Interview with M. Martínez – CITA RAG LatAm Chairperson
Driving the Future of Vehicle Inspection in Latin America
Over the past years, Latin America has witnessed growing interest in strengthening vehicle inspection systems as a key contributor to road safety, environmental protection and sustainable mobility. As Chairperson of CITA’s Regional Advisory Group (RAG) LatAm, Marcelo Martínez – Regional EVP Auto LatAm at Applus – has been at the forefront of this evolution, promoting international cooperation and supporting governments across the region in modernizing their technical inspection frameworks.
From speaking at the International Vehicle Safety Congress in Colombia to advising the Peruvian Ministry of Transport on best practices in vehicle inspection, Marcelo has played an active role in bringing CITA’s expertise closer to policymakers and industry stakeholders throughout Latin America.
In this interview, he shares his perspective on the progress made across the region, the challenges that remain, and his vision for the future of CITA’s activities in Latin America.
Questions
1. During the past year, CITA has been increasingly involved in supporting vehicle inspection initiatives across Latin America. From your perspective, what are the most significant developments you have seen in the region, and what role has CITA played in supporting these changes?
In those countries across Latin America where there is a willingness to implement new ideas and improve the technical quality of vehicle inspections, we are always ready to collaborate by sharing our expertise in the field.
Ecuador, for instance, has implemented new regulations and IT systems that prevent fraud and unfair competition while simultaneously enhancing the technical quality of the inspections carried out. CITA has played a key role in this process, which began following the Regional Conference we organised in Quito in December 2023. With the participation of the Vice Minister of Transport and other senior officials, that event marked the beginning of our collaboration with the government to develop these successful reforms.
2. You have recently engaged with authorities in countries such as Colombia and Peru, where technical inspection is becoming an increasingly important topic for improving road safety. What are the main challenges these countries face, and how can CITA continue to provide added value to governments and industry stakeholders across the region?
In May this year, I had the opportunity to present on behalf of CITA at the International Road Safety Congress organised by Colombia’s ANSV (National Road Safety Agency) in Cartagena de Indias. The aim was to explain the importance of well-performed vehicle inspections as a fundamental tool for improving road safety.
Given that the country faces quality issues in its inspection processes—stemming from a deregulated market with too many competitors—the phrase “well-performed” takes on particular significance.
Following the interest generated by CITA’s presentation at that event, we have been invited to speak this coming November at the Congress of the National Association of Automotive Diagnostic Centres (ASO-CDA), to be held in Cali.
Our intention is to elaborate on our position regarding how a vehicle inspection system should be structured to ensure both economic and technical viability in Latin America. Furthermore, we aim to exchange ideas with experts in the Colombian market to identify potential regulatory and operational improvements.
A similar level of interest exists in Peru, where we have held a series of meetings with officials from the Ministry of Transport and Communications to support regulatory changes aimed at improving the quality of the country’s technical inspection system.
Peru currently faces challenges typical of a market with low compliance, an uneven distribution of inspection stations (with an oversupply in several inland cities affecting service quality), and concerns regarding the technical standards applied during inspections. There is still much work to be done, and CITA possesses the expertise needed to be a valuable partner in driving these improvements.
3. As Chairperson of CITA RAG Latin America, where do you see the greatest opportunities for strengthening CITA’s presence and impact in the region? Are there any initiatives, services or areas of cooperation that you believe CITA should further develop to better support its members?
In my opinion, to identify opportunities, we must remain attentive to the needs of the various countries in our region regarding their technical inspection systems, while also considering political timelines, as these are long-term decisions requiring significant commitment from governments.
A case in point is the Dominican Republic, where the government has decided to implement a nationwide technical inspection system. Faced with the need to make significant decisions regarding its design and implementation, we identified an opportunity to establish a stronger presence through our 2025 Regional Conference.
From a more technical perspective, there is still a great deal of work to be done across the region regarding the inspection of hybrid, electric and autonomous vehicles. We are receiving enquiries from several governments, including Chile’s, as the timeframe for adapting existing legislation becomes increasingly pressing. CITA’s expertise in this area is an asset that we should continue to leverage in our cooperation with governments.
4. Last year’s CITA RAG Latin America Conference in Santo Domingo was widely recognized as a successful event, bringing together experts, authorities and industry representatives from across the region. Looking ahead to the next CITA RAG LATAM Conference, what are your expectations, and why is this event becoming such an important platform for advancing vehicle inspection and road safety in Latin America?
It is gratifying to have received such positive feedback on our recent conference in Santo Domingo. This encourages us to continue organizing these events, which are gaining increasing recognition throughout the region.
They provide an ideal forum for exchanging ideas, keeping abreast of the latest technical developments, and accessing reliable information on global trends in vehicle inspection.
This is essential to advancing the objective shared by all our events: strengthening the recognition across Latin America that vehicle inspection is a fundamental tool for improving road safety.