Dublin, April 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Automotive Lightweighting Market by Material (Metals, Composites, Plastics, Elastomers), Application & Component (Frame, Engine, Exhaust, Transmission, Closure, Interior), Vehicle (ICE, Electric, Micro-mobility & UAVs) and Region - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The automotive lightweighting market is projected to grow from USD 73.9 billion in 2022 to USD 101.5 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 6.5%
The key growth factor driving the automotive lightweighting market is the lowered emission limits in new emission regulations, increased fuel efficiency limits, and increased vehicle weight. In developing countries like India, the governing body has implemented Bharat VI norms since 2020, Europe has Euro VI, and China has VI standards.
With such emission regulations, which have highly reduced emission limits, OEMs are using lightweight materials to reduce the extra weight added to the after-treatment devices. Replacing cast iron and traditional steel components with high-strength steel (HSS), magnesium (Mg) alloys, aluminum (Al) alloys, carbon fiber, and polymer composites can directly reduce the curb weight of the vehicle body, which reduces the vehicle's fuel consumption.
For instance, in 2019, the Hyundai Motors World Rally Teams incorporated a wide usage of lightweight CFRP in its rally spec i-20 model and its RM15 concept that featured an aluminum spaceframe and CFRP body panels, which resulted in an overall weight reduction of 195 Kg.
And in 2020, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray incorporated an engine bracket - made from high-performance aluminum alloy material (HuCrAlloy) - that weighs less than 1.5 pounds and underwent a 40% mass reduction. Thus, it is evident that incorporating lightweight materials to achieve the norms and regulations set by the governing bodies will drive the lightweight market globally.
HEV segment is speculated to drive the electric vehicle lightweighting market.
Limited charging infrastructure in developing countries leads to increased demand for hybrid vehicles over electric ones. PHEVs/HEVs are mostly premium category vehicles.
Hence, applications in interiors such as dashboards, seats, and upholstery are likely to have a higher demand for lightweight materials to improve aesthetics. HEVs are projected to dominate the electric & hybrid vehicles lightweight market. Furthermore, the increasing HEV sales, which have almost doubled from 3,057,000 units in 2018 to 6,964,000 units in 2021, make them a promising market for automotive lightweight.
HEVs have powertrain, body structures, chassis, motors, batteries, and suspension systems. These systems/components can be easily replaced with lightweight solutions to achieve desired curbed weight by increasing the vehicle's fuel efficiency. For example, Toyota Prius Hybrid in 2012 had a curb weight of 1.63 tons.
In contrast, the new 2022 Prius weighs 1.51 tons, with the implementation of lightweight materials in the car in the powertrain and body structure. It is expected that the Asia Pacific region will lead the HEV lightweight market in terms of volume and value. This is mainly because of the OEMs from this region, who invest heavily in developing batteries and advanced components for HEVs.
For instance, Toyota (Japan), on 18th October 2021, invested USD 1.29 billion in manufacturing batteries that will be used in gas-electric hybrid and electric vehicles. Hyundai (South Korea), in January 2020, announced the launching of 6 plug-in hybrid cars and two fuel-cell electric cars by 2025. Such initiatives from the domestic OEMs are expected to increase the scope of lightweight in HEVs.
Europe is anticipated to be the second largest automotive lightweighting market by 2027.
Europe is projected to be the second-largest market for automotive lightweight materials by 2027. The passenger car production in Europe was 22,609,000 units in 2018 and 17,517,000 units in 2021. The demand for the forecast years (2022-2027) is estimated to be steady, with a CAGR of 1.28%.
Furthermore, the region hosts many of the leading premium car passenger car manufacturers, including Mercedes (Germany), BMW (Germany), Volvo (Sweden), JLR (UK), and others. This is also one of the key reasons for the demand for luxury and premium cars, particularly with an SUV being the most popular segment. Some of the other key reasons for this trend are that the consumers in this region are willing to spend extra money for the safety, comfort, and driver assistance features.
