Accelerated Popularization Of Carbon-Ceramic Technology: Brake Pad Industry Competes in The Post-National Standard 7 Era With Obvious Regional Market Differentiation
As the implementation of National Standard 7 (GB 7) for braking systems approaches, China's brake pad industry is not only accelerating its layout in low-emission technology but also showing new trends in the popularization of high-performance materials and differentiated competition in regional markets. The latest industry data reveals that the domestic brake pad market scale reached 24.5 billion yuan in the first three quarters of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%. Among them, the sales volume of carbon-ceramic brake pads surged by 120% year-on-year. New energy commercial vehicles and the after-sales market in third- and fourth-tier cities have become new growth engines, pushing the industry into a new stage of "technological stratification and market segmentation".
Carbon-Ceramic Technology Breaks Through with Lower Prices: From Supercar Exclusive to Mainstream Models
Once an "exclusive configuration" for supercars, carbon-ceramic brake pads are now rapidly penetrating mid-range vehicle models. Domestic enterprises have significantly reduced the cost of carbon-ceramic brake pads through technological iteration and large-scale production. Recently, Xinyi Braking launched its "popularized carbon-ceramic brake pads", cutting the unit price from 8,000 yuan/set (for traditional carbon-ceramic products) to 3,500 yuan/set. While maintaining high performance-with a friction coefficient of 0.5-0.55 and heat resistance above 1,000°C-these pads are compatible with 200,000-yuan-class new energy vehicles such as BYD Han and Xpeng G6. Orders exceeded 5,000 sets in the first month of launch, and the production capacity is expected to rise to 300,000 sets/year by 2026.
Technological breakthroughs are the key to price reduction. The R&D team of Xinyi Braking optimized the carbon fiber weaving process, increasing material utilization from 65% to 88%. Meanwhile, it adopted self-developed "low-temperature sintering technology", shortening the production cycle by 40%. Li Mingliang, the Chief Technology Officer of the enterprise, stated that the production cost of carbon-ceramic brake pads has now dropped to less than twice that of traditional ceramic brake pads. With the expansion of production capacity in the future, the price is expected to further decrease to 2,000 yuan/set, gradually covering the 150,000-yuan-class vehicle market.
Multinational enterprises are also following up with their layouts. Brembo launched a "lightweight carbon-ceramic braking system" for the Chinese market. By using recycled carbon fiber materials, the product weight is reduced by 30%, and the price is lowered by 25%. It has been matched with models such as NIO ET5T and Zeekr 007, with the sales volume of its carbon-ceramic products in China increasing by 95% year-on-year in the first half of 2025. Industry analysts predict that by 2027, the penetration rate of domestic carbon-ceramic brake pads will exceed 15%, among which the adoption rate in new energy vehicles will surpass 20%, completely breaking the monopoly pattern of high-end technology.
Intensified Regional Market Differentiation: Rise of the After-Sales Market in Third- and Fourth-Tier Cities
China's brake pad market exhibits significant regional differentiation characteristics. First- and second-tier cities focus on "low-emission, high-performance" products, with the original equipment (OE) market for new energy vehicles accounting for over 60%. Enterprises such as Continental AG and Bosch occupy more than 70% of the high-end market share in these regions by virtue of their low-emission technology advantages. In contrast, the after-sales maintenance (AM) market dominates in third- and fourth-tier cities and county-level markets, where traditional semi-metallic and resin-based brake pads still hold the leading position. However, the demand in these areas is gradually upgrading to environmentally friendly products.
The consumption upgrade trend in the after-sales market is evident. In third- and fourth-tier cities such as Linyi (Shandong Province) and Nanyang (Henan Province), the sales volume of low-emission brake pads increased by 35% year-on-year. The person in charge of some auto repair shops said that consumers' acceptance of environmentally friendly brake pads-characterized by "no black powder and low noise"-has significantly improved. Although the price is 20%-30% higher than that of traditional products, the repurchase rate has reached 40%. In response to this demand, Wanxiang Group launched "regionally customized low-emission brake pads". By simplifying some high-end functions to reduce costs, the unit price is controlled at approximately 1.1 times that of traditional products. Its sales volume in third- and fourth-tier cities increased by 58% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2025.
The new energy commercial vehicle market has become a regional growth highlight. In key cities for the promotion of new energy heavy trucks, such as Xi'an (Shaanxi Province) and Chengdu (Sichuan Province), the sales volume of ceramic-metal composite brake pads suitable for heavy trucks increased by 85% year-on-year. CRRC Zhuzhou Institute launched "long-life commercial vehicle brake pads" in response to regional logistics needs, with a service life of 100,000 kilometers-60% longer than that of traditional products. These pads have been matched with new energy heavy truck models of Shaanxi Automobile Group and China National Heavy Duty Truck Group, capturing over 30% of the market share in the northwest and southwest regional markets.
Policy Implementation Spurs New Tracks: Accelerated Improvement of Testing and Recycling Systems
The approaching GB 7 not only promotes product technology upgrading but also creates new opportunities in supporting industries such as testing and recycling. Domestic third-party testing institutions are accelerating their layout in the field of brake emission testing. Pony Testing Group has built 2 new GB 7 testing laboratories in Tianjin and Guangzhou, equipped with world-leading brake particulate sampling systems that can achieve accurate testing of multiple indicators such as PM2.5 and PM10. Currently, it has signed cooperation agreements with more than 20 brake pad enterprises, and its testing business revenue has increased by 120% year-on-year.
The construction of the brake pad recycling system is also accelerating. GEM Co., Ltd. and Golden Kylin have jointly built the "Brake Pad Full-Life Cycle Recycling Project". Through processes such as disassembly, grinding, and purification, metals, ceramics, and other materials are recycled from waste brake pads, with a recovery rate of over 90%. The recycled materials have been used in the production of mid-to-low-end brake pads, realizing "resource recycling". At present, 2 recycling and processing bases have been built in Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces, with an annual processing capacity of 50,000 tons. The recycling network is planned to expand to 10 provinces nationwide by 2026.
Enterprises are enhancing their competitiveness through the "technology + service" model. Tenneco launched the "GB 7 Adaptation Solution", which not only provides low-emission brake pad products but also offers value-added services to automakers, such as emission simulation testing and production line transformation consulting. It has reached strategic cooperation with SAIC Motor and GAC Group, and the proportion of service revenue increased to 18% in 2025. Industry experts point out that in the "post-GB 7 era", competition in the brake pad industry will shift from single product competition to a comprehensive strength contest of "technology + service + ecology". Enterprises with full industrial chain integration capabilities will occupy a dominant position.
