Automobile manufacturers are making significant investments to curtail in-vehicle noise and enhance passenger comfort. As part of this initiative, they are installing sunroofs to reduce the wind noise that has a strong influence on the owner’s perception of the vehicle quality. Moreover, manufacturers are designing universal sunroof systems to suppress the buffeting on any vehicle.
Another factor driving the market growth is the soaring demand for a greater glass surface area in vehicles. To achieve this, the back windows and windshields are installed at wider angles, to expand the glass area of the vehicle. A sunroof may be morphed into the entire roof of a car, and it is designed to reduce blind spots as well. The additional glass surface area also amplifies the aesthetics of the glass on cars. The added glass surface offers many more benefits, such as the entry of lesser external noise due to the laminated windows, which are created from acoustical polyvinyl butyral (PVB), and cooler cabin temperatures due to infrared (IR)- and ultraviolet (UV)-reflective coatings.
In recent years, players in the automotive sunroof market have increased their focus on the usage of sunroofs with built-in solar cells in premium- and medium-range cars. This trend is expected to continue in the future due to a surge in the number of vehicle owners. The spurring demand for alternative-fuel vehicles is fueling the adoption of sunroofs with built-in solar cells that provide power to automobiles. This can drastically improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles, in the case of internal combustion engine (ICE)-based ones, or reduce the need to charge the batteries that frequently, in the case of electric vehicles.
Globally, the Asia-Pacific automotive sunroof market is expected to witness the fastest growth in the forecast period. This can be ascribed to the rapid urbanization and strong presence of automobile manufacturers in the region. Moreover, the favorable investment policies, easy availability of raw material, and cheap labor will support the market growth in the coming years. Additionally, growth drivers like the surge in the disposable income and rise in the living standards of people will boost the sale of vehicles in the region, which will further propel the market growth.
Thus, the changing customer preferences and increasing need to cut down on noise pollution inside automobiles will propel the demand for sunroofs in the future.
