Brunswick + MX, what’s up with that?

One of the most interesting back stories in the marine electronics world is how the planet’s largest boatbuilder, Brunswick Corporation, bought up a series of companies like Navman and Northstar and formed a division called Brunswick New Technologies (BNT). The move sent shock waves through the big brands used to selling lots of product to Brunswick units like Sea Ray and Boston Whaler, or to their dealers. The presumption was that Brunswick boats would soon all come with electronics built, branded, and supported by the mother corporation. Navman, in fact, has the first color plotters and fishfinders to support SmartCraft, Mercury Marine’s (i.e., Brunswick’s) own version of NMEA 2000 CANbus. But I’ve been told that each Brunswick boatbuilder, sometimes each big dealer, is free to make their own decision about electronics packages, and there seem to be a variety of brands on new Brunswick boats. What do you all see out there? And why did BNT just acquire MX Marine, a small company solidly focussed on commercial AIS and dGPS, often under the Leica label? What’s the plan?