Automotive Steering Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Automotive Steering Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The automotive steering market is expected to register a CAGR of over 5.5% during the forecast period.

Key Highlights

• Power steering is standard and has been increasing in most of the passenger cars around the world. However, in the emerging markets, some entry-level vehicles have been sold without a power steering.
• Power steering or rather power-assisted steering was introduced to assist the driver in reducing the manual effort. An advantage of power steering is its adjustable speed characteristic, where the steering has been assisted more at low speed and assisted lightly at high speed, in order to increase the control over the vehicle.
• Electric systems are significantly fuel-efficient, due to the absence of belt-driven hydraulic or manual pumps, which can run continuously, whether assistance is required or not.
• Among regions, Asia-Pacific to dominate the steering market. The APAC automotive steering market is primarily driven by growing vehicle production and sales, increasing demand for electric vehicles, and strengthening emission norms, which, in turn, have been increasing the demand for luxury vehicles.

Automotive Steering Market TrendsIncreasing Adoption of Sensors

The sensor located in the steering column measures two primary driver inputs — torque (steering effort) and steering wheel speed and position. Thus, there are three types of sensors used in such systems, namely torque sensor, steering wheel speed sensor, and position sensor.

These sensors deliver the signals as inputs to an ECU, which provides an appropriate output to the steering system for an action to take place.

Torque sensors are generally non-contact sensors. The sensor measures the steering force applied by the driver, and thus, enables sensitive control of the electric steering support.

• It works based on a non-contact magnetic measuring principle. It contains a magnet unit, a flux-tube unit, and a sensor unit. The torque sensor itself has two independent coils of wire. One of the coils determines if a right-hand turn is being made, while the other determines if a left-hand turn is being made. The signal is then sent from the electric power steering (EPS) module to the appropriate coil, which then assists the vehicle in steering.

With the growing advancements in technology, sensor products are also being consistently upgraded and improved in the automotive industry. For instance:

• In June 2018, Infineon Technologies AG developed a new magnetic angle sensor, TLE5014. The new product can be easily integrated into an electric steering system. The TLE5014 sensors meet ISO26262 ASIL C for the single die and ISO26262 ASIL D for the dual die versions.
• Automotive & Industrial Systems Company (Automotive & Industrial Systems), an in-house company of Panasonic Corporation developed a miniature, lightweight, and high-precision magnetic angle sensor that detects rotation angles of automotive motors used in EPS and hybrid systems. The company started delivering sample products in May 2018 and estimates annual sales of JPY 40 billion in 2025.

The company may promote the sensor to manufacturers of EPS and shift-by-wire transmissions, and hybrid systems that use motors, as both starter and generator motors. The company is expected to start accepting orders by around September 2019.

Such improved sensor products for the EPS system are likely to continue to see an increasing adoption among the automakers during the forecast period.

Europe holds a significant share in the Market

The electric vehicle market has been rapidly growing across the world. For instance, in Europe, electric vehicle sales increased by 37% in 2018, as compared to that of 2017. Additionally, several governments across the world have formulated various policies, incentives, and projects to support the usage of electric vehicles.

By 2024, nearly 4% of the new car sales and 7% of the global car fleet are expected to be electric. With the growing electric vehicle sales, the deployment rate of lightweight steering systems (like electric power steering (EPS)) is expected to see a potential demand during the forecast period.

The automotive industry is the largest industry sector in the country. In 2018, the automotive industry accounted for nearly 20% of the total German industry revenue.

• Germany is Europe’s number one automotive market with car production of about 5.12 million, which accounted for nearly 27% of the European passenger cars manufactured in 2018.

However, the country’s economy struggled over the summer, due to weak car production, owing to the enactment of new EU-wide emission measurement procedures.

• With the European Union moving toward the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure, some German automakers struggled to gain regulatory clearance. At the same time, production was also dampened by significant dealership discounts to clear stock before the new rules came into effect.

With the installation of new plants by OEM suppliers in Germany, the addition of lightweight steering systems, such as EPS, in cars is expected to lower the cost incurred on exporting the systems, thus, driving the market toward higher profitability.

Advancements in the sensor technology of EPS and the reducing cost of manufacturing these systems have contributed to the growth of the German automotive steering market.

Thus, owing to the developments mentioned above, the automotive steering market in the region is expected to grow at a rapid pace.

Automotive Steering Market Competitive Analysis

The automotive steering market is dominated by several players, such as Robert Bosch GmbH, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, JTEKT Corporation, Nexteer Automotive Corporation, NSK Ltd, Mando Corporation, and Showa Corporation. These companies have been expanding their business by new innovative technologies so that they can have a competitive edge.

• In September 2017, JTEKT Corporation established JTEKT Automotive Morocco SaS (JAMO), its first manufacturing site in Morocco, and in September 2018, it started construction on the plant. The plant is scheduled to begin mass production in 2020 and has an annual production capacity of 230,000 electric power steering systems. The plant may become the company's new supply base for mainly the Moroccan and the North African market.
• Nexteer and Dongfeng Components' joint venture began steering systems production, and the start-of-production of the joint venture indicated an increasing alignment between two companies. It may be more focused on serving customers, such as Dongfeng Motor Group, and may lay the foundation for Nexteer's strategy for long-term profitable growth.
• In December 2019, Bosch expanded its range of hydraulic steering systems, including additional components that ease the installation of steering systems, at automotive workshops.

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