Market Introduction
The automotive ECU market in the Middle East and Africa is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. The sales of vehicles have increased steadily in the last several years in the MEA. The governments are actively promoting digitization in the automotive space and encouraging efforts to create awareness about the advantages of integrated systems. The expansion of 5G-based telecommunication networks in stable economies in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait, is likely to further support the growth of the automotive ECU market in the Middle East and Africa. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are attracting manufacturing companies from Asia and Europe to establish their operations in these countries. Several global players are investing heavily in diversifying their operations in developing countries in Africa. For instance, BYD, a Chinese EV manufacturer, is starting a manufacturing plant in Kenitra, Morocco. Renault and Peugeot have also established plants in Tangier, Morocco. Morocco is close to Europe and has free trade agreements with Europe, the US, Turkey, and the UAE. Furthermore, Egypt is being targeted as a primary automotive manufacturing center for several global vehicles and automotive component manufacturers. For instance, in January 2021, Dongfeng, a Chinese automaker, signed an agreement with state-owned El Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Company to manufacture EVs in Egypt. Strategic initiatives and development plans to modernize the automotive sector and drive national transformation encourage the automotive ECU market growth in the Middle East and Africa. For instance, the UAE government approved a temporary license to test self-driving vehicles in the country after the Cabinet authorized the plan in November 2021. Notably, in 2019, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, issued a directive to regulate the testing of self-driving vehicles in the country. These developments in the region trigger the sales and adoption of ECUs to support safer and fuel-efficient mobility, creating ample opportunities for global market players to expand their presence in the Middle East and African markets.
In case of COVID-19, MEA is highly affected especially South Africa. The automotive ECU market in the MEA is majorly affected by the disruption in the supply chain. Various containment measures enacted by governments, including travel restrictions, factory shutdown, and lockdown, have hampered the supply and distribution of electronics equipment. The demand for automotive ECUs has decrease in the last few quarters. The COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to have extra impact on the MEA as oil-based economies in the region are already under pressure due to falling oil prices. In addition, factory and business shutdowns and travel bans are further aggravating the economic problems in the MEA. Nevertheless, the economies are likely to grow at a rapid pace in the post-pandemic period.
Market Overview and Dynamics
The MEA automotive ECU market is expected to grow from US$ 450.66 million in 2021 to US$ 609.76 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2021 to 2028. The automakers across the region are experiencing a substantial demand for smart devices in their vehicles. This has led automobile manufacturers to continuously engage in bringing innovations in the design and operation of autonomous cars, which have already attracted a fair percentage of customers in major automotive manufacturing countries. With the consumers' demand and attraction toward smart and fully-autonomous cars, semiconductors have become an integral part of innovations in the automotive sector. The growth trajectory of fully-autonomous cars depends upon parameters such as improvements in technology landscape, consumer preference to adopt ICE cars, pricing and the ability of suppliers and OEMs to address the critical concerns related to the safety of vehicles. As a result, companies in the automotive industry are continuously focusing on improving and integrating robust technologies in cars as well as negotiating the prices of raw materials. This factor is expected to trigger the adoption of automotive ECUs in these vehicles the coming years for optimizing vehicle safety and performance, thus contributing to the MEA automotive ECU market growth.
Key Market Segments
In terms of application, the ADAS and Safety System segment accounted for the largest share of the MEA automotive ECU market in 2020. In terms of propulsion type, the ICE segment held a larger market share of the MEA automotive ECU market in 2020. In terms of ECU capacity, the 32-bit ECU segment held a larger market share of the MEA automotive ECU market in 2020. Further, the light duty segment held a larger share of the MEA automotive ECU market based on vehicle type in 2020.
Major Sources and Companies Listed
A few major primary and secondary sources referred to for preparing this report on the MEA automotive ECU market are company websites, annual reports, financial reports, national government documents, and statistical database, among others. Major companies listed in the report are Aptiv PLC; Continental AG; Denso Corporation; Hitachi, Ltd.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Pektron; Robert Bosch GmbH; and ZF Friedrichshafen AG among others.
Reasons to buy report
MEA Automotive ECU Market Segmentation
MEA Automotive ECU Market - By Application
MEA Automotive ECU Market - By Propulsion Type
MEA Automotive ECU Market - By ECU Capacity
MEA Automotive ECU Market - By Vehicle Type
MEA Automotive ECU Market - By Country
MEA Automotive ECU Market - Company Profiles