Why will Sales of Automotive Bearings Shoot Up in China in Coming Years?

The increasing demand for lower vehicle weight is pushing up the requirement for automotive bearings across the world. Bearings that are generally used in automobiles account for a considerable weight and thus, have a major role to play in automobile weight reduction. With the rising focus of automobile manufacturers on reducing the weight of vehicles in order to improve their fuel efficiency, the demand for automotive bearings is shooting up. This is because automakers are increasingly focusing on adopting advanced bearings in vehicles, especially sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and modern cars.

These advanced bearings have higher stiffness and durability and lower weight than the conventionally used bearings, on account of the usage of advanced lightweight materials for manufacturing them. Apart from this, automobile manufacturing organizations are also using improved forging methods and low tolerance techniques for producing vehicles. Besides this, the booming production of automobiles, especially in the developing nations of Asia-Pacific (APAC) such as India, China, Thailand, and Indonesia, is also driving the demand for automotive bearings. 

Furthermore, the ballooning sales of passenger cars, owing to the increasing disposable income of people, are also fueling the demand for automotive bearings across the world. This is subsequently causing the expansion of the automotive bearing market, owing to which, the market revenue is expected to surge from $33.4 billion in 2018 to $53.3 billion by 2025. According to the estimates of the market research company, P&S Intelligence, the market will advance at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2019 to 2025. 

Geographically, the sales of automotive bearings were observed to be the highest in the APAC region, with the region witnessing the sales of over 45% of the automotive bearings sold all over the world. Depending on country-wise analysis, China is predicted to be the largest procurer of automotive bearings in the coming years. This will be because of the increasing demand for vehicles in the country. According to the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, 19,994,081 cars were manufactured in China in 2020. Additionally, the soaring sales of small-sized and low-end bearings will also propel the growth of the automotive bearing market in the country in the coming years.

Hence, it can be said without any hesitation that the sales of automotive bearings will surge sharply throughout the world in the forthcoming years, mainly because of the growing demand for lightweight vehicles, on account of their higher fuel efficiency, and the booming sales and manufacturing of automobiles, especially in the APAC region. 

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Automotive Bearing Market to Observe Strong Development by 2025

In a recent study by P&S Intelligence, the 2025 size of the automotive bearing market has been estimated as $53.3 billion. The expanding automotive industry and the increasing desire to make vehicles lightweight are resulting in the market progress. In a bid to reduce the vehicle weight, manufacturers are going for lightweight bearings that are also stiff and durable. The bearings are now being manufactured by utilizing enhanced forging techniques and low torque. This is how the demand for lightweight vehicles is pushing the demand for advanced bearings, which is, in turn, driving the market growth.

Roller bearing, ball bearing, and plain bearing are the various types of bearings available, among which the ball category is predicted to dominate the automotive bearings market in 2018 with over 50.0% sales volume share. This is attributed to the heavy use of ball bearings in two-wheelers and passenger cars. But, the share of roller bearings is expected to increase during the forecast period owing to a rise in heavy-duty vehicle production.

On segmenting the domain by vehicle type, passenger car, two-wheeler, electric vehicle, and commercial vehicle are the four subdivisions. Among these, the electric vehicle subdivision witnessed the highest automotive bearing market CAGR during the historical period. Alarming air pollution levels impelled governments to form stringent emission regulations and offer subsidies to encourage their adoption. Further, people also accepted electric vehicles with open arms, which resulted in an increased demand for these, which, in turn, drove the requirement for automotive bearings.

Independent aftermarket (IAM), original equipment supplier (OES), and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) are the three main sales channels for such automotive bearings. The fastest growth in the automotive bearing market during the forecast period is expected to be witnessed by OEMs, as these are improving their products as well as manufacturing capacities to cater to the rising demand.

In 2018, Asia-Pacific (APAC) is estimated to purchase almost 45.0% of all the automotive bearings manufactured across the world, owing to the expanding automobile industry in countries, such as India, China, Indonesia, and Thailand. Here, the increasing living standards and affordability of vehicles are pushing the automotive industry, which is further driving the market for automotive bearings. China is slated to be the automotive bearing market leader due to an increasing regional demand for vehicles.

To expand their product range and market share, the key players are actively taking part in mergers and acquisitions. For example, in 2018, Cone Drive Operations Inc., a manufacturer of gears and precision drives, and ABC Bearings Ltd., a bearing manufacturer based in India, were acquired by The Timken Company. Other automotive bearing market players, including MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc., JTEKT Corporation, NTN Corporation, NSK Ltd., Schaeffler AG, RBC Bearings Inc., AB SKF, C&U Group Ltd., and NACHI-FUJIKOSHI CORP., are taking similar steps.

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