Delivered on June 2, 2025
Transition from car navigation to LBS products and services by Pioneer Corporation
Kazuya Ogawa
Senior Manager, Consumer Product Team, Mobility Services Company and Head of LBS Products)
Affiliation and position information is as of the time of distribution
Pioneer pioneers next-generation mobility experience: a strategy to combine location information services and big data
Pioneer Corporation (hereafter, Pioneer), a well-known audio manufacturer, is now working to create new value as a leading company in location information services in the mobility field, leveraging the technology and experience it has cultivated over the years. Takeshi Ogawa (Director of Product Management, Mobility Services Company) of the company appeared on the podcast "Location Weekly Japan" and spoke about its strategy and future prospects. In this article, we will introduce the forefront of Pioneer's location information business based on the content of that article.
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From Acoustics to Mobility Experience Creation: Pioneer's Current State and the Key Person in LBS Strategy
Pioneer, which began developing speakers in 1938, has expanded its business from home audio to car electronics, and has now evolved into a company that develops sound, multimedia, and location services with an automotive focus.
Mr. Ogawa joined the company in 1990, when Pioneer released the first commercially available GPS car navigation system, "AVIC-1" (with the tagline "Listen to the stars, listen to the road"). After that, he worked for Increment P Corporation (now Geotechnologies Corporation), a pioneer in car navigation map production, for 15 years, and was deeply involved in the map data business. Currently, within Pioneer, he oversees all LBS (Location Based Services)-related products, including the smartphone navigation app "MapFan (formerly Kocchi)" and the motorcycle navigation app "MOTTO GO," as well as the API/SDK that underpins them, and white label solutions for corporations. He is truly the key person driving Pioneer's location information business.
A period of change in the car navigation market: Pioneer's vision for the future of "devices x services"
The car navigation market is undergoing a major transformation.
Dedicated devices were once the norm, but with the spread of smartphones, high-function navigation apps have appeared, and free services like Google Maps have also become common. In recent years, "display audio," which works with smartphones to provide navigation functions, has rapidly spread. It has already become mainstream overseas, and Ogawa predicts that this trend will accelerate in Japan in the next 5 to 10 years.
In response to these changes in the market environment, Pioneer is promoting the linkage of "things (devices)" and "events (services)" as its strength. In addition to simply providing high-function apps, Pioneer will collect highly accurate location information and vehicle data that cannot be obtained by a smartphone alone by linking with sensors installed in the vehicle. By utilizing this, the company aims to create a navigation experience with higher added value and new services. In fact, Pioneer has already gained a high share of the aftermarket display audio market, and is considering OEM supply to automobile manufacturers in the future.
From "MapFan" to APIs and big data: Pioneer's multifaceted LBS development
Pioneer offers a wide range of location information solutions.
Consumer navigation apps:
"MapFan (formerly Kocchi)": Approximately 1 million downloads (as of May 2025). Features include detailed voice guidance and compatibility with CarPlay/Android Auto.
"MOTTO GO": A navigation app for motorcycles. Approximately 200,000 downloads (as of May 2025).
B2B solutions:
White label provision: Based on "MapFan," it enables other companies to provide navigation apps under their own brands. It has already been adopted by automobile manufacturers.
API/SDK provision:
Pioneer provides external services such as routing engines and search engines that it has developed over the years as APIs/SDKs. This allows other companies to easily incorporate reliable navigation functions into their own services.
Big data utilization:
Using probe data collected from car navigation systems and smartphone apps, it generates and provides unique, highly accurate traffic congestion information. This technology was provided as a "passable road map" during the Great East Japan Earthquake, which also contributed to society.
These big data are being used to develop new services and collaborate with other industries.
Creating new value through cross-industry collaboration: Pioneer's goal of "future mobility experiences"
Pioneer is actively seeking collaboration with partner companies in a variety of industries, including not only the automotive industry but also the tourism sector, by utilizing assets such as the big data and API/SDK it has accumulated.
"It doesn't matter what industry it is. We're looking for partners who can create new value together with us."
The company's mission is to "create more people and more excitement in the mobility experiences of the future."
To achieve this, the company aims to provide users with safer, more comfortable, and more exciting mobility experiences by highly integrating devices (Pilot products, OEM supplies) and services (apps, APIs, big data).
◾️Summary
While inheriting its DNA as an audio manufacturer, Pioneer continues to evolve into a comprehensive LBS provider, armed with deep knowledge and technical capabilities from the dawn of car navigation.
In the ever-changing mobility market, the company's efforts to create new mobility experiences based on "device and service integration" and "partnership strategies using big data" are highly suggestive when considering the future of location data utilization. We will be keeping a close eye on future developments.