in the global supply chain”, commented Mr Stephan Buurma, Member of the Board of the Management, Messe Frankfurt Group. He added: “We look forward to working alongside GIAMM and utilising their local expertise to further develop international trade in the region while uniting the Indonesian automotive market.”

The company organises around 40 trade fairs serving the Mobility & Logistics sector. Automechanika Jakarta represents the company’s second entry into Indonesia, following the successful launch of Asiabike Jakarta in 2023, as well as the achievements of other regional Automechanika shows in Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, and Shanghai. While Indonesian companies have had an active presence in Messe Frankfurt’s 14 Automechanika brand events, this new addition aims to establish a prominent gateway into the country, opening opportunities for international trade, industry development, and information exchange to support the growth and advancement of the budding regional automotive supply chain.

Mr Hamdani Dzulkarnaen Salim, Chairman of GIAMM, explained why the country is a prime location for such activities: “Indonesia is well-positioned to become a significant player in the global automotive supply chain over the coming years. As an emerging economy with government incentives supporting industry transformation and bolstering vehicle sales, this is a country full of opportunities. The establishment of Automechanika Jakarta is crucial in this sense, providing a much-needed platform to converge domestic and overseas markets. Sharing Messe Frankfurt’s vision, we aim to foster local industry growth through this event by exposing domestic companies to best practices and valuable networks.”

A Cooperation Agreement signed between Messe Frankfurt and GIAMM was witnessed by representatives from the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia, Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of Indonesia, and Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia. Each ministry has expressed a strong endorsement of the fair, demonstrating their commitment to fostering the growth of domestic enterprises, trade, and industry transformation, which the fair will significantly contribute to.

Strong trade position makes way for a bright future in Indonesia

Indonesia has matured into a robust international trading partner by engaging in numerous trade agreements and playing a key role in regional partnerships. This status is further solidified by the expected announcement of the EU-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) this month, which is poised to open-up trade and relationships with the European Union, creating opportunities for the development of the automotive industry.

The sector has generated international interest thanks to government incentives and an emerging middle class with increased purchasing power, among other factors. It is already the largest automotive market in Southeast Asia, with car sales projected to reach 900,000 units and motorcycle sales expected between 6.4 and 6.7 million units in 2025 according to the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industry (GAIKINDO) and the Association of Indonesian Motorcycle Industry (AISI) respectively.^[2] Despite its recent rise as a global player, the country is already well established regionally, serving as a key Complete Built-Up (CBU) vehicle exporter, delivering more than 472,000 vehicles to over 100 countries under various major automotive OEMs in 2024.^[3] The fair will present opportunities for international players to tap into this prosperous local market, and for domestic companies to make global connections for trade.

Automechanika Jakarta to engage all automotive players

Automechanika Jakarta engages participants from the entire automotive supply chain, including parts and components, electrics and electronics, accessories and customising, diagnostics and repair, digital solutions and services, tyres and wheels, body and paint, motorcycles, as well as automotive manufacturing and automation. In this context of growth, innovation, and promoting local industry development, the exhibition aims to empower, connect and offer interactive experiences to its array of participants.

To illustrate, fringe events are set to encourage networking and knowledge exchange aligned with the industry’s direction like the Automotive Mobility Solutions Conference and the Supply Chain Collaboration Forum. Skills development will also be exemplified through the Tech & Skills Workshop with a range of targeted training exercises. Further to this, community engagement and celebrating automotive culture will be a focus of autoFEST@Jakarta, with a concert, drifting, and a car audio and modification competition, creating a rewarding experience for the entire automotive value chain, from OEMs to end-users.  

In addition, the co-located Drive Expo Jakarta will showcase new car models in passenger, commercial vehicle and motorcycle sectors that are shaping Indonesia’s automotive landscape.

Automechanika Jakarta is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and Indonesian Automotive Parts & Components Industries Association (GIAMM). For more information, please email the organisers at autoasia@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com. 

Other Automechanika events organised by Messe Frankfurt’s Greater China offices include:

• Automechanika Shanghai: 26 to 29 November 2025

www.automechanika-shanghai.com

• Automechanika Kuala Lumpur: 14 to 16 May 2026

www.automechanika-kl.com

• Automechanika Ho Chi Minh City: 18 to 20 June 2026

www.automechanika-hcmc.com

#automechanika #technology #aftermarket #automotive

Your contact:

Ken Chung
Phone: +852 2238 9225
ken.chung @hongkong.messefrankfurt.com 
Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd
35/F, China Resources Building
26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

www.messefrankfurt.com.hk

Background information on Messe Frankfurt

The Messe Frankfurt Group is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of some 2,500 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 29 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. Group sales in financial year 2024 were around €775 million. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of Messe Frankfurt’s key strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Sustainability is a central pillar of our corporate strategy. Here, we strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity. For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com/sustainability

With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent). For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
 

Background information on The Indonesian Automotive Parts & Components Industries Association (GIAMM)

GIAMM, formerly known as AAPCOMI and GIAM, traces its history back to 1973 and has since evolved to focus on promoting the development and welfare of the automotive component industry in Indonesia. Rooted in the philosophy of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, GIAMM aims to foster international competitiveness within the industry. Through communication, consultation with government and institutions, and market expansion initiatives, GIAMM is dedicated to advancing the Indonesian automotive parts sector.