China's Brake Pad Market Aims For 100 Billion Yuan Scale; Carbon-Ceramic Technology And Compliance Are Key To Breaking Through
With the penetration rate of new energy vehicles (NEVs) exceeding 50% and the number of registered vehicles rising to 340 million, China's brake pad industry is entering a period of structural boom. Industry data shows that the market scale reached 85 billion yuan in 2024 and is expected to surpass the 100 billion yuan mark by 2030, maintaining a high compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5%. At the Shanghai Frankfurt Auto Parts & Accessories Show (Focus on Brake & Performance Tuning), the exclusive agency signing ceremony between Italian giant Brembo and Dalian Deli has become a vivid symbol of the industry's transformation from "scale expansion" to "quality and efficiency upgrading".
Technological Iteration Reshapes Product Landscape
The rise of NEVs is reshaping the technological path of brake pads. At Brembo's booth, the carbon-ceramic brake systems compatible with 12 NEV models (including BYD Yangwang U8 and Zeekr 001 FR) attracted wide attention. Adopting core technology developed in a joint venture with SGL Carbon, these systems reduce the weight of Tesla Model Y's brake system by 22 kg, increase its range by over 40 km, and withstand a high temperature limit of 1,050°C-completely solving the problem of thermal fading in NEVs during high-speed driving. This technological breakthrough is driving the proportion of NEV-specific brake pads to rise from 15% in 2024 to 30% by 2030.
Eco-friendliness and intelligence have become the dual engines of technological upgrading. Brembo's newly launched Greentell Pro eco-friendly kit uses a patented double-layer nickel-free coating to reduce dust emissions by 90%, meeting the EU 7 emission regulations that will take effect in 2026 in advance. Its SENSIFY® 2.0 intelligent brake system, co-developed with Michelin, adds V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) road condition prediction functionality, shortening the braking distance by 4.2 meters compared with traditional systems. Domestic enterprises are also accelerating their layout: leading companies like Gold 麒麟 (Golden Kylin) have achieved high-end breakthroughs through nanocoating technology, and the penetration rate of intelligent brake pads (integrated with wear-sensing chips) is expected to jump from the current 5% to 22% by 2030.
Market Differentiation Drives Channel Transformation
The consumer market shows significant regional stratification. Core urban agglomerations such as the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta contribute 58% of the national consumption, with strong demand for high-end products-by 2030, the market share of high-end brake pads is expected to reach 45%. The central region, benefiting from the capacity expansion of enterprises like BYD, will see its consumption share rise from 18% to 23%, while the western region will achieve a 19% share target driven by the transfer of NEV industrial chains. This differentiation is promoting the innovation of sales models, with the combination of online malls and offline experience stores becoming mainstream. Dalian Deli plans to launch the "Brembo Authentic Mall" in the first quarter of 2026 and build a blockchain-based traceability system to crack down on counterfeit products.
The after-sales market has become a new growth driver. As the average vehicle brake pad replacement cycle shortens to 2-3 years, the share of the AM (Aftermarket) after-sales market is expected to expand from 45% to 55%. Enterprises are shifting their competitive focus from product sales to service capabilities: Dalian Deli's upgraded technical service center is staffed with 20 certified engineers, providing full-chain support from 3D scanning adaptation to track debugging. Its "dual-warehouse linkage" system enables 48-hour customs clearance for original Italian products and real-time regional response for products from its Nanjing factory.
Policies and Competition Force Industry Consolidation
Policy-driven development has become a key driver of industrial transformation. The New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan requires brake system service life to increase by 25% to 150,000 km, while the EU's ECE R90 new regulation raises friction coefficient requirements by 20%-both forcing enterprises to increase R&D investment. The industry's R&D intensity is expected to rise from 2.5% to 4.8%. Against this backdrop, industry concentration is accelerating: the CR5 (top 5 market share) is projected to increase from 38% in 2025 to 52% by 2030, gradually alleviating the structural contradictions of overcapacity in the mid-to-low-end segment (utilization rate below 70%) and reliance on imports for high-end products (import share exceeding 40%).
The localized layout of international giants is intensifying competition. Brembo is deepening its presence in the Chinese market through an exclusive authorization model, with Dalian Deli becoming its "only entry point in China" thanks to full qualification barriers and cross-border operation capabilities. Dalian Deli also plans to launch an "affordable carbon-ceramic kit" for NEVs priced around 300,000 yuan, reducing the modification threshold by 40%. This move is expected to accelerate the popularization of carbon-ceramic brake technology from supercars to the mainstream market, making China the world's largest incremental market for carbon-ceramic brakes.
Industry analysts point out that the brake pad industry is in a critical period of technological iteration and pattern reshaping. Enterprises need to build synergistic advantages in material innovation, channel integration, and service upgrading to seize opportunities in the 100-billion-yuan market.
