Automotive Belts and Hoses Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The automotive belts and hoses market was valued at USD 21.53 billion in 2021 and is expected to surpass a net valuation of USD 31.51 billion by 2027 end, registering a solid CAGR growth of 6.56% during the forecast period.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on almost all segments of the automotive industry including passenger and commercial vehicles during 2020 due to the lockdowns and halted production, impacting negatively demand for automotive cylinder liners. But with life returning to normalcy, the auto sector started seeing positive trends by the first half of 2021 as the production of vehicles picked up. For instance, in 2021, the global car sales were around 66.7 million, which in 2020 were 63.8 Million. Such trends are expected to help the automotive cylinder liner market grow in the forecast period.

Over the medium term, the demand is expected to be fuelled by the increasing vehicle sales and growing demand for powertrains and other ancillary components. Further, the stringency of emission control norms of the EPA and CAFE has led to improvements in exhaust and turbocharger hoses. Manufacturer across the globe are upbringing advancements and technological adoption to portray strong demand for belt and hoses.

In addition, with OEMs maintaining strong and longer term supply, belts and hoses manufacturers are expected to witness high growth rate during the study period. Innovations in technology are resulting in technological advancements in terms of product design and the materials used in automotive belt manufacturing to offer lucrative opportunities for players in the market. However, In the coming years, increasing inclination towards beltless engines are expected to restrain market growth.

In terms of regions, Asia-Pacific expected to lead the market during the forecast period. The market is driven by the increasing demand for automobiles, and economic development of China, Japan, India, and South Korea during forecast period. North America and Europe are the other two major markets owing to the presence of major OEMs, tier players, and raw material suppliers along with the established supply chain.

Key Market Trends

Rising Sales of Passenger Cars to Enhance Market Growth During Forecast Period

Owing to the increasing demand for fuel efficiency in vehicles, the adoption of turbochargers has increased significantly in the passenger car segment. Hoses are deployed around the turbocharger system to predominantly handle the temperatures of exhaust gases. These belts and hoses are installed in the engine assembly to perform the desired function and increase fuel efficiency. Despite challenges such as the impact of ongoing chip shortages, and the worsening inflationary crisis due to ongoing war the market for passenger cars rebounded by 2021.

With rising sales of the passenger car segment, demand for belts and hoses is expected to witness promising growth during the forecast period. In full-year 2021, global car sales were slightly stronger in most major regions of the world. China remained the largest and best-performing major single-country car market in the world with sales up 6.6% to more than 21 million vehicles. In India, car sales grew even faster at 27% but the overall vehicle market remained relatively small.

Considering the ongoing developments and factors, hose and belts manufacturers have started investing in the production of high-performance hoses and belts to capture the growing demand from the automotive market. For instance, In May 2021, Continental has announced the transfer of production lines from the induction systems factory in Nadab to the production location of heating / cooling rubber hoses in Carei. In addition, the operational transfer will be formed gradually till 2022 end. Such advancements in the market expected to have positive influence on the market during forecast period.

Asia-Pacific Region Expected to Grow Significantly During the Forecast Period

The growing automobile sector in Asia-Pacific, with India and China emerging as automotive part manufacturing hubs for the Western automobile giants, is expected to drive the market for belts and hoses in this region.

Additionally, with the growing sales of hybrid and electric vehicles in the region, the demand for high-performance and lightweight belts and hoses (primarily made of polymer) is likely to grow in line with the production of electric vehicles during the forecast period.

• China, which is the largest electric vehicle market in the world, has been backed up by generous support from the government. China has extended the incentives related to the purchase of new energy vehicles (NEVs) till 2022. In January 2020, Tesla Motors inaugurated a USD 2 billion facility in Shanghai that was assembling nearly 3000 cars per week in March 2020, when all the other global facilities of the electric vehicle giant were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Considering the fact that demand is deeply dependent on the vehicles sales, and with government ongoing initiatives to propel electric vehicle demand in countries like India, China, South Korea, Japan are thus expected to create opportunity pockets for hose and belts adoption. For instance:

• In May 2022, Toyota Group revealed plans to invest INR 48 billion (USD 624 million) in India to manufacture electric vehicle components. In addition, government of India has undertaken multiple initiatives to promote the manufacturing and adoption of electric vehicles in India to reduce emissions pertaining to international conventions and develop e-mobility in the wake of rapid urbanization.

• By 2030, Japan wants next-generation vehicles to account for 50-70 percent of new vehicle sales, with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) accounting for 20-30 percent and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) accounting for 30-40 percent. To achieve that, in November 2021, The Japanese government earmarked a total of JPY 37.5 billion (EUR 290 million) for e-mobility

• The South Korean government intends to significantly expand the infrastructure for electric vehicles. By the end of this year, there should be more than 1,000 charging stations along highways.

Considering this ongoing government initiative to propel the electric vehicle demand, market for hose and belts is expected to witness highest growth rate during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The automotive belts and hoses market is highly fragmented, due to the presence of many regional players. However, some of the major players, like Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd, ACDelco (General Motors), Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd, and Continental AG, have captured significant shares in the market.

With the growing trend of lightweight and fuel-efficient vehicles, companies have started investing in the production of more advanced materials for belts and hoses, in order to meet the increasing standards of the automotive industry. For instance,

• In July 2022, Origin Material, inc has partnered with Intertex World Resources which is the leading distributor of synthetic rubber, processed oils, plastics, etc. The partnership further aims to hoses, belts, rubber seals, and all other mechanical rubber goods markets for automotive aftermarkets and OEMs.

• In March 2020, Teijin Frontier, Kita Ward, Osaka) announced that it has developed an eco-friendly adhesive that doesn't contain resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) for rubber reinforcement fibers. The company aims to start the pilot production of rubber reinforcement fibers that use this new adhesive in 2020, and to achieve an annual production of 200,000 tons including the amount of licensed production in 2028. As for commonly used RF latex (RFL) adhesives, RF is reticulated by chemical reaction and is combined with latex, an adhesive element, to deliver adhesive performance.

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