New Volkswagen navigation powered by Google Earth

Volkswagen, Google, and graphics chipmaker, nVidia, are working on an in-car navigation map system and display that is 3-dimensional and more realistic than anything that's available today. Driver and passenger will be able to instinctively recognize where they are in relation to the surrounding topography, especially in urban areas that are depicted with depth and accurate size relationships between buildings and roads. Volkswagen, working through its Electronic Research Laboratory, in Palo Alto, Calif., together with Google and nVidia, is also working on other
advancements, including automatic personalized content updates for its vehicle navigation systems.



Highlights of Volkswagen's prototype vehicle include a vehicle-centric touchscreen interface to Google Earth with state-of-the-art graphics, accurate 3D maps and real-time traffic updates and routing. This open system harnesses the power of the web to maintain a dynamic database of current information on restaurants, dealerships, gas stations and other points of interest that can be overlaid directly onto the user's 3D map.

The companies said the technologies "will be available on showroom floors in the near future."