OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Nearly 20 percent of new vehicles worldwide will be embedded with Bluetooth hardware by 2007, according to research firm Allied Business Intelligence Inc.
ABI cites low cost and an increasing number of mobile handsets embedded with Bluetooth as key drivers of the technology in the automotive sector. The research group expects telephony applications to lead the way for Bluetooth in the car, with other applications to follow, including vehicle diagnostics, lower-cost telematics services, advanced automotive safety systems, vehicle-to-vehicle communications, and remote audio and video downloads into the vehicle.
DaimlerChrysler’s UConnect hands-free car kit will serve to introduce Bluetooth in the U.S. automotive market, according to ABI. Audi, BMW, Peugeot and Saab currently offer Bluetooth hands-free car kits in Europe.
