Automotive industry relies on LEDs
According to current market studies, energy-efficient and increasingly smart LEDs are taking more and more market share away from conventional lighting technology in vehicles.
The growing global awareness of road safety, the unbroken trend toward convenience, and the need for energy-efficient lighting are the main drivers behind the automotive industry’s increasing use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for both the exterior and interior lighting of vehicles. According to the latest findings of US market researchers from Fact.MR, the market for LED interior lighting will grow from USD 32.7 billion to USD 54.3 billion in the ten years to the end of 2034. That corresponds to an average annual increase of 5.2 percent. Headlights, tail lights, brake lights and indicators are expected to grow more sharply over the same period. In this market segment, demand for LED solutions will increase by 8.6 percent annually to USD 19 billion. The initial value in 2024 was USD 8.35 billion. Other analyses, including MarketsandMarkets, also forecast strong growth for LED technology, with conventional halogen and xenon technology lagging behind. LED solutions would meet with significantly higher demand and gain market share worldwide.
Rising demand for adaptive LED headlights
Adaptive LED headlights in particular, which no longer have to be switched manually between high and low beam and adapt to the road conditions to provide optimum illumination of the field of vision in the dark, are on the rise. Due to their higher costs, they are still found primarily in the premium segment. However, due to increasing road safety regulations worldwide, market researchers expect smart, digitally controllable headlights to also gain a foothold in other segments. Advantage: Adaptive headlights can be switched with such precision that they do not dazzle oncoming traffic. They illuminate bends and narrow sections better, can project warnings onto the road, do not need a warm-up phase, and have a much longer service life. In addition, state-of-the-art LED headlights require much less power despite their optimized light output. That makes them interesting particularly with regard to the range of electric vehicles, especially as more and more countries are making it mandatory to drive with lights on during the day in order to improve passive visibility. That is also why Asia and the U.S. are the largest sales regions for outdoor LED lighting, with above-average growth rates in some cases.
Distinctive, convenient and functional: interiors with LED lighting
However, vehicle interiors are and will remain the larger LED sales market for the time being. On the one hand, that has to do with the desire for convenience, distinctiveness and an elegant look, which can be achieved by clever lighting effects. Some manufacturers also use LEDs to display different driving modes or to attract the attention of the person at the wheel during semi-automated driving. In any case, the interior is seen as an important opportunity to create new spatial experiences when vehicles drive automatically and passengers can focus on other tasks, entertainment or information. According to market researchers, this trend is also a growth driver for interior LED lighting. Fact.MR estimates that half of the demand will come from the markets in East Asia, especially as convenience and safety needs will increase significantly there. The growth in electric vehicles is also having a considerable impact on demand in this segment. Thanks to their efficiency, LEDs are predestined to create lighting effects in vehicle interiors ranging from elegant and sophisticated to futuristic or even functional, with-out consuming too much power—and hence range.