Fiat and Citroen are aiming to be among the first carmakers to make affordable telematics systems widely available in their mass-market models.
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According to Automotive News Europe, Fiat has developed a basic telematics unit with key functions for safety, navigation, and vehicle and fleet management.
Fiat plans to introduce its system in the next Punto, due in 2005. Citroen also plans an affordable system.
“Until now, each car manufacturer has defined its own solutions in terms of functional integration, services and scalability, causing high costs,” said Giorgio Audisio, general manager, information and communication, at Fiat Auto. “With standard hardware and software architecture you can keep the cost of implementation and of the device as low as possible.”
Audisio was interviewed at the Microsoft European Automotive and Telematics Conference in association with Automotive News Europe. He said customers would be able to add modules to the basic Fiat telematics system according to their needs.
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By GlobalDataCitroen is also finalising development of an affordable telematics system. It will probably debut as an option in the new C2 model.
“A low-end telematics system should offer at least safety and security functions, navigation and real-time traffic information, and should always be connected to the Internet,” said Kate Zhang, head of global telematics for Citroen. “I think that it will cost no more than 150 euros during the first five years on the market and between 50 and 150 euros thereafter.”
Zhang said that a telematics system is not only feasible at such a price, but that it may come to the market very soon.
Citroen has launched various telematics systems in the Xsara, C5 and Picasso since 1999.
