Boston, MA - 31 January 2008 - According to the new Strategy Analytics report, "OE Automotive Infotainment Supply: VDO Automotive Squeezed in Systems but Gaining Rapid Ground in Vehicle-Device Interfacing," Continental, (formerly Siemens VDO) Blaupunkt, Visteon and Delphi continue to dominate the manufacture of audio head unit and infotainment systems. Together, the top 4 system suppliers account for 57 percent of the OE automotive infotainment market, while under increasing competitive pressure from suppliers of vehicle-device multimedia products.

The audio and audio-navigation market is under increasing pressure to introduce new system features. Despite fresh competition from manufacturers of vehicle-device interfacing products, such as MP3 players and portable navigation devices (PNDs), the top four continue to dominate the OE audio and audio-navigation embedded systems market in Europe and North America. Continental is increasingly squeezed by Blaupunkt at the low-end and Harman International at the high end.

According to Joanne Blight, author of this report and Director in the Strategy Analytics Automotive Practice, "Continental market share has decreased by a few percentage points since the last Strategy Analytics comparison in 2006. However, due to the increasing demand for low-priced, vehicle-device products, and the acquisition of Siemens VDO by Continental in December 2007, Continental will have to be increasingly competitive. Continental is the main supplier for the Ford SYNC and the new PSA USB Box."

Blight adds, "We expect other vehicle-device products entering the market, such as the Fiat Blue&Me, iPod and iPhone connectivity kits and the Renault Audio Box, to be very successful, changing the competitive landscape for infotainment in new cars."

Source: Strategy Analytics, Inc.