Even in the age of smartphones most people would agree that build-in navigation systems are a useful feature in your car. They offer larger screens with no extra cables and*annoying mounting kits. Most of the new navigation systems work offline with periodical map updates and real-time traffic services.
Nothing really fancy but still*quite pricey… Automakers sell embedded systems typically for $500 to $2,000 offering something that is not really better than a high-end PND or a premium smartphone navigation app.*There are however two exceptions… Audi and Tesla.
Audi MMI Navigation is a great example that you can create an impressive infotainment system without a touchscreen. In fact touchscreen wouldn’t make sense as the screen is hidden behind a steering*wheel (instead of analog speedometer) that makes you focused on the road rather than looking at the central panel.*Driver interacts with the navigation using a*joystick with a touchpad featuring handwriting recognition.
What I mostly like about it is how Audi engineers designed the User Interface to optimise the space on the screen. Take a look:
Tesla went one step further. The model S features a huge 17-inch touchscreen in a central panel… it’s like having a large PC monitor in the dash. Tesla has also ditched almost every physical button and control. The navigation allows you to use online Google Maps for navigation and it looks amazing.
But guys at Tesla didn’t*rest on their laurels.*In addition to the navigation directions on the*17