It used to be that all that really mattered when it came to having cars is that they can get you to where you are going in one piece. Now it's not just about whether those are going to hold up on the road, but if the car is going to keep you entertained and how, or how many gadgetries are there to make driving easier and more convenient.
The continuous rise in the development of features and applications in cars has led to concerns about information overload and distracted drivers. Entertainment choices, as well as status information and navigation instructions, are pulling drivers' attention away from the basic task of driving. How many times have we heard about cars getting into accidents because the driver got distracted manning the car's navigation system rather than looking on the road?
But it appears that there are already steps being taken to solve potential distraction causes like these.
According to a new Research Brief from ABI Research, a head-up display solution - that displays key information in the driver's line of sight, reducing the need to look away from the road ahead -- are now available in growing numbers, and will comprise a $400 million market by 2012.
New HUD options from BMW and Citroen are expected to generate interest in a market until now dominated by GM, with Toyota and Honda waiting in the wings with their own versions.
Tier One suppliers like Delphi, Denso, Siemens VDO, and Nippon Seiki will capitalize on this market if they continue to develop attractive HUD solutions for their OEM customers, solutions that require less dashboard real estate without increasing cost. ABI Research is also looking at rapidly maturing technologies from new vendors that may eventually challenge the leaders even in this relatively new industry.
The first head-up displays appeared in the 1980s but failed to impress the consumer as hoped with its limited functionality, lack of clarity, insufficient brightness, and less-than-stellar reliability.
About ABI Research
Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research maintains global operations supporting annual research programs, intelligence services, and market reports in broadband and multimedia, RFID and M2M, wireless connectivity, mobile wireless, transportation, and emerging technologies. The new ABI Research Brief, "Head-Up Displays" examines the forces pushing growth in the market, including demand for advanced features and the newest technology. It offers market analysis in four world regions as well as aggregate shipments, and forms part of two ABI Research Services, Driver Assistance Systems and Automotive Electronics, which include Research Reports, ABI Insights, and analyst inquiry support.
