A Bright Future Ahead for Global Automotive Textile Industry

The future of textiles lies in technical textiles that comprise various categories such as Packtech, Clothtech, Hometech, Mobitech, indutech, sportech, etc. Among these various categories of technical textiles, automotive textiles are expected to witness high growth in the coming years. Automotive textiles are majorly textiles that are used in the interior of the automobile. According to a report “Automotive fabric market by vehicle type and Application-Global forecast 2021”, the automotive fabric market was US$28.81 billion in 2015 and it is expected to reach US$ 34.35 billion by 2021. The huge potential and such growth of automotive textiles are evident with the fact that automobile industry is growing at a tremendous rate. As the automobiles are increasing, there is high demand for automotive fabrics such as floor covering, upholstery, pre-assembled interior components, safety belts, airbags, etc. The growth of the automotive fabrics can be attributed to the following factors: Rising Demand in Asia Pacific: Asian countries such as China and India are witnessing rapid urbanization and high population growth. As a result, these areas are witnessing high demand for the automobiles as well. Additionally, some of the leading mobitech giants such as Takata Corporation from Japan and Haartz Corporation from US are expanding their business in these regions. This has further driven the demand for automotive fabrics in these regions. Recently, Adient, the global leader in automotive seating and Arvind Ltd., India’s textile to retail conglomerate, entered into a joint venture to develop, manufacture, and sell automotive fabrics in India. To Meet Safety Standards: When it comes to automobiles, safety is of utmost importance for people these days. Gone are the days when the presence of airbags was considered as a luxury thing. Now, people are ready to invest in upper models of cars to ensure that airbags are incorporated in their vehicles. This will drive the production of airbags and seatbelts in automobiles. Further, Euro VI petrol and diesel standard norms that regulate light and heavy vehicles will also give a push to the use of textiles in automotive filters. Government’s initiatives concerning driver and passenger’s safety are anticipated to fuel the growth of safety devices application segment. In India, recently, the Government has made it compulsory to have airbags and three other safety features in the cars for protection from accidents post-October 2017. Such type of compulsory safety regulations has also added to the growing demand for automotive fabrics in India and abroad. Increased Use of Carpets in Automobiles: Floor covering captures the largest share of automotive fabrics in the global market. There is an increase in the use of floor carpets in the automobiles, which in turn will drive the growth of automotive textiles in the coming years. Automotive carpets have noise and vibration absorption properties and thus are widely preferred. Rising Automobile Production Globally: The rate of production of automobiles is not only high in Asian countries but European countries will also hold a significant share in the overall market. There is a rising demand for passenger cars in these countries. To meet the people’s expectations, technical textiles are needed to cater to high-performance applications.