Home About Events Press Room Contact Login
IHS Global Insight // Bringing You the Power of Perspective
  

Resistance Is Futile—Electronics Are on the Rise

Electronics content in cars has been steadily increasing since as far back as the early 1970s. Through the 1980s and 1990s, advances in electronics made possible the widespread introduction of advanced electronic systems such as Electronic Stability Programs (ESP). The trend for increased electronics content still continues to accelerate today.

IHS Global Insight's Component Research and Analysis Team has established a dedicated electronics research program to capture this fast-paced market. Analyzing trends for ECUs, communication protocols, and network architectures on a model level, the following key observations have been made:
  • OEMs are trying to limit, and even reduce the number of ECUs through functional integration.

  • The increased amount of functions within a vehicle requires the addition of further bus systems and computing power.

  • Electronics challenges provide opportunities for non-automotive companies, i.e. semiconductor manufacturers.

  • The lack of visible consumer benefit makes it difficult to properly market communication protocols and ECUs. Instead the use of electronics is implied in the offering of advanced vehicle functions.
The analysis of the OEMs' approach to in-vehicle network architectures revealed the need to look at a vehicle in its entirety to fully understand the networking of ECUs.

Learn more about our approach and coverage of architectures and ECUs: A focus point within the electric/electronics research program is the development of the market for central body control modules. These modules typically host a number of independent features, from safety to convenience, from power electronics to RF technology. Central Body Control modules can be integrated into the power distribution panel to create smart power distribution modules or smart junction boxes. The complete functionality can be either built into one box or distributed into a number of interlinked modules to optimize size (packaging), weight, and cost (wiring harness).

There are different central body control modules in a vehicle based on the vehicle architecture and its functional partitioning:
  • Front: Front Lighting, Turn Signals, Windshield Wipers and Washer System, Central Locking etc.
  • Rear: Rear Lighting, Parking Assistance, Rear Windshield Wiper, Immobilizer etc.
IHS Global Insight initiated a phased approach to tackle this extensive area of research.

Find out more about our phased approach: IHS Global Insight's white paper Resistance Is Futile—Electronics Are on the Rise explores the extent to which communication protocols and electronic control units shape today's vehicles and identifies technology, as well as market trends, for in-vehicle network architectures in the future.

Download our free white paper:
Resistance Is Futile—Electronics Are on the Rise: Electronic Control Units and Communication Protocols    		 
Related Content
Automotive Industry Analysis, Forecasts, and Data
Component Research and Analysis
 
Stay Informed
Subscribe to Perspectives,
our weekly newsletter. 

International Web Site: JapanInternational Web Site: South Africa
 Copyright ©2009 IHS Global Insight Site Map  •  Terms of Use  •  Privacy Policy