GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET
KEY FINDINGS
- The volume growth of electric sunroof will be predominantly due to addition of premium features in low end trims becoming more popular
- Conventional ICE vehicles will undergo a complete revamp and upgradation of features in the next few years giving rise to addition of premium features in the lower segments. Saturation of additional features in the vehicle will drive OEMs to offer sunroof at a more affordable price
- Electric vehicles are estimated to witness a higher penetration of sunroofs due to their premium perception in the market and this will also influence the growth of sunroof market until 2025
- Many Chinese OEMs already have a panoramic sunroof as standard in all their EV models
- In Europe,one of the major reasons for volume growth in this region is due to higher penetration among premium segment vehicles such as Daimler, BMW and Audi as well as increase in penetration among the trims in already existing models
- In India,with indigenous OEMs such as Tata and Mahindra also introducing sunroofs in their affordable segment of vehicles, the sunroof market is expected to grow during the upcoming years
- Light weight materials and advanced simulation systems for aerodynamics is expected to get better and more accessible for development of replaceable sunroof systems
INTRODUCTION
A sunroof is often considered as an optional feature in automobiles, which is either of fixed or sliding mechanism. The trend of the sunroof as an optional feature has gradually changed to being one of the standard features in premium and luxury segment cars. The automotive sunroof market is driven by innovation in glass technology and rise in demand for safety, comfort and convenience features.
OEMs are engaged in developing advanced technologies to manufacture sunroof including composite materials for developing light weight sunroof solutions, thus increasing the demand in the industry. High integration and maintenance cost and low penetration in budget vehicles are some of their drawbacks.
AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET SEGMENTATION
By Material
- Glass
- Fabric
By Operation
- Manual
- Automatic
By OEMs
- Toyota
- GM
- Ford
- Mercedes
- BMW
- Hyundai
By Vehicle Type
- Sports Utility Vehicle
- Sedan
- Hatchback
By Geography
- US
- China
- Europe
- Japan
- ROW
AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET DYNAMICS
The growing demand for SUVs and luxury cars over the years has boosted the automotive sunroof global market. To augment the sunroof vehicles are now fitted with tinted or UV-reflective glasses in order to avoid sunlight.
Keeping in mind the safety of the passengers the OEMs are quickly adopting sunroof airbag system in case of roll over incidents. This new technology will drive the sunroof market.
AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET BY TYPE
Glass sunroofs have the highest share in the market compared to the fabric one. Various features in the glass segment itself have made this popular. Tilt and slide, panoramic and pop-up methods are seen in this segment. Panoramic sunroof holds the highest share among all. The pop-up and tilt type is almost phased out in premium segment cars. In addition to this solar sun roofs are finding its share through electric vehicles. The rise in electric vehicle number will boost the solar sun roof market.
Since fabric type is limited to convertible cars, it has always been trailing the glass type.
AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET BY VEHICLE TYPE
Sports Utility Vehicle holds the highest share in the market. Since the structure of SUVs demand larger sunroofs that has propelled the market in this segment. SUVs constitute to 1/3rd of the market share among the type of vehicles. Luxury cars hold the next best share and these two segments hold almost 3/4th of the total global share.
US AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET
US held second most share in the sunroof market. Power sliding sunroof is found in every top selling models of the passenger cars. The increase in sale of SUVs and pick-up trucks has been the driving factor in the sunroof market.
Toyota had an average penetration of 42% of electric sunroof, while no model featured a panoramic sunroof in the list of top selling vehicles. The Ford explorer in the US market was the only model to feature an openable panoramic sunroof, while the Ford Escape and Ford Fusion had an electric sunroof. Chevrolet Traverse and Malibu featured an electric sunroof in their top end trim in the US automotive sunroof market.
EUROPE AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET
Europe holds the largest share in the sunroof market. Major premium car manufacturers are from Europe and sunroof come as a standard option in this segment. This has made Europe one of the leading market in the sunroof sector.
Every top selling car in Europe has sunroof option in most of their variants. Panoramic, glass sliding sunroof is most commonly found sunroof among top selling cars.
The below chart shows sunroof market share based on geography:
This is an interactive graph, Point mouse at Pie to explore
CHINA AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET
The largest automobile market in world China has been the fastest growing market in sunroof segment. The shift towards the premium and luxury cars in the country has boosted the sunroof market in this region. Among the top selling cars Volkswagen Lavida and Haval H6 come with sunroof as option.
In the VW group,the VW Sagitar, Tiguan, Passat, Tayron, Magotan and T-roc were among the top selling models to feature a panoramic sunroof.
INDIA AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET
Sunroof in Indian cars is found in mid-segment and premium cars. The entry level cars which constitute the top selling cars list does not have sunroof. Among the top selling cars in India, Kia Seltos and recently Hyundai Venue are the ones to sport the sunroof. The demand for sunroof by the Indian audience will push the auto makers to provide the sunroof even in hatchback segment.
- 5 out of 7 models in the Tata Nexon featured an electric sunroof among the top selling vehicles, besides 2 out of 5 in the Hyundai Venue , 2 out of 5 in the Hyundai Creta, while the Hyundai i20 elite featured one trim with an electric sunroof
- The post COVID recovery of auto sales in the region is expected to push the auto industry for newer adaptations and features – sunroof being a very unique selling proposition should benefit from this revival
RECENT LAUNCHES
- Webasto has opened its new plant in Guangzhou province in China. It is its 10th such plant in China.
- Upcoming EVs like Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Lightyear One from Netherlands are coming out with solar cells underneath sunroof. Thus the market of sunroof is expected to grow substantially.
- Hyundai Mobis is working on to be the first OEM to install airbags to the sunroofs of the passenger car.
- Inteva Products has sold its automotive sunroof and panel system subsidiary to CIE Automotive.
- Mercedes –Benz has recalled around 750,000 cars, as vehicles’ sunroof can potentially detach and fly off.
- Tesla has patented for advanced sunroof with lighting system. The sunroof comprises of transparent lighting system between tiny tinted layer and a transparent layer.
GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE SUNROOF MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Automakers also have managed to integrate the rain sensors. The continuous innovations in this sector are expected to bolster the growth of sunroof market.
Sunroof manufacturing companies are investing on lighter in weight and high durable sunroofs. Such technological advancements will boost the market.
The sunroof penetration among hatchbacks and mid-segment cars is seeing a rise in economic markets such as India. This will bolster the growth of sunroof market in future.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Webasto from Germany is the leading sunroof manufacturer and supplier in this sector. Some of the other players are Inalfa (Netherlands), Yachiyo (Japan), CIE Automotive (Spain), BOS GmbH (Germany), Johnan Manufacturing (Japan) and Wuxi Mingfang (China).
COMPANY PROFILE
- Webasto
- Inalfa
- Yachiyo
- CIE Automotive
- Aisin Seiki Co Ltd
- Johnan Manufacturing Inc Japan
- Wuxi Mingfang
- BOS GmbH & Co
- Inteva Products
- Magna International
