Emerging Connected Car Technology Tested by Consumer Reports

A new car safety technology that could be an important future aftermarket car AV product has been tested by Consumer Reports, which gave it a thumbs up.

The technology, in both aftermarket and OEM forms, is vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications—cars “talking” to each other.

General Motors is already working on an app that links with a car radio’s video display and audio system to allow V2V communication.  The app relies on a smartphone to pick up the wireless signal for the V2V network (a special V2V network was set aside by the Fed a decade ago).

GM is also working on a stand-alone portable transponder about the size of a portable GPS navigator.

Consumer Reports announced, after testing out V2V (or V2X, as it sometimes called), that “Consumer Reports believes that the potential safety benefits of this technology make it worth pursuing…”

V2V technology could alert you if a nearby driver is running a red light, with enough time so you can hit the brakes.   And it can stop you from making a left hand turn into oncoming traffic.

Officials say it is more effective and cheaper to deploy than current safety devices such as blind spot detectors.

Two of Consumer Reports’ journalists who tested V2V were “impressed with the effectiveness and potential safety benefits of the systems,” they said.

The V2V network allows each car to transmit information up to 1,000 feet around it, and each car sends signals out about its speed and location at a rate of 10 times a second.

“The past 50 years have been about surviving vehicle crashes; the next 50 will be about preventing them,”  stated Gregory Winfree of the Dept. of Transportation.

As we noted in January, the aftermarket may play a critical role in the deployment of V2V technology as the more cars that use it, the more effective the system becomes.

“It only works if you’re equipped and everybody else around you is equipped,” says Mike Shulman, technical leader at Ford. “And how do you go from a world where nobody’s got it to a world where everybody’s got it?”

So a number of car makers and aftermarket companies are researching aftermarket options, including those from GM mentioned above.

V2V could prevent about 80 percent of crashes (other than those relating to drunk driving).

Here is the Consumer Reports article.

Source: Consumer Reports

Steelmate Ships High Tech Backup Cam

Steelmate USA is now shipping its top-of-the-line parking assist system.  It uses both ultrasonic sensors and video cameras and also combines voice warnings for an advanced back up camera system.

The 4-sensor system is compatible with any in-dash video unit or monitor. It also permits a video overlay.

Steelmate says installation is simple for the device as it works over existing wiring using a separate module called the  IPWRXTX1 at $399 suggested retail price.

The camera/sensor module is called the SPTSV401 at $499.

Steelmate claims a similar system found on S Class Mercedes AMG sedans is in a $3,500 option.

Source: Steelmate USA

Cobra Awarded CB-to-Phone Patent

Cobra Electronics said it has been awarded a patent regarding CB Radios and connectivity to cellphones.

The patent No. 8,078,120 is notable because it can allow a CB to serve as a loudspeaker for smartphones, which typically have insufficient speakers for use in a truck.

The patent includes 101 claims for different scenarios involving CB radios and cell phones and other mobile devices. It is entitled “Citizens Band Radio With Wireless Cellular Telephone Connectivity.”

Cobra said that after 50 years, CB radios are still an important tool for truckers.  And many truckers also carry cellphones “which opens up a whole new world of possibilities for communication and application interoperability between CBs and mobile devices,” said Sally Washlow, Cobra Senior VP of Marketing and Sales.

The patent “holds the very real potential to dramatically alter the future path of the CB radio market while enhancing the safety, convenience and comfort of professional drivers,” said Ramon Sandoval Category Manager for Cobra

Specifically the patent abstract is as follows:

A wireless communication device for use in connection with a cellular telephone is disclosed and a transceiver radio such as a citizens band radio. The wireless communication device of the present invention provides enhanced audio broadcasting capabilities for an operator of the device by providing a larger, more powerful speaker than that typically found in a cellular telephone. Thus, the apparatus of the present invention improves cellular telephone usage in a noisy environment such as the cab of a tractor trailer or other vehicle. In another embodiment, the wireless communication device of the present invention is connectable to multiple external devices and is capable of operating the external devices and providing access to a cellular telephone network for such external devices.

Source: Cobra Electronics

Backup Camera Sales to Near Double

Backup cameras are expected to continue their ascent, growing by 40 to 50 percent in unit sales this year, according to three suppliers.

