In 1991, Toyota introduced the Electro-Multivision GPS system to the Japanese market in the Toyota Soarer, known in the United States as the Lexus SC. The system displayed the vehicle's location on a 6-inch color LCD screen using data from GPS satellites.
Electro-Multivision
In 1992, General Motors introduced an integrated GPS navigation phone number list system with a 6-inch full-color Sony CRT screen called TravTek for Avis Rent-A-Car rental cars in Florida.
The system later became known as GuideStar, a precision navigation system, and became a $1,995 factory option on the 1995 Oldsmobile 88 sedan. Initially, it only had maps of California or Las Vegas, a screen plugged into the center of the dashboard, and the maps were on a CD.
In 1997, the Japanese company Alpine introduced the first portable system based on maps and a GPS signal: it could be installed in any car.
In 1998, Garmin released the StreetPilot portable GPS navigation system, which became popular due to its compatibility with various brands.
StreetPilot
Sensor technology in the car
The first touchscreen appeared in the 1986 Buick Riviera, a car that took more than five years to develop. The model received little attention due to its small size and design, but the automaker's inclusion of a touchscreen as standard equipment was an innovative triumph.
As early as November 1980, Buick executives decided that by 1985 they would have a car with the most advanced electronics in the industry. The CRT screen, called the GCC, was covered with an invisible Mylar panel that used transparent conductors coded into rows and columns to perform specific functions on a given page. The function of each switch changed on a separate page.
GCC
As soon as the car was started, the screen would go to the home page, which would satisfy 90% of the driver's needs. If the display was not touched for 30 seconds, it would turn off. The GCC controlled the automatic climate control, radio, graphic equalizer, and trip calculations, as well as displaying the car's sensors and diagnostic information.
Buick executives were delighted, but the GCC system was criticized.
Despite the negative reaction, Buick installed the GCC in the 1988-89 Reatta. A modified version was later introduced: the Oldsmobile Visual Information Center, which was available in the 1989-1992 Oldsmobile Toronado Trofeo.
While critics ridiculed early attempts at touchscreens, modern cars have all controls placed on them, like the Tesla Model 3.
It was after the addition of a touchscreen that GPS became a user-friendly device.