Mediaroom

• Thorsten Muschal (Faurecia), incumbent CLEPA President, was unanimously re-elected for a second term
• CLEPA addresses members after a turbulent year for industry, highlighting the trajectory going forward and stressing membership value

CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, confirmed several leadership mandates and new association membership applications during the annual General Assembly held on 9 June via video conference.

CLEPA President Thorsten Muschal was collectively elected for another 2-year term starting 2022 until 2023 included. CLEPA Vice-Presidents Pierre Barthelet (Garrett) and Matthias Zink (Schaeffler) were also re-elected for a further term. A full overview of CLEPA leadership roles can be found here.

Muschal said: “I’m honoured to serve another term. Coming out of a turbulent year for society and industry, we are still facing massive headwinds on our path. The semiconductor crisis, in particular, impacts our industry significantly and is not yet over. We are nevertheless continuing to rapidly adapt to the largest transformation within the industry in perhaps the past 40-50 years, driving the change towards sustainable and smart mobility. CLEPA has maintained steady support for members in raising the voice of suppliers and through being an active partner on EU political discussions.”

_{CLEPA Secretary General Sigrid de Vries and President Thorsten Muschal taking part in the panel debate organised in the occasion of the General Assembly}

CLEPA has been consistent in the values that it has held in recent years and reaffirmed the priorities going forward to include ambitious climate and societal goals through a technology open and pragmatic approach, while also defending a competitive position with great innovation capabilities. In this spirit, topics supporting the green and digital transition, such as access to data, emission legislation, circular economy, international trade and industrial policy, are of key focus for CLEPA.

CLEPA’s Secretary General Sigrid de Vries highlighted the essential role that suppliers are playing within the mobility ecosystem, and underlined they will continue to be instrumental in delivering innovation to society. De Vries added: “A just and manageable transition to climate-neutrality is a top priority. CLEPA is working to secure the essential framework conditions, stretching from targeted support to strategic research & innovation, to the availability of recharging and alternative fuel infrastructure, to funds for and coordination of the massive re- and upskilling efforts that the sector is forcing on its way.”

Muschal closed with optimism, “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic we supported employees across Europe and made strides to support each other as an industry. Our sector has always showed a great resilience, it is our strength that enables us to overcome difficulties associated with crisis.”

The next CLEPA General Assembly will be held in Warsaw, Poland, on 9 & 10 June 2022.

Also, during the General Assembly, members confirmed the new organisations that have joined CLEPA since June 2020:

Corporate members:

Autofren-Seinsa (Spain) – Manufacturing of technical rubber elements for brake parts, transmission, steering, suspension, and brake systems.

Alfdex (Sweden) – Supplier of highly efficient solutions for cleaning diesel engines from crankcase gases

Brugola OEB (Italy/USA) – Producer of critical bolts.

Hyundai Mobis (Korea) – Automotive parts manufacturer focused on outfit/chassis products and autonomous driving, electrification and In-Vehicle Infotainment

Waymo (USA) – American autonomous driving technology development company

​Zenuity (Sweden) – Development and commercialization of a software platform for unsupervised autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance

Smartmicro (Germany) – Design, development, and manufacturing of radar solutions for traffic management as well as automotive and airborne applications

Associate members
I-Via (the Israeli Association of vehicle importers and automotive start-ups ).