Honda Insight links to traffic data

By re-routing around congestion and accidents, fuel consumption and emissions will be reduced.
Neil Dowling

Contributing Journalist

2 min read

The Insight VTi-L hybrid, launched this week, will include as standard equipment the SUNA digital traffic information system. SUNA is Australia's first traffic channel that broadcasts detailed information on traffic congestion and other road conditions to the VTi-L's satellite navigation system.

It allows owners of Insights in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth to access immediate traffic information such as accidents, road closures, traffic congestion, major road works and special events.

Honda Australia's sales and marketing manager, Stephen Collins, says it helps drivers have an easier, more efficient and stress-free drive.

"This is the first time our in-car satellite navigation systems have included live traffic information, and we see great value in being able to offer this service to our customers," he says.

"With Honda's focus on reducing fuel consumption and maximising efficiency, this technology is a fantastic match to our new Honda Insight VTi-L."

The SUNA service monitors traffic conditions using tens of thousands of traffic sensors supplemented with other sources including thousands of probe vehicles, freeway sensors, tow truck allocations, traffic cameras as well as roadwork and special events information.

All of this information is validated by a team of traffic operators and then sent to the in-car navigation device. SUNA is a standard feature on Honda's satellite navigation system in the Insight VTi-L with other models to follow.

Neil Dowling

Contributing Journalist

GoAutoMedia Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting. It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver and then when he started a motoring section in Perth’s The Western Mail. He was then appointed as a finance writer for the evening Daily News, supplemented by writing its motoring column. He moved to The Sunday Times as finance editor and after a nine-year term, finally drove back into motoring when in 1998 he was asked to rebrand and restyle the newspaper’s motoring section, expanding it over 12 years from a two-page section to a 36-page lift-out. In 2010 he was selected to join News Ltd’s national motoring group Carsguide and covered national and international events, launches, news conferences and Car of the Year awards until November 2014 when he moved into freelancing, working for GoAuto, The West Australian, Western 4WDriver magazine, Bauer Media and as an online content writer for one of Australia’s biggest car groups. He has involved himself in all aspects including motorsport where he has competed in everything from motocross to motorkhanas and rallies including Targa West and the ARC Forest Rally. He loves all facets of the car industry, from design, manufacture, testing, marketing and even business structures and believes cars are one of the few high-volume consumables to combine a very high degree of engineering enlivened with an even higher degree of emotion from its consumers.
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