Mobileye will introduce a lower priced, redesigned, consumer and installation friendly driver safety system in October. It will back it with a broad advertising campaign to drive consumers to retail stores, and it claims it will achieve the same success with driver safety at retailers that it’s enjoyed in the fleet and OEM markets.
The company has also embarked on a hiring spree, tapping Jack Travis, former VP sales at Harman International as its director of retail sales. Another prominent appointment of a CE veteran will be announced shortly, said Skip Kinford, Mobileye CEO.
“We put tremendous resources into the fleet category and now we’re giving that same level of commitment to the retail space, said Kinford.
He claims that any retailer who makes a commitment to the product will be able to replace lost revenue from declines in core car stereo products.
“We’re creating a vertical and a revenue opportunity for the retail industry. There’s been a lot of products: head units, speakers, gadgets, that people keep retooling and re-marketing, but we are creating a new revenue source,” said Kinford.
Unlike Mobileye’s early foray into the retail category with the C2-270 crash warning system, the new C2 series has a more modular design, and is easier to install. There will be a budget version that gives only audio warnings, which will be less costly than a step-up model with audio and visual alerts.
Average installation time for the new product is 1.5 hours.
Features include: collision warning, pedestrian and bicycle collision warning, and lane departure warning. You get a 2.7-second alert before a collision, allowing enough time to react and avoid a crash. The new C2 series also automatically adjusts your high beams as needed.
Mobileye will reveal pricing and retail support programs on Sunday, August 28, at its booth at KnowledgeFest, which runs through August 30 in Dallas.
Source: CEoutlook
I heard its $499 and up un-installed………are they nuts???