A growing focus on portability and consumer electronics has bolstered demand for wireless technologies in the western European automotive industry, according to newly published research.

A study by Frost & Sullivan revealed that car manufacturers are increasingly deploying new wireless technologies in different applications within the automotive sector to effectively operate such devices.

Wireless technologies gaining momentum include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMax, UWB, ZigBee, DSRC, radio frequency and near field communications.

Frost & Sullivan noted that potential applications are vehicle safety (such as collision avoidance), entertainment (music streaming and downloading), voice applications, tracking functions, remote monitoring and diagnostics, and inter-vehicle communication.

"Significant growth opportunities exist in applications related to portable device connectivity and plug-and-play telematics," said Praveen Chandrashekhar, senior research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

"Due to growing demand for portable devices such as Apple's iPod, Sony's Xplod and Creative's portable music players, wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB and Zigbee are gaining prominence for interfacing the devices to the vehicle architecture."

Chandrashekhar pointed to an increasing shift from fixed standalone device-based navigation to portable devices such as PDAs, smartphones, mobile phones and dedicated portable devices.

This shift towards more flexible and portable plug-and-play device-dependant applications is expected to fuel greater demand for wireless technologies, particularly Bluetooth, UWB and Zigbee.

"With legislation being implemented to enforce mandatory hands-free telephony while driving, Bluetooth has become the standard wireless technology in most automotive applications," said Chandrashekhar.

"Using this mandatory legislation as a key marketing tool to spur awareness of wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, and their implications on driving safety, will facilitate increased market penetration."