# Factory Nav System Updates?



## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Do you know who is supplying the map updates to GM? The ones that Honda sells for my car are sourced from a company called Here.com. The company is/was owned by Nokia, who was trying to sell them, and at one time it was feared that Uber would buy them for it's own use. The last update that was put out this summer was unusable due to user key code problems and Here was not helping folks.


----------



## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Yep, the Here people are the ones doing GM's map updates. It used to be Helm - but I don't know what's happened with that.


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Tomko said:


> Yep, the Here people are the ones doing GM's map updates.



Here.com used to be known as Navteq, they have some of most accurate map data in the USA so its my guess that's why its used. This is the same source Garmin uses, Garmin used to have 4 updates a year. Recently they switched to a 3 updates a year model.


----------



## BowtieGuy (Jan 4, 2013)

I use their free app on my smartphone. The app maps update pretty regularly.


----------



## boneheaddoctor (Dec 10, 2014)

For what they charge for Nav systems in these cars they sure as **** should have at LEAST one per year. People in areas with a LOT of major road construction will be screwed. And for what they charge they at least should be free with any other service being done.


----------



## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

It's a profit centre. GM vehicles delivered up to December 2007 included a couple free nav updates. But that went out the window when they started selling the silverware.


----------



## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

I forgot, what does GM charge for the updates?


----------



## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

~$200.


----------



## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Tomko said:


> ~$200.


Wow!!!


----------



## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Jim Frye said:


> I forgot, what does GM charge for the updates?





Tomko said:


> ~$200.





Jim Frye said:


> Wow!!!


Yeah, like wow that's one heck of a profit centre!


----------



## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

I guess it begs the question of how many owners actually upgrade their maps in cars with factory navigation systems? After 3 years, I've not been motivated to do so. Honda charges $149 for an update and $99 for the same thing during an annual "sale". If I were going to take a long distance trip into unfamiliar territory, I'd probably opt for an update. Since the Navi system in my car can remember "off road" routes, I haven't seen the need yet despite the near total rebuilding of the interstates in our area. I've seen very few (less than 1/2 dozen) folks commenting on updates for the last three years on the forum I am a member of. Again, I'm betting the price of admission is preventing most owners from updating. As BHD stated, the updates should be cheaper (maybe not free) given the cost of the factory navigation systems options. 

If it makes any Cruze owners feel better, the Navi system option in my car was twice as expensive as the option in the Cruze at that time. The unit was the same as the one Porsche was using in the Cayenne. However, the Turn-By-Turn navigation is free for life, so there was a break even point since we keep our cars for a decade or more.


----------



## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

I'm very particular about this kind of thing. And I use my nav well over 90% of my trips, if for no other reason than to have an accurate and constantly updating ETA. 

On the cadillac board I'm one of the few who pursue regular updates. But then again it's a market targeted towards less technologically oriented older people. 

As for the Cruze, it is targeted towards a younger demographic (owners with smart phones) and where not, one that is more economically minded (unwilling to spend the bread on an update). 

So I'm just a touch too old to own a smart phone as a mandatory extension of my personality; but young enough to know how to use technology (Mac user since 1985). 

So in that sense you could think of a nav system as a kind of transitional technology that first replaced paper maps and then turn-by-turn telematics - but that the next step is smart phones to only be trumped by autonomous vehicles later this decade.


----------



## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Update just released for 2014 and 2015 model years. New thread created here:

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/36-a...date-2014-2015-just-released.html#post2298185

This thread now closed.


----------

