On August 20, 2024, the 15th Moscow International Automotive Forum IMAF 2024 was held as part of the MIMS Automobility Moscow exhibition.

The Association of European Businesses, as a constant partner of ITEMF and co-organizer of the international Moscow automobile forum IMAF, has been providing all kinds of assistance in preparing the content part of the program and its implementation for fifteen years.

For 15 years, having witnessed almost all stages of development of the modern automotive industry and the Russian market, the forum has been one of the key platforms for dialogue between business and the Government and a platform for discussing the future of the industry.

This year, the main topic of the plenary session of the Forum was expanding the potential of the Russian automobile market. Experts discussed such issues as market support in the era of global changes, regulation and alternative import markets, transformation of the dealer network after the arrival of new brands. In the area of regulation, issues of indexation of disposal fees and incentives for recycling were raised.

Opening the forum, Anna Manvelova, General Director, ITEMF Expo, and Tadzio Schilling, CEO of the Association of European Businesses, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. In his speech, Tadzio Schilling particularly noted the importance of maintaining a single platform for discussing industry issues and maintaining a constructive dialogue.

The forum began with an analytical session, the speakers of which presented vehicle sales trends and changes in consumer behavior in figures and tables, demonstrated trends in the customs sphere and the potential of R&D. The analytical session was attended by Tatyana Arabadzhi, Head of the National Agency for Industrial Information (NAPI), Sergey Udalov, Executive Director of the analytical agency "Autostat", Alexander Vasiliev, Director of the Group for servicing companies in the automotive industry, DRT, Denis Afanasko, Leading Consultant of the Department of Social Research and Consulting, Russian Public Opinion Research Center, Wilhelmina Shavshina, Partner, Head of the Group for International Trade and Customs Regulation Services of the B1 Group of Companies, Alexey Volostnov, Partner and Head of the Mechanical Engineering and Technology Practice, Strategy Partners.

At the plenary session, experts discussed expanding the potential of the Russian automobile market. They talked about market support, regulation and alternative import markets, prospects and needs for the development of electric vehicle infrastructure, and conditions for the development of localization. Government agencies were represented at the Forum by Rustam Abulmambetov, Head of the Department for the Development of Mechanical Engineering, Light and Chemical Industries of the Department of Economic Sectors, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, and Galina Martinkevich, Head of the Department for Monitoring and Analysis of Industrial Complexes of Member States, Department of Industrial Policy of the EEC.

Alexander Kovalchuk, General Director, Meteor Auto, Alexey Podshchekoldin, President, Association of Russian Automobile Dealers (ROAD), and Maxim Zlatokrylets, Commercial Director of the Moscow Automobile Plant "Moskvich", presented the position of business.

Andrey Kraynov, General Director, Automotive Industry Cluster, and Alexander Sedov, General Director, Automotive Industrial Cluster of the Ulyanovsk Region, spoke about measures to support manufacturers that industrial clusters can offer.

A new feature in this year's program was the return of a roundtable session on auto components. Representatives of NPK AVTOPRIBOR, PAO KAMAZ, SRC FSUE NAMI, S8 Capital, ROSSKO, MGC GROUP, Sibur and NAPAK discussed issues of import substitution and new practices of component production in the domestic market, as well as issues of localization and implementation of investment projects. The experts also focused on issues of labeling auto components, the session participants talked about the problems of the industry and ways to solve them.

The final stage of the Forum was a new product from NAMI - "B2B-cafe", where personal meetings of auto component manufacturers with curators of thematic working groups on the development of the domestic component base took place.

We are confident that the Forum, as in previous years, confirmed its high reputation, and its specific recommendations will be reflected in practice in the near future. 

The organizers express their gratitude to the general partner of the IMAF 2024 forum - METEOR Auto, the official partner - NPK "Avtopribor" and the forum partners: PromMash Test, MGC Group, Business Solutions and Technologies (DRT), Sibur.