Cameras have been used in vehicles since the early 2000s, providing convenience, safety, security, and assistance in day-to-day driving. More commonly nowadays, cameras are used for driver assistance systems such as lane keeping assist or automated parking, but what about the other solutions that cameras offer?

In this insight, the use of cameras for other convenience and safety solutions will be analyzed, looking into how they have entered the market and how the market has responded to them becoming available.

Camera Strategy

To analyze how the market and consumers have responded to camera use for vehicle features, a selection of camera solutions has been chosen and researched using data from VehiclePlannerPlus. These solutions are as follows:

• Surround View Camera System
• Camera Based Rear View Mirror
• Front Dash Camera
• Rear Dash Camera
• Side Dash Camera

To see how the market has progressed with these camera solutions, the availability on vehicle trims throughout the market can be looked at - this showcases the number of OEMs developing and implementing these solutions for consumers. The below chart illustrates how these features have been introduced over the past 8 years. To progress through the chart, please click the ‘play’ icon on the bottom left of the box.

This chart shows us how surround view cameras are becoming readily available for consumers, with almost 40% of all trims on sale in 2021 being available with surround view camera as either a standard feature, or as an option. While this may come as no surprise, the individual parts of a surround view camera system (front, side, and rear cameras) are decreasing in availability as individual options, showing the move to a full surround view system, or no system at all. Camera based rear view mirrors have made a big jump in availability over the last 3 years, starting as a feature only found on premium General Motor vehicles, to now being available on select Stellantis, JLR and Toyota/Lexus models. Built-in dash cameras are still relatively scarce in their availability, especially for the rear and side of the vehicle, but Tesla’s reliance on camera based ADAS systems has demonstrated the need for 360-degree dash camera solutions in the future.

How are consumers reacting to the available camera solutions? 

To confidently analyze how US consumers are reacting to the use of cameras in their vehicles, the penetration rate of those features can be used and compared against their availability. The penetration rate has been looked at over the last three model years – 2019, 2020 and 2021. 

The below chart demonstrates this: 

This graphic shows that consumer use of these features is generally increasing at a similar rate to which they are being introduced by the OEM. We expect to see this continue as these features become more available over the next few years.

Segment Analysis

Using VehiclePlannerPlus, the vehicle segments can also be investigated – highlighting which sort of vehicle is utilizing these features the most, and which vehicle are deemed to be best suited to these camera-based systems. The below cards outline which segments had the highest penetration rate for each system over the last three years.

The key takeaway from these cards is the move from larger ‘premium’ vehicles to pickups and mid-size SUVs and cars. This shows that the demand for these features isn’t just present in expensive vehicles and that they are being used where they are genuinely useful, such as camera based rear view mirrors in heavy duty pickup trucks. It is worth mentioning that the reason for the high penetration rate of camera based rear view mirrors in compact cars, specifically in 2019, is due to the high availability in the Chevrolet Bolt.

Cost Analysis

The below chart showcases how the cost of these camera features has changed since 2017.

The chart has a few key trends, which are outlined below:

1. Camera based rear view mirror systems are reducing in price now that other OEMs are offering the feature, not just General Motors. The period of 2017 - 2019 demonstrates the control by GM of this price, but 2020 and 2021 indicate that less premium and more affordable vehicles are being given the option of this feature.
2. Dash cameras were, up to 2019, only offered on the front of a vehicle. But in 2019, both side and rear dash cameras began to be introduced and this in turn reduced the exclusivity of the front dash camera system. Package prices of all three dash camera solutions can be seen to meet at the same point in 2021 as these systems begin to merge into one combined package/system.
3. Surround view systems are seeing an ever so slight increase in price, but this is largely due to the wide prevelance of these systems across the markets. Furthermore, these systems are often included in other ADAS packages, consequently bumping up the price.

Conclusion

This insight has shown how surround view and camera based rear view systems are beginning to get a strong base in the market. While camera based rear view mirrors may not be considered necessary for some segments, such as off-roader vehicles, large SUVs, and heavy-duty pickups, the system is of great use, leading to good traction in both availability and penetration. Dash cameras are still relatively new for an in-built feature, with a lot of people still retrofitting them as an alternative. But the convenience of built-in systems has been shown by Tesla, and this is expected to grow year on year from this point onwards. If you have any questions about this analysis, or would like to learn more, please reach out via livechat, or by contacting your SBD representative.