Automakers are racing to add more in-vehicle electronics, convinced the next generation of new-car buyers will demand to remain connected to friends, their music and real-time information.
At the 2013 International CES electronics show, the Consumer Electronics Association predicted Tuesday that automotive electronics spending would climb from $10.6 billion in 2012 to $11.7 billion this year.
The new electronics in cars and trucks will also help usher in new safety advances.
More self-drive functions will allow cars to take over when an inattentive driver is about to crash. Cars will eventually be able to communicate with each other, another way to prevent some of the nearly 6 million annual vehicle crashes in the U.S. that kill more than 32,000 people and injure 2 million.