Tech My Ride
NEVER CONTENT WITH STANDING STILL, MOBILE-ELECTRONICS SUPPLIERS ARE ENHANCING THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE IN EVER SMARTER WAYS
BY MICHAEL IMLAY
In an era where safety, enjoyment and connectivity are paramount, the mobile-electronics market is booming with new ideas. From new takes on car audio equipment to telematics-enabled control devices and AI-enhanced driver assistance technologies, industry companies are leading the charge in creating fresh innovations to keep consumers safer, more smartly informed and enjoyably entertained on the road.
"Innovation is thriving across the mobile-electronics and technology markets, particularly in response to the increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road," affirms Phil Meada, president of Rydeen Mobile Electronics, a maker of backup cameras, monitors
and other video safety solutions. "Our industry is adapting by developing products tailored for these vehicles, ensuring seamless integration and offering customers the opportunity to further enhance their driving experience. As customers seek differentiation, there's a continuous push for unique upgrades and sensible solutions to meet their evolving needs." SEMA market research segments the mobileelectronics sector into several popular categories for the aftermarket. These include sound systems and audio accessories, alarms and security products, navigation systems, mobile television and video cameras, wireless and smartphone integration products, and driver-assistance system
SONIC PERFECTION
Of these, sound systems and audio accessories remain the bread and butter of the aftermarket mobile-electronics sector, garnering $1.11 billion in sales in 2023. Although that's down somewhat from the $1.12-billion mark of 2022, it still represents significant growth since 2020 when sales clocked in at $1.06 billion. (This number is even more impressive when you consider that only 38% of manufacturers reported sales growth last year.) Popular products within the segment include satellite radio add-ons; in-dash stereo systems; speakers, subwoofers amplifiers; and the like.
It will come as no surprise that the dominant sales channels for this segment are specialty retailers/ installers (both physical and online) and online-only general retailers. However, vehicle dealerships and general-retail chains are also favored purchase points. When ordered online, 48% of purchasers have items shipped to their homes, while just 20% opt for in-store pickup/installation. When ordered in-store, 38% of consumers tackle installation themselves.
But even though the segment is strong as ever, it is undergoing a pronounced transformation. While dropping in a new stereo dash unit was all the rage several decades ago, today's OEM factory head units have made such upgrades virtually obsolete in newer vehicles.
"THE LAST THING [AUDIO SHOPS] WANT TO DO IS BE THROWING CODES AND HAVE CONSUMERS TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH A PROBLEM…"
Consumers are increasingly interested in aftermarket safety solutions like side and rearview cameras feeding video into digital rearview mirrors displays, like these from Rydeen.
That's because modern OEM units not only excel in delivering quality audio signal, but have become nerve centers for many vehicle features as well. Most combine climate control, smartphone integration, and navigation and information displays, rendering aftermarket upgrades undesirable—not to mention difficult—for many late-vehicle owners.
"If you dial the wayback clock to the '80s and '90s, all the retailer had to do was hang a shingle outside and they were in business," explains Bart Deal, vice president of product strategy and OEM at Stillwater Designs/KICKER. "Today that's not the case. What we see today is a hard movement by the auto manufacturers to full integration."
That said, when a new receiver unit is called for, car audio manufacturers are delivering technologically advanced products designed to enhance both safety and entertainment. Take for example Pioneer, which offers receivers "tailored for today's smartphone- centric lifestyle" with touchscreen display, voice activation and video camera monitoring.
The company also makes iDatalink Maestro interface modules that allow consumers to replace the audio-receiver units in many late-model vehicles while preserving the climate controls and other convenience features contained in the OE units.
"We are unveiling groundbreaking features and technology to enhance the seamless usability of CarPlay and Android Auto," says Sam Paek, Pioneer Electronics director of marketing. "Our primary goal is to elevate safety and address major pain points while creating the ultimate ease of use. Traditionally, these benefits have been featured within our high-end units, but now they are available in mid-level ones as well, offering unique features and functionalities not yet available in the market."
