Keeping In-car Entertainment Simple
Car travelers should get used to plugging in their own entertainment gear as all but luxury automakers give up a decades-long struggle to build in the latest audio and video equipment.
Industry players say automakers are getting new models to market faster than before but consumer electronics change more rapidly, meaning automakers' efforts to lift sagging profit margins by installing fancy gadgets can backfire as they quickly pass their sell-by date.
It still typically takes three to four years to put a redesigned car on the road, compared with about nine months for a new consumer electronics gadget to find its way to market.
The car of the future will have the necessary chargers, iPod mounts, and ports for navigation and even the Internet, rather than a factory-installed all-in-one system.
Market research firm iSuppli estimates auto electronics will grow by an average of 7 percent per year to reach more than $50 billion by 2012 from $38 billion in 2006.
For fear of building in duds, carmakers typically wait a year or so to see if a new device or technology takes off.
They then have to make modifications to allow for the fact that drivers should keep their hands on the wheel and not be distracted. And while a car's buyer may own it for 10 years, even a cherished electronics gadget has little chance of surviving format shifts, such as those from tape to CD.
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This story posted by LeaseTrader.com, the automotive service company that lets people transfer out of their Car Leases early. If you're looking to swap a lease or transfer out of your car lease, please visit www.leasetrader.com
Print | posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 5:31 PM