According to statistics from Bishop & Associates, automotive connectors account for 23.70% of the global connector industry, surpassing communication connectors to become the largest connector market.
Automotive connectors are widely used in power systems, body systems, information control systems, safety systems, and vehicle-mounted equipment.
As the trend of automotive intelligence accelerates, the use of on-board sensors increases, and data transmission requirements (high-speed, high-frequency, and large amounts of data) increase accordingly. The use of intelligent networked connectors also increases accordingly, and the use of new categories such as high-voltage connectors and high-speed connectors in vehicles is expected to usher in a leap.
Overview of the automotive connector industry
A connector is a coupling device that connects electrical terminals to form a circuit.
As a key basic component, it is used to connect wires, cables, printed circuit boards and electronic components, thereby transmitting signals or electromagnetic energy, and maintaining signal distortion and energy loss between systems.
The main function of automotive connectors is to connect various devices inside the car, such as audio equipment or power sensor equipment, which need to be connected through automotive connectors to improve the adaptability between various devices to ensure the safety and stability of the entire vehicle.
Its types include circular connectors, RF connectors, FCP connectors, I/O connectors, etc.
Automotive connectors have high technical and production process barrier performance requirements, which are specifically reflected in mechanical properties, electrical properties, environmental performance and other aspects.
Automotive high-voltage and high-speed connectors: both quantity and price increase, and domestic substitution is accelerating
Under the background of the "dual carbon" goal, the trend of automobile intelligence and electrification is obvious.
The increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles is expected to drive the volume and price of high-voltage and high-speed connectors to rise.
In terms of quantity, the use of connectors per vehicle has increased. Traditional fuel vehicles only need low-voltage connectors, the number of which is about 500, while new energy vehicles use 800-1000 connectors per vehicle.
In terms of price, the value of each vehicle has increased. The value of a low-voltage connector per traditional fuel vehicle is about 1,000 yuan, while the high-current, high-voltage electric drive system of new energy vehicles has much higher requirements for connector material costs and safety performance such as shielding and flame retardancy than traditional low-voltage connectors.
Automotive high voltage connector
In traditional cars, connectors are mainly low-voltage.
In the electrical connection system of new energy vehicles, the three-electric system is the core incremental component of new energy vehicles. The high-voltage connection system connects the three-electric system like a nerve. Its main function is to ensure the high-voltage interconnection system of the whole vehicle, that is, to build a bridge where the internal circuit is blocked or blocked so that the current can flow.
Automotive high frequency and high speed connector
Automotive high-frequency and high-speed connectors can be divided into coaxial connectors (including FAKRA and Mini-FAKRA, which mainly transmit analog signals) and differential connectors (including HSD and Ethernet connectors, which connect twisted pair cables and mainly transmit digital signals).
The data transmission speed of intelligent automobiles has increased from 150Mbps to 24Gbps, and the development of automobiles towards integration has promoted the use of MiniFakra and HSD to replace traditional Fakra connectors.
With the increase in the volume of L3-L5 autonomous driving models in the future, the demand for high-voltage and high-speed connectors is expected to increase exponentially.
Automotive connector industry chain
The upstream industries of the connector industry include metal surface treatment services, metal materials, plastic raw materials, etc. The cost of raw materials will be affected to a certain extent by the prices of bulk commodities such as copper, tin, nickel and oil.
The competition pattern of the downstream industries of connectors is stable and mostly traditional industries, mainly including communications, automobiles, consumer electronics and industrial control.
Most of these industries are mature industries with high customer stickiness and the market is mostly highly concentrated.
Therefore, the barriers to the traditional connector market are high, and it is difficult for domestic connector companies to compete directly with them in these industries.
Automotive connector industry landscape
The development of automotive connectors is related to the maturity of the automotive industry.
The connector industry has a high degree of concentration and relatively sufficient competition. Traditional international connector manufacturers have an absolute advantage and are still on the rise.
Since 1980, the market share of the world's top ten connector suppliers has risen from 38.0% to 60.8% in 2020.
In 2020, Tyco Electronics' share of the connector market reached 16%, Amphenol reached 12%, and Molex had an 8% market share.
The automotive industry in the United States, Europe, Japan and other countries and regions started early, and they are in a competitive advantage position in mid-to-high-end high-voltage and high-speed connectors with long-term technology and customer accumulation.
According to data from Bishop & Associates, Tyco has long dominated the automotive connector segment, with a market share of 39.1%. Yazaki and Aptiv ranked second and third, with market shares of 15.3% and 12.4% respectively. The top three manufacturers have a combined market share of 66.8%, which is more concentrated overall.
However, in the context of the current surge in domestic market demand and limited production capacity of international first-line connector manufacturers, high-voltage and high-frequency high-speed automotive connector manufacturers are expected to usher in a valuable window period for domestic substitution.
The domestic high-voltage connector representative, Ricco, began to develop the first generation of high-voltage and high-current connectors in 2012, and the high-speed connector representative, Yihua Co., Ltd., began to develop high-speed connectors in 2015.
The main domestic high-speed and high-voltage connector manufacturers include Yihua Co., Ltd., Dianlian Technology, Laimu Electronics, Hexing Co., Ltd., Luxshare Precision, Aerospace Electric, AVIC Optoelectronics, Derun Electronics, Yonggui Electric, etc.
Overall, foreign manufacturers have strong innovation capabilities, customer advantages, and occupy a dominant position in the market. Domestic manufacturers have local supply advantages such as flexible cooperation and short delivery cycles, and are expected to seize opportunities such as policy support, connector upgrade opportunities to explore new industry standards, and support from downstream local manufacturers to accelerate catch-up. In the short term, domestic manufacturers are expected to seize the low-end and mid-end market by purchasing product design licenses, and leverage the formulation of Ethernet connector standards to increase market voice and seize opportunities for vehicle network reconstruction.
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