TRG: OEMs Place iPod, B'tooth On Fast Track

MINNEAPOLIS— iPod adapters are being embraced by automakers in one of the fastest adoptions of a consumer electronics device by the car industry, according to the Telematics Research Group (TRG), based here.

Ten major auto brands representing 39 models currently sell iPod adapters or radios with auxiliary-input jacks into the U.S. market, said TRG. “The rapid ramp up of available solutions from automotive OEMs is a stark contrast to the normal five-year product development cycle in the automotive industry,” said Phil Magney, founder and principal analyst for TRG Forecasts.

By 2011, 28 million cars in the United States and 73 million cars worldwide will be equipped with iPod integration solutions of some kind, said TRG. Automotive auxiliary inputs will expand to about 60 million cars in the United States and 150 million globally by 2011. Other technologies, such as stereo Bluetooth (also called Advanced Audio Distribution Profile or A2DP), will also become prevalent as they will support audio device integration into the car in the future, said TRG. It predicts Bluetooth A2DP audio interfaces will be installed in 8.5 million cars in the United States and 25 million worldwide by 2011.

Magney said that after-market companies can capitalize on these market trends. “I think it's a golden opportunity for the aftermarket. It always has an advantage because it can react quicker, because the car companies are limited to these long device cycles,” said Magney. In the best case scenario, it takes two years for a car company to implement an idea, he added.