AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKET

INTRODUCTION

Lighting plays a very important role in providing visibility to the driver. It also is a crucial element in vehicle safety. This was the feature which was often overlooked by the auto makers, however over the past few years there have been significant development in the automotive lighting sector.

The need for better visibility in unfavorable weather conditions and growing attention towards safety has taken the lighting technology a few notches higher. This has resulted in significant growth in the lighting market globally.

AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTINGMARKET SEGMENTATION

BY TECHNOLOGY

• Halogen
• HID
• LEDs

BY POSITION

• Head lamps
• Tail lamps
• Signalling
• Interior

BY VEHICLE TYPE

• Passenger
• Commercial
• Two-Wheeler

BY GEOGRAPHY

• China
• US
• Europe
• India

BY OEM

• BMW
• Volkswagen Group
• General Motors
•  Ford Motor Co
• Hyundai Motor Group
• Honda Motor Co
• Tata Motors
• Toyota Motor Corp

AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKETDYNAMICS

Automotive LED Lighting is the #1 trend globally. To know more about automotive lighting trends from a supplier point of view, read our article Top 7 Automotive lighting trendsLEDs have already replaced their counterparts HID and Halogen in the headlights of passenger cars segment in the US, Europe and China regions. The ease with which LEDs are able to fit gives them the edge over other 2. HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights have almost phased out in many regions.

Though cost wise LEDs are slightly expensive of all the three, the efficiency and the durability of the product is overshadowing the price. The growth of LED DRLs (Daytime Running Lamp) in both two –wheeler and four –wheeler segment is another driving force behind LEDs.

Laser sourced headlights introduced in BMW i8 has higher luminosity of all the other technologies. It provides higher range of visibility than LEDs. As of now Laser powered headlights are mostly found in the sports and luxury segment cars. Due to their pricing their application is restricted.

By usage, in interior lighting, high end SUVs and MPVs have various lighting purposes reading lamps, glove-box lamps, trunk lamp and others. This has increased the growth in interior lighting market.

In India where people usually give emphasis on fuel economy and the price of the vehicle, they often ignore the importance of the lighting in an automobile. This makes Halogen lighting the leading market in India. LEDs have just started to gain prominence and have gained 40% penetration in tail lamps, whereas it is only around 20% in head lamps.

AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKETSIZE AND FORECAST

LEDs are ruling the majority of the global market. Since LEDs are cheaper and easier to install for tail lamps penetration of LEDs in tail lamp segment is quicker when compared to headlights.

The continuous innovation in automobile lighting has promised to expand the lighting market. Leading automakers are making an effort to increase the visibility of the incoming vehicles, pedestrians or any other obstacle that hinders driver’s riding. There have been efforts made to create a communication between driver driving a vehicle and other drivers and the pedestrians through lights.

With stricter norms from the government, emphasising more on safety, it’s not far LED penetration in Indian market will be improved.

US AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKET

• Halogen reflector lamps are mostly used in lower variant models for high-beam application. LED reflector and Bi-LED projectors are utilized on top selling vehicles.
• Almost every top selling passenger cars are provided with LED DRLs for safety purpose.
• There is 50:50 use of LED and Halogen lights as Fog-lamps, Turn indicator and Ambient lights inside vehicles cabin.

EUROPE AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKET

• There is 30:70 split use of Halogen reflector and LED (reflector & projector)as headlights on top-selling cars.
• Most of the premium vehicles are equipped with Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) headlightsincrease roadway lighting by as much as 86% when compared to U.S. low beam headlights.
• 98% of the top-selling vehicles in the EU are provided with LED DRL headand tail lights as standard and Budget vehicles get DRLs as option.
• There is 40:60 use of LED and Halogen lights as Fog-lamps, Turn indicator and Ambient lights inside the vehicle cabin

To know more about Europe Automotive Lighting Market, read our report

CHINA AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKET

• There is 40:60 split use of Halogen reflector and LED (reflector & projector) asheadlights on top 50 selling cars in China.
• About 40% of lower variants use halogen lamps for high-beam purpose.
• Top 20 selling premium cars are provided with LED (headlights, taillights, DRLs, and Ambient light).
• Premium cars get Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) headlightsas standard.
• Premium cars like BMW (X7, 7-series, X5), Audi A8L are provided with laser headlights on top variants as standard and lower variants get as an option.
• Most of the top-selling vehicles in China are provided with LED (DRLs) and LED taillights as standard.
• There is 50:50 splits use of Halogen lights and LED lights in Turn indicator, Fog-lamps and Ambient lights inside the cabin

RECENT PARTNERSHIPS IN AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKET

• STMicroelectronics has collaborated with German automaker Audi to develop next gen exterior OLED lighting.
• UNO Minda Lighting to acquire German lighting company Delvis GmbH
• Hella lighting and French automotive supplier Faurecia, have partnered to develop innovative interior lighting solutions.
• German auto component manufacturer Continental and Osram JV has commenced the operations at 16 locations worldwide. The objective is to develop semiconductor based lighting modules, such as LED modules for front and rear lighting.
• Automotive electrical manufacturer Lucas TVS is selling its entire 30% stake in Indian Japan Lighting to its joint venture partner Koito Manufacturing, making the latter the sole owner of Indian Japan Lighting which has top car makers as its clients.
• Neolite ZKW of India and Andaltec a Spanish company basically into advanced technology services in plastic have entered into an alliance where they develop new lighting products using more plastics.
• Motherson Group joins forces with Marelli Automotive Lighting to explore new technology cooperation centered on intelligently lighted external body elements. The alliance plans to focus on lit components such as front grills and bumpers, as well as other automotive parts. 

AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKETRECENT LAUNCHES

•  New Opel Astra has launched the Premium LED light named as “Intelli Lux”- Pixel Lite. It consists of overall 168 elements (84 per headlamp).Using micro optics , the wing design specifically delivers a compatible appearance(evenly white), when switched off. The exterior plated design travels through the entire front of the vehicle highlighting the sideline of the Astra.
• Hyundai Mobis, parts and services arm for Hyundai, Genesis and Kia Motors, has launched its latest Communication Lighting Concept, uses an ‘Indicating Lighting Zone’ developed primarily for autonomous vehicles.

The DS MATRIX LED VISION is unmistakable. The DS 4's headlights and 3D rear lights, both manufactured by Marelli Automotive Lighting, adhere to the tagline "see and be seen." Starting with the one-of-a-kind and incredibly stunning day and night markings, the headlights, in addition, astound with their clever safety and comfort features.

Driving with high beam without startling others is partly owing to the full-LED DS MATRIX LED VISION technology. When the windshield camera detects oncoming or approaching traffic, the relevant LEDs are turned off to allow the other car to pass safely without being misled by the light. Three modules perform the function, including a dedicated matrix module and a revolving central module.

With the dynamic bending light anticipating the curves, this swiveling module likewise follows the course of the road. The DS 4's adaptive front illumination system has five lighting modes that adjust to driving circumstances and personal preference.

The DS 4's rear lamps also contribute to the avant-garde and exclusive brand-specific appearance. unique laser technology, used on the rear lighting, enables to accomplish the classic DS rear expression, replete with the signature "diamond" design and 3D impression. The dynamic aspect of this "Paris-chic" car is highlighted by the progressive turn signal.

Marelli Automotive Lighting is committed to providing intelligent lighting solutions that meet all technical and aesthetic requirements. It  demonstrated the capacity to overcome any obstacle in order to highlight brand hallmark.

AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKETCOMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Koito, Hella and Valeo are the top 3 players in the automotive lighting market. Koito Japanese lighting manufacturing company is the leading supplier owing to its ties with Toyota. From India Varroc Lighting System after acquiring Visteon`s lighting business has grown to become the top LED lighting supplier for TESLA.

Osram-continental-JV of Continental and Osram, Stanley Electric, Ichikoh are few others suppliers who have a reasonable presence in the global automotive lighting market.

In Indian market, Lumax holds more 45% market share; others like Fiem Industries, Indian Japan Lighting (Koito) are sharing the market making them the top 3.

AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKETNEW PRODUCT LAUNCH

The industry's first fully integrated micro-LED light engine (hence referred to as the "PLS light engine") has been launched by Nichia Corporation and Infineon Technologies AG for use in high-definition (HD) adaptive driving beam applications.

Automotive LED lighting technology has advanced quickly in recent years as a way for automakers to improve comfort and safety on the road. In this sense, adaptive driving beam matrix LED technology has emerged as a key headlamp feature for focused road illumination.For headlight applications, a high-definition (HD) light engine with more than 16,000 micro-LEDs was jointly developed by Infineon and Nichia three years ago. It was successful.

The industry's first fully integrated micro-LED light engine for HD adaptive driving beam applications, which has been tested based on AEC (Automotive Electronics Council) qualification requirements, was developed in collaboration with a European Tier1 company and will be seen in a German premium vehicle.

The PLS light engine makes use of Nichia's proprietary internal LED chip and micro-LED technology as well as an integrated LED driver IC from Infineon that can independently control each of the 16,384 micro-LEDs through pulse-width modulation (PWM). The driver IC also provides on-chip temperature monitoring for efficient thermal control and separately monitors each micro-LED. 

High-speed transmission of the video signal from the light pattern generator unit is made possible by integrated video interfaces.As a result, the PLS light engine's energy efficiency is significantly increased at a considerably smaller form factor than micromirror-based HD matrix alternatives now on the market. Future headlamp designs will be able to be more compact and slender thanks to this.

The PLS light engine also permits changes that may be digitally programmed at the factory or turned on as needed by the driver or the vehicle's manufacturer. For instance, taking into account the various needs of left- and right-handed drivers would greatly improve user-friendliness. The new HD light greatly lowers design and production complexity for vehicle makers with all of these features.

Volvo displays interior lighting for EVs that is similar to sunshine. In order to complement the open cabin and panoramic roof, interior lighting will be provided by 72 SunLike LEDs from Seoul Semiconductor.The new, non-flickering lighting innovation provides a more natural colour expression than is currently possible with LEDs used in the automobile industry.It delivers minimal light reflection and a high colour index that expresses natural hues exactly as they are perceived in nature.

The cutting-edge materials and interior design come out more clearly and without colour distortion by harnessing the spectrum of light emitted from the SunLike LEDs.SunLike lights are already utilised to provide natural light to interior areas in locations like homes, hospitals, schools, museums, and horticultural applications. However, Volvo Car Group was credited with being the first to deploy such LEDs to production cars with the Polestar 3 and EX90.

SunLike LEDs are included as standard in all of the inside of the SUV's non-decorative lights, including those in the ceiling, floor, door pockets, and boot. According to the carmaker, reducing blue light exposure can help prevent headaches and eyestrain by combining blue light suppression with non-flickering light from cabin luminaires.

AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING MARKETCOMPANY PROFILE

1. Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd
2. Hella KGaA Hueck & Co.
3. Osram GMbH
4. Stanley Electric Co., Ltd
5. Varroc Lighting Solutions
6. Minda Industries Ltd
7. Marelli
8. Valeo SA
9. Ichikoh
10. Cree SemiConductors
11. Lumax Industries
12. ZKW Group