Small Components Make Huge Improvements for the Automotive Industry

	The Electronic Future of Cars Eventually, cars will be able to know its surroundings and do a better job of driving and navigating than its owners. Find out more concepts that aren’t too far away.
	Cars and Electronics - Industry “Firsts” 1908 Standard electrical headlamps 1912 Modern vehicle electrical system for            ignition and lighting 1929 Car radio 1938 Electric turn signals 1940 Air conditioning 1949 Electric windows 1960 Cruise control Coming soon: Collision Avoidance Collision Detection and Preparation Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication Source: About.com
	Cars in the U.S. and the World 16.5 million cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. in 2006 49 million cars and light trucks sold worldwide in 2006 240 million vehicles in operation in the U.S. 800 million vehicles in operation globally 1 billion vehicles on the road around the world by 2020 Source: Plunkett Research, Ltd.

Cars and trucks that drive themselves is a commuter’s dream—a dream that may become a reality in our lifetime thanks to the advanced capabilities of electronic components for the automotive industry.

The automotive component market is growing at eight to 10 percent a year, according to Boston-based research firm Strategy Analytics, and today, about 25 percent of the cost of a car is from the vehicle’s electronic content, including modules, components, software and system engineering. The automotive industry continues to incorporate increasingly advanced electronic innovations into their new models to meet customer demand.

Today, a typical car may have hundreds of components, software or electronics modules running everything from steering, to braking to climate control. It’s a big, booming business: the North American automotive semiconductor market is forecasted to be $5.6 billion in 2007, according to Strategy Analytics.

Customers expect safety features such as airbags, which have been a standard feature in all vehicles since the early 1990s. Comfort and convenience add-on features, such as heated seats, and infotainment options, including rear-seat video and driver global positioning systems (GPS), are fast becoming the norm. Even traditionally non-electronic features, like cup holders, are being beefed up with high-brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) to light the way for the driver’s road-trip cup of coffee.

The brains behind many of these features can be found in a diminutive 6x6x3-inch box, the engine control system—a computer with more than two megabytes of memory that carries more than 50 percent of the engine’s controls. These control systems carry more computing power than the first rockets to the moon.

The automotive industry’s demands – and the demands of its customers – drive the need for more power, more electronics and more safety and convenience features. “Green” electric vehicles require more power. Sophisticated electronic components—for options such as rear window defrosters, extra lighting, communications systems, air compressors for automatic leveling and electric radiator cooling fans—require more power. And generally, the bigger the car, the bigger the engine and horsepower, which requires more electrical power.

Arrow Electronics is a major electronic components provider in every segment of the automotive industry.

“As the motor vehicle industry strives to meet its customers’ needs for increasingly sophisticated cars and light trucks, Arrow will continue to work with its suppliers and prepare for the future of automotive electronics components," said Guy Kananen, director, Arrow Electronics Transportation Group. “In this industry, the future is only a few months away.”

The car that drives itself will not be just a commuter’s dream for long. Never mind cruise control, the nifty electronic feature that seemed so advanced in the 1960s. For model year 2007, Lexus introduced a car that will parallel park itself.