The market for gallium nitride (GaN) packaged LEDs in automotive applications will reach $1bn this year for the first time, rising by 11% from $943m in 2013 to $1.05bn in 2014, forecasts the LED Intelligence Service of IHS Technology in a Research Note by Jamie Fox, principal analyst for lighting & LEDs.
Growth is coming from exterior applications such as headlamps and daytime running lights (DRLs), where LED penetration is still low, but the LED value per vehicle can be quite high. Osram, Nichia and Lumileds are ranked by IHS as the leading three suppliers to the market and are particularly dominant in exterior applications.
Audi has been a leader in the use of LEDs in its vehicles (especially in daytime running lights) since 2008, and many other manufacturers have followed the steady trend toward LEDs, says IHS. However, many vehicles that do not use LED lighting still remain, even at the high end of the market. For example, the cutting-edge Tesla Model S (which retails for about $100,000) does not yet have LED headlamps. Moreover, daytime running lights, cornering lights and indoor ambient lights are only available as an option rather than as standard.
IHS expects that LED lighting should increase in vehicles over the next several years, and that the market will grow further to $1.3bn in 2018.