NAVSAT for Cars

[Sashimi Boy]

Whenever I'm in Korea I never fail to be impressed by the satellite navigation systems found in most cars. Most cars have an lcd monitor built into the dashboard that's a navsat system and doubles as a DVD/CD/MP3 player and TV. New cars also have cameras at the back that allows for collision monitoring when backing up. The navsat basically gives you access to a digital road map and allows you to filter for restaurants, hotels, hospitals, builldings and even individual homes. You can dial a cel phone number or land number into the system and it plots the fastest route to that number's location.

On my last trip I was able to meet one of the directors of a company that manufactures these gizmos and he tells me he can export the technology to the Philippines. The technology would require the navsat-lcd system, a digital map of Manila, and a dedicated GPS satellite signal.

After going around doing some costings with local IT and com companies in my spare time, I found that the system would cost around US$700 to US$1200 per system (before taxes). This assumes around 4,000 units initially sold to pay for subscription rates for map updates and satellite signal.

I'm not really a marketing person; but do you guys think this business could fly? Any feedback from car enthusiasts would be a big help!

[OTEP]

The only mainstream vehicle in the market to have standard GPS-based SAT NAV is the Limited Edition Pajero Field Master.

I don't know where they get their maps from and how comprehensive their library is.

[3ple4]

It looks cool to have a GPS system in your car but if you're not gonna use it, might as well not have it. My Thai friend has one in his Mini in Bangkok and he heardly uses it and his lcd or the monitor I think, consumes a lot of battery (not the engine battery).

[StraightSix]

If the price range includes the DVD/CD/MP3 and TV system, that's cheap

But if not, you'll have a stiff competition with GPS SatNav systems that are PDA or cellphone-based as these systems cost less. And if the likes of Garmin comes up with a Philippine map, that's another problem ... they currently sell a stand-alone SatNav unit for less than P12,000 in the UK and I bet it's a lot cheaper in the US.

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I highly recommend a SatNav system to anyone driving on unfamiliar roads. I'm taking mine if my holiday to the East Coast push through.

[Sashimi Boy]

Thanks for the useful responses guys. I think I will sit on this for a while and see if I can lower the pricing and clarify the technical challenges.

The cheapest configuration I see that could bring in money is for an address finder for commercial (sponsors!) establishments. Navigation would be limited to major roads since it would be hard to update road conditions (repair and changing one-way lanes and street names).

I see the bundling with various multimedia as a selling point as well.

Again, thanks for the replies.

[wildthing]

viable yan sir if these advertisements can shoulder the cost of the unit...technically the unit is almost free....otherwise the advertisement won't work....ala yellow pages...you only open it if you need it....you won't even pay for the yellow pages book...but you would be willing to have it for free.

[Horsepower]

Yeah sana nga magka NAVSAT na dito sa Pinas, minsan hirap pag 1st time mo sa isang lugar e esp for those people with no sense of direction.

[Hayward]

That should be a very important tool but to a limited market considering the cost I suppose. The other thing would be the continual updating of the map. It might not work well for areas that have certain hours of the day that are designated ONE WAY like Makati.

[StraightSix]

Yeah sana nga magka NAVSAT na dito sa Pinas, minsan hirap pag 1st time mo sa isang lugar e esp for those people with no sense of direction.

Meron naman ... ask or PM mo si boybi, gumagamit siya. Or browse the other SatNav threads.

It might not work well for arees that have certain hours of the day that are designated ONE WAY like Makati.

May feature ang mga ibang software ngayon na magagamit sa tulad ng Makati. Tawag eh "Avoid Areas" ... i-designate mo sa map na iwasan ang buong Makati Republic.

[the_wildthing]

I rarely drive in unfamiliar routes. Real time traffic updates would be great. Restaurant, shopping, promotions, shows, or other info in places where I'm going or where I am at could be useful.

Come to think of it, why limit it to a device on a car? The all-in-one mobile phone/PDA/video player might be better.