France Automotive Thermoplastic Polymer Composites Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

France Automotive Thermoplastic Polymer Composite Market is expected to register a CAGR of 4%, during the forecast period.

Key Highlights

• There has been rising interest toward thermoplastic polymer composites since the past few years, owing to several advantages of these materials, including high volume processability, recyclability, superior damage tolerance, and fracture toughness, and ability to produce complex shapes.
• These composites found applications in different modes of transportation, from cars to underground trains. Among thermoplastic composites, long-fiber thermoplastics (LFTs) are being extensively used in the transportation sector.
• The automotive industry was impacted due to high fuel prices. Furthermore, in the transportation industry, vehicle OEMs and suppliers use thermoplastic composites to reduce vehicle mass. Due to stringent emission regulations, automotive manufacturers are focusing on reducing the weigh of vehicle, as it helps in saving a noticeable amount of carbon dioxide emissions. A 10-kilogram weight reduction is estimated to reduce 1 gram of carbon dioxide per kilometer.

Key Market Trends

Glass Mat Thermoplastic (GMT) is Expected to Grow with a Fast Pace

Glass mat thermoplastic sheets were first introduced in 1970. Considering the cost-related mechanical performance criteria, GMT composites are located between injection moldable, discontinues (long or short) glass-fiber-reinforced composites and advanced thermoplastic with various fiber architecture.

They offer various benefits, such as

• Design freedom: Production of complex parts by integrating several functions elements
• Low density.
• Easy Recycling
• High innovation potential, in terms of production and ecological demands.
• High productivity

Although GMTs are available in various polymer matrices is dominated by propylene-based composites, due to their low price. These are well capable of competing with other structure materials, primarily in conditions where temperature lesser than 110°C are maintained.

Glass mat thermoplastic composites are witnessing demand from the composite market. They are easy to use, with superior mechanical performance.

• Mercedes-Benz selected two grades of glass mat-reinforced thermoplastic material, which are supplied by the Swiss material producer, Quadrant Plastic Composites. These materials are used for manufacturing the innovative front-end module, which was designed for its S-class series luxury coupe. The new front-end module weighs only 3.4 kg, while the previous model used to weigh 5 kg.

Innovations and greater market penetration are expected to drive the demand for glass mat thermoplastic composites during the forecast period.

Transportation Sector to Drive the Market

The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standard forced manufacturers in the automobile industry to develop vehicle designs that incorporated high-performance light-weight materials. The weight of an automobile has a direct impact on driving dynamics, fuel consumption, and agility. A 10% reduction in vehicle weights results in approximately 5-7% rise in fuel savings

From 2020, the European Union will require every European vehicle manufacturer to achieve an emission level of 95g of carbon dioxide per km, from present-day emission level of 130g of carbon dioxide per km.

The rising focus on minimizing carbon emission and enhancement of fuel economy, primarily by reducing the weight of a vehicle, are driving the demand for thermoplastics composites.

Continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTP) is one of the primary materials that can address the rising concerns regarding a vehicle’s weight. In combination with metals, CFRTP composites will be a part of a multi-material approach when designing the car of the future. These materials are developed and assembled with recyclability and sustainability in mind. In addition, the automotive industry standards will serve to align methods for characterizing the performance of CFRTP composites.

The automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation. As companies explore various options to address the future needs, collaboration has proven to be an effective way to discover the new growth avenues, will leveraging risk. The preferred approach is collaboration with strategic players throughout the value chain.

• For instance, DuPont Transportation and Advanced Polymers choose to advance through collaborative networks, while actively participating in consortia, including IACMI (Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation) and AZL (Aachen Centre for Integrative Lightweight Production), where standardization is addressed, along with collaborative teams that are focusing on demonstrating the production methods of cost-effective CFRTP composites, especially for high-volume applications

In 2019, SABIC announced a new, cutting-edge technology for producing lightweight, cost-effective, and recyclable vehicle panels, primarily by using its UDMAX tape, a unidirectional, fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite, at JEC World 2019. This innovative technology, which has designed to replace traditional panels made of metal and thermoset material for interior and exterior automotive applications, will soon be commercialized in the bulkhead of a light commercial vehicle (LCV), globally.

In the case of bulkhead, replacing a traditional metal component with the UDMAX tape lamination reduces the mass by 35% in the application. Lower weight can also make large bulkhead easier to handle, which could help in accelerating the assembly process of vehicles.

Competitive Landscape

The France Automotive Thermoplastic Polymer Composites Market is consolidated with only a few companies dominating the market. Some of the major players in the market are 3B-Fiberglass, Base Group, BASF, BMW, Cytec Industries, Inc., amongst others.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support