Research and Markets: Nokia, Clarion and Acer Have Entered the PND Space Most Recently and Have Contributed Significantly towards Making It One of the Most Dynamic Product Segments of the European Aftermarket for Navigation Systems

DUBLIN, Ireland--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c49674) announces the addition of Frost & Sullivan’s new report Strategic Analysis of New Entrants in the European Aftermarket for Portable Navigation Devices to their offering.

This Frost & Sullivan research service entitled Strategic Analysis of New Market Entrants in the European Aftermarket for Portable Navigation Systems provides an in-depth analysis of these participants and their impact on the more established companies in this space. It also examines the competitive structure of the aftermarket and key competitive forces as well as offers a comparative analysis of all significant new PND brands.

Market Sector

Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:

- Automotive

- In-car navigation

Content Outline:

1. Executive Summary

2. Total Market Analysis

3. Key New Market Entrants—Profiles

4. Voice of the Consumer—Portable Navigation Devices

5. Conclusions and Strategic Recommendations

Market Overview

Entry of Conventional Automotive Suppliers Induces Change in Market Dynamics

The portable navigation device (PND) aftermarket has emerged as one of the most exciting and dynamic areas in the field of in-car infotainment. The introduction of PNDs, which are both versatile and cost-effective, has helped provide a much-needed boost to the navigation product segment and thereby to its aftermarket sales. Consumer electronics companies such as TomTom and Garmin have largely dominated the PND aftermarket, but the success they have achieved in this area is now attracting traditional automotive suppliers such as Blaupunkt and Harman-Becker looking to leverage the revenue generation opportunities it presents.

"Traditional automotive suppliers are likely to play a key role in bridging the gap between the PND and the car itself with their extensive knowledge of in-car electronics and device integration within the car," observes the analyst of this research service. "The supplier that takes the lead in this effort has the potential to gain maximum market share." New market entrants are expected to witness steady growth, supported by years of invaluable experience in the automotive industry. Frost & Sullivan believes that these companies are well-positioned to achieve double-digit market share in the PND aftermarket, from 9 percent in 2006 to a significant 21 percent by 2012. Nevertheless, companies such as TomTom and Garmin are likely to continue being the key participants in the market largely due to superior market visibility and product feature set.

Provision of Basic Navigation rather than Entertainment Features Considered Important for Success

The new market entrants are focusing on dynamic re-routing and integrated traffic message channel (TMC) in keeping with the current market-leading products that stress on navigation rather than entertainment and other features. Consumers tend to value core navigation features such as global positioning system (GPS) connectivity, speed of route calculation, and Bluetooth-based off-board features rather than non-functional features such as MP3 playback or JPEG viewer since navigation is the primary reason for buying PNDs. "TMC functionality and Bluetooth-based hands-free telephony are two of the strongest product-differentiating features for PNDs since these features add maximum customer value in the aftermarket," says the analyst. "Bluetooth interface will be a major accessory on any future PND as it provides the key link between the mobile phone and PND to enable hands-free calling."

Among the new market participants, Harman-Becker and Sony are the most promising, due to their increased set of variants and competitive pricing. Both companies offer an entry-level product that is likely to attract new customers. On the other hand, Delphi-Grundig has made a relatively weak entry into the PND aftermarket as it offers only one product that costs at least 30 percent more than the average market price of a PND. Nokia, Clarion and Acer have entered the PND space most recently and have contributed significantly towards making it one of the most dynamic product segments of the European aftermarket for navigation systems.

Companies Mentioned:

- Blaupunkt

- Dayton VDO

- Delphi-Grundig

- Harman-Becker

- Pioneer

- Sony

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c49674