LUDHIANA - With million of new cars hitting Indian roads every year, high-end car gizmos are making a zipping entry into Punjab, where people are extremely enthusiastic about using sophisticated gadgets.

The trend is gaining momentum as Punjabis get interested in devices that allow not just listening to music but also watching TV, playing video games, charging laptops and talk effortlessly on the phone while driving.

Devices like central locking, leather upholstery and paint protection systems have become the order of the day. GPS navigation systems, multimedia systems and car PCs are gaining popularity as well.

“Now we are getting a lot of varieties. Ladies are more, interested in car accessories then the men. They want their cars well maintained. It has become a status symbol,” said Mandeep Chaddha, a car accessory distributor.

The car accessory market is estimated to be worth 250 million dollars, and is expected to double by 2010 witnessing around 25 per cent growth year-on-year.

“Twelve years back in 1998 Hyundai Motors started it. After that Maruti started manufacturing. The accessories market has a growing path. Every year sales are increasing 20 to 30 per cent,” claimed Babal K Gupta, vice president- marketing, Diviniti.

To provide genuine accessories to clients auto-manufacturers are tying up with manufacturers of car accessories.

MapmyIndia Navigator, the recently launched in-car GPS navigation device now comes as a standard accessory in all variants of General Motors’s premium cars in India.

Such collaborations ensure that there is exchange of technical know how and market knowledge between the foreign companies and their Indian partners.

“Car accessories market is really a huge market and from the last five years. People are getting more aware of the product.

Accessories is a booming industry for the years to come,” said Gurdeep Singh, distributor, Mapmy India, GPS navigation systemsAs per the Automotive Mission Plan 2006-2016, the total turnover of the Indian automotive industry is expected to be somewhere between 122 to 159 billion dollar by 2016. A substantial increase from 34 billion dollar in 2006. By Karan Kapoor (ANI)