Its not sexy but blind spot detection and similar products are actually coveted by consumers and this is where the growth in car electronics is going to be.
If your eyes glaze over at the term “driver safety” then hear this: there IS growth in retail car electronics and it’s in safety systems and integration.
“All of you will be selling within the next 24 months driver assistance. There is going to be [and is already] lane departure warning systems you can sell. Collision avoidance is coming as an aftermarket product. You’re going to have a lot of new products to sell,” Steve Witt of DICE Electronics said in a KnowledgeFest keynote Monday.
Out of all the multimedia electronics items consumers can buy for their cars, blind spot detection and back up assist are top items that consumers want according to a recent J.D. Power study of over 50,000 households.
Integration and safety products are going to grow as a retail category to about $1.5 billion by 2011 from only $1/2 billion in 2006. Traditional car electronics will fall to $1 billion in the same time period from about $1.5 billion.
Witt reminded the audience that safety should be on every retailer’s mind. Three retailers have lost their stores in the past two years because of illegally tampering with safety systems in the car. One retailer lost his home and one went to jail for killing a family of 5.
“Do not remove safety equipment. Don’t take air bags out of the car to mount an LCD monitor. Don’t bypass your manufacturer’s safety interlocks on head units,” cautioned Witt.
Source: CEoutlook
If you cannot call up a playlist on an ipod to load or remember what track its on should you be even be talking about Automotive Saftey. Even the real O.E.M. Manufactures are five years behind on technical advances plus their software development is at least two years or so behind the right mix of sensors. No matter what I install in a car, the operator eventually controls it. If you make it simple they want it complicated and if you make it complex they turn it off or misuse it. I am responsible for the installation and operation. When these new saftey devices fail these 12 volt accessory companies cannot just say ‘Oh the new software is coming out next week’ just plug in the usb cord you’ll be all set. I’ll Pass!
P.S. Check out all the different DARPA Challenge footage on youtube to see real innovations. I had the pleasure of mentoring the P.V. High School Team several years ago.
try not to get sucked in with the hype of car safety. everyone gives it lip service-but no “wallet service”.
i have more experience with advanced safety than most of you will ever have.
we were dealers for asistwares lane departure warning system (sold one). we were dealers for mobileye lane departure and collision warning systems (after we got each unit finally installed-we sold three over the course of a year). the product took a long time to sell in the store and ties up installers for even more time. Most of the infinity systems were turned off due to the nusiance factor. I do not see the basis for witt’s rosy outlook on safety.
i am not optimistic concerning car safety outside of the fleet arena. good luck.