The market for in-vehicle apps will be worth “just short of $1.2 billion” by 2017, making it  “the new frontier for app developers over the next five years”, according to a report from Juniper Research.

The company said that advancements in automotive connectivity standards such as MirrorLink and increasing smartphone ownership will create foundations allowing the connected car ecosystem to flourish, particularly in the developed North American and Western Europe markets.

In a new report, Juniper said that smartphone tethering will enable the creation of “a wealth of apps for the vehicle”.