Navigon

Navigon GmbH was a Würzburg, Germany-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 and become a subsidiary of the company.[1] With effect from October 31, 2011, Navigon has changed its legal entity from corporation (Aktiengesellschaft) to GmbH.[2]

Navigon GmbH
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryInformation and communications technology
Founded1991
DefunctDecember 1, 2020
FateDiscontinued
HeadquartersWürzburg, Germany
ProductsGPS navigation software
GPS navigation devices
Number of employees
400 (2008)
ParentGarmin (2011-2020)
Websitenavigon.com
Navigon 7100

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, Europe, and North America, and employed more than 400 people.[3] Navigon AG was purchased and fully acquired by Garmin Ltd. in July 2011.[4] On December 1, 2020, Garmin has announced the discontinuation of Navigon products and customer service.[5]

History

Navigon was founded in 1991. In 2000, the firm launched the industry's first navigation software for the Pocket PC. 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.[3]

In 2005, the private equity firm General Atlantic bought a minority interest in the company in order to provide capital for expansion; Peter Scheufen maintains majority ownership.[3]

In 2006, Navigon acquired Navteq's navigation software business.[3]

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 These models have since been discontinued, having been replaced by Navigon's then-current offerings.[6][7]

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 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 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, would become president of Navigon's North American operations.[8] 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."[9] 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.

A Navigon unit in use on a windscreen
A Navigon unit in use on a windscreen

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."[4] The electric car manufacturer Tesla Inc. used Navigon Garmin systems in their cars before developing their own system.[10]

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.[11] Errors can be reported using Navigon's report map errors page[12] and using the Navteq Map Reporter.[13]

In June 2011, Navigon introduced a point of interest package derived from the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap project.[14]

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.[15]

Garmin decided to take all navigation apps – with a few exceptions – off the market as of May 14, 2018. All Garmin turn-by-turn apps are affected, including NAVIGON, NAVIGON Regions, NAVIGON Cruiser, NAVIGON select Telekom Edition and the Garmin HUD EU/NA Apps.

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Navigon.

References
  1. "Garmin® Ltd. Announces Signing of Agreement To Acquire Navigon® AG". Navigon. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  2. "About Navigon". Navigon. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  3. "History of Navigon". Navigon. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  4. Melanson, Donald (26 July 2011). "Garmin confirms its acquisition of Navigon is complete". Engadget. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  5. "NAVIGON Device and App Support Discontinued". support.garmin.com. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  6. Beyl, Tobias (20 April 2018). "Garmin nimmt Navigon vom Markt: Zukünftig keine Navigationsapps mehr von Navigon". MOTORRAD (in German). Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  7. Seibt, Torsten (19 April 2018). "Garmin stellt Navigon-Apps ein: Ende für die Handy-Navigation". auto motor und sport (in German). Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  8. "Executive Profile: Michael Roach". businessweek.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  9. Murph, Darren (4 May 2009). "Navigon withdraws from GPS business in North America". Engadget. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  10. "First look at Tesla's new maps and navigation engine". Electrek. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  11. "About Navteq Map Reporter". nn4d.com. Navteq. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  12. "Report map errors". Navigon. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  13. "Navteq Map Reporter". Navteq. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  14. "New POI packages from NAVIGON: site-specific information in 44 countries". Navigon.com. Navigon AG. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  15. Ngo, Dong (16 September 2009). "Navigon GPS iPhone app to get live traffic". CNET. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
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