Overview

Amazon has launched a new SP‑API endpoint, the Vehicles API (v2024‑11‑01), that gives automotive parts and accessories sellers on European marketplaces programmatic access to standardized vehicle identification data. The service delivers KTYPE numbers—the EU‑wide industry code that uniquely defines a vehicle configuration—directly from Amazon’s own database, eliminating the manual lookup that many sellers previously relied on. This change matters because accurate fit‑ment data is a prerequisite for listing visibility and compliance in the automotive category.

Key Points

• Dedicated Vehicles API endpoint — Returns make, model, year, and technical specifications for every vehicle supported on EU marketplaces.
• KTYPE lookup capability — Provides the exact numerical identifier Amazon requires for each vehicle configuration, removing the need for third‑party databases.
• Product‑to‑vehicle mapping — Enables sellers to associate every SKU with a list of compatible KTYPEs before submitting fit‑ment information.
• Seamless Catalog Listings integration — Retrieved KTYPE data can be fed straight into the Catalog Listings API to update or create listings with precise compatibility details.
• EU‑first rollout — The initial release focuses on Amazon’s European sites, where the KTYPE standard is already the norm for automotive aftermarket listings.

How Vehicles API Works

1. Query the API — Sellers send a request that includes parameters such as make, model, and model year. For example, a query for “Volkswagen Golf, 2015” returns all matching configurations, each with its own KTYPE (e.g., 123456 for the 1.6 TDI diesel version and 123457 for the 2.0 TSI gasoline version).
2. Build a KTYPE map — Using the response, sellers create an internal table that links each product SKU to the relevant KTYPEs. A brake pad SKU might be matched to KTYPEs 123456, 123457, and 124001, covering three distinct Golf variants.
3. Submit fit‑ment data — The KTYPE list is included in a Catalog Listings API call that creates or updates the product record. Amazon then displays the compatibility information on the detail page and includes the item in vehicle‑specific search results.