Advanced in-vehicle user interface - future developments

Advanced in-vehicle user interface - future developments

Dave McNamara and Craig Simonds, AutotechinsiderLLC, look at human-machine interface development out to 2015

The US auto industry is going through the worst crisis it has faced since the Great Depression. But it has embraced technologies that will produce the best-possible driving experience for the public. Ford was the first OEM to announce in-car internet radio and SYNC, its signature-branded User Interface (UI), is held up as the shining example of change embracement. Consumers crave new applications, especially those related to entertainment. The Apple app store is the fastest-growing enterprise. On 16 January 2009 Apple announced that 500 million apps had been downloaded; the billionth was downloaded only four months later. Ford announced at the January 2010 Consumer Electronics Show that a SYNC car would support downloadable apps stores, too. Other OEMs are responding quickly.

The advanced UI is strategic to getting more features/functions into the car. A recent study by Telematics Update Business Intelligence identifies a $1.8 billion market in 2013 for displays, controls, software and so on. The overall Human-Machine Interface (HMI) revenue, with a CAGR of about 14 per cent (2009-2016), is significant. New hardware components will be added to allow drivers and passengers to access new features, especially connected vehicle services. HMI components are about 2-3 per cent of total Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) and infotainment costs, which are growing at about 7-8 per cent annually: growth, not de-contenting of vehicles, can be expected. The HMI is the all-important means of bringing new content into the vehicle. Hence, it is strategic and worthy of investment as new, affordable, robust technology emerges.

Read more : http://www.itsinternational.com/sections/nafta/features/advanced-in-vehicle-user-interface-future-developments/