NNG eyes aggressive expansion in the India navigation market, to focus on HMI too

Hungary-based navigation developer NNG, which calls itself a ‘one-stop shop’, has revealed plans to expand aggressively in the India market. On October 13, the company showcased some of its top global navigation solutions in Mumbai and said that excellence in in-car HMI (Human Machine Interface) is its topmost priority.  

NNG and its local Haryana-based strategic partner Ayana Navigation Solutions (ANS) exhibited their VIP Technology Showroom which comprised a collection of the customised navigation solutions that NNG provides in India and other countries like Germany, China, Japan, United States and Hungary.

These customised solutions is what the company prides itself in and, according to Peter Bolesza, vice-president, Emerging Markets, NNG, the exercise is paying off well. Whether it is developing navigation units with India-specific features to using handwriting recognition software for Chinese units, NNG says it does it all. In its latest upgrade for India, it has ‘natural guidance’ which points the user to ‘visible landmarks’ like street corner names, places of worship and others, which typically Indian users prefer when asking for directions to a place. There’s also ‘automatic congestion detour’ which points the way to a different route in case the regular one is chockablock with traffic, and real-time route alternatives. These are features which Indian navigation users should take to easily, feels Bolesza. The languages available include English, Hindi, Telegu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Bengali and Punjabi.    

NNG currently has real-time traffic information on 23 Indian cities and in Indian voices. Clearly, the company is banking on familiarity breeding content. The company has a varied range of products, right from affordable navigation kit like the one used in the Renault Duster through to the one used in the more recently launched Volkswagen Vento Konekt. Bolesza says the company is “hopeful of bagging another 4-5 OEMs by the year end” and its “big programmes will start in CY 2016.”

As is known, in February this year, NNG and ANS had announced their cooperation with the Indian arm of German car infotainment giant Blaupunkt. The two companies say CY 2013 results have shown that NNG has a 30 percent market share in the line-fit industry; this year, they are targeting a 40 percent share. In the aftermarket, NNG has a 30 percent market share, which it plans to increase to 70 percent in 2014.

Optimistic on growth in India

According to Bolesza, Japan, Korea and China are among the largest users of navigation kits, with virtually every car in Japan and Korean being fitted with them. China is getting there – He is optimistic about speedy growth in India saying, “India lags behind China but not for long.” In comparison, in the US, every second car is equipped with some form of navigation.

NNG, which made its India market entry in 2011, is debuting its iGO primo nextgen, its latest automotive flagship software which enables its OEMs and Tier 1 partners to provide state-of-the-art navigation software. iGO primo nextgen supports multi-modal data entry offering touchscreen, rotation control and voice control which NNG says are the ideal solution for cars in various segments. This software’s services include live information on weather, traffic, fuel, parking and local search.

iGO Navigation software is currently installed in more than 20 million devices throughout the world. Based on supplier agreements with 16 Tier 1s delivering to over 34 car brands, NNG intends to ship over additional 30 million licenses in the coming years. NNG says it continues to develop global markets for navigation solutions through 14 company branches, including Hungary, Israel, Switzerland, India, Australia, China, Japan (X2) and the United States (6x).

In June last year, NNG introduced its NavFusion, its innovation in navigation which brings digital life into cars, for automotive OEMs and the aftermarket in India through ANS. “With NavFusion, we’re not only enhancing the driving experience with map updates and the integration of personal smartphone content, but we’re also increasing customer satisfaction and reducing customer-support related costs,” Bolesza had said then.  

NavFusion, which is designed to bridge the gap between smartphone life cycles and the infotainment system, synchronises personal data with the car’s infotainment system and enables the navigation system to adapt to the driver’s lifestyle, whether this means identifying and saving his/her favourite restaurant, work commute, or the gym. This synchronization offers the driver myriad personalised solutions.

NNG, which has 11 branches globally, and ANS also highlighted some of the top trends in the navigation sector. These include the emerging role that smartphones play in cars, as well as the evolution of infotainment design in cars, which is in response to a growing consumer expectation that cars have more connectivity with navigation and multimedia systems.

Bolesza says, “Our goal is to maintain our leading position in technological innovations in the navigation industry. As technology evolves every day, our aim is to bring the most up-to-date and user-friendly solutions to India, and to shape the local navigation industry in accordance with the latest trends.”

He adds, “HMI (Human Machine Interface) is becoming the next big thing for us and the world.” Attractive HMI design, with the focus on clarity, is easy to use and reduces driver distraction, in turn improving safety and increasing situational awareness. Importantly, there is consistent UI (user interface) behaviour, simple lists and fewer unique menu screens enabling easy functionality.  

From the OEMs’ perspective, it is an all-in-one solution, facilitating reduced development time and easy customization. Screens, layouts and buttons can be adapted to different resolutions and what’s more, it supports major operating systems. It is also available on smartphone, tablets and PNDs. Bolesza says, “We will do and deliver whatever an OEM wants.”

The in-car HMI (Human machine interface) experience has become increasingly important to optimise the car’s infotainment system in a way that accommodates the driver's preferred style of driving. This necessitates a comprehensive HMI  design that harmonises things like mobile devices, multiple screens, navigation systems, vehicle-specific technology, and other technological solutions, while decrease drive distraction and making driving safer.

NNG has recently acquired an American company (nFusion) to broaden its presence in automotive on-board systems to increase investments in this market and help make the driving experience more integrated and more enjoyable.