Globalization Concentrating More Output on Top Platforms

The striving by automakers to control costs and improve manufacturing flexibility will lead to more worldwide use of major platforms over the next several years, but not to a significant consolidation in the number of platforms employed.

An analysis of the WardsAuto/AFS global light-vehicle production forecast through 2022 shows globalization won’t so much as cause a reduction in the number of platforms as it will consolidate more volume among the top-producing architectures. Indeed, the reduction in the number of platforms in use by manufacturers over the next seven years will decline by a paltry count of 11, from 388 to 377, in 2022.

But because more major platforms will be globalized in the coming years, production volume will be concentrated more among the top producers. Production from the Top 15 platforms, roughly 4% of the total count, will rise to 40% of global output in 2022 from 31% in 2015.

WardsAuto/AFS forecasts global production of 111 million units in 2022, 22% above the 91 million pegged for 2015. For the Top 15 platforms, production will increase 58% in 2022 vs. 2015, to over 44 million units.

As the related chart shows, by 2022, the six highest-volume platforms, and nine of the Top 15, will have manufacturing footprints in all four major regions: Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and South America. Currently, six of the Top 15 have footprints in all four regions, up from five in 2008.

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