Automotive steering system research: EPS dominates the market, SBW prepares for fully autonomous driving
After hundreds of years of development, automotive steering systems have derived HPS, EHPS, EPS, SBW and other types. At present, HPS (hydraulic power steering) and EHPS (electronic hydraulic power steering) have been widely used in commercial vehicles, while EPS (electric power steering) is mainly applied to passenger cars, and SBW (Steer-by-Wire) has the lowest penetration rate.
EPS occupies the passenger car market, while HPS and EHPS dominate the commercial vehicle market
In Chinese passenger car steering system market, the share of EPS has increased from 80.1% in 2016 to 96.4% in 2020; only a small number of passenger cars adopt HPS and EHPS solutions. Relatively speaking, the higher the price of cars, the higher the proportion of EPS solutions applied.
Due to its small size, low power consumption, light weight and flexibility, EPS is the first choice for new energy vehicles. EPS accounted for 99.91% of the new energy passenger car market in 2020, and this proportion is expected to reach 100% in the future.
HPS and EHPS are usually seen in most commercial vehicles, especially heavy-duty vehicles, thanks to their high power and low prices. In 2020, China's commercial vehicle steering systems were still dominated by HPS and EHPS, of which EHPS made up for 40.1%. However, the market shares of HPS and EHPS will gradually be grabbed by EPS in the future because they not only consume lots of power, but also cause hydraulic oil leakage, which do not meet environmental protection requirements.
The EPS penetration rate of local passenger car brands is gradually increasing
In the Chinese passenger car market, the EPS penetration rate of Chinese passenger car brands is much lower than that of foreign passenger car brands. In 2020, the former was 90.7%, while the latter hit as high as 100%. However, with the gradual tightening of environmental protection, local brands will gradually abandon the polluting steering systems such as HPS and EHPS. By 2026, the EPS penetration rate of Chinese passenger car brands is expected to reach 100%.
Multinational companies dominate the market, while local companies strive to survive
At present, the global automotive steering system market is mainly occupied by vendors such as JTEKT, Bosch, ZF, ThyssenKrupp, NSK, Mando, Hitachi Astemo. These multinational companies have deployed the Chinese market through sole proprietorship or joint ventures, firmly occupied the supply channels of luxury and joint venture brand automakers, and penetrated into the supply system of local automakers.
There are more than 100 local companies in China, but most of them are small companies targeting the aftermarket with weak competitiveness. Zhejiang Shibao, CAAS, Elite, Nexteer Automotive, etc. which have relatively strong competitiveness can compete with multinational giants. For example, Nexteer Automotive and Zhejiang Shibao have entered the supply systems of American, German and Japanese automakers by virtue of their robust strength, and have taken places in the siege of multinational companies.
Major vendors and automakers have deployed SBW which will be promising in the future
The biggest difference between SBW and EPS is that the former removes the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the rack and uses ECU to transmit commands instead. SBW features fast response, flexible installation, lighter weight, and improved collision safety.
SBW technology was proposed as early as 1950. After decades of development, it has now been mass-produced on Infiniti’s several models. Although SBW still has problems such as high cost, immature technology, limited user acceptance, low penetration rate, etc., some automotive steering vendors and automakers are very optimistic about SBW technology and are making efforts herein. There will be a number of production models using SBW.
China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd. (CAERI) has worked with Huawei, Baidu, Schaeffler and many other companies to jointly compile SBW and Brake System Communication Protocol Requirements and Test Specifications, which is conducive to promoting the development of SBW technology and its application in intelligent vehicles.
At present, the penetration rate of SBW in China is extremely low, and was estimated at 0.1% in 2020. In the next few years, the penetration rate will jump rapidly, and it is expected to reach 15% by 2026. Meanwhile, the market scale will gradually expand to RMB12.16 billion, with lucrative development prospects.
EPS is the key to ADAS functions, while SBW is one of the key technologies for fully autonomous driving
The automotive steering system is closely related to the development of autonomous driving. At present, EPS is the key to ADAS functions, serving different levels of autonomous driving with typical ADAS functions like APA, LDW&LKA and DSR. However, in essence, the steering signal of EPS still comes from the driver, while the steering signal of SBW stems from the algorithm. Therefore, SBW can be completely separated from the driver to control steering as one of the key technologies for fully automatic driving in the future.
At present, some automotive steering system companies have begun to deploy autonomous driving.
Auto Shanghai 2025 Summary Report
The post-show summary report of 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, which mainly includes three parts: the exhibition introduction, OEM, and suppliers. Among them, OEM includes the introduction of models a...
