What the World Is Buying: 6,000 Auto Parts Requests Analyzed (2026)
Which parts are importers actually trying to buy right now? We counted 6,032 open purchase requests on ok.parts to find out - by vehicle brand, by part type, by quantity and by target price.
Most market reports about the auto parts aftermarket are built on forecasts and surveys. This one is built on purchase intent. Every line in the data is a part that a customer has asked our sourcing team to buy, with an OEM number, a quantity and in most cases a target price attached.
The result is a snapshot of real demand in October 2026. Some of it confirms what the trade already knows. Some of it does not - starting with the fact that more than a third of all requests are for Chinese vehicle brands.
1. Where the Data Comes From
ok.parts runs a sourcing service alongside its marketplace. When a customer sends us a parts list, every line we still need to buy is published on the public purchase requests page, so that suppliers can quote on it. At the time of the analysis that page held just over 24,000 open requests.
We sampled every fourth page of the list in October 2026, which gave 6,032 requests - a quarter of the total. For each request we recorded the vehicle brand, the part name, the quantity and the target price where one was given (5,320 requests had one).
2. Demand by Vehicle Origin
Grouping the 69 brands in the sample by where the vehicle brand comes from gives the clearest headline:
| Vehicle origin | Requests | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese brands | 2,269 | 37.6% |
| European brands | 1,591 | 26.4% |
| Japanese brands | 701 | 11.6% |
| Korean brands | 682 | 11.3% |
| American brands | 470 | 7.8% |
| Russian brands | 281 | 4.7% |
Chinese vehicle brands are the largest single group, ahead of all European brands combined. Almost half of those Chinese-brand requests are for trucks - Shaanxi (Shacman), Sitrak, Howo, Foton, FAW and Dongfeng - and the rest are for passenger cars, SUVs, pickups and light commercial vehicles from JAC, Chery, Great Wall, Geely, Changan, Li Auto and others.
This is the aftermath of the export boom. China exported 4.9 million vehicles in 2023, 5.9 million in 2024 and 7.1 million in 2025, and those vehicles are now reaching the age where they need suspension, brake and collision parts. We look at this segment in detail in Parts for Chinese Car Brands: OEM Number Formats and Sourcing Guide.
3. The Top 20 Brands
| Rank | Brand | Requests | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyundai / Kia | 648 | 10.7% |
| 2 | JAC | 566 | 9.4% |
| 3 | Shaanxi (Shacman) | 462 | 7.7% |
| 4 | Mercedes-Benz | 357 | 5.9% |
| 5 | VW / Audi / Skoda / Seat | 345 | 5.7% |
| 6 | Sitrak | 308 | 5.1% |
| 7 | Ford | 200 | 3.3% |
| 8 | General Motors | 195 | 3.2% |
| 9 | Renault | 175 | 2.9% |
| 10 | Toyota / Lexus | 173 | 2.9% |
| 11 | Lada (VAZ) | 159 | 2.6% |
| 12 | Nissan / Infiniti | 154 | 2.6% |
| 13 | Chery | 149 | 2.5% |
| 14 | BMW / MINI | 128 | 2.1% |
| 15 | Mitsubishi | 124 | 2.1% |
| 16 | Great Wall / Haval | 118 | 2.0% |
| 17 | Volvo | 110 | 1.8% |
| 18 | Geely | 107 | 1.8% |
| 19 | Foton | 94 | 1.6% |
| 20 | Howo | 88 | 1.5% |
Hyundai and Kia lead as a single brand group. One request in ten is for a Hyundai or Kia part - more than Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi put together. The two brands share one part numbering system, which makes them efficient to stock.
Trucks are a quarter of demand. Three of the top six brands are truck makers or truck-heavy. Add DAF, Scania, MAN, Iveco, Isuzu and Cummins further down the list and commercial vehicles account for roughly one request in four.
Premium European brands hold their position. Mercedes-Benz and the Volkswagen group are fourth and fifth, each well ahead of any mass-market European brand.
The list is long. The top 20 brands cover about 77% of requests. The remaining 49 brands - from Land Rover and SsangYong to Voyah and Zeekr - share the rest.
4. The Most Requested Part Types
The 6,032 requests cover 422 different part names. Grouping the closest ones together gives this ranking:
| Part type | Requests | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sensors (all types) | 203 | 3.4% |
| Tie rods and inner tie rods | 186 | 3.1% |
| Gaskets | 165 | 2.7% |
| Bumper brackets | 157 | 2.6% |
| Brake discs | 142 | 2.4% |
| Hoses | 137 | 2.3% |
| Covers and shields | 129 | 2.1% |
| Wheel hubs and hub bearings | 111 | 1.8% |
| Coolant pipes | 106 | 1.8% |
| Shock absorbers | 102 | 1.7% |
| Drive shafts | 91 | 1.5% |
| Radiators | 70 | 1.2% |
| Engine mounts | 68 | 1.1% |
| Stabilizer links | 66 | 1.1% |
| Suspension arm bushings | 65 | 1.1% |
| Suspension arms | 59 | 1.0% |
No single part type dominates. The sixteen groups above add up to less than a third of all requests. The rest is a long tail of more than 400 part names, each requested a handful of times. In practice this means that breadth of range and the ability to find an exact OEM number matter more than depth in any one category.
