Report Confirms PND Satnav Usage Still Strong

RobBrady

Research by technology market intelligence company ABI has revealed significant differences in navigation usage across four different countries.

Although it's pretty clear that mobile phone and in-dash navigation usage is still very much on the way up, in the UK, US, France and Germany the personal navigation device (PND) still represents the number one choice, the research uncovers some regional differences. For instance 85% of US drivers who took part in the study use PNDs. This is considerably higher usage compared to the other three countries.

A significant 45% of respondents in France are reported to use mobile phones to navigate and 39% of Germans use built-in in-dash navigation systems.

Dominique Bonte of ABI says: “French drivers’ preference for phone-based navigation can be explained by French carriers having offered navigation solutions for many years, some of which are available free. The higher preference for in-dash navigation in Germany is due to a higher percentage of luxury cars sold.”

The survey also found:

* Text-to-speech is more commonly used in Germany and the US

* Traffic information is used by 51% of respondents in Germany

* About half of all PND users in the US, Germany, and the UK report that they paid between $100 and $200 for their PND

* Significantly higher percentages of those in the European countries (50%+) have updated their maps, compared to only 42% of those in the US

* 55% of those in the US who plan to replace their devices intend to purchase a PND, while 25% are looking to obtain a built-in in-dash navigation system.
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Robert Brady

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