How Is Integration of in-Vehicle Connectivity Driving Automotive HMI Sales in India?
Automotive human–machine interface (HMI) includes systems, such as central displays, instrument clusters, heads-up displays (HUDs), voice recognition systems, steering-mounted controls, multifunction switches, rear-seat entertainment units, and gesture recognition systems, that enable drivers to interact with their vehicles. It acts as a connector between the driver and the interior systems in a passenger car. An automotive HMI uses voice command, human body language, and touch as instructions to operate these systems in an automobile.
Automakers are increasingly adopting HMI components to cater to the surging need for in-vehicle connectivity. The automobile manufacturers are increasingly integrating in-vehicle connectivity features in infotainment systems by partnering with information technology (IT) or consumer electronic vendors. Thus, the rising adoption of in-vehicle connectivity features will result in the increased use of HMIs to display the information.
Automotive HMI systems include the instrument cluster, touch-screen display, steering-mounted controls, multifunction switches, rear-seat entertainment (RSE), and heads-up display (HUD). According to P&S Intelligence, automakers will mostly focus on the integration of touch-screen displays in the years to come. The high sales of this HMI product can be owed to its surging adoption in mid-priced cars. Apart from mid-priced cars, these HMI products are also installed in premium as well as economy cars.
HMI sales are evenly distributed in the western, northern, and southern regions of the country. In 2017, the western region generated the highest revenue in the Indian automotive HMI market owing to the significant sales of premium and mid-priced cars. In the same year, the eastern region recorded the lowest sales of HMI products due to the lower economic growth and income level here. This is because the level of urbanization in East India is significantly lower than North, West, and South India.
Thus, the surging demand for connectivity features in vehicles and burgeoning sales of passenger cars will accelerate the adoption of automotive HMI products in India.
