Nokia signs HERE mapping deal with Toyota Europe to bring Nokia Local Search to more cars
Expanding its partnerships with some of the biggest names in car manufacturing, Nokia has signed a deal with the European arm of the world's biggest car maker — Toyota — to integrate part …
Context & Ripple Effects
Nokia had already consolidated its location and mapping work under the HERE brand in November 2012. The Toyota Europe agreement gives that rebrand a concrete automotive distribution channel for Nokia Local Search.
The significance is less the branding exercise than the placement: Toyota becomes a named vehicle-maker customer for a service Nokia is positioning as part of its location business.
First-order effects
- Toyota Europe will integrate Nokia Local Search into more vehicles, extending the service's availability to its in-car users.
- Nokia gains a named automotive deployment for HERE's local-search offering, rather than relying solely on the November 2012 brand launch.
Second-order effects
- Toyota's selection gives Nokia a stronger reference point in discussions with other vehicle manufacturers evaluating embedded location and search services.
Third-order effects
- If other manufacturers adopt similar integrations, automotive distribution will make embedded search placement a more consequential source of leverage for mapping providers than consumer-facing map branding alone.
The trend: Location providers are seeking to turn mapping assets into embedded automotive services through direct manufacturer partnerships.