TomTom will stop selling navigation systems in the US and Canada

TomTom will stop selling navigation systems in the US and Canada. At this time, web shops and stores are still selling stock, but the stock will not be replenished later. The same applies to TomTom's sale of specific motorcycle navigation systems. A topic about the motorcycle world and also discussed on the 44th Chromeburner Motorcycle Podcast.

TomTom USA and Canada

In a statement, TomTom announced that its decision last year to stop selling navigation systems in the US was indeed true. Despite 'millions of systems' being sold in recent decades. However, in the same statement, TomTom says that the North American market is no longer an important part of its business operations. No further explanations are given here, but it should not be a secret that TomTom has recently received considerable competition from mobile applications such as Google Maps, Apple Maps and, for example, Waze. This puts considerable pressure on sales of navigation systems. TomTom America will continue to provide service and updates to users throughout the life of the devices. Or at least until the next GPS weekly number change.

Motorcycle Navigation

Naturally, this has an effect on the motorcyclist. Especially those not yet equipped with the TomTom Rider navigation system. TomTom America then represents customers TomTom Go Ride app. This app is available for Android and Apple and offers the same functions as Tom Tom Rider. It lets you select winding routes, create your own routes and import GPX files. You can create your own routes with up to 150 waypoints, which may not be enough for long trips. Additionally, most phones are not suitable for mounting on a motorcycle. It is not only waterproof and works with gloves. The bigger problem is that vibrations from driving can break camera sensors, cause image stabilization to not work, or break other components.

TomTom Europe

In a reply to Nieuwsmotor, TomTom said it will continue to serve the European (and therefore Dutch) market for the time being. In Europe, demand for navigation systems for cars, trucks and motorcycles is still high, according to TomTom. Last year, the brand introduced five new navigation systems, and TomTom indicates that new systems will continue to hit the market in the future.

New target group

However, this does not change the fact that TomTom now has a different revenue model. The bulk of revenue no longer comes from the sale of navigation systems. In recent years, TomTom has increasingly sought collaborations with other companies that use route information and maps. Examples include Microsoft, but also companies like Uber that buy maps and other solutions from TomTom. Additionally, there is collaboration Stellandis (Fiat, Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, etc.), they use TomTom for navigation systems in their cars.

Photo credit: Testmotor.nl TomTom Rider 550 Motorcycle Navigation Testsystem