Sales should accelerate even more rapidly in a few years, as a law is expected to go into effect around 2014 mandating that back up cameras be included in new all new cars.

iSuppli adjusted its estimates favorably for the category since last year.  It now expects aftermarket backup camera sales should rise from approximately 260,000 units in 2011 to 880,000 units in 2015.   On the OEM side, back up sales should multiply from 1.4 million units in 2011 to 16.4 million in 2015

In recent months, several new suppliers have entered the category including Metra, Escort and Scytek.

Metra is shipping a Third Eye budget line of back up cameras and will add an OE Direct Fit line of cameras customized for various car makes to ship in late Spring. The cameras range in price from $59 to $79.

Scytek is entering the market with 5 universal back up cameras it showed at CES last month.  The line starts below $50 and includes bullet type cameras with 170 angle viewing, distance grids, extreme low light sensitivity and waterproof cases.

Escort recently announced a new Smart Site mirror and back up camera system.

Boyo which has a market share it estimates at about 40 percent in backup cameras, introduced its first commercial HD camera, offering a superior quality picture at CES in January.  It mounts on the license plate holder.  Called the model VTL375HD it is shipping now at $259 suggested retail price.

Source: CEoutlook

M Rothman Named Sony Distributor

M. Rothman said it was named the Sony Mobile distributor in the Northeast effective last month.

The company, which also distributes Pioneer as well as JVC, JBL, Infinity, Audiovox, Viper and other brands, will handle Sony car audio for the areas of Trenton, NJ, Rochester, NY, Westchester/ Rockland, NY, and all of New England and upstate NY.

Source: M. Rothman

Directed Sells Off Orion Car Audio Brand

Directed said it has sold the Orion car audio brand to MD Audio Engineering, the U.S. arm of a Latin America supplier that officially makes its market debut in the U.S. with Orion.

The Orion brand and product rights were sold for an undisclosed sum.

As of February 10, MD Audio, based in Miami, handles all Orion orders and warranties.  MD Audio is an arm of Mobile Sound out of Venezuela, which sells Lanzar Pro car audio amplifiers and speakers in the Latin and Central American markets as well as the Caribbean.  It has been in the car audio business for about 25 years .

For its part, Directed divested Orion in order to focus its energy on “car security and control” products and window film, said VP marketing Jim Jardin.

Directed’s parent company, DEI Holdings, continues to own Polk Audio.

“SmartStart and connectivity of your phone is just taking off.  We lead that category and we want to continue to lead….we have plans to aggressively grow it and we just want to focus on our core again,” said Jardin.

MD Audio’s financial officer Willy Lopez said the company plans to improve the product quality of Orion and take the brand global.  “Our intent is to restore Orion to the position it held in its glory days in the late 80’s and early 90’s, when it was the premier high power, dollar for power product you could buy.”

The company plans to improve componentry and “step it up to more power for the dollar,” Lopez said.

MD Audio acquired all global rights to Orion, as well as proprietary designs, existing inventory, show cars, marketing materials and web domains.

The company plans to keep the Lanzar Pro and Orion brands separate, with Lanzar Pro aimed at the Latin and Central American markets and the Caribbean while Orion is initially aimed at the U.S.

MD Audio Engineering may be reached at info@mdaudio.net.

Source:  CEoutlook

Fed Proposes Limits on Car Navigation

The Fed proposed Thursday that auto makers produce connected car radios that require the car is in park before drivers may look up an address on a navigation system, browse the Internet or dial a phone number.

An exception is voice activated use of any of the above functions, which would not require the car be in park.

A second set of guidelines on aftermarket car products will follow, said the Department of Transportation.

The edict is the first-ever “federally proposed guidelines to encourage automobile manufacturers to limit the distraction risk for in-vehicle electronic devices,” said the agency.

These are voluntary guidelines, but the agency expects that auto makers will fully comply, and in fact, many car makers already follow the guidelines.

The aftermarket is not excluded from the DOT’s radar.  A second phase of guidelines  will affect aftermarket products such as portable navigation systems as well as “smart phones, electronic tablets and pads, and other mobile communications devices,” said the DOT.

A third set of guidelines may address voice-activated controls to further minimize distraction in factory-installed, aftermarket, and portable devices, said the agency.

