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Autonomous car navigation systems have been on the market since the mid-1980s. To date these systems have seen limited market acceptability due to high cost and lack of adequate map data bases and roadway infrastructure to make navigation systems more useful to the consumer. Today, Japan, the US, and Europe all have programs which are beginning to address making our highways more intelligent, specifying the infrastructure necessary for successful implementation. Many geographic areas are now being digitized and stored on CD ROM. Automakers are also now beginning to address the utility of these autonomous systems. One way to increase utility is to take advantage of the power of the personal computer to make a cost-effective car information and communication system which shares the navigation “computer”, display and CD player.