Paek added that the company is "ready to turn up the volume with our exceptional selection of speakers" at the upcoming SEMA Show, November 5–8, in Las Vegas. The Pioneer exhibit will include a special project vehicle by "a renowned custom builder" alongside a surprise demo truck demonstrating a full array of sound products. "It's time to bring our speakers out of the shadows and into the spotlight where they belong," he emphasized. "We're confident that everyone will recognize Pioneer not only as a leader in head units but also as a powerhouse in speaker technology."
Even so, with ever more sophisticated OEM head units to contend with, the aftermarket has found amplifiers and speakers to be a niche where, according to Deal, companies like KICKER can especially shine.
>>Thanks to the unique electronics needs of EVs, there is a growing aftermarket for products tailored specifally to them. Rydeen offers an expansive line of Teslafocused items.
"Our main focus all along has been speakers and amplifiers—subwoofers, coaxes, components and amplifiers of all different makes, models and types," all of which remain tremendously popular with consumers, he explains. "We've never been tied to the head unit, so we don't have head units that we have to sell, design and manufacture and figure out what vehicles they are going to fit in."
Instead, KICKER has focused on better translating high-quality audio signal through its speaker offerings, which isn't always as straightforward as it sounds.
"Let's face it, everything is digitally controlled today," notes Deal, meaning the wrong product assembly downstream from the head unit can wreak havoc. "The last thing [audio shops] want to do is be throwing codes and have consumers take their vehicle to the dealership with a problem, and have the dealership say, 'Oh, it's because that car audio shop messed your system up.'"
That situation is especially complicated by the advent of EVs and related technologies. "You have to pay attention to every last drop of current available in the car," he says. "Everything there impacts how far that car can go before it needs to get plugged back in."
Fortunately, the market boasts plenty of smart installers and integrators who are quickly building a knowledge base across a full range of vehicle makes and platforms. "A lot of them are dealers and they help and educate us and our R&D team as well. It's not an overnight solution—it takes time," Deal observes.
"Adding to that challenge, you now have vehicles where the audio system is part of the acoustic signature inside the vehicle cab… With variable cylinder management, cruising down the highway you're operating on three cylinders even though you've got a sixer under the hood. The audio system kicks in the difference," he explains. "Imagine a 500-watt amplifier on that. Suddenly, the driver goes, 'Wait a minute, why is my stereo making this weird sound.'"
Problems like these have driven audio companies more deeply into research and development—creating gear that can integrate smartly and seamlessly with today's vehicles—and then educating installers in the field on the best approach for any given vehicle model. "And that's a really daunting task," adds Deal, who nevertheless characterizes the market as doing "surprisingly well."
"The beauty of our marketplace, as opposed to some other industries, is we're in the business of selling something nobody needs. We sell entertainment. And the wonderful thing about music is people love their music and they will go to great lengths to get their music."
Rearseat entertainment is as popular as ever, and is a specialty of VOXX Electronics. Properly mounted video screens enhance the safety of rear occupants over viewing content on hand-held devices.
>>KICKER's elite KS-Series coaxial speakers are made to play at concert-like volume but with smoothness, subtlety and a thin-mount design.
>>Telematics continue to revolutionize automotive safety and convenience, allowing drivers to unlock and start their vehicles—and connect with and control many other features— through their smartphones.
Yes, consumers do love their music—so much so that they want it playing always and everywhere— even in the great outdoors. The recent rise of side-by-side powersports vehicles has become an especially lucrative niche for audio brands alongside boats and motorcycles.
"Nobody owns the market today, which is a good thing because that means competition is fierce and healthy," notes Deal. "The retailer is now having to do a paradigm shift of not necessarily working on automobiles every day," but a 4x4 may as well be considered as much. "When you finish outfitting it, you got a $50,000 'car' sitting there."
"It's pretty much a clean slate," Deal continues. "It's wide open for head units, amplifiers, speakers, light bars, communication systems—you name it, you're seeing it."
SAFETY AND CONNECTION
Of course, while sound and audio accessories represent a big slice of the mobile-electronics pie, there are a variety of other product segments vying for consumer dollars. According to SEMA market research, sales in alarms and security products have remained stable the past few years at $0.87 billion, with driver-assistance systems following close behind at $0.78 billion. The markets for navigation systems, mobile television and video cameras, and wireless and smartphone integration products are sized at just under $0.50 billion each.
