Automotive Plastics Market, Global, 2024-2031

Circular Economy is Driving Transformational Growth Due to Increased Emphasis on Sustainable Polymers

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the global market for automotive polymers, with a focus on regional segmentation, revenue, and volume metrics from 2021 to 2031. By examining historical data and projecting future trends, the study offers a seven-year forecast from 2025 to 2031, using 2023 as the base year.

Segmentation by:

• Powertrain: Internal combustion engine (ICE) & hybrids, and electric vehicles (EVs)
• Polymer: Commodity polymers, engineering polymers, high-performance polymers, and thermoplastic elastomers
• Application: Exterior, interior, lighting & electrical and electronics (E&E), under-the-hood (UTH)
• Region: Americas; Europe; Asia-Pacific (APAC); Middle East, South Asia, and Africa (MEASA)

The Americas, with the United States at the forefront, represent a major market for automotive plastics, driven by the region's strong automotive manufacturing presence and innovation ecosystem. The shift toward vehicle lightweighting to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions has accelerated the adoption of advanced engineering plastics in place of traditional metals. Europe maintains a sophisticated market for automotive plastics, heavily influenced by the region's strict regulatory environment focused on sustainability and end-of-life vehicle management.

The MEASA region shows varied adoption of automotive plastics, reflecting the diverse nature of its automotive markets. These markets are particularly focused on materials that can withstand extreme temperatures and harsh environmental conditions. APAC represents the largest and fastest-growing market for automotive plastics, with China, Japan, and South Korea leading in both production and consumption. China's position as the world's largest automotive market drives massive demand for conventional plastics like PP and PE in mainstream vehicles, while its rapidly expanding EV sector is creating new applications for engineering plastics in battery systems and lightweighting solutions.

The study's methodology involves an in-depth analysis of the volume and revenue for each polymer type, end use, and region, providing insights into the factors driving growth and potential challenges. The forecast is based on the expected compound annual growth rates (CAGRs), offering a strategic view of the market's evolution.

Scope of Analysis

• In this study, Frost & Sullivan provides an overview of the global automotive polymers market by analyzing its current state and prospects for major automotive polymer segmentation market segments across key applications and powertrains.
• Each powertrain segment is analyzed based on polymer type: commodity polymers, engineering polymers in the automotive market, high-performance polymers, and thermoplastic elastomers.
• The study discusses market volume and revenue from 2021 to 2031 within the automotive polymers market context.
• The study does not provide regional analysis for individual segments; it is only provided for the overall regional automotive plastics market.
• Material usage trends for sub-applications within the key application, for instance, interiors (e.g., seats, dashboard), are discussed in the report focused on the automotive polymers market. The values represented in the pie charts are representations of approximate polymer consumption for those sub-applications. These numbers are not forecasted.

The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Automotive Plastics Industry

Transformative Megatrends

Why

Circular economy and sustainability are reshaping the automotive polymer industry. With European Union (EU) mandates on recycled plastic content in vehicles due by 2030 and the commitment of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to driving change, these are not just regulatory hurdles but market-defining shifts in the automotive polymers market. Sustainability is evolving from a cost center to a competitive advantage, particularly as consumers demonstrate increased willingness to pay premiums for eco-friendly vehicles. The timeline for the adoption of recycled plastics in vehicles is expected to accelerate between 2025 and 2030 as chemical recycling technologies mature and mass balance certification gains broader acceptance within the automotive polymers market.

Frost Perspective

Over the next 3 to 5 years, manufacturers of automotive polymers must pivot rapidly from compliance to leadership by investing strategically in 2 critical areas:

• Manufacturers can secure partnerships with companies that have advanced chemical recycling technologies to establish circular feedstock pipelines relevant to the automotive polymers market.
• Manufacturers of automotive polymers can integrate mass balance certification across all product lines to validate sustainability claims as consumers increasingly seek a premium feature in the automotive polymers market.

Geopolitical Chaos

Why

Geopolitical tensions are forcing polymer manufacturers to navigate resource nationalism, trade barriers, and regional sustainability regulations, thus changing automotive polymer supply chains and impacting the overall automotive polymers market.

The Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts have highlighted vulnerabilities in the petrochemical supply chain, while China's dominance in rare earth elements impacts EV transitions within the automotive polymers market.

Frost Perspective

More regionalization of polymer production is expected in the next 3 to 5 years, with duplicate capacity across many markets relevant to the regional automotive plastics market. Manufacturers must build redundancy into supply networks, develop alternative feedstock pathways, and establish stronger partnerships with regionally diverse suppliers to ensure resilience. Automotive manufacturers can establish material diversity programs that reduce dependency on specific regions for specific materials. This requires investment in R&D for alternative catalysts that can allow for the use of rare earth elements, scaling recycling technologies, and developing proprietary recycling technologies that integrate closed-loop systems with regional markets in the automotive polymers market.

Industry Convergence

Why

The boundaries between automotive, consumer electronics, and energy storage are blurring, creating entirely new requirements for polymer materials in the automotive polymers market.

As vehicles become software-defined and battery technologies evolve, polymer applications are expanding beyond traditional mechanical uses to include thermal management, electromagnetic shielding, and battery components fitting for the lightweight automotive materials market.

Frost Perspective

In the next 3 to 5 years, manufacturers in the automotive polymers market can prioritize developing multifunctional polymer systems that simultaneously address thermal management, electromagnetic compatibility, and structural requirements for EV battery enclosures and components.

They can create specialized R&D teams that focus on polymer-electronic interfaces, ensuring connectivity for future energy-storage materials, while partnering with battery manufacturers and software developers to streamline development processes in materials requiring short lead times and being both electrified and decarbonized.

• Commodity Polymers
• PP
• PVC
• PE
• Engineering Polymers
• PU
• PA
• ABS
• PC
• PVB
• PBT
• PMMA
• POM
• PP
• High-Performance Polymers
• Etherketones
• Fluoropolymers
• Polysulfones
• PPS
• Polyimides
• Thermoplastic Elastomers
• TPO/TPO(V)
• TPE-S
• TPE-E
• TPE-A
• TPU

Competitive Environment

Number of Competitors

>100

Competitive Factors

Cost, performance, schedule, support, technology, reliability, differentiated grades, sustainable grades

Key End-user Industry Verticals

Automotive, energy storage, automotive electronics

Leading Competitors

ExxonMobil, SABIC, LyondellBasell, Celanese, TotalEnergies, Sinopec, Braskem, Reliance, BASF, Solvay, Arkema, Toray, INEOS, Covestro, Shin-Etsu, Dow, Envalior

Other Notable Competitors

PetroChina, Borealis, Shenhua, Formosa Plastics, EMS-Grivory, DuPont, LG Chemical, LOTTE, Trinseo, Versalis, West Lake, Evonik, Victrex, DIC

Distribution Structure

Direct sales, distributors

Notable Acquisitions and Mergers

In 2021, Trinseo acquired Arkema's PMMA business

In 2023, DSM completed the sale of its Engineering Materials business to Envalior, a joint venture backed by Advent International and LANXESS

Growth Drivers

• Growth in automotive production within the automotive polymers market
• Lightweighting enhancing fuel economy and extending EV range through innovative lightweight automotive materials market strategies
• Increase in EV adoption in the long term within the automotive polymers market
• Customer preference for purchasing SUVs over sedans relevant to the lightweight automotive materials market

Growth Restraints

• Growing demand and focus on lightweight metals (advanced high strength steel [AHSS], aluminum, and magnesium) impacting the automotive polymers market
• Elimination of conventional UTH applications due to rapid electrification in the automotive polymers market