It's common industry knowledge that Japan is the dominant region for in-vehicle navigation, sporting a larger market itself than most continents, and product offerings that are far more advanced. May is traditionally the month when Japanese aftermarket vendors announce their new navigation systems for the coming year. So which features will become must-have items in the Japanese market, and what might make its way to North America and Europe?

"Last year's big new feature was 3D navigation," explains ABI Research senior analyst Dan Benjamin. "It was tremendous that navigation systems could actually display buildings' facades, and even lane markers. This year we're seeing more integration of entertainment-centric features. Fujitsu Ten is going to offer a disc changer. Models from Clarion, Kenwood, and Pioneer can control an iPod. Pioneer has even added a standard USB port. Virtually every vendor now supports playback of audio and video from flash media cards."

But can drivers outside Japan look forward to these features any time soon? "Not all of them," replies Benjamin. "On other continents, vendors have been cautious about having the price points of devices creep up to the Japanese level, which can exceed US$3,000. More of the developments elsewhere have been with regard to price reduction. But it doesn't cost much to add a USB port or a flash card reader, so these are the kinds of improvements we expect to see within the next year or so."

ABI Research's second quarter update to its "Aftermarket Navigation, Infotainment, and Telematics Research Service" provides subscribers with a newly added industry database of navigation players in the Japanese aftermarket, and refreshes its existing coverage of North American and European navigation. Features are compared in a detailed catalog, paired with analysis of distribution channels and price points. Existing market data and forecasts are provided for each region through 2010.

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research maintains global operations that support annual research programs, intelligence services and market reports in wireless, automotive, semiconductors, broadband, and energy. For more information please visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

Source: www.abiresearch.com