On this 4th June, ARC Europe brought its partners network to Brussels for one reason: to make sure every club, in every market, moves forward with the same picture, the same priorities, and the same standard.
There is a reason we gather the whole network in one room, once a year. Markets shift, technologies accelerate, competitors move. A pan-European network stays sharp by sharing knowledge at the same moment and leaving the room aligned on what comes next. That is the purpose of the Partner Forum, and that is exactly what the 2026 edition delivered.
A market that won’t wait
The day opened with a frank read of the landscape. European car sales remain below pre-pandemic levels. EV registrations grew 25 to 30% in a year. And the most significant shift is coming from further afield: China is accelerating faster than anyone expected.
Xiaomi went from tech company to car manufacturer in three years, producing one car every 76 seconds. BYD charges a battery from 20 to 80% in under five minutes. These are not future scenarios. They are today’s benchmarks, and these players are now arriving in Europe.
The car itself is changing nature. No longer a transport vehicle, but a device. An experience. And when the product changes, everything around it must change too, including assistance.
“It’s important to be close to them from day one,” Antoine Aubry told the audience. “And to think of all the services which can serve them, beyond roadside assistance alone.”
Built for exactly this moment
Mobility is an ecosystem. We have been saying it for years, and the market is now proving it: competition is shifting from individual OEMs to entire ecosystems of battery, charging, software and services. For a newcomer, that is a daunting landscape. For ARC Europe, it is home ground.
For over 30 years, we have been designing mobility services that connect seamlessly with the European automotive ecosystem. Today that means a network spanning 40 countries, handling 2.5 million roadside assistance cases per year, with 89% customer satisfaction and a 40% market share in service delivery.
These are not ambitions. They are operating figures.
And the offer has long since outgrown traditional assistance. Our three mobility hubs, RSA, EV and Connected Services give every B2B partner one point of entry to the entire continent. When Chinese OEMs land in Europe looking for a partner who can deliver everywhere from day one, that one-stop-shop is precisely what they need. It is no coincidence that new entrants like Lynk & Co and Aiways chose ARC Europe to accompany their European launch. Driven by experts, powered by network. That is not a slogan. It is the operating model.
Why a network beats a platform
European OEMs are under pressure, cutting costs by double digits while focusing to preserve customer loyalty. That tension lands directly on their partners. And it raises the question every OEM is asking: who can actually deliver, everywhere, at the standard we need?
Competitors sell platforms. We are a network. Real operational coverage in 40 countries, deep relationships with local dealers and cross-border case management that no contractor model can replicate.
As Juerg Wittwer put it: “We will need ARC to cope with the rise in competition.”
But owning the asset is not enough. The commitment made in Brussels was clear: make the network continue being strong digitally as it already is on the ground. That is the work behind SPARX, our European operational backbone. One source of truth, harmonised data exchange, real-time visibility across every market. It builds on standards we already hold ourselves to, like being the first European roadside assistance company certified TISAX AL3 for information security.
Aligned where it counts
The business sessions brought the same rigour to the commercial front: key accounts, the DMU approach, tender strategy, and a redesigned account management model. The afternoon turned to what makes the network unique, with shared services, digital platforms, and a common communication approach across partner clubs.
Different sessions, one consistent theme: coordination is the differentiator. Unique solutions developed in local markets, brought to the central level, and scaled back out across 40 countries. No competitor can do that. It is the essence of who we are.
The essence of our job
“When I see the quality of the exchange and what we can achieve all together, I think it’s the essence of our job.” Antoine Aubry
Every partner left Brussels with the same picture of the market, the same priorities, and the same standard of quality and information that defines this network.
Roadside assistance is evolving. So are we. Together, and ahead.