As for phase one of the guidelines for auto makers, public comments are invited over the next 60 days and public hearings will be held in March in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C

The phase one guidelines apply specifically to any infotainment/navigation functions “that are not required to safely operate the vehicle.”

“We recognize that vehicle manufacturers want to build vehicles that include the tools and conveniences expected by today’s American drivers,” said David Strickland, Administrator for NHTSA  (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the arm of the DOT responsible for the guidelines. “The guidelines we’re proposing would offer real-world guidance to automakers to help them develop electronic devices that provide features consumers want-without disrupting a driver’s attention or sacrificing safety.”

He also noted that data shows that “the vast majority of crashes occur because of dangerous behavior, including driving drunk, driving while distracted, and driving too fast.”

You can view the full guidelines and DOT press release here.

Source: DOT via The Wall Street Journal

Massive Audio Updates Car Speaker Line

Massive Audio is now shipping its new CK X line car audio speakers, updating its CK Series with new tweeters and crossovers.

The CK 6X and CK 69X tweeters now have power handling to match that of the woofer.    They sport 28mm pure German silk dome tweeters.  The new crossover is a flexible 18 dB “Phase Coherent Linkwitz-Riley Crossover Network” for precise tuning.

The tweeter may also now be mounted as a true coaxial.

Suggested retail pricing is $359.95 for the CK 6X and $495.95 for the CK 69X.

Source: Massive Audio

Remote Start-from-a-Phone Sales Update

Sales of smartphone-controlled remote start are beginning to make a dent in overall remote start sales.

The In-Car Experts (ICE) marketing/buying group reports that despite a warm winter, sales of remote starters were up for 35 percent of its members.  The overwhelming reason, they said is because of increased sales of smartphone-based remote start.

(Still, 41 percent of ICE dealers said remote start sales were down due to the warm winter and 23 percent reported flat sales with last season).*

Directed is now at 1.2 million downloads for its SmartStart app that works with its smartphone-controlled remote start.

Auto Page is forecasting that sales for remote start from a phone could grow by 300 to 400 percent for this year over 2011.

Directed noted that the category will grow as smartphone ownership expands.  Smartphone penetration in the U.S. is conservatively at about 50 percent this year, and should grow to  about 75 percent over the next three years, which will, in turn, increase smartphone-remote start sales, said Directed VP Marketing Jim Jardin.

“Our retailers definitely saw increases with SmartStart…We’ve made that step from people wanting to control their remote start from a transmitter to smartphones,” said Jardin.   A $100 rebate in Q4 and a $10 spiff for installers, also helped drive SmartStart sales in Q4, he said.

The spiff “helped the sales people and installers talk about it more.”

Compustar (Firstech) said it is investing in innovation in the segment and plans on adding the ability to link into car  diagnostics from the smartphone app in future Drone Mobile  products.

* ICE is a $280+ million car audio marketing/buying group with more than 200 storefronts in 40+ states.

Source: CEoutlook

Best Buy’s Other Car Audio Trial

Best Buy is expanding its BFF relationship with Car Toys beyond the expeditor sales announced Tuesday.

It is also conducting trials with Seattle-based Car Toys to improve  car audio retail sales through better management and sales training, and it will extend that trial to 100 Best Buy locations, according to a trusted industry source.

The trial, underway since last year, has already expanded from about 14 Best Buy stores in the Philadelphia/Pittsburgh-area as of last November, to 20 to 28 stores presently, said industry sources.

As we reported Tuesday, Best Buy acknowledged it has teamed with Car Toys to help the mega-retailer enter the expeditor market for car audio sales to car dealerships and fleets.

Under this second program with Car Toys, Best Buy is receiving training from Car Toys on improving retail sales, specifically, the rate of installations attached to sales of car audio products and reducing returns.

Best Buy and 50-store Car Toys would not comment on the program.

So far, the program has been effective,  sources said.

One salesperson in a store that has received training said of the program, “Everything we’ve been doing has been great.  Sales are up.  In the past week, and recently, they’ve almost doubled.”

Last summer,  Best Buy sent a notice to certain industry members explaining that a test program would launch October 3, working with Car Toys to motivate sales personnel in West Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The notice added, “Through this partnership, we have designed an experiment that will not only re-establish Best Buy and Autotechs as an authority in the Mobile Electronics industry, but also provide an environment for our employees to have a career path both in mastery and mobility.

Source: CEoutlook

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