Nissan pilots digital car manual

NISSAN has brought the humble car manual into the 21st Century with a new smartphone app that contains everything drivers need, including warning light recognition.

The ‘iManual’ system is being trialled with the Micra manual, since Nissan has judged that the stylish supermini’s owners are the most likely to adopt and use the iPhone- and Android-compatible app.

It squeezes the paper manual’s entire contents into an easy-to-manage format that users can access anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection.

Also of great help is the warning light recognition, which allows users to point their phone’s camera at the light in question to find out what it means. Visual recognition software in the app does the hard work, making endless page-flipping a thing of the past.

The app was developed after Nissan completed a survey that clearly showed Britons have fallen out of love with their cars’ manuals.

Only 57% had ever consulted their car’s manual at all, while just 13% had used it more than twice.

Nissan says that this means drivers simply give up with the manual when they can’t find what they need.

In the survey 10% of respondents admitted that they didn’t even know where their car’s manual was.

Guillaume Masurel, Nissan GB Marketing Director said: “Car manuals are often the most useful but least used resource and the Nissan Micra iManual is designed to enhance the driving experience and allow motorists to really understand their car further.

“While automotive design and technology has evolved, the car manual has failed to follow suit and during this digital age we feel there’s a huge opportunity to empower our customers and really enable them to understand what’s happening both above and below their car’s exterior.”

By Press Association reporter