OSS Association Evaluates the Second Quarter of 2026
OSS Association Evaluates the Second Quarter of 2026
OSS Association Evaluates the Second Quarter of 2026!
The stagnation experienced in the automotive aftermarket in 2025 continued into the second quarter of 2026. While sales, exports and employment remained largely flat during the second quarter, the sector expects some, albeit limited, momentum in the third quarter. According to the Automotive Aftermarket Products and Services Association (OSS) 2026 Second Quarter Sectoral Evaluation Survey, domestic sales declined by an average of 1.25% in US dollar terms in the second quarter compared with the same period of 2025. While 28.6% of manufacturer members planned to invest over the next three months, “excessive increases in costs” once again ranked as the leading challenge observed in the second quarter of 2026. According to the survey, “cash flow problems” and “loss of business and turnover” also remained among the major challenges faced by members.
The Automotive Aftermarket Products and Services Association (OSS) evaluated the second quarter of 2026 in the automotive aftermarket through a survey conducted with the participation of its members. According to the OSS 2026 Second Quarter Sectoral Evaluation Survey, the automotive aftermarket completed the second quarter of 2026 with a cautious outlook. Domestic sales declined by an average of 1.25% in US dollar terms in the second quarter compared with the same period of 2025. During this period, distributor members’ sales decreased by 2.78% in US dollar terms, while manufacturer members recorded an increase of 0.71%.
Negative trend in collection processes continues!
According to the survey, members’ inventories decreased by an average of 2.81% in the second quarter compared with the previous quarter. Inventories declined by 1.25% among distributor members and by 4.82% among manufacturers. The survey also included expectations for the third quarter of 2026. Accordingly, domestic sales in the sector are expected to increase by 1.33% in US dollar terms in the third quarter compared with the same period of the previous year.
The negative trend in collection processes also continued. The total proportion of members who assessed their collection process as “worse” or “much worse” compared with the previous quarter reached 43.8%, while only 7.8% stated that the process had improved. Although approximately half of the members reported no change, the significant gap between negative and positive assessments indicates that the weakening in collection performance continues.
Employment declined at 23 out of every 100 companies!
Of the members participating in the survey, 18.8% increased their employment compared with the first quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, 57.8% maintained their employment levels during the period. The proportion of members reporting a decrease in employment compared with the first quarter reached 23.4%. The share of distributor members reducing employment stood at 30.6%, considerably higher than the 14.3% recorded among manufacturer members. While employment levels among manufacturers were largely maintained, a more pronounced downward trend was observed among distributors.
Excessive increases in costs remain the biggest challenge!
Challenges in the sector constituted one of the most notable sections of the survey. “Excessive increases in costs” ranked first among the problems observed by members in the second quarter of 2026, with 78.1% identifying it as a major challenge. “Cash flow problems” ranked second at 73.4%, while 46.9% of members identified “loss of business and turnover” as the third-largest challenge facing the sector. Among respondents, 35.9% cited “increases in shipping costs and delays in deliveries,” 32.8% pointed to “problems at customs,” while 17.2% identified both “supply problems” and “regulatory changes.”
Outlook for the next three months improves!
The survey also examined the sector’s investment plans. According to the results, the proportion of members planning to make new investments over the next three months stood at 20.3%, remaining at a similar level to the previous period. While 23.7% of manufacturer members had planned investments in the previous survey, this figure increased to 28.6% in the latest survey. Among distributor members, however, the proportion declined from 17.6% to 13.9%.
Compared with the previous survey, the proportion of distributor members expecting the sector to experience a more negative trend over the next three months decreased from 55.9% to 36.1%, while the corresponding figure among manufacturers declined from 52.6% to 35.7%.
Capacity utilization increased in the second quarter!
The average capacity utilization rate of manufacturers in the second quarter of 2026 stood at 73.93%, up from 68.16% in the first quarter. Members’ production increased by 1.79% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, members’ exports increased by 2.68% in US dollar terms compared with the same period of the previous year.
OSS Chairman of the Board Ali Özçete, evaluating the survey results, said:
“The second-quarter results of 2026 clearly demonstrate that the automotive aftermarket is striving to maintain its activities under challenging economic conditions. Particularly among our distributor members, the contraction in sales, the decline in employment, and the fact that a large proportion of companies identify rising costs and cash flow problems as their top priorities demonstrate that the pressure on our sector continues. While businesses are trying to manage rising financing costs and operational expenses on the one hand, they are also having to make much more cautious decisions regarding inventory, pricing and investment in order to remain competitive.
“At the same time, the survey results reveal not only the risks but also the resilience of our sector. The increases recorded in production and exports, the rise in capacity utilization and the fact that our manufacturer members have increased their investment plans demonstrate that companies continue to believe in their long-term growth potential. The improvement in sales expectations for the coming period also indicates that the sector may be entering a controlled recovery process.
“The automotive aftermarket is a strategic sector that makes significant contributions to Türkiye’s economy in terms of production, exports and employment. To sustain this potential, it is of great importance to strengthen economic predictability, facilitate access to financing, implement measures that will alleviate cost pressures, and resolutely maintain policies that support production and exports.”