Its nothing new to look inside a high-end car and spot a high-tech add-on thats going to become standard on just about all cars in the future. With the way technology has been moving, these features just keep cropping up. And if you can identify the next one ... thats where you stand to make six times your investment. First came Stability Control (where sensors detect how much braking pressure should be applied to the different tires to give you control over the car), which is just now becoming standard in most cars. Then tire-pressure monitoring systems (a series of sensors on the tires that lets you know when your tire pressure is low or if you have a flat) took over as the add-on of the year. In 2 to 3 years, this will become standard too. There are plenty of others I havent named. But there is one waiting in the wings that already helps direction-challenged drivers every day. You guessed it: the Global Positioning System (GPS). And I believe GPS units will soon be standard equipment on every car just like air conditioning is today. The popularity of GPS is growing quickly. North America, Europe, and Japan sold over 17 million navigational units last year. Thats growth of 69 percent from the year before. By 2010, that number should be over 87 million units a year 500 percent growth in the next four years. And before long, youll be able to get your GPS for a fraction of what it costs today. Two years ago, it was next-to-impossible to find a GPS system for under $800. They were plagued with bugs and still didnt have updated maps. But today, you can easily find one for under $300 bones. And if you want a real value and own a laptop, all you need to do is go out and buy navigation software that comes with a GPS locator for 120 bucks. Yes, prices are coming down - and this represents a huge growth opportunity for any company with its hands into GPS systems. When youre looking for a company to invest in, remember that putting a navigation satellite into space is an expensive endeavor so dont look for companies that do that. Instead, you want a company that creates GPS software and hardware. Finding these companies is easy. Just go to Google and type in Car Navigation. To the right, youll see a list of sponsored links plenty of companies that make the software and hardware for car-navigation systems As the GPS technology becomes standard in automobiles, these are the companies that will be positioned to make plenty of money. A strong trend doesnt necessarily mean a stock will do well. So, as always, make sure you get into a fundamentally strong company by doing your research first. |