However, these additional features increase the overall weight of the vehicle, which affects the fuel economy, performance, and emission characteristics of the vehicle. For these reasons, the OEMs incorporate lightweight materials such as the Aluminum, Magnesium and other composites, making the growth of automotive lightweight more promising.
Furthermore, many OEMs such as Stellantis, Covestro AG, and Thyssenkrupp are concentrated in Europe and investing heavily in R&D to create new and advanced lightweight materials that comply with stringent emission and fuel consumption regulations. Europe has Euro 6 norms that are being followed by other members in the EU, which demand strict reduction of pollutants like NOx and Co2 to improve the vehicle's fuel economy.
The region has also mandated that the average emission of all models sold by an OEM needs to drop from 75 grams of CO2 per kilometer by 2025 and beyond. Such emission reduction targets are leading to the lightweight of vehicles in Europe.
Competitive landscape
This has severely impacted the global vehicle production and supply chain of the automotive industry. The automotive lightweighting market is highly competitive due to the presence of many leading raw material suppliers.
The major players are BASF SE (Germany), Covestro AG (Germany), LyondellBasell Industries Holdings BV (Netherlands), Toray Industries, Inc. (Japan), ArcelorMittal (Germany), and others
Key Attributes:
| Report Attribute | Details |
| No. of Pages | 353 |
| Forecast Period | 2022 - 2027 |
| Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 | $73.9 billion |
| Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 | $101.5 billion |
| Compound Annual Growth Rate | 6.5% |
| Regions Covered | Global |
Premium Insights
- Rising Trend of Vehicle Electrification Offers Attractive Opportunities
- Asia-Pacific to Dominate Market During Forecast Period
- Metals to Hold Largest Global Share During Forecast Period
- Body in White Application to Have Largest Share in Automotive Lightweighting Market
- Frames Subsegment to Hold Largest Share During Forecast Period
- Passenger Cars to be Dominant Subsegment During Forecast Period
- Metals Projected to be Largest Market Growth During Forecast Period
- Bev Segment Projected to Have Highest Market Share During Forecast Period
- Aluminum to Have Largest Share in Micromobility Lightweighting Market
- Composites Projected to be Largest Subsegment in Uav Lightweighting Market
- Asia-Pacific to be Dominant Region in Automotive Lightweighting Market
Market Dynamics
Drivers
- Advanced Manufacturing Methods and Technologies
- Demand for Fuel-Efficient and Low-Emission Vehicles
Restraints
- Difficulty in Joining Dissimilar Materials
Opportunities
- Development of Advanced and Affordable Electric and Autonomous Vehicles
- Performance Package Offerings in Premium and Sports Cars
Challenges
- Maintenance Difficulties and Replacement Costs
- Supply Chain Difficulties and High Cost of Lightweight Materials
Case Studies
- Use Case 1: Bugatti Bolide- Lightweight Hypercar Can Reach Top Speed of Above 500 Kmph
- Use Case 2: Mclaren's New Supercar Artura Hybrid Used Lightweghting to Improve Its Performance
- Use Case 3: Ford Leveraged Automotive Lightweighting to Develop Fuel-Efficient Sedan
- Use Case 4: Porsche Used Lightweight Materials to Enhance Performance and Increase Structural Strength
- Use Case 5: Hyundai and Kia Used Lightweight Materials to Enhance Performance and Reduce Weight
Company Profiles
Key Players
- Basf Se
- Covestro Ag
- Lyondellbasell Industries Holdings Bv
- Toray Industries, Inc.
- Arcelormittal
- Thyssenkrupp Ag
- Novelis, Inc.
- Alcoa Corporation
- Owens Corning
- Stratasys Ltd.
Additional Players
- Tata Steel
- Posco
- Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
- Teijin
- Sgl Carbon
- Lanxess
- Borealis Ag
- Solvay
- Dowdupont
- Ak Steel Holding Corporation
- US Magnesium LLC
- Aleris Corporation
- Hexcel
- Celanese
- Whb Brasil
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/llakgf
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