Automotive Operating System and AIOS Integration Research Report, 2025
Research on automotive AI operating system (AIOS): from AI application and AI-driven to AI-native
Automotive Operating System and AIOS Integration Research Report, 2025, released by ResearchInChina, ...
Software-Defined Vehicles in 2025: OEM Software Development and Supply Chain Deployment Strategy Research Report
SDV Research: OEM software development and supply chain deployment strategies from 48 dimensions
The overall framework of software-defined vehicles: (1) Application software layer: cockpit software, ...
Research Report on Automotive Memory Chip Industry and Its Impact on Foundation Models, 2025
Research on automotive memory chips: driven by foundation models, performance requirements and costs of automotive memory chips are greatly improved.
From 2D+CNN small models to BEV+Transformer found...
48V Low-voltage Power Distribution Network (PDN) Architecture and Supply Chain Panorama Research Report, 2025
For a long time, the 48V low-voltage PDN architecture has been dominated by 48V mild hybrids. The electrical topology of 48V mild hybrids is relatively outdated, and Chinese OEMs have not given it suf...
Research Report on Overseas Cockpit Configuration and Supply Chain of Key Models, 2025
Overseas Cockpit Research: Tariffs stir up the global automotive market, and intelligent cockpits promote automobile exports
ResearchInChina has released the Research Report on Overseas Cockpit Co...
Automotive Display, Center Console and Cluster Industry Report, 2025
In addition to cockpit interaction, automotive display is another important carrier of the intelligent cockpit. In recent years, the intelligence level of cockpits has continued to improve, and automo...
Vehicle Functional Safety and Safety Of The Intended Functionality (SOTIF) Research Report, 2025
Functional safety research: under the "equal rights for intelligent driving", safety of the intended functionality (SOTIF) design is crucial
As Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturers propose "Equal...
Chinese OEMs’ AI-Defined Vehicle Strategy Research Report, 2025
AI-Defined Vehicle Report: How AI Reshapes Vehicle Intelligence?
Chinese OEMs’ AI-Defined Vehicle Strategy Research Report, 2025, released by ResearchInChina, studies, analyzes, and summarizes the c...
Automotive Digital Key (UWB, NearLink, and BLE 6.0) Industry Trend Report, 2025
Digital key research: which will dominate digital keys, growing UWB, emerging NearLink or promising Bluetooth 6.0?ResearchInChina has analyzed and predicted the digital key market, communication techn...
Integrated Battery (CTP, CTB, CTC, and CTV) and Battery Innovation Technology Report, 2025
Power battery research: 17 vehicle models use integrated batteries, and 34 battery innovation technologies are released
ResearchInChina released Integrated Battery (CTP, CTB, CTC, and CTV)and Battery...
AI/AR Glasses Industry Research Report, 2025
ResearchInChina released the " AI/AR Glasses Industry Research Report, 2025", which deeply explores the field of AI smart glasses, sorts out product R&D and ecological layout of leading domestic a...
Global and China Passenger Car T-Box Market Report 2025
T-Box Research: T-Box will achieve functional upgrades given the demand from CVIS and end-to-end autonomous driving
ResearchInChina released the "Global and China Passenger Car T-Box Market Report 20...
Automotive Microcontroller Unit (MCU) Industry Report, 2025
Research on automotive MCUs: the independent, controllable supply chain for automotive MCUs is rapidly maturing
Mid-to-high-end MCUs for intelligent vehicle control are a key focus of domestic produc...
Automotive LiDAR Industry Report, 2024-2025
In early 2025, BYD's "Eye of God" Intelligent Driving and Changan Automobile's Tianshu Intelligent Driving sparked a wave of mass intelligent driving, making the democratization of intelligent driving...
Software-Defined Vehicles in 2025: SOA and Middleware Industry Research Report
Research on automotive SOA and middleware: Development towards global SOA, cross-domain communication middleware, AI middleware, etc.
With the implementation of centrally integrated EEAs, OEM softwar...
Global and Chinese OEMs’ Modular and Common Technology Platform Research Report, 2025
Modular platforms and common technology platforms of OEMs are at the core of current technological innovation in automotive industry, aiming to enhance R&D efficiency, reduce costs, and accelerate...
Research Report on the Application of AI in Automotive Cockpits, 2025
Cockpit AI Application Research: From "Usable" to "User-Friendly," from "Deep Interaction" to "Self-Evolution"
From the early 2000s, when voice recognition and facial monitoring functions were first ...