Press Release
To be fitted in the new Nissan Pathfinder and Renault Laguna
Renault and Nissan announced today that the two companies have jointly developed a new common navigation and communication system. It will be fitted in the new Nissan Pathfinder and Renault Laguna, marking the first application of the system in the European market.The system was first introduced in the new Nissan Tiida in Japan in September 2004. It has subsequently been applied to four more new Nissan models in Japan - the Fuga luxury sports sedan, Tiida Latio compact sedan, Lafesta minivan and Note compact car.
There are four versions of the new system: one for Renault in the European market, and three for Nissan (one for each of Nissan's major regions - Japan, North America and Europe). It will be progressively introduced to new models such as the Infiniti M35/45, Renault Vel Satis, Espace and Sc??????????????????nic.
The common core includes the system architecture, the hardware of the main control unit, the multimedia network, the menus and functions of the navigation, and the mechanism of the audio-visual control unit. However, the look and feel of the user interface is different between the Renault and Nissan versions in order to respect the identities of each brand.
This new system is positioned at the highest and most competitive level in the market. The main control unit is equipped with a Bluetooth???????????????????? wireless function, a first for Nissan and Renault vehicles, offering users the convenience of hands-free functionality when using a compatible mobile phone.
The new navigation system features traffic information receiving capability (1), accurate route guidance, and clear map visibility in both 2D and 3D modes. The new audio controller mechanism enables users to play CDs in MP3 format - another first for Nissan and Renault vehicles. Voice recognition technology is also available, to facilitate ease of use and comfort.
The project represents yet another success in joint development within the Alliance. The supplier was selected by joint purchasing. It also represents a positive example of successful cooperation at management level. Renault engineers were expatriated from 2003 to work together with their Nissan counterparts at the Nissan Technical Center in Atsugi near Tokyo.
