Automotive Crash Impact Simulator Market

Automotive Crash Impact Simulator Market Size

The global automotive crash impact simulator market size was valued at USD 814.8 million in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.4% between 2024 and 2032. The tremendous growth in the rate of car accidents globally has had a major influence on the markets. For example, According to WHO, every year approximately 1.19 million people die because of road traffic accidents. In addition, these incidents cause non-fatal injuries to about 20 to 50 million people, a large number of whom are left with permanent disabilities.

This situation motivates car manufacturers to adopt greater investment in simulation technology to ensure the safety of vehicles and meet increasing regulations. As more injuries occur during the accidents the market demand shifts towards advanced simulation systems which aids in development of these simulations as well as market expansion. In addition, an increased concern about safety from the civilians makes them adopt vehicles with new safety features. This trend induces the industry to apply crash simulation in their design and development activities and this widens the applicability as well as the scope of the automotive crash impact simulator market.

The use of impact simulators enables car manufacturers to perform virtual testing on the design of vehicles, thus eliminating the expensive and tedious need for actual crash testing. Innovative simulation techniques allow automakers to rapidly implement changes that improve motor vehicle safety features, resulting in a positive impact on the overall cost of development. This reduction in time and spending is extremely advantageous in today’s competitive market.

Automotive Crash Impact Simulator Market Trends

The latest generation of crash impact simulators incorporate more sophisticated software such finite elements and fluid-structure analysis, multibody dynamics and even structural variations in real time. These improvements provide simulation results that have higher accuracy and detail, enabling a better comprehension of the complicated collision physics in vehicles. This ensures a better prediction of vehicle performance in actual driving conditions.

In June 2024, Mercedes-Benz, together with the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics and the Ernst Mach Institute EMI located in Freiburg, reached a groundbreaking achievement. They undertook the world’s first X-ray crash simulation experiment with a real car. This experiment involved a SID II dummy that was designed to mimic a woman.

The dummy was purposely placed on the left side to maximize the impact from the crash. This collaboration in Freiburg Germany at EMI’s research crash building showed the applications of X-ray technology at high speeds to define the processes of extreme internal deformation, which represents a breakthrough in safety testing within the automotive industry.

With the introduction of new materials, propulsion systems, building structures, and design of vehicles moving so fast, the design of the crash impact simulators has to change continuously. The update of such tools to coincide with recent engineering innovations is a major challenge within the industry, and it is a challenge that is constant.

Automotive Crash Impact Simulator Market Analysis

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Based on propulsion, the market is segmented into ICE and electric vehicles. In 2023, the ICE segment accounted for over 75% of the automotive crash impact simulator market share and is expected to exceed USD 1.2 billion by 2032.

• Automakers are incorporating lighter materials such as high-strength steel and advanced composites into the design of their ICE powered vehicles. For these new materials and structures, crash impact simulators are very useful in determining the readiness of the materials and safety of the new design’s structures. This is needed to ensure that less weight is added without affecting overall safety.
  
• In addition, advancements in autonomous driving technologies require crash testing to ensure the safety of ICE-powered vehicles equipped with ADAS. As a case example, in March 2023, Toyota improved its Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) software which uses computer simulations to better understand the injuries that happen during vehicle crashes. This latest development from the OEM features an adjustment in addressing occupants’ changes in posture while automated driving.
  
• Therefore, THUMS Software version 7 gets upgrades of more refined human body models of the torso that include critical pelvic, abdominal organs, skeletal spine, skeletal ribs. To ensure that their ICE powered autonomous vehicles are safe, automakers need to confirm the effectiveness of these systems for different types of collisions.
  

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Based on the simulation, the automotive crash impact simulator market is divided into hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HIL), software simulation, and full-scale crash testing. By 2032, the hardware-in-the-loop segment is expected to exceed USD 850 million due to several key factors.

• HIL simulations help automakers save both time and money on building prototypes of physical crash tests. Virtual testing companies omit the development cycle while saving money and increasing overall efficacy.
  
• This approach is especially important as automakers want to ramp up production for unique cars while maintaining a stringent standard for safety measures. Automotive advancements allow for more developed safety measures and systems integration, leading to a need for complete validation and testing using HIL simulation. As car technologies progress, safe and reliable HIL system testing becomes even more critical.
  

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In 2023, the U.S. automotive crash impact simulator market is expected to be valued at USD 430 million by 2032.

• In the U.S., automotive OEMs and suppliers are rapidly embracing the latest crash impact simulation technologies powered by AI, machine learning, and real-time data processing. Such technologies improve the accuracy and speed of vehicle crash testing, resulting in more efficient design optimization and safety improvements.
  
