Ford planning to boost # of mainstream models with Navigation
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Ford planning to boost # of mainstream models with Navigation
Ford planning to boost number of mainstream models offering optional navigation system
GREG BOWENS | Automotive News
Posted Date: 4/20/05
Ford Motor Co. has embarked on a plan to put navigation systems into its mainstream vehicles.
"There are many possibilities going forward on a lot of mass-production vehicles at Ford and Lincoln Mercury," said Elena Ford, director of North America product marketing.
"As vehicles get freshened, you can put new navigation systems in them."
The 2006 Lincoln Zephyr and Mercury Mountaineer will be among six additional 2006 Ford Motor vehicles to offer navigation systems, Elena Ford said. She declined to name the other models or to discuss pricing.
But industry sources say the other four nameplates will be the Ford Explorer and Explorer Sport Trac SUVs, Five Hundred sedan and Freestyle sport wagon.
"The trend is for automakers to offer navigation systems, at least as an option, on almost all cars within the next five years," according to Edmunds.com analyst Jesse Toprak. "Mid-sized cars are the next biggest growth segment for navigation systems. Following that will be compact SUVs and compact cars."
Navigation systems are common in the luxury segment. Ford offers navigation systems on some of its most expensive vehicles such as the Lincoln Navigator, on which the option costs around $3,000 on the 4x4 Ultimate editions.
But navigation systems are beginning to find their way into mainstream nameplates such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Maxima. Industry analysts say Ford's plan means the automaker is moving aggressively to compete in the family sedan market.
"For people who are indecisive between Ford and an import brand, this will cause them to take a second look at Ford," Toprak says.
To bring costs down, auto suppliers are exploring such things as hand-held global positioning phones and the concept of beaming satellite map data into the vehicle. Those approaches could make such systems more attractive to buyers of lower-priced vehicles.
Pioneer Electronics will supply Ford with navigation systems, and NAVTEQ Corp. will provide map data.
GREG BOWENS | Automotive News
Posted Date: 4/20/05
Ford Motor Co. has embarked on a plan to put navigation systems into its mainstream vehicles.
"There are many possibilities going forward on a lot of mass-production vehicles at Ford and Lincoln Mercury," said Elena Ford, director of North America product marketing.
"As vehicles get freshened, you can put new navigation systems in them."
The 2006 Lincoln Zephyr and Mercury Mountaineer will be among six additional 2006 Ford Motor vehicles to offer navigation systems, Elena Ford said. She declined to name the other models or to discuss pricing.
But industry sources say the other four nameplates will be the Ford Explorer and Explorer Sport Trac SUVs, Five Hundred sedan and Freestyle sport wagon.
"The trend is for automakers to offer navigation systems, at least as an option, on almost all cars within the next five years," according to Edmunds.com analyst Jesse Toprak. "Mid-sized cars are the next biggest growth segment for navigation systems. Following that will be compact SUVs and compact cars."
Navigation systems are common in the luxury segment. Ford offers navigation systems on some of its most expensive vehicles such as the Lincoln Navigator, on which the option costs around $3,000 on the 4x4 Ultimate editions.
But navigation systems are beginning to find their way into mainstream nameplates such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Maxima. Industry analysts say Ford's plan means the automaker is moving aggressively to compete in the family sedan market.
"For people who are indecisive between Ford and an import brand, this will cause them to take a second look at Ford," Toprak says.
To bring costs down, auto suppliers are exploring such things as hand-held global positioning phones and the concept of beaming satellite map data into the vehicle. Those approaches could make such systems more attractive to buyers of lower-priced vehicles.
Pioneer Electronics will supply Ford with navigation systems, and NAVTEQ Corp. will provide map data.
Ford's got nothing in their mainstream models, and GM totes onstar (which doesn't seem to be popular with most here, lol) but i think most would prefer a navigation system without the subscription fees and hassles of something like Onstar. That and it's can double as an entertainment center too since yo can watch DVD's too if the system is DVD based.
It's just one of the tech's i'd like to see available as an option in malibu's and Impala's to Fusions and five hundreds.
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Re: Ford planning to boost # of mainstream models with Navigation
The Pontiac Grand Prix has a touchscreen DVD based Navagation system as an option . It is the same DVD based system from the Vibe , and all the big GM SUV's .
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Re: Ford planning to boost # of mainstream models with Navigation
I'm glad to hear that on Ford's part. Nav systems are obviously going to be 100% standard in all future cars; they also make a great central control center for many other car functions (trouble codes, diagnostics, audio tuning, driver preference settings (instead of having the dealer do it with some obscure routine), etc). I predict soon enough it's not even going to be an option. For example, all of the more newly redesigned Lexus models have the navigation screen in-car whether or not you pay for navigation. If you don't pay for that option then it is still used for all the other non-nav functions. I know the new Infiniti M and Acura RL are the same way. I think they're just discovering that currently with cars where MOST of them will be ordered WITH Nav... it just doesn't make cost-wise to design an entirely different center stack and dash for the customers who don't want nav.
Point being, I think this is the reason we'll see nav becoming standard. In just a few more years you'll see nav available on almost all models from low to high end... it will also subsequently drop in price, causing it to become a feature that most everyone gets on their car. At that point, as I mentioned above, manufacturers will just have the nav screen in-car no matter if the customer optioned for navigation capabilities or not. But shortly after competition will probably strike up and a few manufacturers will realize that simply enabling nav on the car costs them next to nothing... so they'll just include it as a standard feature.
The nav system that GM currently has is about the worst in the industry. Honda/Acura, most industry experts will tell you, has had the lead by far since 2002 (03 model year) when they codeveloped their current gen system with IBM.
Touch-screen is old news. Most people prefer to use buttons that they can feel to use nav systems. The real added feature is voice commands; which a lot of manufacturers have or are about to have.
Point being, I think this is the reason we'll see nav becoming standard. In just a few more years you'll see nav available on almost all models from low to high end... it will also subsequently drop in price, causing it to become a feature that most everyone gets on their car. At that point, as I mentioned above, manufacturers will just have the nav screen in-car no matter if the customer optioned for navigation capabilities or not. But shortly after competition will probably strike up and a few manufacturers will realize that simply enabling nav on the car costs them next to nothing... so they'll just include it as a standard feature.
Originally Posted by 90 Z28SS
The Pontiac Grand Prix has a touchscreen DVD based Navagation system as an option . It is the same DVD based system from the Vibe , and all the big GM SUV's .
Touch-screen is old news. Most people prefer to use buttons that they can feel to use nav systems. The real added feature is voice commands; which a lot of manufacturers have or are about to have.
Last edited by Threxx; Apr 23, 2005 at 09:31 AM.
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