XM NavTraffic Service to Be Available with New Aftermarket Vehicle Navigation Systems
LAS VEGAS and WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2005 -- XM Satellite Radio , the nation's leading provider of satellite radio with more than 3.2 million subscribers, announced today that the XM NavTraffic service will be available with new, aftermarket vehicle navigation systems in 2005.
XM NavTraffic is the nation's first satellite traffic data service. It delivers current traffic information directly to a vehicle navigation system. The service enables the navigation system to display local traffic data for the driver's personal route. The driver can see the traffic speed for specific roads, accident locations, road closures, and other incidents on the navigation map. It also suggests alternate routes based on the current traffic conditions. XM NavTraffic, powered by NAVTEQ Traffic, is available for 20 major metropolitan cities across the U.S.
XM NavTraffic is currently available as a standard feature of the 2005 Acura RL, which debuted in fall 2004, and will be available on certain 2005 models of the Cadillac CTS. This year, consumers will be able to get XM NavTraffic with aftermarket vehicle navigation systems that can be installed in virtually any vehicle. Pioneer Electronics will offer XM NavTraffic as a feature of its upcoming AVIC-N2 navigation system, and it plans to offer an XM NavTraffic solution for the previously-released AVIC-N1 navigation system. Alpine Electronics will offer the NVE-N872A navigation system with XM NavTraffic. Pricing for the systems and services will be announced prior to launch.
"XM NavTraffic is a breakthrough service that has taken traffic information to an unprecedented level," said Daniel Murphy, Senior Vice President of Product Marketing and Distribution, XM Satellite Radio. "We're very excited about these aftermarket navigation systems, which can deliver XM NavTraffic to practically any car on the road."
XM NavTraffic received top honors at the Innovations 2005 Awards sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association. The service was named "Best of Innovations" in the category of Mobile/Vehicle Electronics Navigations, Safety and Security.
About XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is America's number one satellite radio service with more than 3.2 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, D.C., New York City and Nashville at the Country Music Hall of Fame, XM's 2005 lineup includes more than 130 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: 68 one-hundred-percent commercial-free music channels, featuring critically-acclaimed original programming, concerts, and diverse musical genres ranging from hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; more than 40 channels of premier sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and 21 channels of the most advanced traffic and weather information for major metropolitan areas nationwide. XM was named Best Radio Service at the 2004 Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards. Popular Science recently chose XM products for two prestigious "Best of What's New 2004" Awards. As the Official Satellite Radio Network for Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Exclusive Satellite Radio Service for NASCAR, as well as the Official Satellite Radio Service for ACC, PAC-10 and Big-10 collegiate football and basketball, XM Satellite Radio is the industry leader in sports radio programming, offering thousands of live sporting events each year.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Volkswagen/Audi, is available in more than 120 different vehicle models for 2005. XM also is available in Avis, National, and Alamo rental cars, and will soon be available on JetBlue and AirTran Airways. Consumers can experience XM over the Internet through XM Radio Online at http://listen.xmradio.com/. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com/.