The number of active aftermarket car telematics units will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14,4% from 77,1-million at the end of 2019 to 152,1-million at the end of 2024.
This is according to new research report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, which defines an aftermarket car telematics solution in this report comprises both cellular/GNSS and RF-based solutions.
Aftermarket car telematics solutions are useful in a number of application areas including stolen vehicle tracking and recovery (SVT/SVR), vehicle diagnostics, WiFi hotspot, convenience applications and usage-based insurance.
Vehicle diagnostics allows service providers such as dealers and workshops to improve service offerings to car owners. Dealers and finance companies can moreover leverage telematics for internal fleet management and manage the customer lifetime value. Examples of convenience applications enabled by aftermarket telematics devices include remote control of certain vehicle functions such as door lock/unlock and finding the last parking position.
Aftermarket car telematics services are offered by a wide range of players. “Examples of leading telematics companies selling services via third parties or directly to consumers include Octo Telematics, Spireon, Procon Analytics, Ituran, Mojio, CalAmp (LoJack), Bright Box, Viasat Group, Targa Telematics and Vodafone Automotive,” says Martin Svegander senior analyst at Berg Insight.
Distributing services and products through third parties is the most common go-to-market strategy for aftermarket car telematics solution vendors. Important sales channels include insurance companies, dealers and importers as well as direct-to-consumer channels such as mobile operators and online retailers.
“A growing number of telematics solution vendors also explore new business models enabled by making connected cars part of the larger IoT ecosystem where data can be shared with third parties,” adds Svegander.
The technology environment for aftermarket car telematics solutions has evolved significantly during the past years. Implementations in the early days of telematics relied on professionally installed hardwired blackbox devices, making the deployments relatively costly. Today, there are many different form factors applicable for aftermarket telematics ranging from professionally installed hardwired blackboxes to self-installed OBD dongles.
“Battery-powered devices that eliminate complex installations for use cases such as stolen vehicle tracking and dealer lot management have been slow to enter the marketplace for reasons such as cost, size and reliability, but these hurdles have now been overcome,” says Svegander.
Battery-powered telematics devices are small enough to be concealed easily inside a vehicle, thus eliminating installation costs and faulty installations. Key to prolonging battery life has been improvements in battery technology, software and network technologies. Solutions aimed at dealers and vehicle finance institutions in the US use LTE-M devices and LoRaWAN has become a connectivity option for asset tracking and SVR in Latin America, North America and Europe.