National Press Release

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Driven by the three-pronged benefits of safety, convenience, and comfort, the world automotive human machine interface (HMI) systems market is poised to take a huge leap forward. Regulations and safety mandates boost market prospects by encouraging automakers to introduce HMI technologies such as hands-free calling, reverse camera park assist, and lane departure warning (LDW) to reduce accidents. By 2015, all vehicles will likely incorporate a hands-free calling facility through a stand-alone system or as an integrated telematics system.

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New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.automotive.frost.com), Strategic Analysis of Automotive Human Machine Interface Systems in North America, finds that market earned revenues of over $2.13 billion in 2007 and estimates this to reach $5.02 billion in 2015. Revenues will likely rise with the increasing penetration of voice-activated services such as navigation and hands-free calling.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides a brief synopsis of the research and a table of contents, send an e-mail to David Escalante, Corporate Communications, at david.escalante@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country. Upon receipt of the above information, a brochure will be sent to you by e-mail.

"Upcoming legislations addressing the safety of passengers and pedestrians will drive the growth of HMIs," says Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Sathyanarayana K. "Legislative pressures to at least 'offer' some kind of camera-based systems in new vehicles will improve safety and drive market penetration."

While legislation has bolstered the demand for LDW and park assist systems (PA), however, night vision systems and head-up display remain limited to only high-end models. Forthcoming regulations also expect to reduce the unit price of LDW and PA, improving their uptake. However, the demand for systems such as night vision, head-up display and multifunctional knobs will most likely remain lackluster.

Consumers constantly fear the return of higher gas prices, so this will help the market momentum as the use of voice-activated navigation systems helps optimize route and save on gas. Further, smaller cars offer greater fuel economy, and are preferred options among consumers, who expect the same safety and comfort features afforded by high-end cars. To cater to this demand, more upscale content will be featured in smaller vehicles, which will aid the penetration of HMI.

However, driver inattention remains a major concern for vehicle manufacturers in the development of HMI solutions. Currently, visual feedbacks are widely adopted, but audible feedback is touted as a plausible solution to driver distraction and is expected to grow in popularity among vehicle manufacturers. Voice will eventually play a more significant part in HMI, but its development will be restrained as technology undergoes the process of continuous refinement.

"Future systems will be programmed to think and decide which information to provide and in what manner to the driver," says Sathyanarayana. "The intelligent system will not delay the critical functions such as brake failure or engine temperature warning, but will delay the non-critical information like phone calls and text messages, taking the driving situation into consideration."

For now, the market likely will witness volume and technology-driven price reduction, with vehicle manufacturers pushing for cost reductions from Tier 1 suppliers year after year. Escalating competition in this space has also triggered a race for product differentiation, which will remain crucial as vendors optimize the tremendous opportunity to bring safety related HMIs in to North American vehicle production.

Strategic Analysis of Automotive Human Machine Interface Systems in North America is part of the Automotive and Transportation Growth Partnership Service program, which also includes the following: analysis of North American Automotive software markets, database of safety system offerings on model year 2008 light vehicles in the United States, and 360 degree CEO perspective of North American safety systems market. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.

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Strategic Analysis of Automotive Human Machine Interface Systems in North America

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    Contact:
    David Escalante
    Corporate Communications - North America
    P: 210.477.8427
    F: 210.348.1003
    E: david.escalante@frost.com

    http://www.frost.com/

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan