Nevertheless, no single application is setting the market on fire. As a consequence, some big, auto-industry manufacturers are bundling several together in hopes an integrated package will do the trick. These firms include all of the OEMs as well as Delphi, Visteon, Motorola, Bosch, Siemens, Denso, and others. Combining several telematics functions in one box creates its own problems. These include an excessively complicated visual interface required to navigate through a thicket of menus.
Voice control is touted as a safer alternative for a driver.
In addition, prices for these integrated units make them prohibitively expensive except in luxury vehicles. Traditional auto industry business practices and strategies likewise hurt its forays here. The take-up rate for telematics is sluggish. Still the leader in this area, it has sold only a few thousand units to date. Navigation systems employing global positioning systems have had some successes, notably in Japan.