Koito, Marelli, Valeo, Forvia, and Stanley, the masters of the automotive lighting playground

The market research and strategy consulting company Yole Intelligence, part of Yole Group has developed core solid-state lighting expertise with a dedicated team of technology and market experts for more than 20 years. Throughout the year, Yole SystemPlus delivers a comprehensive review of the automotive industry, especially external & interior lighting applications. They combine technical trends and market evolution and publish an impressive collection of analyses, including technology and market reports and teardowns.

The Automotive Tracks developed by Yole SystemPlus provide benefit from the significant expertise of the company and a dedicated team that offers a detailed description of the innovative technologies developed for the automotive industry.
In this regard, Yole’s solid-state lighting team releases today its report, Lighting for Automotive 2022. Year after year, this technology and market study analyzes the technical challenges and business opportunities of this industry in detail. Analysts provide an accurate description of the technologies as well as precise market data. The company also offers a valuable understanding of the value chain, the main trends and market drivers for body, interior, rear, and front lighting applications, and the competitive landscape, including an analysis of the leading companies’ strategies… More to read in the Plastic Omnium buys AMLS to bolster auto-body systems article.

Today, the automotive lighting market is dominated by five big players, Koito, Marelli, Valeo, Hella (now Forvia), and Stanley. These top 5 represented 66% of the market in 2021. The Asian market is dominated by Japanese companies, with Koito and Stanley having captured 44% of the market. In Europe, the automotive lighting industry is dominated by local players: the automotive lighting part of Marelli, Hella, Valeo, and ZKW. The North American market, representing almost US$6 billion in 2021, is led by the Japanese company, Koito, closely followed by the French company, Valeo. Players adopt different strategies to address the automotive lighting market. Marelli and Hella are, for example, primarily technology-oriented. Both companies focus on high-end applications, while Koito, Valeo, and Stanley mainly focus their development on the middle-end segment.
The automotive lighting market is an ever-evolving industry, as numerous mergers and acquisitions illustrate.
Faurecia acquiring Hella and Plastic Omnium acquiring ams OSRAM Automotive Lighting Systems GmbH (AMLS) show that lighting is not limited to the front and rear. Lighting is now integrated into other parts of the vehicle. With lighting becoming more horizontal, new components such as the grille or the logo are now illuminated. Lighting is evolving from a basic functional application in the past to include personalization, communication, and ADAS functionalities now.

From the rear to the front, lighting has evolved from a purely functional application with no real added value to more intelligent applications, offering personalization, communication, and driver assistance. While the main applications continue their evolution with more complex technologies embedded, new applications are emerging, especially around the car, such as logo and grille illumination and also near-field projections. These new applications will be used for personalization, safety and communication. Yole’s analysts are following the technologies fully dedicated to automotive applications. Considering the latest innovations and market updates, they deliver their vision of different markets, including the lighting technologies for automotive solutions.