‘We’re Not Google’ Won’t Cut It for TomTom
It wants to be the go-to provider of high-definition maps for autonomous cars. But TomTom is lacking direction and losing customers.
The world according to the computer.
Photographer: MapboxTomTom NV’s pitch to customers is simple: It’s not Google. Yet as jittery as carmakers might be about letting the Alphabet Inc. unit into their vehicles, investors are wary that the Dutch mapmaker is struggling to keep pace with the Silicon Valley behemoth. They have good reason to be concerned.
Once known for its satnavs, TomTom is competing to create the best high-definition maps for the nascent self-driving car industry. Autonomous vehicles need far more detailed data than humans because GPS is only accurate to within about 16 feet — the difference between driving down the sidewalk or the road.