Auto Electronics Market Set to Exceed US$50 Billion by 2010

InStat: The world market for non-entertainment automotive electronics was estimated at US$36.8 billion in 2005 and is forecast to reach US$52.1 billion by 2010,. Growth is forecast across all product segments and regions with the strongest demand coming from the emerging markets in Asia and East and Central Europe. North America will show an average increase of 5.1% per year in the period to 2010, with the market increasing from US$13.2 billion in 2005 to reach US$16.9 billion in 2010. Although North America is a mature market for a number of automotive electronic systems, strong growth will be seen for electronic braking, steering and driver information.

• Powertrain electronics accounted for 32% of the global market in 2005 with this forecast to remain stable in the period to 2010. The powertrain market will continue to face significant pricing pressure, in particular, in the mature markets although this should be partially offset by the requirement for increased processing power to meet more stringent legislation.

• Body/chassis electronics will show an average growth of 9.4% per year between 2005 and 2010, with the world market increasing from US$4.0 billion to US$6.3 billion during the period. The trend to fully integrated systems will continue throughout the forecast period as manufacturers look to improve performance and reduce overall system cost.

• The market for passive restraint will continue to show volume growth, in particular, for side impact airbags. Rollover protection and other airbags will also show increased market penetration. Smart airbags should increase market penetration throughout the forecast period, with growth in North America boosted by the introduction of legislation.

• Overall safety and convenience accounted for 50.3% of the global market in 2005 at US$18.5 billion. Body controllers, multiplexing/electrical distribution and navigation will all show strong growth during the period. The market for navigation will continue to converge with audio and entertainment and combined will be one of the fastest growing segments of the automotive electronics market. Driver assistance systems such as collision avoidance, night vision and lane departure warning will also show strong growth, albeit from a low-base. Automotive manufacturers and their suppliers have been going through a period of significant change and consolidation, a trend which is expected to continue and across all tiers of the industry. Recent examples include Continental’s acquisition of Motorola’s automotive electronics business; As automakers reduce the number of suppliers so will the leading systems companies, fuelling further consolidation.

• Although system suppliers have tended to locate close to the automaker in today’s environment, system and component suppliers are looking to reduce costs by moving production where possible to lower cost locations. European and Japanese suppliers have to some extent been shielded by the full impact of high-costs and pricing pressure by establishing long-term relationships with the respective indigenous manufacturers. In contrast, North American suppliers are battling high wage and pension costs, which have resulted in a number of high-profile bankruptcies.

Automotive Electronics—A Profile of International Markets and Suppliers to 2010 Publ 20060919