How do you get someone to pay hundreds of dollars for an inferior product, when most people already have a better one in their pocket?

That’s the problem facing carmakers trying to sell built-in navigation systems when superior alternatives such as Apple’s Maps, Google Maps and Waze are available for free to anyone with a smartphone — which is almost everybody.

Most in-dash navigation systems aren’t as smart as your phone, perhaps lacking traffic data or point-of-interest information, and stuck with clunky update procedures. And solutions like Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto, which essentially mirror your phone on the screen of your car’s console, force carmakers to cede an important driver experience to third parties.

But improvements are on the horizon. In-dash navigation systems will be getting smarter, not just learning your preferences and using data connections for timely updates, but crowdsourcing sensor information from connected vehicles to assess traffic problems and road conditions — even guiding you around a newly formed pothole.