The global automotive display market reached 120.96 million units in the first half of 2025, up 5.1 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest report from Omdia Automotive Display Intelligence Service.

“While overall shipment growth moderated compared with last year’s double-digit surge, the market is entering a new phase of structural transformation, shifting from screen proliferation toward coordinated, software-defined cockpit integration,” the report said.

The centre stack display segment grew 2.0 per cent year-on-year after two years of strong expansion.

“With factory pre-install penetration already high, incremental growth has become limited,” Omdia noted.

The aftermarket for centre stack displays dropped sharply by 15.9 per cent as most new vehicles are now equipped with built-in systems, leaving few retrofit opportunities.

Control panel displays declined 4.1 per cent, reflecting the ongoing consolidation of HVAC and audio interfaces.

“Functions that previously relied on separate control panel displays have been merged into the main centre display or replaced by physical buttons to satisfy new safety regulations and improve driver ergonomics and tactile feedback,” the analysis added.

Although shipment growth has slowed, centre stack display technology continues to advance rapidly.

Within this segment, a-Si LCDs’ share fell from 69.6 per cent in the first half of 2023 to 51.0 per cent in the first half of 2025, while LTPS LCDs surged from 29.1 per cent to 46.4 per cent.

“LTPS LCDs have become the mainstream choice for their in-cell touch integration, higher brightness, and slimmer design,” Omdia said.

AMOLED penetration nearly doubled to 2.1 per cent, driven by premium electric vehicles and flagship cockpit programmes.

“This upgrade cycle highlights a shift from simply adding screens to improving optical performance, power efficiency, and AI-optimised visual quality,” the report added.

The instrument cluster segment increased 16.8 per cent year-on-year to 43.3 million units, with smaller clusters under six inches growing fastest.

“This growth is supported by compact electric vehicle adoption and entry-level models in emerging markets,” Omdia said.

The head-up display segment expanded 25.3 per cent year-on-year, driven by larger projection optics.

“HUDs of 3.1 inches and above now account for over 50 per cent of total shipments, marking a milestone toward AR-HUD deployment and immersive forward visualisation,” the report added.

Omdia’s analysis indicates that 2025 marks the beginning of a recomposition phase for the automotive display ecosystem.

“The slowdown in centre stack display shipments does not indicate market weakness but reflects a redistribution of display functions within the cockpit,” the report said.

“The centre stack serves as the integration hub, the instrument cluster provides real-time visibility, and the HUD extends forward situational awareness,” it added.

As zonal compute architectures mature and regulatory compliance tightens, displays are evolving from stand-alone modules into coordinated visualisation systems.

“The next competitive frontier will not be defined by the number of screens a vehicle contains, but by how intelligently each display interacts with compute, optics, and the localised user experience to redefine the future of in-cabin interaction,” Omdia said.