MEYLE, a German premium automotive parts corporations, is introducing for the first time an OE-spec air suspension product line for premium vehicles to the aftermarket.
This product line consists of air suspensions, strut air springs and level control sensors, and is designed to allow premium vehicle air suspension repairs at independent foreign car service shops, not just official service centers.
Air suspension is a suspension system that uses an air spring inflated with air instead of a metal spring to electronically control ride height and ride quality, and is one of the most important parts directly related to ride comfort. It automatically adjusts the vehicle body height according to driving speed and road conditions to increase stability at high speeds and improve ride comfort in urban or low-speed driving, but when it reaches the end of its service life it is one of the parts that incurs high repair expense. Even at official service centers, many cases are not covered by warranty repairs except for manufacturing defects.
Until now, owners of imported cars often had to replace air suspensions with expensive genuine parts or choose replacement parts that have limitations in electronic control compatibility and sealing performance when problems occurred. MEYLE developed the air suspension product line with the goal of filling this market gap and enabling reasonable-cost repairs without compromising quality and functionality. MEYLE's air suspension product line meets original equipment (OE) specifications for all components and uses high-quality materials while securing both durability and driving performance by applying winding methods tailored to each vehicle's characteristics.
In addition, for air bellows and air springs, optimal filament winding methods such as cross ply, multi ply and straight ply are applied depending on the vehicle to provide a stable ride. The electronic control system and active damping control are designed to match genuine specifications, and the level control sensors have enhanced reliability through individual tests according to MEYLE's strict standards.
At launch, applicable models were secured mainly for major premium brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Land Rover, and the portfolio is expected to continue to expand.
Sönke Schwenk, head of cooling, filter and damping at MEYLE AG, said, "As vehicles are driven longer and mileage increases, aftermarket demand for expensive air suspension parts is rapidly growing," and said, "This product supply will provide an answer that can support premium vehicle repairs in the automotive service industry at realistic expense."
Meanwhile, the global air suspension market is showing steady growth. Over the past year, the average vehicle age increased to 10.3 years, and according to global market research firm Mordor Intelligence, the vehicle air suspension market is projected to grow from about $12.6 billion in 2025 to about $18.9 billion in 2030. The aftermarket sector is also expected to grow at an average annual rate of more than 7 percent.
Recently in the Korean market, the number of vehicles with air suspension has been rapidly increasing, centered on premium sedans, SUVs and electric vehicles. This is because with the expansion of electric vehicle adoption, consumer expectations for quietness, driving stability and ride comfort have risen, and as the average vehicle ownership period has lengthened, maintenance demand due to air suspension aging has also increased.
MEYLE has launched not only parts distribution domestically but also a premium imported car maintenance brand called "MEYLE Auto Service" and currently provides vehicle care and maintenance services to imported car customers nationwide through 61 service centers.
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