Automotive displays can change the look of a dashboard from conventional to high-tech, and automakers are increasingly adding screens to their vehicles. Because of this, the primary automotive display systems market is set to grow to $11.6 billion in tier-one supplier revenue in 2017, according to IHS Markit.
“There are a few different sources of this increase in display value within the automotive sector,” says Brian Rhodes, automotive technology analyst for IHS Markit. “First are simple volume increases, with more vehicles adding new displays to the instrument cluster and center stack, along with Head-Up Display deployments becoming more common. The second area of growth is in the technology value itself, as these displays are becoming larger and more capable – and therefore more expensive.”
In particular, Center Stack Displays and Instrument Cluster Displays currently bring in global revenues of $6.1 and $4.8 billion respectively, making them the most valuable segments of the industry. Together with Head-Up Display system markets, Instrument Cluster Display markets are expected to increase by $9.2 billion in annual revenue in five years. This relatively quick acceleration comes from Head-Up Displays, the fastest-growing segment; it brings in just $731 million today but is predicted to grow the most in terms of percentage through 2022.
Thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) automotive display panel market shipments are also a segment to watch. They are predicted to represent more than 67 percent of total automotive display shipments by 2022.
Panel demand is falling in other sectors, says Stacy Wu, principal analyst for HIS Markit. With consumer electronics like tablets and smartphones reaching peak production capacity, panel makers will be moving into the automotive display space with a level of ambition that may lead to share gains from new entrants or ranking switches among the top manufacturers.
The top five TFT LCD manufacturers today are Japan Display, Innolux, Sharp, AU Optronics, and LG Display.
