After many years of slow growth within the telematics industry, vehicle manufacturers are beginning to accelerate the launch of new services in order to meet consumer expectations for a connected in-car experience. In China, over 60 services are now offered by six brands and a further six manufactur... [More]

Sales of Hybrid Electric (HEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric (PHEVs), Electric Vehicles (EVs) and other alternative fuel vehicles are dominating the future plans for the passenger car market. Almost all vehicle manufacturers have either released or are expecting to release at least one alternative fuel ... [More]

The number of traffic information services is increasing in both developed and emerging markets. Most of these services use a common standard like RDS TMC or TPEG but because the market is changing so quickly it has never been more important for the automotive industry to keep track of what is available in each country and how it is being delivered (FM, DAB, GPRS etc). To help those stakeholders involved in the traffic information market, SBD has created an interactive guide detailing over 130 services in over 40 countries. From understanding the different relationships within the value chain to working out competitor business models, this guide will allow users to quickly identify the key players, work out how technology is being used and be better prepared to launch receivers and traffic information services. [More]

The aftermarket embedded navigation industry emerged in China to supply look-alike navigation systems for a fraction of the price of OE systems. This industry is evolving quickly as consumer demand for feature-rich in-car navigation and infotainment grows. Aftermarket suppliers are in many ways now leading the innovation within the Chinese navigation market. This innovation is not only focused towards hardware and software features (e.g. handwriting recognition for Chinese characters) but aftermarket suppliers are also taking the next step towards developing 3rd generation systems that offer advanced telematics services. [More]

Driven by demand from consumers, the US market is currently the most competitive arena for OE telematics systems globally. The number of manufacturers bringing connectivity to their vehicles is increasing all the time and those with existing telematics systems are launching new services to keep themselves at the cutting edge. Competitive pressure is forcing other vehicle manufacturers to enter the market to avoid being perceived as technology laggards by potential customers. While most OE telematics systems in the US retain a focus on traditional safety and security services, the number of connected navigation services is growing. As the breadth of available services grows, competition is driving down the cost of these services to the end user. [More]

The challenge to in-car navigation and entertainment systems from mobile phones has been growing steadily over the last decade. With the introduction of smartphone apps in recent years, this threat has intensified. As the capability of phones continues to increase, it is becoming inevitable that some form of app support and/or smartphone integration in the car will be necessary. The key question for vehicle manufacturers is to decide how much access to the in-car HMI they are willing to share with smartphones and whether they want to develop their own app stores and in-car platforms. [More]

The future of steering locks will be determined by the global need for vehicles that require a low cost solution. Value for money is the key phrase when selling cars in emerging markets. Vehicles must not only be at a low purchase price but be cost effective to run and maintain. Therefore, the simpl... [More]

The convenience of remote keyless entry is now almost ubiquitous and most drivers expect to be able to operate the locking functions, alarm system and often the power windows or exterior lighting of their vehicle via their RF key fob. The availability of vehicle data on internal networks and bet... [More]

After many years of slow growth within the telematics industry, vehicle manufacturers are beginning to accelerate the launch of new services in order to meet consumer expectations for a connected in-car experience. Over 130 services are now offered by 22 brands in Europe and the USA. Many more serv... [More]

The evolution of in-car navigation is set to take another sharp turn following the announcements by Google and Nokia that they will begin fitting navigation as standard on their smartphones. Although the introduction of standard-fit navigation on smartphones will have a negative short-term impact on... [More]