For two decades, the car dashboard has been a battleground between the tech industry and traditional manufacturers. New figures suggest that the first have won over the driver, but carmakers are far from ready to concede.
A survey of 1,000 Dutch motorists by ‘Ikwilvanmijnautoaf.nl’ found that more than half of them rely primarily on Google Maps for in-car navigation, either directly on their handset or via the vehicle’s infotainment screen.
Just over a quarter still use their car’s built-in system, while apps such as Waze trail at 15%. TomTom, once a household name in Europe, clings to a 6% share. Fewer than three in 100 drivers say they use no navigation at all.
No longer a selling point
The figures highlight a noticeable shift since the heyday of portable satellite navigation. Where a TomTom device was once seen as indispensable, drivers today overwhelmingly opt for free apps that offer constantly updated maps and real-time traffic information.
Dealers report that embedded navigation is no longer considered a selling point in second-hand vehicles, especially if the system is more than a few years old. In practice, many owners overlook it and instead reach for a phone holder.
TomTom, however, is not ready to fade quietly from the consumer market. This week, the Dutch company announced plans to re-enter with a new driving assistant, simply called Tom. It is an automatically activated buzzer warning for speed cameras and traffic jams. The assistant is not dependent on navigation to issue warnings, but it can act as a turn-by-turn navigator.
“CarPlay myth”
For automakers, the story is more complicated. Some, including Toyota and Dacia, have stopped developing their own infotainment platforms for lower-end models, opting instead to rely on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to mirror smartphone functionality on the dashboard.
Others, most prominently BMW, insist that the assumption of universal smartphone dominance is overstated. Stephan Durach, senior vice-president for user experience at BMW, has gone so far as to call it the “CarPlay myth”. Speaking to BMW Blog, he said usage data from more than ten million vehicles showed that while drivers frequently connect their phones, they mostly use CarPlay for music or messaging rather than navigation.
According to Durach, BMW’s own iDrive system remains the preferred choice for plotting routes, thanks to its voice control and tighter integration with the car’s hardware.
Rising opposition
The company’s stance is not only about usability. Beneath the surface lies a struggle over data and control. Allowing Apple or Google to dominate the car’s digital environment means handing over valuable information about driving behaviour and location history. For manufacturers, those datasets are a potential revenue stream that they are reluctant to surrender.
The battle for infotainment and navigation is culminating in Apple’s forthcoming CarPlay Ultra, which extends its reach beyond infotainment to even digital instrument clusters. After BMW, Mercedes, and Audi, Ford is also joining the opposition.
To news site The Verge, Ford CEO Jim Farley said things become “messy” when Apple takes control of the full user interface. These car makers will not support it. Some car makers, like Tesla and Rivian, never did. General Motors also had second thoughts and decided to reduce its support for Apple CarPlay.
