IAP Quality Parts: an Italian pioneer in Asian and 4x4 spare parts

History

IAP International Automotive Parts Srl was established in 1989 in Calderara di Reno, near Bologna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. From the start, the company specialized exclusively in importing and selling original spare parts for the main Japanese car manufacturers — Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Daihatsu — as well as 4x4 vehicles such as Land Rover and Jeep, at a time when this was a fairly narrow niche in the Italian parts trade. The company describes itself as a pioneer of this segment in Italy and, more broadly, in Europe.

Six years after its founding, in 1995, IAP added a second line of business by launching its own aftermarket trademark, Quality Parts, to sit alongside its original-parts distribution activity. The company marked its 30th anniversary in 2019 while continuing to operate from its original Bologna-area base.

What they make

IAP's business today combines two activities: distribution of original (OE) spare parts for Japanese and 4x4 brands, and its own-brand Quality Parts aftermarket range. Across both, the company manages more than 19,000 part references organized into around 120 product lines, spanning engine components, mechanical parts, braking systems, electrical parts and body components. The Quality Parts range is ISO 9001:2015 certified.

Where they fit — OE vs aftermarket

IAP occupies an unusual middle position for a company of its size: part of its business is trading genuine OE parts sourced through the manufacturers' own supply chains, and part of it is its own Quality Parts aftermarket brand, developed as a complement to that OE trade rather than a replacement for it. For a buyer, this matters in practice — a part sold under the IAP or Quality Parts name for a Toyota, Nissan or Land Rover model may be either a genuine OE-sourced component or an aftermarket equivalent, so it's worth checking which one is listed for a given order, particularly for parts (like electrical components or engine parts) where fit and calibration differences between OE and aftermarket versions can matter.