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Toyota uses TomTom for in-car GPS navigation

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Toyota is now offering an integrated GPS navigation unit in the Toyota Yaris SR in the UK market, making it the first B-segment Toyota hatchback in the UK to offer such equipment in that segment.

The 2-DIN head-unit slots right into the space on the Yaris dashboard, and the head unit is badged Toyota, while the removable portable GPS unit is from TomTom. This Toyota-TomTom GPS unit is actually a rebadged Eclipse AVN2210p, and the integrated TomTom GPS is a TomTom DUO, powered by a SiRFstarIII GPS chipset. You can remove the TomTom Duo from the car and use it to navigate while you are walking, or whatever reason you might want to use it out of your car.

The new head unit offers 3.5 inch touch screen operation, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free, and USB connection for MP3 players. It can also interface with an iPod.

Honda is another Japanese car maker who has paired up with an existing GPS navigation equipment manufacturer - the Gathers Honda infotainment and GPS system that was offered with Honda Accords purchased in December last year is based on a Garmin unit. Volvo Malaysia also offers Volvo-branded Garmin GPS units in their cars.

More images of the head unit after the jump.

MINI John Cooper Works
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MINI John Cooper Works
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MINI John Cooper Works
Click to enlarge

MINI John Cooper Works
Click to enlarge

8 Comments »

  1. cbljkkj said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 2:36 am

    I think this is a brilliant move by Toyota to approached a GPS maker like TOMTOM (or vice-versa) to fulfill the navigational purposes of a car.

    Instead of creating or contracting a GPS unit themselves, they chose a specialist of that particular industry for the application. The same principle applies to phone combo pdas.

    If it can be helped, buy the correct parts for the application. The fact that the TOMTOM can be used outside from the car due to it being a proper TOMTOM unit by itself is indeed the cherry on top of the packaged cake.

  2. wildthingz said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 9:21 am

    no need that kind of gps lah u buy nokia n82 or others that have gps same funtion

  3. BanyakMasukWorkshop said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 11:02 am

    no offense cbljkkj , but your posting almost sounds like a ‘toyota brochure’.

    i dont see anything brilliant or new about this. no car manufacturers make/design their own GPS systems. it will always make more sense to get it from someone else. even the honda garmin unit, and the proton mynavi unit can be removed and used in another car as well.

  4. nmh said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 2:24 pm

    cool…i really mean the gps unit, not the car

  5. mitlanevo said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 4:43 pm

    tom tom bak, lol~

  6. szw said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 10:34 pm

    how nice , its tom tom

  7. mystvearn said,

    February 26, 2008 @ 12:51 am

    Another 5 years before GPS becomes a standard equipment in new cars in Malaysia? Or 10 years?

  8. BanyakMasukWorkshop said,

    February 26, 2008 @ 10:36 am

    its already standard in some new cars today in Malaysia. but even in mature auto industries, like europe, GPS remains an option, or standard only on the most expensive variants.

    like every other feature on cars, people will only pay for what they want. If they think they can do without GPS, and save RM1000 on the price of the car, they will do so. not everyone wants GPS.

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