OEMs, aftermarket getting the picture of enhanced in-vehicle visibility

June 25, 2014
Automakers worldwide are rolling out vehicles equipped with backup cameras, which signals sales for aftermarket installations as owners of older vehicles desire similar systems, especially among aging baby boomers.

Moving forward while looking back, automakers the world over are rolling out vehicles equipped with backup cameras displaying eye-opening innovations. The trend signals sales for aftermarket installations as owners of older vehicles desire similar systems, especially among aging baby boomers.

Front-facing dashboard cameras – which have become popular in Russia where motorists tend to exhibit aggressive driving habits – are also in focus as an international do-it-yourselfer retail add-on. (Those compelling newsreel images of the giant meteor that exploded over Russia last February came courtesy of fortuitous dashcam shots.)

In May, VOXX Electronics Corp. began shipping its aftermarket In-Vehicle Dashboard Event Video Recorder that was introduced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show. The company has a footprint covering Europe, Asia, Mexico and South America in addition to the U.S.

“The DVR 700 is our first HD camera developed for dashboard recording of the events that occur in front of a moving vehicle,” reports VOXX President Tom Malone. “We expect it to be as successful as our ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) backup cameras that launched this category for us years ago. Drivers are coming to rely on technology to help them operate their vehicles with optimum safety and convenience, and we as leaders in the aftermarket category continue to provide those products.”

A compact configuration “allows almost stealth-like installation so as not to draw attention to the device,” Malone says. “The camera mounts on the windshield just behind the rearview mirror and records continuously so you can record interesting, fun experiences during your travels as well as any accidents or fender benders you may encounter,” he notes.

“Should you have an accident, G-sensors in the camera automatically lock the currently recorded section from 30 seconds prior to 2 minutes after the incident so that the key video segment cannot be erased or recorded over, thus giving you a permanent record of the event,” Malone says.

Rostra recently debuted its DashCam line of digital video capture systems that use a standard SD card for storage while recording on-road video images.

“Their compact form factor means they blend seamlessly into most vehicle dashboards and windshields while providing easy access to their many features, including video playback, starting and stopping recordings, and turning audio capture on or off,” according to Jim Pineau, president and CEO of Rostra parent-firm Aftermarket Controls Corp.

“The software suite included with each Dashboard Video Recording System,” he says, “provides a sophisticated means of extracting video to a personal computer for editing, as well as providing access to many other features including overlaying GPS coordinates onto a Google Map to view driving patterns, and viewing telemetry data such as in-car G-forces experienced while driving.”

Rostra also produces the RearSight series of backup cameras for cars, trucks and SUVs. “Today’s drivers are more safety conscious than ever,” says Pineau. “With the popularity of SUVs, trucks and larger vehicles, blind areas behind and beside the vehicle are an increasing problem. Sophisticated technology now makes it affordable for drivers to have an added dimension of safety.”

Pineau goes on to contend that this type of equipment “is sure to be one of the most desirable safety products in the aftermarket,” adding that the company’s car-oriented offerings are augmented by fitments that “provide the aftermarket with vehicle-specific kits for the most popular work trucks. Factory-style tailgate latch kits feature cameras that are discreetly mounted within the bezel of the tailgate latch handle.”

Cutting-edge safety

Unveiled at the New York International Auto Show and currently being introduced in Japan with other global markets to follow, Nissan’s Smart Rearview Mirror netted a 2014 Traffic Safety Achievement Award from the World Traffic Safety Symposium, which honors “the most cutting-edge, life-saving safety features available in vehicles today.”

The unit delivers “the best possible view no matter how tall the passengers in the back seat or how bad the road conditions,” says Andy Palmer, Nissan’s chief planning officer.

“It also offers the possibility of new and exciting designs for our upcoming models, ensuring that appearance no longer has to be compromised for visibility and functionality,” Palmer points out, referencing the protrusions of sideview mirrors. “We’ll have the flexibility to create new shapes and to further improve aerodynamics for better driving dynamics and fuel efficiency.”

Effective in a variety of environments including rain, snow, dawn and dusk, he says, “the high-quality camera and image processing system implemented in the LCD monitor consistently results in a clear image with minimal glare, even during sunrise or sunset conditions or when the vehicle is being followed by a vehicle with strong headlights.”

Housed within the structure of a traditional rearview mirror, which also functions as a conventional reflective surface per the driver’s choice, a high-resolution camera mounted at the rear circumvents the usual rearview obstructions such as a vehicle’s C-pillars, according to Palmer. “The camera projects a clear image – a wider and clearer view than a standard mirror – onto the monitor for a better view, as well as a more comfortable driving experience.”

