Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR], the largest provider of satellite radio in the United States with more than 2.5 million subscribers, gained a boost from consumer audio products manufacturer Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. A deal between the two companies will develop equipment to keep drivers informed of detailed traffic conditions 24 hours a day. Pioneer’s next-generation AVIC-N2, a multi-function navigation system, would work with XM NavTraffic to provide such round-the-clock service. It is an offer terrestrial radio cannot match.

Pioneer’s system reportedly is the first aftermarket, in-car navigation system to offer satellite-based traffic information using XM NavTraffic. That XM system displays traffic incidents and road flow conditions on a motorized 6.5-inch touchscreen monitor. The system, unveiled last week at the annual SEMA Show for automotive specialty products, graphically communicates traffic incidents through traffic icons to quickly identify road problems relative to a vehicle’s location. The capability would keep drivers in touch with their surroundings at all times. The system would be able to suggest alternate routes around major traffic incidents and heavily congested roads. The Pioneer AVIC-N2, coupled with XM NavTraffic, displays a detailed traffic events list that sorts local road incidents by event or by distance. The traffic list describes the exact location of incidents, provides descriptions of each occurrence and shows the distance of the events from the vehicle’s current location.

(Chance Patterson, XM Satellite Radio, 202/380-4318)