your car sponsored by micky d's???
 

Price of in-car telematics set to decrease thanks to corporate sponsors

May28
may2008

In-car telematics have increased at an incredible rate over the past few years, but their high costs have made them prohibitive to some buyers. However, all that could change in the coming years as more and more companies are signing up to sponsor new technologies.

For example, McDonald's could subsidize the price of an in-car navigation system, but in return would have its stores prominent on the system's list of restaurants. "Nobody wants another bill," Hakan Kostepen, group manager for product planning and strategy at Panasonic, told the Detroit Free Press, and that mentality will likely speed up the rate at which companies sponsor new technologies.

And the possibilities are endless. Need a movie for the kids to watch on that weekend road trip? Netflix will be happy to take care of that for you. Car due for an oil change? Setup an appointment right from your car with the nearest Valvoline location.

The newest telematics will also help companies streamline their advertising campaigns. In the near future, multiple companies will be able to sponsor a single component, such as a navigation system. Therefore, three or four competing companies will be bombarding occupants with in car advertising. If a driver choses Best Buy over Circuit City, the car's GPS system will relay which store the driver chose, and companies will be able to revamp their ad campaigns.

But the future of in-car telematics will have plenty of upside to go along with the in-car billboards ? soon drivers will be able to completely customize their car's electronics. You will be able to program into your car what kind of restaurant you like, what stocks you own so you can get in-car updates and even what song you want to hear when you get into your car first thing in the morning. The car of the future will also be a notification machine ? from when you are close to your favorite coffee house to texting a loved one when your airbags deploy. The possibilities are virtually endless.

And unlike the flying car, the high-tech car of the future is right around the corner. Telematics Research Group predicts that by the year 2013, there will be more than 50 million cars equipped with advanced telematics on the road.

Big Brother in festive packaging... noice.

I see a big future in in-car spam...

;-)