The creation of of AISIN Aftermarket & Service of America (AASA), in 2025, and AISIN Sales Latin America (ASLA), in 2019, connects traditional aftermarket sales with subsidiary AWTEC’s transmission remanufacturing expertise. While remanufacturing is not yet a dominant factor in Latin America, René Ocegueda, vice president aftermarket operations, Latin American and Caribbean State Markets, AASA, sees it as a growing trend.

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“The global automotive industry is shifting at speeds never seen before,” he says. “Ten years ago, we would never imagine that in a region where manual transmission vehicles were the majority that, today, many of these countries are now selling more automatic transmission cars. This also includes working vehicles such as pickup trucks and working vans such as the Toyota Hi-ace.”

That shift signals long-term opportunities in the remanufactured transmission segment. AISIN is prepared to enter the space, yet will wait until the installed base generates sufficient volume before scaling the offering.

“I believe we will be looking into this in the coming two to three years when the volume meets our minimum requirements,” Ocegueda says.

Expanding Product Scope in a Changing Market

Vehicle mix is evolving differently across the Americas, and the demands for new products are more pronounced. Chinese vehicle manufacturers, for example, are capturing a significant share of several Latin American markets, altering parts demand and competitive dynamics. In response, AISIN is expanding product categories to match that shifting landscape.

“ASLA is currently adapting to these changes by introducing more product categories than our counterparts in the north given these circumstances,” Ocegueda confirms. 

That presents questions about brand recognition within those new product categories. AISIN has a “special place” in the Japanese auto parts aftermarket industry when it comes to brand awareness, Ocegueda says. That recognition was built over several years. In its own markets, ASLA must balance brand equity with growth.

“Given the dramatic changes we’ve been experiencing lately, we are in need to grow our non-original equipment products,” Ocegueda says. “Is this difficult? Very much so, however, we are betting on our strong brand presence and on the trust we’ve been cultivating for decades among our overall customer base.”

To serve that objective, ASLA’s success has strengthened its voice within the larger AISIN structure.

“Our increased sales have positioned us to have a larger voice with our AISIN internal service parts allocation decisions,” Ocegueda says. “We also have more warehouse space to support higher inventory levels to position us to handle spikes in demand. We still encounter vendor supply shortages, but they have been less impactful than in the past.”

A Structural Reset Across the Americas

At its core, Ocegueda sees Latin and South America strategy within AASA as an inflection point.

“The possibility of dictating our own future as a semi-independent operation [exists],” he says. “I believe we did the right move at the right moment for many reasons such as avoidance of tariff policies in the U.S., which have not affected our business much since our major presence is in Panama.”

Independence is shaping the company’s digital direction, as well. A region-focused e-commerce platform is in development, giving the Latin operation the flexibility to build around its own market dynamics and long-term growth goals.

“This area is very complicated but managing from a closer perspective to the markets in question will be much easier to adapt and ultimately succeed in all requirements to achieve our goals,” Ocegueda says. “The ability to manage our own warehousing and distribution policies with all new product category introductions. This would’ve been impossible to handle in our former format out of the U.S.”

ASLA shows the impact that can be made when autonomy, infrastructure, and distributor relationships align.

“ASLA strives to succeed in our mission,” Ocegueda says. “Expand our business by turning the AISIN group as a strong influencer in the Latin American aftermarket industry where our consumers will find the highest quality solution to their vehicle needs.”