This report provides Transforma Insights’ view on the In-Vehicle Navigation market. The In-Vehicle Navigation market includes applications used to navigate and provide routing to drivers. These applications have multiple features such as finding a specific location, determining the best route, real-time traffic updates, points of interest, offline map updates, and weather forecasts. In-Vehicle Navigation can be hosted on factory-fit vehicle head units or on dedicated aftermarket devices. Additionally, smartphones can also be used to access these applications, as they provide turn-by-turn navigation through apps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps. These apps have increased competition for both navigation applications embedded on vehicle head units and aftermarket devices.
The report provides a detailed definition of the sector, analysis of market development and profiles of the key vendors in the space. It also provides a summary of the current status of adoption and Transforma Insights’ ten-year forecasts for the market. The forecasts include analysis of the number of IoT connections by geography, the technologies used and revenue. A full set of forecast data, including country-level forecasts, sector breakdowns and public/private network splits, is available through the IoT Forecast tool.
The report examines the key factors that are influencing the development of the market, including:
This section of the report first charts some of the advanced functionalities in connected cars, argues that the ubiquity of connectivity has encouraged seamless use of such applications via the Vehicle Head Unit, and lists the benefits (like enhanced customer experience).
It then talks about the features of onboard navigation applications (such as finding a specific location) and highlights some of the features that are being offered by OEMs. For instance, BMW launched an AR video function for in-vehicle navigation across all BMW i4 models. The report then transitions to discussing aftermarket devices, providing a definition, and highlighting their distinctions from vehicle head unit navigation applications. Finally, it also discusses how AI is being used to collect map data, which is particularly helpful for OEMs. For example, HERE Technologies launched ‘UniMap’ that creates maps using sensor data.
This section lists the major differences between vehicle head units and aftermarket devices (in the larger context of cost and monetisation opportunities). In a tabular format, it then discusses OEMs (including Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Porsche, Tesla, and Toyota), their features, and subscription rates. For instance, Porsche’s Connect Navigation and Infotainment Package is free for the first twelve months, and then, the organisation charges USD189 per year from users and Audi’s features include Connect NAV and it costs USD15 per month or USD150 per year.
It also focuses on updates and collected user data as additional revenue generators. For instance, while maps are generally updated as a part of scheduled software updates for VHUs and aftermarket devices, in some cases, users may have to pay an additional charge (around USD200) for an update.
This part of the report enumerates and elucidates the key factors contributing to the increasing adoption of navigation systems.
This subsection explains why in-vehicle navigation has become crucial in electric vehicles (whose numbers surpassed 17 million in 2024). This reiterates the need for EV charging stations, which are unevenly distributed and have varying capabilities. It then explains how in-vehicle navigation helps drivers find the most suitable and preferred charging stations for users.
This part explains how the increasing number of autonomous vehicles (which Transforma Insights estimates will reach 28 million by 2030) will also require navigation systems in some capacity.
This section charts and discusses the major factors that are slowing down the adoption of navigation solutions. Smartphones and the range of navigation apps they support are one of the major deterrents towards navigation solutions, due to reasons including low incremental costs of smartphones, regular updates of navigation apps (often with no associated cost for users), and more. To support this claim, in a tabular format, it shows the most used navigation application in cars by European consumers. For instance, in the UK, Google Maps and Apple Maps account for 38% of the total result, in comparison a VHU-hosted navigation application for 37% and aftermarket devices account for 6%. It also explains how convincing users to use a navigation application on a vehicle head unit is a challenge, leading to manufacturers such as polestar to integrate Android Automotive as the operating system in their vehicles.
It also explains how this has significantly declined the revenues of aftermarket providers like TomTom and Garmin. Case in point, TomTom’s Consumer business, which includes navigation solutions offered to drivers, has been decreasing consistently and has fallen almost 38% between 2020 and 2024. It further explains that this falling profitability has led aftermarket vendors seek partnerships and collaborations with automotive companies to increase their revenue stream. For example, in October 2025, TomTom announced a collaboration with Hyundai AutoEver (HAE), Hyundai’s mobility software arm, to enhance its in-dash navigation systems in vehicles across Europe with TomTom’s map services.
It also provides some examples of relevant IoT deployments in this application, including TomTom collaborating with Volvo cars for real-time map and traffic data updates and Ford modernising its Mustang Mach-E with cloud-based mapping.
The key vendors section lists some of the main providers of products and services related to the market such as TomTom, Garmin, Here Technologies, MiTAC International Corp., Audi, and Mercedes Benz. The report provides profiles of the various vendors including aspects most relevant to this Application Group, such as product offerings, pricing, financial results, and technology.
In the market forecasts section, we provide a summary of the forecasts from the Transforma Insights IoT Forecast Database:
The report charts the decline in the number of aftermarket connected devices, which will decline from 12.5 million in 2024 to 6 million in 2034. Transforma Insights forecasts are compiled on a country-by-country basis. This report includes a regional summary, showing splits between Australasia, Greater China, North America, Europe, Japan, Latin
America, MENA, Russia & Central Asia, South East Asia, South Korea, India & South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Transforma Insights’ IoT forecasts include splits between the various connectivity technologies as follows: 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G mMTC, 5G non-mMTC, LPWA (non-mMTC), Satellite, Short Range, and Other.
This section discusses which technologies will be used in the In-Vehicle Navigation Application Group.
This part of the report discusses the market growth in terms of revenue (module revenue, service wrap revenue, and VAC revenue). Transforma Insights estimates that the revenue in the In-Vehicle Navigation Application Group will grow at a CAGR of 10%.
