Global Body in White Market - 2022-2029

Global Body in White Market - 2022-2029

Market Overview

The body in white market size was worth US$ XX million in 2021 and is estimated to reach US$ XX million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of XX % during the forecast period (2022-2029).

Body in white (BIW) refers to the automotive manufacturing stage when a car's sheet metal components are welded together. The parts included in the process are sidewall, roof, front and rear fender, trunk lid and engine hood. In addition to reducing vehicle weight, BIW materials play an essential role in addressing top consumer preferences for enhanced styling, Reduced noise, harshness and vibration and Improved aesthetic appearance.

The body in white is mainly available in two types: Frame Mounted Body Structure and Monocoque Body Structure. The dynamic behavior of a body in a white structure significantly influences the noise, vibration, harshness and crashworthiness of a car. Therefore, by enhancing the dynamic characteristics of BIW, problems and failures associated with fatigue and resonance can be prevented.

Market Dynamics

The rising demand for lighter vehicles boosts the global body in the white market.

Rising demand for lighter vehicles

Vehicle BIW must be designed with lightweight materials to ensure crashworthiness and occupant safety. The trend for lighter vehicles is changing the BIW market. Traditional metallic materials, such as fiber-reinforced plastics, aluminum and magnesium alloy are being phased out, favoring lighter-weight alternatives. When it comes to autos and automotive applications, a white body and aluminum chassis could cut weight by up to 30% without sacrificing strength compared to steel. Various leading companies are constructing bodies in white facilities to modify the design of their cars. For instance, in 2020, Tesla Giga Shanghai Made Model Y Body in White Frame was completed at Gigafactory and China-made Model Y test production began.

The companies are opening new R&D centers to reduce the weight of BIW and vehicles. For instance, in 2017, Gestamp opened a new R&D center in Japan, enhancing the previous R&D capabilities in the country. The R&D will give comprehensive vehicle development capabilities for Body in White with top-notch standards within the global R&D network.

Challenges in recognizing technical issues

Ensuring dimensional integrity of new vehicles' bodies-in-white during and after launch is a balancing task between dealing with the realities of aggressive timelines and a distributed supply chain to achieve a robust, repeatable, and reliable body-in-white. Body shops receive separate sub-assemblies, assemblies and individual parts, which are desired to come together at the assembly plant body shop within desired design tolerances.

BiW manufacturing and assembly engineers face numerous challenges in recognizing and proving the problem if corrective actions for distortions in assemblies result from decisions made in the weld fixture design, unanticipated thermal distortion effects and inaccuracies in sheet metal parts and sub-assemblies or any other of a myriad of possible sources.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The market for the body in the white market has been unstable during the COVID-19 outbreak. The body in white has been widely utilized in the production of cars. The rise in covid cases has caused a significant blow to the transportation industry and the sector pumped the brakes hard in the early months of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The effects began in China, where sales fell 71% in February 2020; by April, sales had dropped 47% in the U.S and dived 80% in Europe. According to OICA data, in 2020, almost 78 million motorized vehicles were produced globally, down 16% from the previous year.

Global auto sales plunged during the COVID-19 crisis, but electric mobility has remained remarkably resilient in some countries. In 2020, over the first half, global electric car sales were 15% lower than over the same period in 2019.

Segment Analysis

By solution, the body in the white market is segmented into aluminum, steel, composites and others.

Demand for reducing body mass and boosting fuel efficiency is increasing the demand for aluminum

The conventional metallic materials of body-in-white structural components are being replaced by lightweight materials such as aluminum and magnesium alloys for all vehicles, ranging from gasoline-powered cars to electric cars and commercial trucks to passenger cars. The study confirms that an all-aluminum vehicle can shed more than 40% body mass and boost fuel economy by 18% when combined with secondary mass savings and other design changes.

The main challenge has been improving the design to use the benefits of aluminum while remaining cost-effective. Body-in-white makes up around 27% of the total weight of the average car. As a result, large-scale aluminum penetration must take place in the BIW. Although part-by-part substitution of aluminum for steel benefits reduced weight and more excellent corrosion resistance, it is not the best solution. Because automobiles are still primarily composed of steel, a thorough redesign is required to make the best use of aluminum. However, various companies have started utilizing aluminum. In 2017, for example, Novelis announced to provide aluminum solutions for NIO's electric SUV ES8. The company delivers aluminum products to SAIC, SGM, FAW-VW, Chery and Changan Ford. The company offers aluminum solutions for the new Jaguar XFL featuring a body-in-white made of 75% aluminum.

Geographical Analysis

Expanding automotive production will boost sales in Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific is anticipated to have significant growth due to government initiatives to increase automotive production in India and China. China remains the most influential vehicle market, with car production reaching 30 million units in 2020 and 35 million by 2025. In 2018, nearly 27 million automobiles were sold in China. Growing stringent environmental regulations and the rising adoption rate of lightweight materials in vehicles to gain fuel efficiency propel market demand during the forecast period.

Various companies have started body in white facilities in the region due to growing automotive production levels. For instance, in 2019, Hozon Auto announced its first mass-produced body-in-white of the Hozon U, rolled off the production line at its Tongxiang plant in northern Zhejiang. The Hozon U is developed and designed under five-star safety standards per C-NCPA. Its lightweight coefficient is smaller than 3.0. Lightweight aluminum alloy and high-strength steel balance the lightweight car body and strong structure. Moreover, in 2018, Gestamp opened its first plant in Japan, located in Matsusaka, for manufacturing highly engineered metal Body-in-White components utilizing hot stamping technology to lessen the weight of a vehicle and improve its safety.

Competitive Landscape

The white market body is consolidated and led by globally and regionally established players. T players contributing to the market are ABB Ltd, Martinrea International Inc, Gestamp Automocion SA, Norsk Hydro ASA, Kirchhoff Automotive GmbH, ArcelorMittal, Santec Group, Dura Automotive Systems, AKKA Technologies, Magna International Inc and others.

ABB Ltd

Overview: ABB Robotics is a leader in automotive manufacturing automation, with over 300,000 installations and deep domain expertise across the entire lifecycle – from improving building and commissioning efficiency to reducing the total cost of ownership and downtime. ABB is a leader in motion control and offers technically advanced, easy-to-use robotics manufacturing solutions for press automation, body-in-white, powertrain assembly, including paint process applications, e-mobility solutions and final trim and body (FTA).

Product Portfolio: The company offers BIW products, including robots, application equipment and software, and complete body shop assembly turnkey solutions. The company has a unique range of BIW standard products and 'plug and produce' modules for highly flexible body shops.

Key Development: In 2020, ABB received a massive order for 800 industrial robots from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to support the production of a new generation of electric vehicles at its plant in Hannover, Germany.

Why Purchase the Report?

Visualize the body in white market segmentation by vehicle, type, material, production and region, highlighting the key commercial assets and players.

Identify commercial opportunities in the body in white by analyzing trends and co-development deals.

Excel data sheet with thousands of body data points in white market-level 4/5 segmentation.

PDF report with the most relevant analysis cogently put together after exhaustive qualitative interviews and in-depth market study.

Product mapping in excel for the key product of all major market players

The global body in the white market report would provide approximate 69 market data tables, 62 figures and 206 pages

Target Audience

Industry Investors/Investment Bankers

Governments

Raw Material Providers

OEM's

Service Provides

Education & Research Institutes

Research Professionals

Emerging Companies