Automotive Touchscreens Expected To Grow

The use of touchscreens in automobiles is expected to grow in the upcoming years, according to a new report published by Colorado-based company IHS Inc. News of this expected growth signals a trend towards the integration of touchscreen into more and more aspects of our daily lives.

Touchscreen interfaces aren’t a new invention for automobiles by any means. Nearly all of the major automakers, including Honda, Ford and Toyota have released vehicles utilizing this technology. Touchscreens open up a whole new world of options for drivers and passengers alike, allowing them to customize their experience with greater ease. Whether it’s changing the radio station, setting the thermostat, pulling up driving directions, these are just a few of the many tasks that are made possible thanks to touchscreen interfaces.

Of course, another key benefit to using touchscreens in automobiles involves safety. While studies are few and far between, conventional wisdom should lead you to believe that it’s safer to adjust the radio by pressing a touchscreen as opposed to fiddling with physical buttons.

So, just how much exactly is the automotive touchscreen market expected to grow? According to a report published by the IHS Inc., touchscreen shipments intended for cars, trucks and other automobiles are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18% through 2018. It’s important to note that those figures represent annual growth, meaning the market will grow 18% each year up until 2018.

Shoko Oi, analyst for touchscreen research at IHS, explained the trend, saying that touchscreens are becoming “standard technology” in consumer vehicles. This has prompted tech companies to manufacture touchscreens in an effort to keep up with demand.

“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,” said Shoko Oi in a press statement.

On a side note, projective-capacitive touch (PCT)-based touchscreens are expected to make their introduction into the automotive industry this year. Automakers have discussed PCT touchscreens for years, but up until now the technology hasn’t been available to properly implement them. Shoko Oi expects this to change, with some of the first automobiles receiving PCT touchscreens this year, and by 2017, she expects PCT to surpass resistive touchscreens into the automotive industry.