The Carminat TomTom will open up embedded navigation to the mass market with a €490 price tag and wide availability on Renault’s small to medium car lines. In addition, it will offer the unique features of TomTom’s portable navigation devices which make driving stress free, safe and efficient. The Carminat TomTom can be fully updated with the latest map changes and a host of content without the owner ever having to leave their home.
In an embedded navigation first, users of the Carminat TomTom solution can easily and quickly update their navigation with the latest maps, safety cameras, Points of Interest or voices to ensure the system is always up to date.
Traditionally, embedded navigation customers have had to send away for CDs or go to a store to obtain additional navigation content. Users of the Carminat TomTom solution simply access TomTom Home, TomTom’s free desktop software, where they download the latest content from the Internet onto an SD card, which can then be installed in an SD Card slot next to the Carminat TomTom screen.
The content and services available to Carminat TomTom users includes TomTom’s map improvement technology, Map Share, which will allow customers to deal with the stress of unexpected road changes by making improvements to their map instantly. In addition, Map Share is the only solution that enables drivers to share and receive corrections with the TomTom community of 30 million users. This way Carminat TomTom users can always benefit from the most up to date maps.
The Carminat TomTom solution, which will be TomTom branded, was designed to be easy to use and ensures drivers can enjoy a safe and stress free drive from the moment they turn on the system.
Harold Goddijn, TomTom’s CEO, stated: “Despite the high demand for embedded navigation, it remained expensive, complicated, mainly limited to luxury cars only and featured content and maps that were outdated before the car ever left the dealer. We are pleased to be able to deliver, with our partner Renault, what drivers have demanded from embedded navigation; easy to use, looks great built into the dashboard, as well as meets all the automotive quality and safety requirements.”
The Carminat TomTom solution will be available from Spring 2009 across Western Europe.