The device is equipped with a newly developed high-performance narrow-angle camera and a specially shaped LCD monitor that has an aspect ratio of about 4:1, versus conventional ratios of 4:3 or 16:9. Matching a standard wide-angle camera lens to the monitor could not be done because the images from the camera, when adjusted to the monitor size, produced a low-resolution image with insufficient picture quality, Palmer explains.

Concept becomes regulation

Backup camera technology first appeared on the 1956 Buick Centurion concept car, which boasted a futuristic rear-mounted television camera that sent images to a TV screen in the dashboard. After some 60 years, the systems are set to truly enter the American mainstream as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued new regulations in March that require rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May of 2018.

“Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents – our children and seniors,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

On average, there are 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries per year caused by backover crashes, he says. Children under 5 years old account for 31 percent of these deaths, and adults 70 years of age and older amount to 26 percent; at least 50 children are backed over by vehicles each week. In 70 percent of the cases a parent or close relative is behind the wheel. Blindspots lacking video assistance can vary based on both the vehicle’s design and the height of the driver. More than 60 percent of the tragic incidents involve larger models such as SUVs, vans and trucks.

“NHTSA took time on this regulation to ensure that the policy was right and make the rule flexible and achievable,” says Foxx. “In fact, at this point many companies are installing rear visibility systems on their own due to consumer demand. Including vehicles that already have systems installed, 58 to 69 lives are expected to be saved each year once the entire on-road vehicle fleet is equipped with rear visibility systems meeting the requirements.”

“That will drive some of the aftermarket demand; the shops will be the beneficiaries of that,” says Pete Kallgren, Rostra’s vice president of sales and marketing. He tells Aftermarket Business World that backup camera sales have been increasing more than 20 percent annually over the past three or four years.

In addition to do-it-for-me installations, DIY applications are also streaming ahead. “As business conditions are changing we’re picking up more of that. The universal kits are certainly easy enough for DIYers to install,” says Kallgren.

“There’s been some price erosion (as backup cameras become more widespread), but we sell a quality kit – people are willing to pay a premium to make sure it works,” Kallgren continues. “We’ve had some SKUs that have come down in price, but most of ours have remained consistent.”

The backup camera business at the Auto Marketing Service (AMS) shop in Madison, Wis. is three to four times more robust than it was just three years ago, according to co-owner Paul Nachreiner.

“We were selling more and more backup camera installations before the regulation even came up,” he says, observing that in the past automakers would adopt aftermarket add-ons into their production models. “Now the OEMs are driving the aftermarket, such as with backup cameras – and people with older cars want to keep up.”

The Gentex line remains a popular purchase among all types of models. Family minivans, delivery vans, pickups and vehicles outfitted to tow trailers are all good movers. “I’ve even put backup cameras in little cars with horrible vision out the back window,” Nachreiner reports. (AMS also sold a dashcam to a Porsche owner fearful of other drivers deliberately backing into his high-end vehicle with the purpose of falsely claiming that he had rear-ended them.)

“A good-quality wired backup camera is a three-hour job,” says Nachreiner. It takes two hours to install the camera and wiring and one hour to set up a rearview mirror display or center dashboard screen. The task brings in $195 in labor and hardware on top the camera unit’s price.

Nachreiner notes that a premium package makes the most cost-effective investment for all parties, given Wisconsin’s tough winters. “A cheap camera in salt, ice and freezing cold will not last very long.”

The market’s potential looks bright. Automotive analysis firm iSeeCars studied 20 million used cars from 1981 to 2013 that were put up for sale last year. The research reveals that less than 9 percent of the vehicles are currently equipped with a backup camera, and about 31 percent of the nation’s fleet is likely to have a backup camera by 2018.

“It will be a long while before all vehicles on the road are equipped with a rear-view camera,” says iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly. “These days, backup cameras are seen by some as more of an extravagance than a safety feature. So, it may not come as a surprise that rearview cameras are equipped in mostly luxury car brands. Nine out of the top 10 brands with the highest percentage of its vehicles with back-up cameras are all luxury brands, including Infiniti, Cadillac, Land Rover and Audi.”

Additionally, says Ly, “Backup cameras are found as a standard feature in a higher percentage of larger vehicles. Perhaps this is due to the fact that larger vehicles are higher off the ground, or because there is more distance from the driver to the back of the vehicle.” About 17 percent of minivans and SUVs have rearview cameras, while less than 5 percent of sedans have them and hatchbacks are significantly less. “Surprisingly, only about 4 percent of pickup trucks are equipped with back-up camera systems as a standard feature.”

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