TomTom and Renault partner for €500 in-dash nav (updated)

PND manufacturer TomTom and carmaker Renault have announced today a strategic partnership to offer Renault customers an in-dash navigation system to be priced around €500. The availability of this navigation solution will start in the first half of 2009 said the Dutch and French companies. Renault and TomTom expect to pioneer low cost integrated navigation solutions in the automotive industry.

“Today, Renault is partnering with TomTom to provide an up-to-date fully integrated navigation system for approximately 500 euros,” said Patrick Pelata, Executive Vice President, Leader of the Europe Management Committee at Renault. “Working with a navigation provider will improve Renault's flexibility and time to market while ensuring, through full integration in the car, good ergonomics, quality, safety and reliability. Renault's customers will find even more added value in our future product offerings thanks to this breakthrough.”

Renault was among the first carmakers to offer fully integrated navigation systems. In 1994 the first press test drives were made in Europe with Carminat navigation on the Safrane car.

Renault expects this new navigation system to have “a take rate of 40% to 50% percent”, said a Renault spokesperson to GPS Business News.


A Tele Atlas success too
This partnership is not only a success for TomTom, as a navigation provider, but also for its subsidiary Tele Atlas which wins an important carmaker. Tele atlas competitor NAVTEQ is the current map data provider of Renault for its Carminat navigation system. However, a spokesperson from Renault said the existing navigation system will continue to be available for high end models.

credit:gpsbusinessnews.com