In a coup for the fledgling aftermarket driver safety business, Mobileye, maker of crash warning systems, has signed up Car Toys to carry its products.
The Mobileye C2-170 will be stocked by Car Toys’ 51 stores plus its fleet distribution channel, said Mobileye.
The C2-170 at $900 has been available for about a year and is sold through Al & Ed’s Autosound, and supported by InstallerNet. The device has a timely purpose, as it may prevent someone from texting themselves into a crash. It beeps and flashes if your car is closing in on a vehicle ahead too quickly. It also warns when you are drifting out of your lane. A new version, the the C2-270 may be sold through Car Toys and adds pedestrian detection and bicycle detection.
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“Given the escalating rate of on-road accidents caused by distracted driving, we felt it was imperative that Mobileye systems be made readily available to our customers,” said Car Toys CEO Dan Brettler. “Soon, they will have first-hand access to technologies that save lives and significantly minimize risk.”
Driver Safety could become a new category in the aftermarket. Alpine demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, a bird’s-eye-view advanced parking system that lets you see a full 360 degree panorama when you park or back up the vehicle so you don’t hit the sidewalk or another car.
Driver safety products can include lane departure warning systems, self-parking systems, blind spot detection; night vision systems, etc. The category is gaining rapidly in the new car market and products have been featured this year in TV ads from car makers including Ford and BMW.
Source: Mobileye
This announcement is wonderful but it would be very helpful if you could give a price range for the retail cost of the item.