Hong Kong Garages Feeling Squeeze but EVs Offer Chance for Upgrade: Experts
Hong Kong’s car maintenance sector has slipped into a downturn due to increased electric vehicle (EV) ownership and a rise in motorists seeking repair services in mainland China, industry insiders said.
But the shift also presents an opportunity for the industry to reestablish itself as a specialised and technologically advanced sector, according to Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, governor and honorary life president of the Hong Kong, China Automobile Association.
“Right now we are going through significant changes in the industry,” Lee said.
“Electric vehicles are very clean, so this may attract young people to join the car maintenance industry as the idea that it is messy, hard labour is no longer accurate,” he explained.
“Therefore, the industry has just been upgraded – they [the workers] used to be called ‘garage boys’, but now they are licensed mechanics.”
Lee’s observations came amid a significant downturn over the past year for the car repair industry, largely attributed to the rising adoption of EVs and an increasing number of Hong Kong motorists seeking repair services across the border in mainland China.
The industry’s transformation is seen as a double-edged sword. While the reduced demand for traditional repair services poses challenges for many garages, it also brings opportunities for the sector to modernise and focus on more sophisticated EV technology.
