Automotive Engine Market Size: Why Combustion Still Powers 89 Billion in Value

According to recent findings published by Market Research Future, the automotive engine market size was valued at USD 89.22 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow from USD 91.13 billion in 2026 to USD 114.40 billion by 2035, registering a compound annual growth rate of 2.56 percent. That figure describes a market widely assumed to be in terminal decline. The reality is more complicated: combustion engines are not disappearing, they are being optimized.

The Investment Signal

Global capital expenditure on internal-combustion engine upgrades exceeded USD 38 billion in 2024, underscoring the industry's commitment to squeezing every efficiency percentage from existing platforms. Companies do not invest at that scale in a technology they expect to abandon within a product cycle.

The regulatory driver is specific. Tightening emissions mandates—particularly the European Union's Euro 7 standards and China's National VI-b limits—are compelling automakers to invest heavily in combustion optimization rather than abruptly retiring proven powertrains.

Placement Type Segmentation

In-line engine configurations accounted for approximately 46.4 percent of demand in 2025, reflecting dominance in four-cylinder passenger-car applications. The in-line four is the workhorse of global vehicle production: compact, cost-effective, and adequately powerful for most passenger applications.

V-type engines hold USD 22.38 billion in 2025 value, serving performance and truck applications where six- and eight-cylinder layouts deliver torque density. Boxer/flat configurations hold USD 3.18 billion, serving Subaru and Porsche legacy architectures.

Opposed-piston designs represent the fastest-growing placement segment, advancing at a 2.58 percent CAGR through 2035 as commercial-vehicle OEMs explore fuel-efficiency gains.

Fuel Type and the Gasoline Core

Gasoline-powered engines held a commanding 67.5 percent share in 2025, anchored by lightweight passenger-car platforms in Asia and North America. Diesel engines hold USD 18.74 billion, serving commercial vehicles and European fleets.

Hybrid-ICE configurations are forecast to grow at a 2.67 percent CAGR—the fastest fuel-type segment—as 48-volt electrification spreads across mid-range vehicle classes. Approximately 18 million vehicles shipped with 48V systems globally in 2024, and that figure is expected to surpass 30 million by 2028.

The technology delivers 10 to 15 percent fuel-economy improvement without requiring dedicated battery-electric drivetrains, making it a cost-effective bridge.

Vehicle Type Dynamics

Passenger cars generated approximately 70.8 percent of volume in 2025, reflecting the scale of personal-mobility demand. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles are projected to expand at a 2.69 percent CAGR, driven by fleet-replacement cycles and synthetic-fuel pilot programs.

North American Class 8 truck fleets averaged 7.2 years of age in 2024, approaching the point at which maintenance costs exceed replacement economics. The EPA's Phase 3 greenhouse-gas standards, finalized in March 2024, mandate a 25 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions from diesel engines by 2032, pushing fleet operators toward accelerated procurement.

Engine Capacity

The 1.5-to-3-liter displacement band captured 58.3 percent of value in 2025—the global mainstream from compact SUVs in China to mid-size sedans in Europe. Sub-1.5-liter turbocharged units are growing at a 2.60 percent CAGR as downsizing technology gains traction in emerging-market compact vehicles.

Engines over 3 liters hold USD 14.22 billion, serving full-size trucks and premium performance applications.

Regional Structure

Asia-Pacific secured 41.4 percent of volume share in 2025, led by China, India, and Japan. China alone produced over 30 million vehicles in 2024.

Europe holds approximately 27.0 percent, with premium OEMs designing high-efficiency gasoline and diesel powertrains. Germany accounts for 28.2 percent of regional share.

North America contributed roughly 21.5 percent, underpinned by light-truck and SUV engine production. Mexico's engine-manufacturing corridor exported over 3.8 million engines in 2024.

Recent Industry Developments

Toyota announced a next-generation 1.5-liter hybrid engine in March 2025 achieving 40 percent peak thermal efficiency, targeting deployment across Corolla and Yaris platforms by late 2026.

Cummins unveiled a 15-liter hydrogen-ICE engine for Class 8 trucks in October 2024, reporting 95 percent NOx reduction versus its diesel equivalent during controlled fleet trials.

The European Commission published final Euro 7 type-approval procedures in June 2024, effective July 2025, mandating on-board diagnostics for real-driving particulate emissions.

Stellantis launched the FireFly 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbo engine family in November 2023, designed as the combustion core of upcoming hybrid architectures.

Restraints Shaping the Market

Battery-electric vehicle adoption displaces ICE volumes. Global BEV sales reached 14.2 million units in 2024, roughly 18 percent of new passenger-car sales, and the IEA projects that share could climb to 35 percent by 2030.

Escalating raw-material costs squeeze margins. Urban zero-emission zones restrict ICE access in over 320 European cities.

Opportunities on the Horizon

Hydrogen-ICE platforms for heavy-duty applications offer a pathway leveraging existing manufacturing tooling while achieving near-zero tailpipe CO₂. The European Clean Hydrogen Partnership has earmarked EUR 800 million for powertrain integration pilots through 2028.

Synthetic e-fuels extend ICE relevance. Porsche's Haru Oni facility began producing synthetic gasoline at pilot scale in 2023, targeting 550 million liters per year by 2028.

Connected engine diagnostics create recurring revenue through predictive-maintenance subscriptions.

The Road Ahead

The trajectory of the automotive engine market size points toward modest expansion shaped by emissions regulation, hybrid integration, and commercial vehicle demand. Manufacturers who invest in hybrid-optimized combustion designs, hydrogen-ICE capability, and connected diagnostics will be best positioned—because in a market growing at 2.56 percent annually, advantage comes from optimizing the engines that will still be built rather than abandoning the ones that exist.

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