• The U.S. automakers can capitalize on these advanced simulations to enable sophisticated virtual testing that minimizes the need for physical tests, decreases development cycles, and compensates with rapid safety feature implementation.
  
• Due to European regulation’s increased safety and protection for pedestrians, more funding is allocated towards the development of impact crash simulators that aid in optimizing vehicle design.
  
• In Europe, vehicle manufacturers undertake advanced simulations to replicate the interactions between road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, with the vehicles. These intelligent simulations assist engineers in optimizing the vehicle design for integrating active safety systems and reducing injury severity during collisions.
  
• In the Asia Pacific region, specifically in countries such as China, India, and Japan, there is a rapid growth in the automotive manufacturing industry. This growth pushes the demand for solutions such as the crash impact simulation for new vehicles in development and those already in the market. The automakers in the region are using these tools to improve product development and safety regulation compliance.
  

Automotive Crash Impact Simulator Market Share

Dassault Systemes, Ansys, and Siemens collectively held a substantial market share of over 19% in the automotive crash impact simulator industry in 2023.

• Dassault Systemes uses its 3DEXPERIENCE interface to advance the provision of an integrated environment for automotive design and simulation. This approach enhances collaboration for all phases in the development of vehicles, so that manufacturers move from virtual prototypes to testing in the field with no hitches. Through CAD, simulation, and data management technologies, Dassault enables faster time to market and greater productivity.
  
• On the other hand, ANSYS emphasizes revolutionary simulation development that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). With this approach, computer generated crash simulations are more accurate and effective, offering car manufacturers intelligent projections of how the vehicle will behave relative to the crash event. This makes design optimization and safety checks more effective.
  
• Siemens practices a strategy on the basis of the digital twin concept, incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) technology into its car simulation systems. This enables developers to create and constantly maintain virtual copies of vehicles, which use sensor data gathered during physical testing or driving. Siemens assists these automobile companies in improving designs while ensuring safety measures are adequate using this data.
  

Automotive Crash Impact Simulator Market Companies

Major players operating in the automotive crash impact simulator industry are:

• Altair
• Ansys
• Dassault Systèmes
• ESI Group
• Hexagon
• Illinois Tool Works
• MathWorks
• Siemens
• TUV SUD
• VI-grade
  

The competition is intense in the automotive crash impact simulator market, with major international businesses maintaining an edge through cutting-edge simulation strategies, established contacts with automotive OEMs, and powerful research and development capabilities. These companies frequently develop integrated crash test systems, which include software and associated equipment, which they use at their various branches. Their international reach and resource base allows them to meet the safety needs of vehicle manufacturers in various parts of the world.

Many firms today are seeking to outshine their competitors by narrowing the focus on the customers, including but not limited to tailored simulation packages, onsite training, and around-the-clock technical assistance. In addition, these clients are adopting many aggressive marketing strategies and branding strategies to create an image of a specialist in automotive safety technology. Cooperation with engineers in charge of safety certificates helps them position themselves more reliably in the market.

Automotive Crash Impact Simulator Industry News

• In September 2024, Altair HyperWorks made a collaboration with Oasys Primer with an aim to improve the modeling and analysis with regard to automotive safety simulation. After last year’s update of the Simulation portfolio 2022.2, engineers can now more efficiently prepare, visualize, and build data on the platform and integrate it with AI-augmented 3D modeling. In June, SimScale added an AI based physics prediction feature while Altair's Oasys software integration made sharing of complex results much simpler.
  
• As of September 2024, Siemens has improved their Simcenter Testlab for advanced manufacturers and this helps to eliminate prototypes whilst speeding up product development. Siemens states that these upgrades can facilitate whatever impact testing that involves both structures and electronics in a complex manner up to 50% more efficiently than before. Engineers are now able to save additional time by reusing existing CAD data for instrumentation and impact points. Moreover, the new support of multiple hammers in testing increases the range of frequency that is needed to evaluate the characteristics of EVs.
  

The automotive crash impact simulator market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecasts in terms of revenue ($ Mn/Bn) from 2021 to 2032, for the following segments:

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Market, By Vehicle

• Passenger vehicles
  • Hatchback
  • Sedan
  • SUV
• Commercial vehicles
  • Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV)
  • Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV)

Market, By Propulsion

• ICE
• Electric vehicles
  • Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)
  • Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)
  • Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV)

Market, By Inverter

• Single-phase
• Three-phase

Market, By Simulation

• Hardware-in-the-loop simulation
• Software simulation
• Full-scale crash testing

Market, By Application

• Vehicle design & development
• Crash safety assessment
• Driver & passenger safety studies
• Others

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • UK
  • Germany
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Russia
  • Nordics
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • ANZ
  • Southeast Asia
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
• MEA
  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa