Consumer demand for touch screens in vehicles for applications such as navigation, entertainment and online services will push the market for automotive touch-enabled screens to substantial growth for the next few years, according to new research from IHS Inc.
Touchscreen shipments in the automotive segment are forecast to manage a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18% through 2018, including shipments of factory-installed automotive touch panel systems as well as aftermarket applications, dealer installations and service replacements. Revenues for touchscreens by 2018 will reach $1.5 billion by 2018, according to IHS.
Shoko Oi, senior analyst for touch panel and user interface research at IHS, says in statement that analog resistive touch dominates automotive touch panels because it is less influenced by noise and is capable of receiving input from gloved hands. However, with the boom in touchscreens for other consumer devices such as smartphones, consumers now desire better screens in vehicles.
“Touch screens that require lighter touch pressure are rapidly becoming standard technology in many types of vehicles, which is affecting the technological transition from resistive panels to projective-capacitive panels,” Oi says.
IHS says projective-capacitive touch (PCT) technology has been a topic of discussion in the automotive segment since 2012 but adoption is finally beginning in 2015 models, leading to a rise in the shipments of automotive touch screens.
Shoko Oi
IHS expects PCT technology to surpass the use of resistive technology in automotive touch screens in 2017 models. However, this won’t be the end of resistive technology. Oi says that because of cost, resistive touch screens will still have a place as some car manufacturers will want to lower the bill of materials and avoid some of the supply issues with PCT displays.
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Related links:
IHS Automotive Touch Panel Technology and Market Forecast Report
IHS Automotive & Transportation
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