Most car manufacturers spend considerable time, effort and money to develop or source infotainment systems that typically feature a screen either integrated into the central dashboard, mounted atop the dashboard, or in fancier cars, under a single pane of glass.
Infotainment systems, such as the new Mercedes-Benz MBUX Hyperscreen, can be quite elaborate, but it needn’t be so.
Romanian car manufacturer, Dacia, which is a Groupe Renault brand, has taken the time to develop a new infotainment solution that uses a smartphone to perform typical infotainment functions such as media functions, navigation and telephony.
Dacia calls the system Media Control and it works using an app that is downloaded onto the smartphone. The app can be customised to sort and create shortcuts to your preference with a range of display options similar to what you would find on a conventional infotainment touchscreen.
The smartphone is then paired to the vehicle via Bluetooth and the phone is placed in a dedicated smartphone docking station on the dashboard. The driver can also control functions using the steering wheel-mounted controls, as you normally would.
The Renault Sandero and Sandero Stepway are popular products in South Africa and while the new versions have not yet been confirmed for our market, it remains to be seen if Media Control will be offered locally.
Take a look at the video below to see how the Media Control system works.
This article was originally published on Cars.co.za.
Cars.co.za is a leading online automotive retail portal that lists more than 70 000 vehicles stocked by hundreds of dealers countrywide, as well as the top-ranked branded SA YouTube channel. In 2015, Cars.co.za repositioned itself as a consumer champion by optimising its editorial content for the purposes of engaging and empowering its users. The Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey, in association with Lightstone Consumer, and the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – powered by WesBank, underlines the company’s objective to be the most comprehensive resource to South African vehicle buyers.
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