Fiat Blue&Me LIVE comes to USA

[mvl]

In the New York auto-show, Fiat is announcing its return to the USA with the Fiat 500c, selling in Spring 2012 (press release here).

With this, Fiat will bring along its Tomtom Blue&Me system, making it the second factory navigation partnership to reach the USA (the first was the Subaru/Eclipse partnership).

The press release describes "real time traffic and weather", making it appear that this will be the new LIVE Edition of the Blue&Me system.

This will be a more modern Tomtom introduction, as the Eclipse was based on Tomtom 2007 app 7.x technology.

Blue&Me is based on 2009 app 9.x technology (and possibly newer for LIVE models), so it will be the most recent factory-installed Tomtom software available in the USA.

 

[mvl]

Oops, I misread the press release. The 2012 model will go on sale Spring 2011.

 

[mvl]

Tomtom has formally announced this launch here.

Two new things from the press release:
1) The Tomtom release doesn't mention LIVE services, although the FIAT release did. Maybe the LIVE component won't be offered after all.
2) It will be an app 10.x myTomtom-based build