OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Increased availability of Bluetooth-enabled mobile handsets has led to an increased commitment to Bluetooth by automobile original equipment manufacturers, according to a study from ABI research.
The availability of Bluetooth-enabled handset offerings in North America has increased 65 percent from last year, according to ABI. Meanwhile, the number of vehicle models available with Bluetooth in North America has increased 40 percent during the same time.
“Thanks to growing commitment to Bluetooth on the part of device manufacturers, automakers are becoming less apprehensive about supporting Bluetooth in their models,” said Frank Viquez of ABI. “Validating the technology was the first hurdle; now auto OEMs must look to differentiate their Bluetooth offerings and offer additional hardware functionality other than just car kits.”
ABI expects the number of vehicles with factory-fitted Bluetooth hardware to reach 22 million globally in 2008.
