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Technology Stocks : Trimble Navigation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John McCarthy who wrote (2261)	3/1/1998 11:44:00 PM
From: David	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3506

John, I have some information on this, and will try to get it together, but I don't pretend to have comprehensive information.

To: John McCarthy who wrote (2261)	3/4/1998 1:14:00 PM
From: David	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3506

US Car Navigation Market overview, and table: As you may remember, the US car nav market is just forming. Unlike Japan, where they are selling over 1 million units a year (both OEM and aftermarket combined) or Europe, where I believe it is more like 200,000 units a year, the US market is probably right now at 15,000 OEM units and perhaps 50,000 or less aftermarket units. Not much, but major production is coming -- first in the aftermarket and then, by the model year 2000 or certainly 2001, in the OEM market. The US market has been held back compared to Japan and Europe for several reasons: straighter streets and better addressing than Japan reduce the need for the product, and less mapping make the product unavailable in great areas of the country, like the midwest. In Europe, a telematics infrastructure -- with two-way communication between the car and an external information source -- adds a lot of value to drivers who want to know traffic information, etc. on their route. That infrastructure is a long way from happening in the US. Apparently, surveys and some retail efforts to introduce US car nav as a pure product indicate not enough of a market, and the $2,000 plus price for current offerings is also too high. As a result, the major players in the US have decided that while car navigation is attractive to drivers, it has to be packaged with other features for it to succeed here. In the absence of a telematics infrastructure, those features are safety-related communications and entertainment options. Of the Big Three, GM uses OnStar by Motorola for safety-related communications integration (MOT seems to prefer their own GPS engine to TRMB's); Ford has an Orbi tie-in via Hertz Neverlost, but uses TRMB in Europe; and Chrysler has minimal interest in this market. Car navigation products can be installed permanently, via aftermarketers or OEMs, or can be a plug-in mobile product (that needs computer support). Motorola has the lead in the primitive telematics underway in the US. TRMB is establishing the best market position for non-telematic bundled products, and has reorganized to promote systems integration. Orbi is completely flanked, but expected to compete within a year with a next-generation car nav communications package tied to Orbcomm (assuming Orbcomm gets at least 300,000 subscribers and can break even). Here is your table for the US: GPS Vendor Partner Product Name Price Launch Comments Motorola GM OnStar $1000+ 1997 Rd service $22/month Motorola Visteon Lincoln $2000 1997 Rd service (Ford) RESCU Trimble MSFT AutoPC $1300+ 2Q1998 Posted abv. Trimble Intel Connected Car PC $1000- 1999 Fiat/TRMB/ (prob.) "RoutePlanner" 2500 Intel Trimble Philips CARiN $2000- 1997 BMW, etc.; 2400 Circ. City Trimble Siemens Tetrastar $2500 1995 Oldsmobile, Auto. NA "Guidestar" BMW Trimble Siemens Quick Scout $2000+ 1995 Rd service 2400 product Trimble Nippondenso Autopilot $2700 1996 Mercedes S (Toyota) (1996) Trimble Delphi (GM) Telepath 1000 Under 1997 Lost OnStar $1000 Trimble? Delphi Network Vehicle ?? 2000? Early stage Orbi Hertz (Ford) Neverlost $2000 1996 Rentals, aftermarket Japan Radio Alpine Acura $2000+? 1997 Corp (JRC) Rockwell ALK Assoc. Door to Door $350 w/ 1997 Plug-in Copilot pentium PC SiRF Datus Routefinder Under May Plug-in (Daewoo) PNA $1000 1998

To: John McCarthy who wrote (2261)	3/4/1998 5:50:00 PM
From: David	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3506

European Car Nav table: GPS Vndr Partners Product Name Price Models Comments Trimble Philips/ CARiN ? BMW,Mazda, VDO is largest Mannes.VDO GM telematics co. in the world Trimble Blaupunkt- TravelPilot UK1600 Ford, VW, Market leader. Werke AutoPilot Audi,Honda, TRMB displaced (Bosch) Gemini Porsche, Japan Radio Rolls-R. Corporation Trimble B-W MobiMax ? ? Telematics Trimble TECmobility RoutePlanner $4300 Citroen, Wintel-based (Fiat) (1996) Lancia, (Intel CC PC Peugeot, partner) Saab (France), Fiat Trimble Delphi (GM) Telepath 1000 Under ? Sec. system $1000? low sales Motorola -- OnStar ? GM Sec. system RESCU ? Ford just out in TeleAid ? Mercedes Europe. Low sales