Blaupunkt Introduces TravelPilot DX-V Car Navigation System

1/8/04 – Blaupunkt has introduced its new TravelPilot DX-V video car navigation system. It is the latest in a long line of Blaupunkt navigation systems, dating back to 1989, designed to guide drivers from Point A to Point B without getting lost.

The Blaupunkt TravelPilot DX-V car navigation system uses a video display and natural spoken voice instructions to help drivers safely negotiate unknown roads and routes with confidence. It eliminates the dangers of driving while reading scribbled directions, wrestling with road maps, making sudden lane changes in reaction to confusing road signs, trying to read street names in the dark, or slamming on the brakes when your passenger says, “I think we should have turned there.”

The DX-V will guide the driver to a town center, street address, intersection, map coordinate, or any of thousands of cataloged points-of-interest such as restaurants, hotels, airports, parking lots, gas stations, etc. The system uses a 7-inch, 16:9 multisource color video monitor that can be mounted on the dashboard, or a center or overhead console to display intuitive directional icons and a moving map display. It can also be used with an in-car DVD player, TV tuner, or rear bumper back-up camera. The spoken voice navigation instructions are played through the car’s audio system, momentarily muting the radio or CD player, and then returning it to normal volume after the navigation message.

The system uses on-screen displays and a wireless remote control used to enter destinations and trip parameters. An optional Thummer steering-wheel-mounted remote control, allows the navigation system and a Blaupunkt car audio system to be controlled with the touch of thumb. The video display can be used to display either the map or navigation icons, or in a split screen mode with the map on the left and the icons on the right.

A combination of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite navigation, plus dead reckoning from a built-in gyrocompass and speed sensing, allows the TravelPilot DX-V to maintain turn-by-turn guidance accurate to within 15 feet, even when satellite signals are temporarily blocked by buildings, trees, and other man-made or natural obstructions.

Map and POI (point of interest) data are stored on 10 regional CD-ROMs. Each disk includes a detailed map of all US, state, county, and most local roads within its region. Outside the regional boundary, each map also includes all state and interstate highways for the rest of the lower 48 states, reducing the need for disc changes on long drives.

The regional map data allows the driver to enter almost any street address or intersection and be guided directly to this location. Each map disc includes a vast POI database that includes airports, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, gas stations, car repair facilities, parking lots, car rental agencies, exhibition sites, ferries, train stations, border crossings, highway exits, hospitals, police stations, post offices, sporting facilities, theaters, and many other special destinations. Destinations can also be entered by scrolling the map or by entering the latitude and longitude, a feature that will be popular with off-roaders and campers.

During destination setting, the driver can quickly switch views between the current location and destination, select route options such as shortest/fastest, avoid interstate/tolls/ferries, set stopovers, and block routes to take advantage of local knowledge. If the driver encounters heavy traffic, he can activate a traffic congestion function to plot a new route around the delay. The system automatically remembers the last 12 destinations, and up to 99 destinations can be stored in memory.

The Blaupunkt TravelPilot DX-V, video monitor, and a 10-CD map bundle covering the continental US, Hawaii, and parts of Canada, is currently available from select dealers with a suggested retail price of $2,239.95. For those who already have a compatible video monitor, the navigation unit can be purchased separately for $1,429.95. The optional Thummer RC 09 steering wheel mounting remote is $59.95.

For Blaupunkt dealer locations and product information, call 1(800) 950-BLAU [2528] or visit the company's web site at www.blaupunktusa.com.

SOURCE Blaupunkt