New Products Will Have You Driving for Theatrical Effect
It’s the last great frontier for consumer electronics manufacturers: the automobile.
Facing saturated markets for everything from TVs to personal computers, electronics makers are hoping that a new wave of multimedia products for cars and trucks will drive sales for a new electronics category dubbed “intelligent transportation systems.”
Manufacturers are betting that this fledgling industry will help compensate for flagging sales of traditional car audio systems such as cassette players. But consumers aren’t likely to see DVD players, navigation systems and computers listed as standard equipment any time soon.
“Auto manufacturers focused on delivering products to the mainstream market are keenly interested in watching what is going on, [but] manufacturers who deliver more upscale sport-utes and sedans are taking action to incorporate navigation and visual entertainment products,” said Stephen Witt, vice president for brand marketing at Torrance-based Alpine Electronics.
This new category is an outgrowth of the miniaturization of circuits and chips that provide devices with greater computing power and the ability to withstand the demands inherent in riding inside an automobile. It also relies on a greater focus among electronics engineers, planners and marketers on tapping the potential offered by cars and trucks, Witt said.
Analysts project that the global intelligent transportation market, including multimedia, vehicle safety and control systems, will be worth $30 billion in 2011. But it remains to be seen whether consumers will buy many of these complicated new systems.
Some of the hottest trends today focus on voice-activated computers and navigation systems, mobile video systems such as DVD players, wireless safety systems and brighter dashboard displays. Electronics makers are also pushing systems using the MiniDisc--a 2.5-inch cousin of the CD--which have yet to catch on in the broader market.
Several electronics makers are touting “mobile multimedia” systems that would allow a driver to access navigation and security systems in the front seat while passengers watch movies and play video games in the back seat.
Alpine launched its version of the mobile multimedia concept this month. The system integrates a computer-operated navigation and security system with a DVD player that plays CDs, CD-ROMs and DVDs on a small liquid-crystal display monitor.
While navigation systems have yet to attract a wider audience--appealing primarily to those who drive luxury vehicles--mobile video systems that include small TVs and videocassette players are becoming one of the most popular options among sport-utility vehicle buyers.
These systems, which run anywhere from $999 to $2,400, are typically installed in the ceiling, console or headrests in the rear of a vehicle.
“The trend we see and what we’ve talked about over the years are industry buzzwords like ‘multimedia’ and ‘navigation.’ Everyone was wondering which one of these technologies would emerge as a player,” said Tom Malone, group vice president for Audiovox’s mobile electronics division. “What came out of that was rear-seat entertainment. None of those other platforms turned into a real volume business.”
Audiovox has seen a 50% increase in each of the last two years in its mobile video business and expects to see an even larger gain this year. The company is currently designing a mobile DVD player that it expects to put on the market this fall.
Consumers searching for anti-theft systems that don’t require them to tote around a heavy radio or peel a faceplate off the dashboard can check out JVC’s elKameleon. When a driver turns off the ignition, the unit turns completely black, and the preset buttons along the bottom of the radio spin around 90 degrees into the dash. When a driver wants to play a CD, this row of buttons slides inside the system and the CD rack drops down out of the dashboard.
There are two elKameleon models--a $329 unit will be available in March and a $379 system will arrive in April.
Pioneer is also playing with its audio displays, but instead of making them disappear, it’s making them brighter with a patented technology known as Organic EL (or organic electroluminescence). The system, co-developed with Kodak, makes the audio display 10 times brighter.
The display emits red, green and blue light and has enough graphics capability to accommodate screen savers. It will be available in May in Pioneer’s high-end single-CD and cassette players and the company’s first MiniDisc players.
Despite these new options, it’s unclear whether consumers who spend most of their driving time making trips of 30 minutes or less will want an auto PC or a mobile video system in their car. Also, it’s likely that these new options will present new safety problems.
“Driving a car is a pretty demanding task. There’s a form that police officers fill out and [use to] keep track of contributing factors in fatal crashes, and inattentiveness every year causes about 6% of fatal crashes,” said Tim Hurd, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The concern to us is that people would be distracted with any of these devices from driving, and it is a situation that can turn sour in half a second.”
Jennifer Oldham covers consumer electronics for The Times. She can be reached via e-mail at jennifer.oldham@latimes.com.
