Honda unveils new voice-operated navigation system

TOKYO, Aug 29 Reuters reported that the Honda Motor Co unveiled on Thursday a new voice-operated car navigation system to be offered on its Accord sedan this autumn, but it lacked the bells and whistles of Toyota Motor Corp's rival system.

Japan's second-largest automaker said its new navigation system, called InterNavi Premium Club, offers regularly updated traffic reports, news, maintenance and other information as well as the ability to e-mail.

It will be available as an option and updates of the DVD map software will be free for three years.

Honda said it envisaged that by 2004, the on-board navigation system would be factory-installed on 30 percent of all models sold domestically, excluding cheaper 660cc minivehicles.

The InterNavi, however, contrasted sharply with Toyota's G-Book car Internet network unveiled a day earlier, which provides a wide range of interactive services from downloading music and karaoke to playing games and customised news reports.

Toyota will also offer its navigation system on a new model to be released in autumn. Drivers will then able to choose if they want to subscribe to various interactive services.

Japan's largest automaker has not yet disclosed the price of its new services.

It said, however, that half of Toyota passenger car owners have some kind of navigation system and it hopes around 30 to 40 percent will eventually become subscribers of G-Book.

The G-Book uses a data communication module, allowing Toyota to charge a flat fee while Honda's system requires the use of a cell phone, with customers paying for transmission time.

But Honda argued that it has worked to drastically cut the amount of time needed to download information and that the lack of a special connection device saves costs.

Despite its technical advancements and greater range of features, Toyota may have a tough time convincing Japanese consumers they need the network since many of the services are already available on cell phones.

Both automakers have said they see in-vehicle navigation and Internet services as part and parcel of future models and have declined to comment on the profitability of their systems.