Honda to Debut Smartphone-Based Traffic App

Honda Motor Co. plans to introduce a service in Thailand later this month that calculates traffic congestion using data from smartphones, according to The Nikkei.

Drivers download a free navigation app to display a map on their phones that shows local real-time traffic conditions. The reports are calculated by a Honda computer processing center that aggregates the positions and movements of the users' phones.

Honda points out that the low-cost subscription system will become increasingly accurate as more drivers download the app.

The new service is a variant of the InterNavi telematics system Honda introduced in Japan 15 years ago. That service has expanded to combine in-car navigation with localized, on-demand traffic information including congestion alerts that drivers can download with their phones.

Unlike InterNavi, the phone-based Thai system does not require any in-car hardware. Honda says it aims to eventually expand the new service into India and China.