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Summary of our market study
In France, the bodywork market exceeds €2 billion
The global automotive bodywork market is on a robust growth trajectory, increasing by 9% between 2022 and 2023, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5% to 2027. In 2020, the market was valued at $177.11 billion, and is expected to exceed $195.70 billion in 2023.
Europe remains a major player, contributing around 41.5% of global bodywork sales, and France is the second largest market in Europe. The French bodywork sector itself saw a rebound in sales to 2.14 billion euros in 2022 after a collapse during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.
In 2021, exports amounted to 389 million euros and imports peaked at 472 million euros.
The highly fragmented French market comprises 1059 bodywork companies, according to URSSAF in 2021. Leading industrial bodywork companies such as Jean Chéreau, Lamberet and Fruehauf account for just 25% of market share.
Demand for bodywork in France also varies from region to region, with the Île-de-France region leading the way in terms of new vehicle registrations. The sector is also supported by regulatory measures concerning workshop ventilation standards and the reduction of VOC emissions.
regional bodywork market dynamics in France
There is a correlation between the economic vitality of a region and the corresponding demand for bodywork services. This demand is closely linked to the number of vehicle registrations, and recent data indicates that the Île-de-France region leads the country with a significant number of vehicle registrations, reaching between 350,000 and 370,000 by 2022.
Other regions, such as Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes and Hauts-de-France, are also very dynamic, driven by economic activity and major urban centers. At département level, the trend is even more marked: the départements home to the country's biggest cities, such as Paris, Lille, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Lyon, record the highest number of new vehicles and are potential hubs of activity for bodywork and repair companies.
The French bodywork market boasts a wide variety of players, some of which stand out for their size.
- Gruau specializes in the conversion of specialized vehicles for the gendarmerie, the fire department, ambulances, etc.
- Lohr Industrie develops transport solutions for logisticians.
- Jean Chéréau specializes in refrigerated bodywork, making it an indispensable link in the food transport industry.
- Lamberet stands out for the quality of its insulated bodies for commercial vehicles.
- Fruehauf is a long-established brand known for its trailers, semi-trailers and heavy-duty transport solutions.
- Renault Tech draws on the reputation and resources of its parent company to offer modified vehicles for a variety of applications.
- Mercedes-Benz Trucks represents the high standards of its parent brand, offering truck modification services.
- Legras Industries is a major player in the supply of customized solutions for bulk transport.
- Buisard is a specialist in cabs for public works, agricultural and materials handling equipment.
- Brustner is a small company specializing in the manufacture of specialized and customized body solutions.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of the study
The manufacture of car bodies covers the entirerigid envelope of a motor vehicle. This includes bodies for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, buses and coaches, as well as bodywork for cars and trucks. [INSEE, Nomenclature des activités françaises].
The outlook for the sector is very favorable, with strong growth of +9% between 2022 and 2023.
This study also includes bodywork and repair activities, but excludes the manufacture of bodywork parts and accessories, and automobile manufacturing activities.
Europe occupies a central position in the global bodywork market, and France is Europe's second strongest market.
URSSAF counted 1059 companies in the field in 2021, spread across the whole of France[URSSAF], while the Fédération Française de Carrosserie[FFC] reports 13,000 specialized bodywork and repair agencies, among the 125,500 companies in the automotive services sector.
The FFC brings together more than 1,500 companies, which are generally divided into three branches: manufacturers, equipment suppliers and repairers.
Stimulated by the customer markets of car manufacturing, road haulage and public works, bodybuilders have to innovate constantly to meet customers' safety, comfort and customization requirements[Zepros].
1.2 Sustained growth in the global market
According to a study by Business Research Company, the global automotive bodywork market is estimated at ***.** billion in ****with annual growth projections of +*% between **** and ****. The market should therefore be worth more than ***.** billion in ****[***].
The European market accounts for around **.*% of bodybuilder sales worldwide. The region with the strongest growth ...
1.3 European production: Germany leads the way
The CCFA, the French automobile manufacturers' association, has unveiled figures for European vehicle production in ****, showing the value and volume of production by bodybuilder in the European Union, by country.
In ****, France accounted for **.*% market share for bodybuilders in the European Union in terms of production. The other major markets are ...
1.4 French business on the rise
sales figures
In ****, sales for the French businesses involved in the manufacture and production of bodies for cars, buses, coaches and other vehicles used for passenger transportation totaled *.** billion euros.[***]The sector's sales increased between **** and ****, with the exception of the COVID-** crisis in ****. In ****, the sector's sales reached *.** billion ...
1.5 Methodological note
Production data at European level includes the following activities:
Bodies for motor vehicles and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons (***) Bodies for trucks, vans, buses, coaches, tractors, dumpers and special motor vehicles, including fully equipped and incomplete bodies, vehicles for the transport of ≥ ** people
The activities and ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Main customers
The main determinants of demand for bodywork are trends in road transport, the number of cars sold and therefore of new registrations, and construction activities (***).
Trends in road transport
After a sharp rise in the number of truck registrations in France from **** to ****, the number of registered trucks will stabilize at ...
