Autoblog

As previously reported, Suzuki has decided to include navigation on its SX4 Sport and Crossover before you make the first mark on the options list. That will make the $15,999 car the lowest priced car in America to come standard with talking maps. And now they're set to arrive in the SX4 Special Editions that arrive in Suzuki showrooms this month.

To recap, the nav system is called TRIP -- Travel, Real-time traffic, Information, and Play -- and incorporates several Microsoft features. Drivers can get traffic info, weather reports, headline news, stock quotes, movie listings, the lowest priced gas in the area, and directions to 500 nationwide Suzuki dealerships. If buyers go for the expansion module, they'll also get Fodor guide reviews of eateries and nightlife spots. It sounds like an awful lot to do in such a little car, but that's the march of progress.

[Source: Suzuki]

BMW's MY 2009 cars will get a new iDrive system with a 40GB hard drive. According to Bimmerfile, the drive allotment will have 12GB dedicated to navigational maps (and 8GB for entertainment and 10GB for your address book, because you've got more friends than music, apparently). With nav maps placed on the hard drive, BMW will no longer be providing a case full of map DVDs. The maps will have the entire US on them, or Europe if you pick up your car at BMW Welt. When things have moved on and it's time to get your maps updated, you'll take your car and your checkbook to a BMW dealer, and they'll install U.S. v2.0.

[Source: BMW Blog]

The Internets are abuzz with the announcement of an all-new iPhone, and with features like 3G data connections, new applications and GPS navigation, we're excited too. If you've been making plans to produce your own navigation app for iPhone 2.0, however, you may not be all that thrilled. A closer look at the iPhone SDK agreement shows that creating software for "real-time route guidance" is forbidden. This may mean that the creative kids at Cupertino aren't going to let anyone compete with the the Google maps solution it's already settled on. If true, companies like Garmin and TomTom, the latter of which has already confirmed that it's created a navigation app, would be unable to create salable navigation software for the popular touch-screen phone. Then again, you also can't do automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management software; or use the iPhone for emergency or life-saving purposes.

Our friends over at Engadget may be on to something, however, when they note that Apple may just be covering its rear-quarters in the event people start suing for bad directions. Lets hope it's just a liability thing, because competition is always a good thing when it comes to new technology, and we want some TomTom on our new iPhone.

[Source: Engadget]

Turning up the portable GPS wars a notch or two, Clarion has introduced two new navigation devices that render buildings, landmarks, and elevation changes in three-dimensions. This is a boon to those who prefer a more graphical and realistic display of information as buildings appear in correct scale and perspective in relation to each other. To prevent tall buildings in 3D from blocking the driver's view of rendered roads, the device draws them transparently. It sounds a bit confusing, but judging by the screen shots, the format seems to work well. If the driver wants more overhead detail, or topographical information, the unit also has the capability to switch back to a more traditional 2D view.

The innovative 3D view is currently available on the MAP680 and MAP780, each with a 4.3" wide-screen touch-sensitive LCD, Bluetooth, and the ability to display SMS messages on screen when paired to a phone or PDA. Both models are for Europe only -- no word on when we'll see them on this side of the pond.

[Source: World Car Fans]

High energy costs and growth in emerging markets have automakers scrambling to downsize their product plans, and ultra-small transportation like the VW up! is bound to bring low-cost city cars to the masses. Mazda intends to be a serious player in this burgeoning segment and will unveil the Mazda1 concept in Paris this fall, expected to look like the sketch above and influenced by the Nagare design language.

Mazda promises that the production vehicle will be more "radical" in production trim, though it likely won't carry fuel cells and batteries like the concept. The automaker does plan on offering amenities like navigation, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, and the micro will have sliding doors and seats to make getting in and out easier. Mazda engineers are also working hard to make sure the Mazda1 is environmentally friendly, which means low emissions, small powertrains, and low weight. Fortunately, those very same attributes will also help keep costs down, which should help Mazda offer the vehicle everywhere from India and China to more developed regions like Europe and the US.

[Source: Auto Express]

We already know that in-car web browsing is on its way. Both BMW and Chrysler have already revealed that the feature is forthcoming in their vehicles, and more automakers are sure to follow. But telematics provider ATX Group is sticking its nose in to ensure that the web we're one day browsing in our cars is safe to use (read: no fun at all). ATX is working with a group called the Connected Vehicle Trade Association to push a standardized method for getting web content into automobiles. ATX is exploring ways to adapt the traditional web experience to meet the demands of the automotive environment, similar to the way mobile versions of websites target cellphone browsers, nevermind that the mobile web experience pales in comparison to surfing normal websites on a device like the iPhone, which works inside cars last time we checked. One idea is to target automobile surfing through implementation of a standard top-level domain, .car, which would house content specifically designed to work with the to-be-determined vehicular web standard.

