Automechanika Istanbul - Frankfurt in Turkey

© gazeo.comSpecial spark plugs for LPG-powered engines have been available in NGK's range for some time now

To give you an idea of just how big and significant the Automechanika Istanbul is, let's cite some facts and figures: 1475 exhibitors (as compared to 1245 in 2013) divided almost exactly in half between Turkish and foreign ones (739 versus 736), 40 countries represented, 98 thousand square metres of expo area (including nearly 35 thousand square metres net surface) and over 44 thousand visitors from 123 countries. And yet this is only one of more than ten Automechanika-branded events held around the globe each year, including the Frankfurt one which is the "mother” of them all.

Spare wheel covers for LPG-powered cars (Metinpar Spare Parts), wormdrive clamps for tightening gas and water connections in autogas systems (Oetiker), spark plugs for LPG-powered engines (NGK) and rubber hoses for LPG and CNG systems (NOA, Ibras) were unfortunately all that we found in the 12 exhibition halls of the Automechanika that was at all related to the subject of alternative fuels. Given that the event took place in the country with the largest number of autogas-powered vehicles in the world, it's a pity.

© gazeo.comLots of these are in use in Turkey!

Of course, there was a lot of service and maintenance equipment on display, including devices used by autogas systems installers, such as car lifts, diagnostic devices, exhaust gas analysers or dynamometers, but these are very remotely related to LPG, CNG and LNG. In fact, we shouldn't probably be surprised, since there is a separate LPG event – the Gas Turkey – going on in Istambul in September (after having been moved from March, so that it doesn't coincide with the GasShow in Warsaw, Poland), but still we hoped to see more.