Volkswagen recently said it had been developing a three-dimensional navigation system that would use Google Earth satellite images and 3D graphics accelerator technology developed by Nvidia Corp. Potentially, technologies like this would allow car drivers to navigate vehicles easier in unknown places.

Volkswagen AG’s American unit is working on a prototype vehicle which features Google’s satellite mapping software to give drivers a bird’s eye view of the road ahead, according to Reuters report. However, the in-car navigation system will not be limited to simple captures from Google Earth, but will use Keyhole 2 Nv technology – which works exclusively on Nvidia GeForce-based graphics products – to display three-dimensional images.

The in-car navigation map system and a three-dimensional display will help passengers to recognize where they are in relation to the surrounding topography. Still, a spokesman for the automaker said there were no definite plans to use the technology inside cars. But the collaboration between the automaker and Google shows the progress the Web search leader is making expanding beyond the computer realm, the news agency notes.

Google introduced Google Earth last June as a free satellite imagery-based mapping product based on technology from Keyhole, a company Google bought in October 2004.