Olathe, Kan. — Garmin reported that Hyundai Motor America will offer the Garmin nuvi 360 portable GPS through its 725 U.S. car dealerships.
Hyundai car dealers starting this month will sell the nuvi at prices determined by the dealer and with the option to roll the purchase price into the financing of a car.
Garmin, which has about a 50 percent share of the portable GPS market, said that in less then a year the nuvi has become its most popular line.
The agreement with Hyundai is significant because it is Garmin’s first such U.S. arrangement with a car company and it allows the car dealers to offer state of the art portable GPS to consumers “when they are in a buying mood,” in the words of a Garmin spokesman, and at a price that can be negotiated along with the price of the car. “Customers see the Garmin kiosks at the dealership and it becomes really easy for them to say, let’s roll that into the deal,” he said.
The nuvi 360 began shipping in May of this year and carries a suggested retail price of $799.It offers pedestrian GPS as well in in-car navigation and has Bluetooth, an MP3 player and an audio book player. It includes a language translator and a slot for travel guide expansion cards.
