September 7, 2009 ? Europe: According to a new report from GfK, in the first half of 2009 in Europe the sales volume for portable navigation systems has decreased by 9%, with the average price falling by 20% to EUR 163. Highly attractive functions such as 3D graphics, realistic visualizations of junctions and real-time traffic information have helped to cushion the considerable price pressure to a certain extent. GfK expects sales of portable navigation devices in Europe to total 16.5 million at year-end 2009 (this market forecast includes eastern Europe and Russia).
Portable navigation now represents five percent of the total value of the consumer electronics market in Europe. GfK also noticed that in the in-car aftermarket in-dash consumer electronics is doing well: ?High-priced products within this sector are enjoying positive development, with demand for multimedia monitors (some of which include navigation functions) recording volume growth of 7%.? The average price for such monitor is around ?950. The same trend was recently noticed by NPD Group in the United States.
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