TomTom has integrated its automotive navigation application with US-based Visteon’s cognitoAI platform, aiming to bring conversational, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven navigation directly into vehicle cockpits.
The partnership combines the Dutch company’s navigation software with the US automotive electronics supplier’s expertise in cockpit electronics to create a system capable of handling complex driver requests through “natural” language.
Built on a hybrid architecture, the cognitoAI platform is powered by a custom fine-tuned multimodal vision language model (VLM).
This setup allows the system to transition between offline and online modes, ensuring functionality remains consistent regardless of connectivity or driving conditions.
Visteon digital cockpit and connected services global vice president Sivakumar Yeddanapudi said: “The maturity and flexibility of the TomTom Automotive Navigation Application was instrumental in enabling us to rapidly deliver a high-performance, branded experience that meets the rigorous standards of the automotive industry while exceeding driver expectations.”
According to TomTom’s, a key feature of the collaboration is the use of on-device voice processing.
By handling data locally, the solution is designed to increase processing speeds and enhance the privacy of driver data.
The integration with TomTom's software allows the interface to move beyond traditional, rigid voice commands, the statement added.
Drivers can instead use conversational speech to perform tasks such as searching for locations, adjusting waypoints, and accessing specific route details.
TomTom product engineering senior vice president Manuela Locarno Ajayi added: “By combining TomTom’s industry-leading maps and navigation with Visteon’s on-board AI foundation - including integrated voice AI and a tuned video language model, we are delivering a truly natural, conversational, and intuitive experience that drivers love using.”
Earlier this week, Cariad, the Volkswagen Group’s automotive software subsidiary, unveiled plans to embed TomTom’s Orbis Maps as a central element in its future automated driving systems.
The maps will be integrated as an additional map-based layer within the overall vehicle software stack, working alongside on-board sensors and existing systems.
