Infotainment, Safety, Vehicle System Functions Fueling Growth in Automotive Display Systems, Says IHS

Connectivity, infotainment and safety will propel global automotive display systems revenue to $18.6 billion by the end of 2021, nearly a $9 billion increase from this year, said a Wednesday IHS report. More vehicles will debut new displays or standardize larger ones in the instrument cluster, center stack and head-up areas, said analyst Mark Boyadjis, saying lower volume growth opportunities also exist for rear-seat entertainment, HVAC control panels and smart mirrors. Sales of factory-installed center stack and instrument cluster display systems are each forecast to grow by more than 40 percent, passing 60 million units by 2021, while head-up display systems will exceed 6 million units in the same time frame, IHS said. Factors driving growth include more adoption of smaller displays in the instrument cluster and center stack by Chinese OEMs and falling prices globally for head-up display systems designed to reduce driver distraction, IHS said. At least two TFT-LCD or AMOLED displays will be in all new cars produced in 2021, it said. Displays 7 inches and larger are forecast to reach 33.5 million units by 2021, driven largely by the 8-inch class, it said. Automotive display sizes are expanding to help support multiple infotainment, safety and vehicle system functions requiring more screen real estate, said analyst Hiroshi Hayase. Global shipments for instrument cluster displays are shifting from 3-inch and 4-inch sizes to more than 5 inches, while center stack displays are shifting to 7 inches and larger, IHS said. Center stack displays between 8 and 10 inches are common among high-end vehicles and luxury brands and are starting to be introduced in high-volume sedans and crossovers, it said.