In recent years, with the rapid development of the plastic industry, the physical properties of related functional plastics have improved, and the strength and reliability of their products have also increased. A large number of high-strength performance plastic parts are used in the automobile manufacturing industry to replace some metal parts in order to achieve the goal of lightening the vehicle and saving energy and reducing emissions. The large-scale application of plastics in automobiles is the result of the continuous progress of the chemical industry and the continuous improvement of automobile energy conservation and safety standards. Industry statistics show that the market size of China’s automotive plastic interior and exterior trim industry in 2011 was 434.230 billion yuan, and by 2016 the market size had increased to 611.765 billion yuan.

The research on the application of plastics in automobiles started in the 1950s. A small number of plastic parts have been commercially produced in the mid-1960s, but they are mainly used as interior parts to meet passenger safety and comfort requirements. In the 1970s, affected by two oil crises, weight loss and energy saving became the main trend of the automobile manufacturing industry. Automotive plastic parts, especially exterior parts have been developed, and the amount of plastic parts has accounted for 2% -3% of the car’s own weight. Since then, as people pay more attention to automobile lightweight and safety performance, and put forward the requirements of diversification, personalization, high performance, low cost and long life, the development of functional parts has also begun to receive attention. By the early 1990s, plastic parts had reached 7% -10% of the car’s own weight.

Comparative analysis of domestic and foreign business models

In developed countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan, after more than a hundred years of development, the automobile industry has formed a market structure in which several major automobile giants occupy a large share. In this situation, automotive interior and exterior trim suppliers mainly adopt a professional business model, focusing on supplying certain products in batches to automotive giants, intensively cultivating in their respective fields, and forming a profound technological precipitation and core competitiveness.

In China, the business model of the plastic interior and exterior trim industry is represented by “precise and complete”, which is closely related to the current status of the domestic automotive market. There are many automobile manufacturers in China, and the sales volume of each brand or model is relatively small. In order to adapt to the market pattern of small batches and multiple models, the main internal and external decoration suppliers must choose to meet the requirements of the automobile manufacturers in an all-round way to enlarge Business scale. Therefore, China’s plastic interior and exterior trim manufacturers generally have a variety of interior and exterior trim manufacturing capabilities, which can produce automotive interior and exterior trims with different performance characteristics to occupy a large share in the industrial chain and provide diversification to OEMs. At the same time, product selection enhances development and supporting capabilities.

Market size and market pattern analysis

The automotive plastics interior and exterior trim industry relies heavily on the automotive industry. With the continuous rapid development of China’s automotive market and the increasing number of automobiles in recent years, the market’s demand for automotive interior and exterior trim products is increasing. The market demand for trim parts is showing a benign upward trend. Domestic auto plastic interior and exterior trim companies basically meet the needs of the domestic auto accessory and aftermarket. According to data released by the China Market Research Network, the market size of China’s automotive plastic interior and exterior trim industry in 2011 was 434.230 billion yuan, and by 2016 the market size had increased to 611.765 billion yuan.

Data source: China Market Research Network

Similar to the overall characteristics of the auto parts industry, Chinese and foreign capital / joint ventures in the automotive plastic interior and exterior trim industry have obvious advantages. With their high technical level and perfect quality control system, their products are superior to domestic products in terms of quality and performance. Mainly produces high-end automotive plastic interior and exterior trim products. However, with the continuous improvement of the technical level and management level of China’s automotive plastic interior and exterior trim companies and product upgrades, the domestic market share of domestic automotive plastic interior and exterior trim companies will become larger and larger, and the existing market competition pattern will gradually reverse .

Future development trend analysis

As an important part of the auto parts industry, the automotive plastic interior and exterior trim industry is generally in line with the development trend of the auto parts industry. With the gradual increase in the proportion of automotive plastics in the entire vehicle, and the increase in people’s requirements for automobile safety and environmental protection, the future development direction of the automotive plastics interior and exterior trim industry is on the one hand to develop reinforced plastics for structural parts and exterior parts. , Engineering plastics, high-performance composite materials; on the other hand, it is to maintain a balance between low cost and high quality through modular supply, professional production, and improved technical content; at the same time, we must pay more attention to the recyclability of materials Degradability.

Industry analysts at the China Market Research Network believe that the lightweight of automobiles has made plastics widely used as a raw material in the field of auto parts. From interior parts to exterior parts and structural parts, plastic parts can be seen everywhere. With the acceleration of automobile lightweighting, the application of plastics in automobiles will be more extensive. The market scale of China’s automotive plastics interior and exterior trim industry will be further expanded, and the future development prospects are better.