The Global Market for Automotive Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC): 2010 Edition

The majority of consumers now regard automotive air conditioning (HVAC) as a ‘must-have’ - and this demand is now strong across all market segments, even down to the small ‘A’ and ‘B’ class vehicle segments, where compact and relatively inexpensive systems have been developed to meet market requirements.

However, suppliers are constantly under pressure to deliver extra functionality and reduce the price of their components and systems. The consolidated nature of the sector, with six global players competing for business, means that small differences in price or technology can mean the difference between winning and losing new contracts.

Suppliers have been concentrating on the move towards semi and fully automatic systems, with increased features and functionality. Reducing the complexity of operation through advanced control systems, the introduction of multi-zone systems, as well as improved air quality and sensors are all recent innovations that help manufacturers differentiate their product offering.

In the short term, the industry faces a number of structural challenges which will impact across all segments of the automotive industry. For example, there is a clear trend towards smaller vehicles and smaller engines - which, along with the move away from manual to automatic systems, presents significant engineering and revenue challenges for suppliers. The move towards hybrid and electric vehicle technology will also present opportunities for this sector, but will place substantial development costs on suppliers.

Overarching those concerns is the ongoing drive, in all major markets, to improve fuel consumption and reduce emissions. The European Union has already taken action to improve this situation, and other markets have also introduced their own legislation. However, while Europe’s car manufacturers are divided on which alternative refrigerant to choose, it seems that the manufacturers in North America and Japan have taken the lead in this respect - having approved the use of their favoured alternative.

Brand new research on the automotive HVAC sector

This report highlights the findings of research conducted throughout 2009 by ABOUT Automotive in the automotive air conditioning market. It is largely based on our research, analysis and interviews with a number of industry experts, gathering individual perspectives.

The study updates and extends our previous analysis of this sector, published in 2001, 2003 and 2006 providing some insights in a number of areas, including:

• The market for automotive climate control, determining the trends and topical issues;
• The main manufacturers serving this sector, identifying how the market is divided in terms of market share on a regional basis;
• Trends in key product and process technologies, both current and future; and
• OEM trends and rationale in adopting different types of climate control.

The report provides answers to such vital questions as:

• What are the market shares of the leading companies, and why is the market OEM driven, as opposed to market driven?
• Despite the maturity of the markets throughout the developed world, why will the technical boundaries of air conditioning systems continue to be pushed back?
• Will the move towards hybrid and electric vehicle technology present significant opportunities for manufacturers, and will the development costs be prohibitive?
• How quickly are penetration rates for the smaller vehicle segments catching those of the larger, more saturated segments?
• What will happen to the global market when the EU mandates the introduction of CO2-based HVAC from 2011? Will European manufacturers boycott this legislation?
• Which suppliers have the most to lose if the pendulum swings in favour of HFO-1234yf in Europe?

Report coverage:

Chapter two identifies the market leaders for automotive HVAC systems in Europe, North America and Japan, comparing how their positions have changed since 2005. We also present some more detailed analysis of the fitment of automatic (and standard) climate control systems by region (NAFTA, Europe, Japan, China and Rest of the World).

Chapter three reviews the technical trends and challenges that the sector currently faces. The great refrigerant debate is analysed, along with new trends - such as automatic and intelligent HVAC systems, as well as more compact units designed specifically for the increasingly important small car sector.

Chapter four provides brief profiles of the major automotive air conditioning equipment manufacturers:

• Behr
• Behr-Hella Thermocontrol (BHTC)
• Calsonic Kansei
• Delphi Corp
• Denso
• Valeo
• Visteon