Writing for the Associated Press, Yuri Kageyama reported that Honda's car navigation system already maps the quickest route to a destination to efficiently avoid traffic jams. Drivers now will be able to get information about earthquakes and warnings of heavy rainfall ahead while on the road.
Introduced to reporters Wednesday, Honda Motor Co.'s service will be offered starting with the remodeled Fit subcompact which goes on sale in Japan later this year. There are no plans yet however, to offer this newest innovation overseas, executive Manabu Nishimae reportedly said.
"We believe information services are an important part of a car's quality," he told reporters.
The new car navigation system is free for Honda vehicles, but drivers will have to pay mobile phone bills for the relaying of data, with data transmission cards for a set monthly fee amounting to about $8 for frequent users. About 530,000 drivers use the current navigation service in Japan, or about 40 percent of Honda owners.
The latest upgrade allows e-mail warnings to be sent to a pre-assigned address when car with the system is in an area of a strong earthquake – which definitely is an advantage if you live in an earthquake-prone nation like Japan. In case of heavy rain, owners can expect a forecast on a planned route, with icons of exclamation marks popping up on vehicle’s the monitor.
Honda – maker of top of the line parts like
Honda cargo liner and currently Japan's No. 2 automaker has also upgraded its map system so updates take just a few minutes to download.
According to the automaker, the company has found a way to compress data so that portions of a map, such as new roads, get relayed piecemeal. On average, driving time is cut by 20 percent, says Honda. Up to now, disks with map data had to be changed.
Navigation systems are offered by all the world's major automakers. Navigation services include guides to nearby restaurants, automatic connection to ambulances in accidents and as well as to human operators.
Another feature of Honda's system is that it compiles information from individual Honda cars on the road. The new earthquake notification service, for instance, allows drivers to see which roads have been shut down.
General Manager Takeshi Imai says this kind of detailed information could even tell drivers exactly which lane of a freeway is congested, quite useful for drivers who want to avoid traffic at all cost.
