
Navigon GmbH was a
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
-based manufacturer of
GPS devices and GPS navigation software. The company was privately owned, until in June 2011, it was announced that Navigon was to be acquired by
Garmin
Garmin Ltd. is an American multinational technology company based in Olathe, Kansas. The company designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes GPS-enabled products and other navigation, communication, sensor-based, and information ...
and become a
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
of the company. With effect from October 31, 2011, Navigon has changed its legal entity from
corporation
A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
(''
Aktiengesellschaft
(; abbreviated AG ) is a German language, German word for a corporation limited by Share (finance), share ownership (i.e., one which is owned by its shareholders) whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria ...
'') to
GmbH
(; ) is a type of Juridical person, legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is equivalent to a (Sàrl) in the Romandy, French-speaking region of Switzerland and to a (Sagl) in the Ticino, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland.
It is a ...
.
Navigon's products included Navigon branded personal navigation devices as well as
OEM software for the navigation, wireless, and automotive sectors. Navigon had offices in
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
,
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, and employed more than 400 people.
Navigon AG was purchased and fully acquired by
Garmin
Garmin Ltd. is an American multinational technology company based in Olathe, Kansas. The company designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes GPS-enabled products and other navigation, communication, sensor-based, and information ...
Ltd. in July 2011.
On December 1, 2020,
Garmin
Garmin Ltd. is an American multinational technology company based in Olathe, Kansas. The company designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes GPS-enabled products and other navigation, communication, sensor-based, and information ...
has announced the discontinuation of Navigon products and customer service.
History
Navigon was founded in 1991. In 2000, the firm launched the industry's first navigation software for the
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC (P/PC, PPC) is a class of personal digital assistant (PDA) that runs the Windows Mobile operating system, which is based on Windows Embedded Compact, Windows CE/Windows Embedded Compact, and that has some of the abilities of modern ...
. With the introduction of
Traffic Message Channel-based (TMC) traffic avoidance features in 2002, Navigon became the first company to offer such a feature on a consumer GPS product.
In 2004, after primarily catering to the European market, Navigon directly entered the North American market by forming a subsidiary, Navigon Inc. headquartered in
Chicago, IL
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
.
In 2005, the
private equity
Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...
firm
General Atlantic bought a minority interest in the company in order to provide capital for expansion; Peter Scheufen maintains majority ownership.
In 2006, Navigon acquired
Navteq's navigation software business.
Navigon Europe
Navigon GmbH was the parent company of all Navigon brands. Navigon was one of the largest GPS brands in Europe and was well established there.
Navigon GmbH sold several models that carried similar model numbers (usually differentiated with the xx10 or xx50 in their number) to those sold in North America. Most of the devices included features and functionality similar their counterparts'.
Additionally, several older Navigon GmbH models were sold under the Transonic name in Europe. These models have since been discontinued, having been replaced by Navigon's then-current offerings.
Navigon Inc.
The U.S. subsidiary, Navigon Inc., was formed in March 2004, with Edgar Christen as General Manager, to adapt and market the Navigon product line in the
North American market.
Navigon Inc. announced its first OEM agreement in November 2004 with EasyPocketNAV.com, a distributor for portable GPS navigation. EasyPocketNAV.com marketed and sold the OnCourse Navigator (TM) software, based on Navigon's technology platform, which turned Microsoft-powered Pocket PCs into voice guided GPS navigation systems.
In May 2006, Navigon appointed Andreas Hecht as Senior Vice President, General Manager, of the Americas, and in May 2007 as president, General Manager. He replaced Edgar Christen as General Manager and was responsible for Navigon's operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and South America. An authority in the navigation sector, Hecht was a 10-year veteran of Navteq, creators of the world's most widely used digital maps, where he served in senior executive roles in technology and business development in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.
Navigon Inc. launched three models in the North American market in July 2007. The initial launch included the 2100 (2120 in Canada), 5100, and 7100 models. These models introduced several new features to the North American consumer GPS market including:
*Reality View - A feature which displays computer generated static images of complex
Interstate Highway
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
interchanges
*Lifetime Traffic -
Traffic Message Channel (TMC) service similar to offerings from other companies, but for a one-time fee (or included with some higher end models)
*
Zagat Survey Ratings & Reviews
In April 2008, Navigon Inc. expanded their line-up with the 2100 Max (2120 Max in Canada) model. This model is functionally similar to the original 2100 but includes a larger 4.3"
LCD
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers to display information. Liquid crystals do not em ...
screen (rather than 3.5") and adds the company's Direct Help functionality.
