Posted on Monday, October 20 2008 @ 19:06 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
iSuppli
estimates 58 percent of all cars sold in 2009 will support the Apple iPod and 82 percent will have Bluetooth support. It will also get easier to charge your gadgets in your car, as 33 percent of all cars will feature USB ports.
With the auto industry in a tailspin, automakers are scrambling to make their vehicles as attractive as possible. One way to do that is offer the connectivity consumers crave. iPod and Bluetooth integration, once the domain of luxury vehicles, has grown increasingly common and the 2009 model year marks the first time more than half of all new cars will be gadget-ready. The tech analysts at iSuppli say 58 percent of all cars sold in 2009 will offer iPod connectivity, while Bluetooth technology will be offered in 82 percent of all vehicles. What's more, one-third of all cars will feature USB ports — up from just 16 percent this year.
"The automotive industry is at the point where in-vehicle technologies — or the lack of them — are influencing sales," says Phil Magney, iSuppli's vice president of research. Technologies once the domain of luxury vehicles are now make-or-break options on even entry-level cars from the likes of Honda and Hyundai, he says.
