Size and Age of the Light Vehicle Park and Regional Climatic Extremes Boost Aftermarket Demand

Demand for aftermarket automotive battery and ignition system components in North America is forecast to advance 1.7% per year through 2021 to US$9.1 billion, rebounding from the slight decline experienced during the 2011-2016 period. Sales will be boosted by:

• growth in the size and average age of the region’s light vehicle park

• the increasing incorporation of electronics, some of which “sleep lightly” and draw on battery power even when the vehicle is off

• increases in raw material and product prices

Market advances, however, will be tempered by technological improvements that have improved the durability and reliability of automotive battery and ignition system components. For example, the longer useful lifespans of higher-value, better-performing products such as AGM batteries and platinum or iridium spark plugs offset the higher initial costs associated with these products and restrain future demand gains in dollar terms. Technological improvements will have a lesser impact on alternator and starter demand due to the share of sales accounted for by lower-cost remanufactured types.

Key Findings in the Automotive Aftermarket for Batteries and Ignition System Components in North America Study:

US to See Largest Net Gains through 2021, Mexico Fastest Growth

While the pace of market advances in the US will lag those of its neighbors, the US will still account for over 50% of all North American automotive aftermarket battery and ignition system part sales gains in dollar terms through 2021 due to the rising average age of light vehicles in the nation and ongoing trends toward better-performing, higher-value products.

Demand for aftermarket battery and ignition system components in Mexico will expand at the fastest rate in North America, albeit from a relatively small base. Factors boosting demand in Mexico include:

• advances in personal income levels and motor vehicle ownership

• older average light vehicle age

• high temperatures in much of the country

Automotive Batteries Dominate

Automotive batteries accounted for over half of regional automotive aftermarket battery and ignition system component demand in 2016, with sales buoyed by the regularity with which they must be replaced, fluctuations in the price of lead, and industry trends toward higher-value, better-performing batteries such as absorbent glass mat (AGM) types.

Professional Performer Will Post Greater Gains

Though the DIY/consumer market will advance more rapidly, the professional performer segment will account for over half of overall demand gains. This reflects a trend in the larger automotive aftermarket industry away from DIY and toward DIFM activity, which is compounded in this market by the increasing complexity of tools and knowledge in order to perform ignition system repairs on modern vehicles.

Study Coverage

This Freedonia industry study analyzes North American automotive batteries and ignition system components aftermarket. It presents historical demand data (2006, 2011, and 2016) and forecasts (2021 and 2026) by product category (batteries; starters; ignition harnesses, wire sets, and cables; alternators; spark plugs; and other ignition system components), country (US, Canada, Mexico), and performer (professional and consumer/DIY). The study also evaluates company market share and provides a competitive analysis of key players that include Autoparts Holdings, BBB Industries, Bosch, Denso, East Penn Manufacturing, Exide Technologies, Johnson Controls, Motorcar Parts America, NGK Spark Plug, and Standard Motor Products.