bout a fortnight ago, two American home entertainment brands, Marantz and Boston Acoustics, introduced their respective car audio systems in India. Earlier in March, US-based car audio maker, Rockford Corporation, forayed into the market. The segment leader Sony India, which has a 40 per cent share of the organised market, is set to roll out its concept stores, Xplod Pit Stops, next month. Add to all this the ongoing marketing efforts of car audio brands such as Kenwood, Blaupunkt and Pioneer, and it�s amply evident that the car audio market in the country is in a state of simmer.

A glance at recent market figures explains the sudden excitement in the category. The car audio segment (official, grey and OEM market put together) in India is currently pegged at Rs 550 crore, growing at a rate of 10 per cent. (Around 7 lakh units were sold last year, putting the average price of a car audio unit, including speakers, antenna and other fittings, at just under Rs 8,000). An overwhelming 60 per cent of sales (in value) come from the grey market. Needless to say, none of the branded players want to see the opportunity go a begging, especially considering that the organised market is growing faster than the category average - at around 25 per cent this year. ... more