It is to become a standard feature of all Renault models equipped with integrated Carminat TomTom navigation as standard, starting with the latest Renault Mégane GT Line models introduced here a few months ago.
According to Renault it is the only vehicle manufacturer offering this integrated satellite navigation with live feedback about traffic conditions.
The main benefit of TomTom Live is a real-time traffic feed, linked to automatic re-routing around areas of congestion to minimise delays. This is borne out by a local traffic survey conducted by TomTom in March this year. The survey highlighted several interesting points, including the fact that an astonishing 78% of the approximately 3.8-million drivers in Gauteng are stuck in severe traffic jams daily, leading to fatigue, loss of productivity, and a lack of motivation.
Nationally, some 25% of all drivers spend 45 minutes or more in traffic daily, while 30% of Gauteng drivers have to endure the same fate.
In addition to Advanced Lane Guidance (which provides advanced views of junctions and lanes) TomTom Live includes HDTraffic, a real-time traffic information system said to be the best of its kind.
TomTom Live also includes road safety alerts and local Search with Google, which uses an intuitive, high-performance search engine to localise almost 20 million points of interest. A five-day weather forecast service is also included.
Renault buyers will be have a free three-month trial subscription after which they can opt for either a one-year or a three-year paid subscription to the live traffic service.
For more detailed information about Carminat TomTom Live visit the dedicated Renault TomTom website at www.renault.co.za/services/tomtom.html.
