Automotive coatings do not just look good, they also protect the surface of vehicles against scratches, UV light, rust, fuel splashes, and other hazards. Despite a massive decline, around 3.4 million tonnes of these high-performance coatings were consumed around the world in 2020. This latest study covers the coating of all components that are manufactured by suppliers or vehicle manufacturers and installed in road vehicles. It examines the use in passenger cars and commercial vehicles (trucks, vans, buses) - both in new construction and for spare parts.

Number of Car Registrations is Increasing Again

The global sales of new cars had already reached its peak in 2017 with more than 70 million units. Since then, i. a. the declining momentum in the emerging markets, especially the BRIC countries, has led to a drop in passenger car sales. The spread of Covid-19 caused a dramatic decline in the last year, with the number of new registrations decreasing by around 15% worldwide. However, a large part of the decline occurred in the first half of 2020. A recovery started already in the second half of the year, albeit to varying degrees depending on the country.

More Refinish Coatings, Fewer OEM Coatings

The financial losses suffered by many households as a result of the crisis will probably continue to have an effect for several years and will influence consumer behavior: Used cars gain in importance wherever new cars are unaffordable. Ceresana has conducted a detailed analysis of the demand for individual coating layers, areas of application, technologies, and product types. The market researchers expect coatings in the refinish segment to gain several percentage points of market share over OEM coatings in the course of 2021 or 2022. The slight time lag is due to the fact that the number of driven kilometers - and thus the demand for refinish coatings - is only gradually increasing again.

Large Quantities of Basecoats

High demands are placed on the quality and properties of automotive coatings. Full, partial, and individual part coatings are applied in the event of damage, for used cars, and for special new car coatings at the factory or dealership. The coating process can be divided into the following steps: cathodic dip coating, underbody protection and application of primer surfacer, basecoat, and clearcoat. Primer surfacers are used to even out surface irregularities and improve the adhesion of subsequent layers. The most important paint layer in terms of quantity is the basecoat, followed by the electrodeposition coating. The basecoat is a coloring layer and largely determines the appearance of the overall paint finish. Electrodeposition coating is primarily used to protect vehicle bodies from corrosion. The analysts at Ceresana expect the market for basecoats to reach a level of around 1.4 million tonnes in 2030.

The Study in Brief:

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the global market for coatings in the automotive industry - including forecasts up to 2030. Demand and revenues are presented for the regions Western and Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.
Chapter 2 provides market data for the 16 most important countries, i.e. including country-specific demand and revenues. Demand is analyzed in detail for different coating layers (electrodeposition coating, primer surfacer, basecoat, clearcoat), application areas (OEM coatings, refinish coatings), technologies (solvent-borne, water-borne, others) and product types (epoxy, polyurethanes/PUR, acrylic, others).
Chapter 3 provides company profiles of the most important manufacturers of coatings for the automotive industry, clearly arranged according to contact information, sales, profit, product range, production sites, and profile summary. Detailed profiles are provided for 56 manufacturers.
Further information: www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/industry/automotive-coatings/


About Ceresana
As one of the world's leading market research institutes, Ceresana is specialized in the segments chemicals, plastics, packaging, and industrial goods with a focus on transportation / mobility. Companies have been benefiting from our high-quality industry analyses and forecasts since 2002. More than 200 market studies provide more than 10,000 customers around the world with the knowledge base for their sustainable success.