Exterior Automotive Plastics Market Report 2026

The exterior automotive plastics market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $13.34 billion in 2025 to $14.17 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing vehicle production volumes, rising demand for lightweight automotive materials, expansion of thermoplastic molding technologies, growth in passenger car manufacturing, availability of diverse polymer materials.

The exterior automotive plastics market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $18.24 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing adoption of electric vehicles, rising focus on vehicle emission reduction, expansion of sustainable material usage in automotive design, increasing demand for advanced exterior aesthetics, technological advancements in composite plastics. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing use of lightweight plastic exterior components, rising adoption of bioplastics in vehicle exteriors, growing integration of advanced composite materials, expansion of aerodynamic plastic design applications, enhanced focus on impact-resistant polymers.

The growing demand from the automotive industry is expected to drive the expansion of the exterior automotive plastics market going forward. The automotive industry includes the manufacturing and sale of various types of vehicles, such as passenger cars, hybrid vehicles, and motorcycles. Exterior automotive plastics are widely used in vehicle exteriors, including body panels, bumpers, grilles, mirrors, and trim components. These materials are increasingly favored over traditional options like steel or aluminum because they offer advantages such as reduced weight, improved durability, and greater resistance to corrosion. For example, in January 2024, according to a report published by the International Council on Clean Transportation, a US-based nonprofit organization, plug-in electric vehicles accounted for approximately 7% of new vehicle sales in 2022 and exceeded 10% by the third quarter of 2023. Therefore, rising demand from the automotive sector is contributing to the growth of the exterior automotive plastics market.

Leading companies operating in the exterior automotive plastics market are increasingly adopting strategic partnerships to foster innovation and broaden their product portfolios. Strategic partnerships allow companies to combine resources, expertise, and technological capabilities to achieve shared goals. For instance, in August 2023, Borouge, a UAE-based petrochemical company, collaborated with Borealis, an Austria-based provider of polyolefin and base chemical solutions, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), a UAE-based petrochemical producer, to introduce polypropylene solutions containing up to 70% post-consumer recycled material. These materials are specifically designed for exterior automotive applications such as underbody shields, bumper brackets, and wheel arches. One variant includes 50% recycled content and delivers an estimated 28% reduction in carbon footprint compared with conventional virgin materials, while maintaining strong performance, processability, and long-term heat resistance for structural vehicle components.

In September 2024, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., a Netherlands-based global chemical company, partnered with Automobile Dacia S.A. to develop recycled material solutions for the Duster vehicle model. Through this collaboration, both companies aim to increase the use of high-performance recycled polymers in automotive manufacturing, supporting vehicle lightweighting, durability, and sustainability while lowering the environmental impact of production. Automobile Dacia S.A. is a Romania-based automobile manufacturer and a subsidiary of Groupe Renault, known for producing affordable passenger vehicles.

Major companies operating in the exterior automotive plastics market are Arkema S.A., BASF SE, Borealis AG, DuPont de Nemours Inc., Royal DSM N.V., Evonic Industries AG, ExxonMobil Corporation, Lanxess, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., Convestro AG, Saudi Arabia's Basic Industries Corporation, Celanese Corporation, Lear Corporation, Magna International Inc., Trinseo S.A., Adient plc, Flex-N-Gate Corporation, Solvay S.A., Teijin Limited, DSM Engineering Plastics, LG Chem Ltd., Kuraray Co. Ltd., Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited, Asahi Kasei Corporation, Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG, Ravago Group, Plastic Omnium Group, Hanwha Advanced Materials Corp.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the exterior automotive plastics market in 2025. The regions covered in the exterior automotive plastics market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the exterior automotive plastics market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The exterior automotive plastics market consists of sales of body panels, and trims. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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