The Global Positioning System (GPS) navigators have been selling like hotcakes in the US and Europe. India is next, but navigation features alone won't make such devices popular here, according to Ashutosh Pande, managing director of GPS chipmaker SiRF Technology India.
"As the middle class moves up economically, most of them have drivers," Pande says. "Your driver is expected to know the way. So why would I need a navigation system?"
If GPS device makers like Garmin and TomTom want to be successful in India, they must highlight features like MP3 and video playing, photo viewing and child tracking when marketing their products, he added.
"You have that MP3 player or video player as your entertainment in the car while your chauffeur is driving. If he gets lost, that's when the navigation function will help," said Pande.