Chassis and steering lead. Tie rods, hubs, shock absorbers, drive shafts, stabilizer links, arms and bushings together form the largest functional block - parts that wear with mileage and road conditions.
Collision parts are prominent. Bumper brackets alone are the fourth most requested item, followed further down by reinforcements, hood hinges, door hinges and lamp lenses. These are low-cost parts that hold up a repair when they are missing.
Classic service parts are under-represented. Oil filters, brake pads and spark plugs barely appear. Importers already have established sources for them; the requests show where supply is thin, not where volume is highest.
5. Order Quantities and Target Prices
Every request states how many pieces are needed, and most state the price the buyer is aiming for.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median quantity per request | 30 pieces |
| Middle half of requests | 15 to 50 pieces |
| Requests for 10 pieces or fewer | 22% |
| Requests for 100 pieces or more | 21% |
| Median target price | RMB 25 per piece |
| Requests with a target under RMB 50 | 67% |
| Requests with a target above RMB 500 | 1.2% |
Typical orders are small batches, not containers of one part. A median of 30 pieces per line means importers are buying wide and shallow: many part numbers, a few dozen of each. That is the profile of a distributor restocking a range, and it is why minimum order quantity is so often the sticking point between a factory and a buyer.
Most lines are low-value parts. Two thirds of requests have a target price under RMB 50, and half are at RMB 25 or less. Brackets, hoses, gaskets, bushings and sensors make up the volume; expensive assemblies are rare. For a supplier, winning this business depends on handling many small lines efficiently rather than on any one large order.
One request in five is large. At the other end, 21% of requests ask for 100 pieces or more - enough to interest a manufacturer directly.
6. What It Means for Suppliers and Importers
If you manufacture or stock parts for Chinese vehicles, buyers are looking for you. More than a third of requests are for Chinese brands, and the supply side is still thin outside China. JAC, Shaanxi and Sitrak alone account for more than one request in five.
Range beats depth. With 422 part names and 69 brands in a 6,000-line sample, no supplier covers everything. The suppliers who win are the ones whose stock list can be matched by OEM number, quickly.
Flexible MOQ is a competitive advantage. A factory that insists on 500 pieces per part number excludes itself from most of this demand. Trading companies and stockholding wholesalers that can ship 20 or 30 pieces fill the gap.
Importers should check their blind spots. If your range is built around filters, pads and belts, the data suggests your customers are going elsewhere for chassis, cooling and collision parts - the categories where requests are concentrated.
7. How to Use the Requests Page
The purchase requests page is public. Anyone can browse it; suppliers with an account can quote.
For suppliers. Filter the list by brand or category to find the OEM numbers you can cover. Each line shows the number, the part name, the quantity needed and the target price in RMB. Click "Quote now", enter your price, MOQ and lead time, and our buyers reply within two business days if the offer fits. Registration is free.
For buyers. The same demand is what feeds the supplier ranks on ok.parts. A supplier we have actually bought from moves up the E-to-A scale, so when you search an OEM number you can see which offers come from suppliers with real order history. If you would rather hand over a whole list, send it to b2b@ok.parts.
8. Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most requested auto parts in 2026?
In our sample of 6,032 purchase requests from October 2026, the most requested part types were sensors, tie rods and inner tie rods, gaskets, bumper brackets, brake discs, hoses, wheel hubs and hub bearings, coolant pipes, shock absorbers and drive shafts.
Which car brands have the highest parts demand?
In the sample, Hyundai / Kia was the most requested brand group with 10.7% of requests, followed by JAC (9.4%), Shaanxi trucks (7.7%), Mercedes-Benz (5.9%) and the Volkswagen group (5.7%).
How big is the demand for Chinese car parts?
Chinese vehicle brands accounted for 37.6% of the requests in our sample, more than all European brands combined (26.4%). Almost half of the Chinese-brand requests were for trucks.
What is a typical order quantity for wholesale auto parts?
The median request in the sample was for 30 pieces of one part number, and half of all requests were between 15 and 50 pieces. About one request in five was for 100 pieces or more.
Is this data representative of the global market?
No. It reflects the open purchase requests of ok.parts sourcing customers in October 2026. It is a useful real-world signal of where importers have trouble finding supply, but it is not a statistical measure of the worldwide aftermarket.
Can suppliers respond to these requests?
Yes. The requests are published on the ok.parts purchase requests page. Registered suppliers can filter by brand or category and send a quote with price, MOQ and lead time for any line.
Related Guides
- Parts for Chinese Car Brands: OEM Number Formats and Sourcing Guide
- How to Find and Read an OEM Part Number: Formats by Car Brand
- OEM vs OES vs Aftermarket vs Genuine Parts: What Is the Difference
- Where Auto Parts Are Made in China: A Guide to the Manufacturing Clusters
- Factory or Trading Company? How to Verify a Chinese Auto Parts Supplier
- Shipping Auto Parts from China: Sea, Rail, Air, Containers and HS Codes