Like their audio-equipment counterparts, products in all these segments are becoming ever more sophisticated as manufacturers tap into emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence (AI) and telematics—to enhance their capabilities.
"Our biggest category is what we refer to as our remote-start security and telematics [lines]," says Seth Halstead, director of marketing at VOXX Electronics. A major player in the industry, VOXX is the parent company of close to 30 brands encompassing nearly everything from alarms to in-vehicle entertainment. Viper, Pursuit and Prestige are among its best-known brand names offering keyless entry, security and remote-start features.
For these and other products—including its rear-seat entertainment units—the company has leveraged telematics, enabling its devices or a smartphone to control and monitor car alarms, locks, ignition, cameras and other vehicle operations, including what the kids can watch on their backseat video screens.
"Telematics is something that provides a really unique opportunity," notes Halstead. "It can provide geofencing alerts when you go outside of a specific zone. It can do core functions like locking and unlocking your doors, notifying you when there's been a breach on the vehicle itself, remote starting the vehicle, and so much more."
Meanwhile, with today's consumers increasingly embracing such safety standards as rear and sideview cameras, blindspot and cross-traffic detection and more on their newer cars and trucks, a thriving aftermarket has rushed in to bring these features to older and lesser-equipped vehicles.
"GONE ARE THE DAYS OF ASSUMING RADAR DETECTORS ARE JUST FOR 'SPEED DEMONS'… TODAY'S DRIVERS ARE LOOKING FOR PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL KEEP THEM AND THEIR CLOSE ONES SAFE…"
>>The Mobile Electronics & Technology section in the SEMA Show's North Hall is always vibrant with innovation. KICKER will return this year with a vast collection of speakers, amplifiers and other products for cars, trucks and powersports vehicles.
>>Radar detection is not just for 'speed demons' anymore. Cedar Electronics' Escort line now acts as a sort of "co-pilot," delivering a plethora of information to help keep drivers safer on the road.
VOXX and Rydeen, among others, offer a variety of products in this category, including rearview mirrors with video display capabilities. All these items are proving a hit with the average consumer, but Halstead also sees an urgent commercial need for these technologies as well. "The opportunity that exists with commercial vehicles is such an untapped market," he observes. "We're even going to be introducing a pedestrian detection system at the SEMA Show that will have sensors that mount on the rear sides of school buses and other vehicles that can alert the driver with a visual display to a human being approaching that area."
Across the board, safety is a recurring theme in the mobile-electronics market, even when it comes to radar detection units, says Kacey Havens, campaign marketing manager at Cedar Electronics, the well-known maker of Cobra, Escort and Drive Smarter products.
"Gone are the days of assuming radar detectors are just for 'speed demons,'" explains Havens. "Today's drivers are looking for products and technologies that will keep them and their close ones safe while on the road. Having an extra set of eyes or a trusted co-pilot is how we think of Cobra and Escort products, and we believe our users do as well."
Havens adds that consumers are increasingly looking toward products that provide up-to-date information, easy-to-use customization, software updates "that improve usability and deliver new product experiences."
"The merging of phone-based applications and automotive hardware into a single solution is one of the biggest changes we're witnessing within the automotive space," she continues, noting that both Escort and Cobra detectors benefit from realtime, crowd-sourced data via the company's Drive Smarter smartphone app for a variety of driver alerts. Cobra dash cameras can also pair with the app for downloading videos to a smartphone or uploading them to the cloud, along with a host of other high-tech features.
KEEPING AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Perhaps the best thing about the automotive mobile-electronics sector is its ongoing ability to both invent and reinvent products to keep up with the times. Plus, consumers love their gadgets. According to VOXX's Halstead, consumers are still spending, despite the economic challenges of the past couple years. The question, he says, "is whether industry suppliers and dealers are properly communicating with each other and consumers in a digital environment." In other words, keeping everyone in the chain educated about the sector's latest advancements remains the key to continued growth.
At Rydeen, Maeda agrees on the "importance of staying ahead of the curve by actively listening to our dealers and distributors, gathering real-world feedback, and addressing customer concerns."
"The mobile-electronics and technology category remains robust, continually evolving to meet changing consumer demands," he concludes. "By investing in research and development and maintaining a proactive approach to innovation, we see vast potential for growth both for Rydeen and the market segment as a whole."
