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With as much time as people spend in their cars, it’s only natural that they might get bored after a while. From daily commutes to extended road trips many people seem to spend more time in a vehicle than in their own homes. With the automobile becoming more like an extension of home, automotive entertainment has started to take off. While the aftermarket car stereo business has been strong for quite some time, people are aiming to do more than just listen to music in their vehicles these days. Because of this, options and varieties of products are greater than ever.
One thing that has had a big influence on in car entertainment is the growth in popularity of sport utility vehicles. The SUV has taken off as sort of a “cool” alternative to the old standby, the minivan. Families who otherwise might have been choosing between a large sedan or a minivan to get around in suddenly had another option available, and SUV sales took off. With so many more people in larger capacity vehicles, sometimes with three rows of seating, there were more people in the market for different types of in car entertainment. Ceiling mounted video screens, already a special feature in a number of minivans, became a big hit in SUVs, and they soon migrated over to regular cars as an aftermarket luxury feature.
Flip-down screens and multifunction entertainment systems aren’t just confined to large SUVs and vans. Even in small cars, people have been finding ways to expand their entertainment options on the road. In-dash car stereo systems now frequently come in double DIN packages, occupying twice the space so they can use more features. Such features could include an LCD screen, a DVD player, a built in GPS navigation system, satellite radio, and more. Even stock radios that come with many new cars have inputs to hook up external devices with.