With safety in mind, we're guessing that ATX and the CVTA will kick around a text-to-speech function that allows pages to be read-aloud to a driver by the embedded hardware, and possibly a standardization of page size for reliably fast loading. Telematics also opens up another area for targeted services, such as remote diagnostics, parental surveillance via performance monitoring, and dynamic traffic information. Developing a standard also helps automakers avoid duplicating each others' efforts as they all race to deliver E! Online to your dashboard. Ah yes, in-car internet will no doubt be the latest whiz-bang distraction from the task of actually driving one's car.

[Source: ATX]

Thanks to inventions like GPS Navigation and online directions, it's getting harder to get lost by the day. Google Maps has been a big hit for folks trying to navigate to new destinations, and the free service just got cooler with the integration of Street-View into driving directions. Now when you enter a destination and get step by step directions, you can also click on a camera icon on the map to get a street-level view of the roads you'll be traveling.

Street Maps allows you to rotate the view, click arrows to virtually travel the route, and even check out landmarks that you'll be passing along the way. That way you'll have a distinct visual to look out for when you're going to turn, instead of seeing the tiny street sign at the last possible minute. The photo resolution is so clear, you can check out where there are one-way streets, read parking signs, and even keep tabs on speed limits on your route. The only draw-back is that you need to be within one of the 44 regions of the US to use the feature, but most metropolitan areas have the feature.

[Source: Carscoop]

Honda's launching the next step in navigation system evolution that will automatically warn drivers to be on guard when traveling through areas of high crime. The system is launching in Japan on Tuesday, but we haven't heard of any plans to bring it to the United States. It's probably for the best, as there'd be wide swaths of the country that this navi would recommend you avoid. Places like Washington DC, where crime is apparently legal and perpetrated by criminals with offices and staffs. Detroit might be marked with an avoidance warning too, but that's more likely due to Honda wanting to avoid a Jets-Sharks danceoff.

Honda's warning system uses historical data from the Japanese police to pinpoint areas where vehicle damage or theft has happened in the past. Areas then receive ratings based on the level of danger they pose to automobiles just passing through. We guess it could be useful for people who don't take notice of their surroundings when behind the wheel, but some of us may lump it in with other "safety" annoyances like self-locking doors.

[Source: AFP]

As of today, we're taking bets to see how long it will take before people realize that "GPS" does not stand for "Auto Pilot." The latest "But the GPS told me to..." story is brought to you by a charter bus driver in Seattle. Piloting a coach through the Washington Arboretum -- as the GPS instructed him -- the driver ignored, or didn't see, or didn't believe (take your pick) the flashing lights and sign warning him that his 11-foot-high bus was too tall for the looming 9-foot concrete overpass.

You can see how the story ends. The overpass ended up with some superficial damage, the coach got a removable top, and the girls softball team inside received some minor injuries. Luckily, the 60-inch sewage pipe inside the overpass wasn't ruptured. The driver was ticketed for $154. And in response to the charter company executive who remarked, "We just thought it would be a safe route because, why else would they have a selection for a bus?", a Garmin spokesman responded "Stoplights aren't in our databases, either, but you're still expected to stop for stoplights."

[Source: Seattle Pi]

Promising to make automotive navigation systems "easier, faster, and more convenient to use," BMW is (finally) rolling out its Google-partnered "Myinfo" service in North America (Europeans received BMW's similar "ConnectedDrive" late last year). With a click of a mouse from the Google Maps web site on your computer, up to 10 destinations may be automatically sent to the navigation system of the BMW Assist-equipped model (yes, there is no need to use the iDrive controller to painstakingly plug them in). The telemetry may be sent while the vehicle is parked, or while driving if you have shared your Myinfo data with a relative, friend, or co-worker.

BMW is making Myinfo exclusive to the 2008 BMW X6 right now, however it plans to roll it out across the lineup in 2009. Inputting address and destination data into any navigation system has always been grievous, so we welcome any technology that allows remote, one-click, uploading. BMW's system joins the upcoming eNav feature for GM's OnStar service, which works with MapQuest instead of Google Maps.

Hit the jump for BMW's full press release and a brief video of the system in action.

[Source: BMW North America]