The number of in-vehicle apps in use is expected to reach 269m by 2018, a new report has predicted. The figure would represent a five fold increase on last years figure.

The report by Juniper Research predicts that growth will be fuelled by solutions like Apples CarPlay, which will driven in-vehicle apps and the idea of the connected car into the mainstream. App integration will be made easier as car manufacturers, content providers and automotive entertainment specialists reach standardised approaches like MirrorLink.

According to the report, while the integration of apps into the vehicle will have a substantial effect on existing monetisation models, there are two factors that will favour embedded telematics. Firstly, regulatory initiatives such as the eCall driver safety project and Brazils Contran 245, which attempts to curb car theft, will guarantee the take-up of embedded telematics in certain key regions.

Secondly, the ability to split the telematics bill that has been developed by operators, system integrators and the GSMA will allow for granular billing of entertainment content and other services, which will be increasingly important as streaming and other advanced services become available.

“By 2018 most new vehicles will come with integrated apps as standard,” said Anthony Cox, author of the report. “After-market app integration will also be commonplace, as head-unit manufacturers launch increasingly sophisticated devices.”

Despite the predicted growth of embedded telematics, the report also claimed that the widespread use of smartphone tethering and in-vehicle apps for phones and tablets will continue to drive down the price of vehicle manufacturers own embedded services.