The research firm iSuppli expects the number of cars sold worldwide with Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) technology will rise by more than threefold, from 17.3 million in 2008 to 56.3 million in 2013; a compound annual growth rate of 26.6%.
ADAS promises to mitigate the global car-crash catastrophe - $231 billion damage in the U.S. alone in 2003 – by aiding motorists in their overall driving with features ranging from blind spot detection to adaptive cruise control.
Phil Magney, vice president, automotive, for iSuppli estimated the cost per accident in the U.S. at roughly $36,500. In 2003, there were 6.3 million accidents involving 11.2 million cars, causing more than 42,000 deaths and 2.9 million injuries.
He said ADAS technologies are “paving the way to autonomous driving, i.e. cars that are capable of driving themselves.” Magney said. “Autonomous driving isn’t a question of if—but when. Soon, we will see an evolution to true autonomous driving. We won’t wake up one day and find autonomous driving is everywhere. However, autonomous driving soon will appear on crowded roads where it can sequence cars to reduce traffic congestion. In the near future, cars may be entering on-ramps by themselves.”
Magney said automakers are now able to add more ADAS features to cars due to declining costs of electronics required to implement it. “Sensors and sensor-based solutions have reached a point where they have become sufficiently cost effective to employ in vehicles. Furthermore, regional regulations are putting pressure on automakers to embrace ADAS features.”
iSuppli has launched an ADAS Online Research Portal with databases, profiles, forecasting tools and trend analysis. Information is available.