2.2 Road accidents
Another determinant of demand for body repair services is, ofcourse, the number of road accidents. **** was an upward year for road deaths, after many years of decline.according to Sécurité Routière, the figure has risen to *,*** deaths, the same level as in ****.
The following graph shows that in ...
2.3 Requests to bodybuilders
The role of bodybuilders is to transform the vehicles supplied by carmakers. For example, a truck homologated by a manufacturer can become a fire truck, a removal truck or a people carrier.
They produce three categories of road vehicles:
Light commercial vehicles Industrial vehicles (***) Trailers, semi-trailers, tippers and containers
Vehicle customization ...
2.4 Regional and departmental demand for bodywork
Demand for bodywork depends on the region's economic dynapmism and population. The region with the highest number of registrations is Île-de-France, with **,**** registrations in ****. [***]
Source: ****
Some regions are particularly dynamic: Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes and Hauts-de-France. We can also build this map on a departmental level to get a more detailed picture ...
3 Market structure
3.1 The three business segments
The bodybuilder professions can be divided into three areas depending on the work performed, as indicated by the structure of the French Federation of Bodybuilders:
Manufacturers
This segment comprises *** companies registered to the FFC. It covers all activities relating to the design, construction, conversion and fitting of bodies for all types ...
3.2 A highly fragmented market
The number of body and trailer manufacturers registered on the URSSAF website was *,*** in ****, up ** units on ****. The main players in this market are Jean Chéreau (***). These three players thus represent **% of the *.** billion euros of sales in the French bodywork market in ****.
Gruau and its ** subsidiaries also represent a ...
3.3 French industrial fabric
Employees and companies
Of the **** French companies listed in ****,*** had between * and * employees, i.e. **.*% of companies. Only ** had more than *** employees. [***]
According to the same source, in terms of workforce, body and trailer manufacturing concentrated**,*** employees. Companies with fewer than * employees accounted for **.*% of the workforce, while large companies with ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Types of vehicle silhouettes
There are generally three types of vehicle silhouettes linked to their bodywork[***] :
Tricorps or trivolume Two-body or two-volume Unibody or single-volume
The first, characterized by their three-body silhouette, correspond to classic sedan models, with a first section for the engine, a second for the passenger compartment and a final section for ...
4.2 Bodybuilder products and services
As we sawpreviously, bodybuilders have a strong presence in the refurbishment and conversion of light commercial vehicles this service is aimed almost exclusively at specialized professionals, such as advertising distribution vehicles, delivery trucks, undertakers, etc.
Billing
According toiNSEE's annual production survey (***) the structure of invoicing in the bodywork and trailer sector ...
4.3 Production, import and export prices
production
According to Eurostat data, bodybuilders' invoices show an average rate of****.** in **** for commercial vehiclesthe latter category has unit prices of***.** per unit hese prices are below the European average of €****.** and €****.** respectively, according to the EU's nomenclature of activities.
Imports
In ****, prices per unit according to the types of ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Ventilation regulations for bodybuilders
General principles of workshop ventilation
Articles R. ****-* to R .****-** of the French Labor Code, which deal with"ventilation and sanitation of premises", govern these obligations. According to the Labor Code, car body shops are classified as "specific pollution".
Article R. ****-** sets the maximum dust levels allowed in the ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Lohr Industrie
- Jean Chéreau
- Lamberet
- Fruehauf (Wielton Group)
- Burstner France
- Qstomize (ex Renault Tech)
- Buisard
- Faun Environnement (Kirchhof Automotive)
- Rivard
- SD Services
- Magyar
- Daimler Trucks and Buses (Mercedes)
- Daimler Trucks and Buses (Mercedes)
- Gruau
- Armoric Holding - Essonne Sécurité
- Durisotti
List of charts presented in this market study
- Sales in the global bodywork market
- Breakdown of bodybuilder production
- Main foreign customers in the bodywork sector
- Main foreign countries supplying the bodywork sector
- Number of new registrations by body type
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Latest news
Light rail: Lohr advances in the Grand Est region - 12/07/2023
- The Lohr Group employs 1,500 people and has forecast sales of €150 million for 2022.
- Lohr plans to deploy a pilot line of battery-powered "Draisy" trains.
- The project is designed to serve small, non-electrified or abandoned train lines.
- The pilot line will link Sarreguemines to Niederbronn-les-Bains.
- Production of around 600 vehicles over the next 15 years is planned.
Alsace-based Lohr turns to Navya to make its city shuttle autonomous. - 26/10/2022
- Lohr: 1,500 employees worldwide
- Sales of 150 million by 2021
- Autonomous mobility systems specialist Navya to automate the Cristal electric city shuttle produced by Lohr
- Navya (€10 million sales, 300 employees) has already deployed 220 other vehicles equipped with its intelligence in 26 countries
The Gruau Group is counting on new, small electric vehicles to handle the last few kilometers of deliveries. - 06/07/2022
- Flex'n Moov is a Gruau Group startup for deploying new fleets.
- Flex'n Moov benefits from all the know-how and administrative infrastructure of Gruau, a European leader in commercial vehicle bodywork with 16 production sites, 1,400 employees and 2021 sales of 238 million euros.
- Flex'n Moov sells a Neibor electric bike for 14,400 euros. t.
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