Both Kenwood and Alpine are backordered on key new products.
Kenwood said its new DRV-N520 Dash Cam, the first to work with a line of aftermarket car radios, is backordered due to high demand.
Alpine said it is experiencing a 30-day backorder due to strong demand for the first wireless CarPlay radio for any car, the iLX-107. It expects to meet demand for the unit by the end of the month or early September, said Mike Anderson speaking from the show floor at KnowledgeFest in Dallas Sunday.
Alpine said it was gratified at the 5 star reviews the product is receiving on sites such as Crutchfield.com. As of Sunday, there were 23 reviews of the iLX-107 on Crutchfield with 22 of them showing 5 star ratings.
Kenwood said the DRV-N520 is helping to create acceptance of the dash cam by 12 volt retailers who had shunned it previously. “To some of the guys, the dash cam itself was foreign, so selling it by itself was a challenge. But when it’s attached to something they are already selling, such as the radio, it’s easier,” said Kenwood’s Scott Caswell.
He said of dash cams, “It’s a huge market everywhere in the world except the US.”
The attachment rate of the DRV-N520 to sales of Kenwood radios is very high, said Caswell, but he could not provide specific statistics.
The Consumer Technology Association expects sales of dash cams (camera recorders that mount on the car windshield or dashboard to record traffic incidents) to jump by 48 percent this year in dollar sales to dealers, reaching $45 million. An additional 13 percent growth is expected next year to $51 million, But growth is expected to flatten after 2019.
classic. business is slow. don’t bring too much product in from factory. biz picks up-shelves are emply.