On October 13, 2008, Navigon announced that Michael Roach, former director of U.S. sales for
LG Electronics
LG Electronics Inc. () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of LG, LG Corporation, the fourth ...
, would become president of Navigon's North American operations. In his role as president for the Americas, Roach lead all marketing and sales functions for the Americas. He reported directly to Egon Minar, chief sales officer at NAVIGON AG (Germany). Roach replaced Andreas Hecht.
On May 4, 2009, Navigon announced that they would cease North American sales. According to CEO Egon Minar: "Due to the difficult economic environment and the aggressive pricing we have decided to withdraw from the PND business in North America for the time being. We are however not closing down our Chicago office which will continue to serve our automotive and mobile phone businesses in North America." Since this announcement the Chicago office has, in fact, been closed.
As of August 2009, the only consumer products Navigon offered in North America were apps for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7. Visits from North American IP addresses to the www.navigon.com or www.navigonusa.com sites were redirected to a site devoted to the mobile apps, with no mention of former Navigon consumer products, even those that were brand new on the market less than a year before.
Despite discontinuing North American sales Navigon products were still supported, albeit only by e-mail with European support representatives, until sale of the company. Those individuals who owned Navigon's map update service prior to its discontinuation were still receiving map updates for their devices as of December 2009, but updating ended in 2011 with the sale of Navigon AG to Garmin Ltd.
Acquisition by Garmin
On July 26, 2011, Garmin confirmed that its acquisition of Navigon was complete. The first line of its press release stated: "Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Navigon AG ("Navigon"), a privately held navigation provider headquartered in Würzburg, Germany."
The electric car manufacturer
Tesla Inc. used Navigon Garmin systems in their cars before developing their own system.
Discontinued North American Products
*Navigon 2000S
*Navigon 2090S (RadioShack Exclusive)
*Navigon 2100 Max
*Navigon 2120 Max
*Navigon 2200T
*Navigon 5100 Max
*Navigon 7200T
*Navigon 8100T
*Navigon iPhone app
Current North American Products
*Navigon MobileNavigator for the Android platform
*Navigon Europe, Navigon USA, and traffic4all apps for the Windows Phone platform
Maps
The maps used by Navigon are provided by
Navteq. Map errors are handled by the Navteq Map Reporter. Errors can be reported using Navigon's report map errors page and using the Navteq Map Reporter.
In June 2011, Navigon introduced a
point of interest package derived from the
crowdsourced
Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digit ...
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (abbreviated OSM) is a free, Open Database License, open geographic database, map database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveying, surveys, trace from Ae ...
project.
Navigon Traffic Live
Navigon's iPhone Application,
MobileNavigator is all set to receive the
Live Traffic feature that is capable of warning users of upcoming traffic congestion and dynamically routing the user around it.
Navigon app off the market
In May 14, 2018, Garmin took all navigation apps – except Garmin HUD EU/NA Apps – off the market.
All Garmin turn-by-turn apps were affected, including NAVIGON, NAVIGON Regions, NAVIGON Cruiser, with NAVIGON select Telekom Edition to be removed in June 1, 2018.
See also
*
Automotive navigation system
An automotive navigation system is part of the automobile controls or a third party add-on used to find direction in an automobile. It typically uses a satellite navigation device to get its position data which is then correlated to a position on ...
*
Comparison of commercial GPS software
*
Garmin
Garmin Ltd. is an American multinational technology company based in Olathe, Kansas. The company designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes GPS-enabled products and other navigation, communication, sensor-based, and information ...
*
Magellan Navigation
Magellan Navigation, Inc. is an American producer of consumer and professional grade global positioning system receivers, named after Ferdinand Magellan, the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe. Headquartered in San Dimas, California, wit ...
*
Satmap
*
TomTom
*
Traffic Message Channel
References
External links
Official Navigon siteNavteq Map Reporter
{{Authority control
Navigation system companies
Road traffic management
2011 mergers and acquisitions
Electronics companies of Germany
Companies based in Bavaria
German brands