Fiat and Citroen are both reported to be planning to make affordable telematics systems available for their mass market vehicles. Fiat has developed a basic telematics system offering navigation, fleet management and safety functions.

The new system will be introduced in the company's next-generation Punto mode, due for launch in 2005. The Fiat system will feature a modular design, enabling users to add modules to their systems according to their requirements.

Meanwhile, Citroen is expected to offer an affordable telematics system on its new C2 model. The system is expected to offer safety, security, navigation and real-time traffic information functions.