According to Frost & Sullivan, technological developments such as the integration of radar and camera as well as sensor fusion between multiple applications are enabling a price reduction which may well lead to a 40% penetration of ADAS in compact cars by 2018. 

Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, Manish Garg, commented: 'ADAS is surely set to be more popular over the next decade as it will help achieve the European Union's Transport Policy 2011-2020 which aims to reduce road fatalities by 50%. The growth of ADAS technology is certain as suppliers no longer stop with just developing a sensor for the premium vehicle segment and waiting for it to gain popularity. Instead, they take into account the requirements of all vehicle segments to develop a portfolio of sensors. To achieve the European Union's target, it is therefore important to develop more low-cost DAS technologies and enable a wider acceptance of the safety systems.'

According to the Accident Research of the German Association of Insurers (GDV), lane departure warning alone can prevent up to 15%t of road fatalities. Similarly, intersection assist can prevent up to 35% of accidents in Germany.

Suppliers like Continental, TRW and Bosch are working closely with OEMs right from product concept to developing low-cost ADAS systems such as lanedeparture warning, traffic sign recognition, intelligent headlamp control and driver monitoring for mid-sized and compact cars as these are the segments that will help achieve economies of scale and bring down the price.

Continental recently developed a low-cost integrated ADAS system capable of performing multiple functions such as lane departure warning, intelligent headlamp control and driver monitoring system. TRW's 24GHz forward-looking radar, a low-cost substitute for the camera, has driven down the cost of DAS technology and is available as an option on the Lancia Delta hatchback. PSA Peugeot Citroen are another manufacturer group, looking to capitalise on the development of multiple low-cost ADAS devices for their models.

'There is no reason to consider driver assistance as a luxury status symbol due to their high price and availability on high end luxury cars. Instead, a wider rollout of ADAS technology in European compact vehicles is expected over the next 2-3 years. Potential future regulations for ADAS systems following the truck and bus regulations already in place, and the introduction of insurance incentives would certainly assist in bringing DAS even to the compact and subcompact vehicles segment,' Mr Garg added.

'SYNC revolutionised the infotainment market by bringing the hi-tech infotainment system to low-end cars; similarly, the low-cost multi-functional camera is set to revolutionise the safety market by bringing hi-end technology to compact cars,' he concluded.