The auto parts industry provides corresponding parts products for the automobile manufacturing industry. It is the foundation of the development of the automobile industry and an important part of the automobile industry chain. Automobiles are generally composed of four parts: engine, chassis, body and electrical equipment, and various sub-products of auto parts are derived from them.
Looking back on the development history of China's auto parts industry, it can be divided into the following stages:
1. Starting stage 1950-1970: The auto parts industry started late. In the starting stage, the whole vehicle drove the development of parts, the technical level was low, and it was mainly for trucks.
2. Growth stage 1970-1990: In this stage, the technical content increased and began to be matched with cars.
3. Growth stage 1990-early 2000: Foreign investment increased and the localization rate gradually increased.
4. Growth stage from the beginning of 2000 to the present: After entering the 21st century, after my country joined the World Trade Organization, the automobile industry developed rapidly and gradually developed into the world's largest automobile production and sales country, driving the continuous expansion of the scale of operation of the automobile parts manufacturing industry and the increasingly sound industrial supporting facilities, and developed into one of the important supply cluster centers of global automobile parts. The overall level of auto parts has improved, exports have continued to grow, and global procurement has developed.
(1) my country's auto parts have different life cycles
From the perspective of the life cycle, the interior and exterior trim and driving system industries have entered the mature stage. Some independent enterprises have relatively complete technologies and, relying on certain cost advantages, have embarked on the path of domestic substitution. Braking systems, steering systems and other components are in the growth stage. Domestic high-quality enterprises have extended their product lines and clients through overseas mergers and acquisitions, and gradually entered the global supporting system. The automotive electronics industry is in the introduction stage of rapid growth.
(2) The gap between technology level and enterprise scale is gradually narrowing with developed countries
The auto parts industry started late and lagged behind in development compared with developed countries. The parts suppliers in the industry are generally small in scale, with insufficient investment in technology research and development, and weak overall technical strength. Small and medium-sized parts suppliers generally have problems such as low technical content.
Compared with China, auto parts companies in developed countries are larger in scale and more specialized. They have strong advantages in terms of capital and technology, and are technologically ahead of most domestic companies. Therefore, there is a certain gap between domestic auto parts industry companies and mature foreign companies in technology.
With the development of my country's automobile industry and the growth of the supporting parts industry, the technical level and R&D capabilities of my country's automobile parts industry have been greatly improved. A number of large-scale parts companies with independent development and design capabilities and small and medium-sized parts companies with strong technical R&D capabilities in subdivided fields have emerged. Through the strengthening of capabilities such as synchronous development, mold design and development, process technology, and large-scale production, some automobile parts companies have entered the supply chain system of world-renowned automobile manufacturers.
(3) my country's automobile parts companies have embarked on a high-quality development path of "R&D, integration, and innovation"
my country's automobile parts industry has benefited from overseas automobile brands and parts companies setting up factories in China, which is the result of the country's "market for technology" policy. With the sharp increase in domestic automobile sales, Chinese parts companies have shifted from "cost advantage" to "R&D, integration, innovation" and other high-quality development paths, and gradually moved overseas. In the future, as the automobile industry becomes more renewable and intelligent, my country's automobile parts companies are expected to further increase their global market share by relying on cost, advanced manufacturing capabilities, rapid response and synchronous R&D capabilities.
(4) Good development of import and export of the industry
At present, the innovation factors in the field of auto parts in my country have accumulated to a certain extent, the innovation environment has gradually improved, the relevant fiscal and industrial policies have been continuously optimized, the number of invention patents has steadily increased, and the industrial chain has been continuously improved, which has led to a good development trend in the import and export of the auto parts industry.
In terms of exports, since 2015, the export fluctuation of my country's auto parts industry (including key auto parts, spare parts, glass, and tires) has not been large. Except for the export volume exceeding US$60 billion in 2018, the export volume in other years has fluctuated around US$55 billion. In 2020, the total export volume of my country's auto products exceeded US$71 billion, of which the export volume of complete vehicles was US$15.735 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 3.6%, accounting for about 22%; the export volume of spare parts was US$55.397 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 5.9%, accounting for about 78%. Among them, China's auto parts exports are mainly key parts (the main categories are frames and brake systems, with exports of US$5.041 billion and US$4.943 billion respectively) and spare parts. The main export markets are other parts of Asia, North America and Europe excluding China.
(5) Lightweighting, electric and intelligentization open up space for parts quantity and price
Through lightweighting, electric and intelligentization upgrades, more opportunities are created for domestic manufacturers to access the supporting links of vehicle manufacturers, while increasing the value of their own products to further increase both quantity and price. Specifically, lightweighting means reducing the curb weight of the vehicle as much as possible while ensuring the strength and safety performance of the vehicle, thereby improving the vehicle's power, reducing fuel consumption, and reducing exhaust pollution.
