Study: Auto Sensor Demand to Rise

CLEVELAND, Ohio, Jan. 21 -- Demand for automotive sensors in the North American light-vehicle original equipment manufacturer (OEM) market will increase 10.7 percent annually to $4.5 billion in 2007, according to a study from The Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland-based industrial research firm.

"While automotive sensor demand over the past five years experienced only moderate growth, demand is expected to accelerate rapidly over the next five years, as multiple new mandated products that feature new sensor applications are rolled out and as market-driven technology introductions accelerate," the company said. "The average number of sensors in the typical North American light vehicle has almost doubled in the past decade."

According to the study, "OEM Automotive Sensors in North America," engine and drivetrain applications represent the largest and best-established category in sensor use, although future growth will be significantly less dramatic than in other areas of the vehicle platform.

"Cost has to an extent inhibited the introduction of new technologies in this area, as OEMs adapt currently used mature products to meet new requirements," The Freedonia Group said. "Emissions control-related sensor demand has been quite strong in recent years, and future growth prospects remain good, driven by tightening regulations in the US and Canada. A large portion of the value in this category resides in oxygen sensors, which continue to both multiply and become more sophisticated."

Safety and security applications have the most growth potential for OEM automotive sensors in North America, propelled by new products that are either mandated or market driven. Key areas of growth include tire pressure sensors, additional airbag applications, occupant position sensing systems and headway sensors such as those employed in follow-on cruise control systems.

The North American market lags behind Europe in the adoption of advanced active safety and security systems such as electronic stabilization program systems or electronic braking systems, the company said, and the penetration of current antilock brake systems appears to have stalled at roughly 60 percent of the market.

For more information, visit: www.freedoniagroup.com