Car Navigation Systems Plot a Course Forward Against Phone Apps

Car Navigation Systems Plot a Course Forward Against Phone Apps
In-dash navigation systems will be getting smarter, not just learning your preferences and using data connections for timely updates,
but crowdsourcing sensor information from connected vehicles to assess traffic problems and road conditions — even guiding you around a newly formed pothole.
That’s the problem facing carmakers trying to sell built-in navigation systems when superior alternatives such as Apple’s Maps, Google Maps
and Waze are available for free to anyone with a smartphone — which is almost everybody.
“Pressure from Google Maps and Apple Maps made automobile manufacturers realize they have
to step up with over-the-air updates of their maps and their software,” Mr. Goddijn said.
“All the car manufacturers will need to share that data.”
But for now, many carmakers bundle their navigation systems with other features,
forcing buyers to take one in order to get something else they actually want.
Garmin and TomTom — companies that became best known for GPS units
that sit atop the dash — are also major providers of mapping data and in-dash user interfaces to car manufacturers.