Hertz deploys sat nav across Europe
A new portable version of the satellite navigation system, Hertz NeverLost, is now available at key gateway cities and airports across Europe, with the updated system enabling customers to enjoy a stress-free journey not only when they are in their Hertz rental car, but also outside the car, as the portable GPS unit can now be used as a personal tour guide.
The pocket size and lightweight Hertz NeverLost units include street maps for customers who have parked their car and want to continue their journey on foot with the touchscreen systems having a number of other new features, including two additional languages – Japanese and Korean (taking the total number of languages to 13) and 2D and 3D mapping and traffic information.
Over one million points of interest are stored in the system, including the all important 2007 Rugby World Cup Stadiums in France, Wales and Scotland.
More than 1,500 new portable units will be available from key gateway airports and cities across Europe, with the introduction of the new units bringing the total number of NeverLost satellite navigation systems to 4000 units, which are available at over 240 Hertz locations in 16 countries across Europe.
Customers can now also arrange to pick the unit up in one location and drop it off at another NeverLost location in the same country, enabling even greater flexibility in the planning of that all important trip.
Hertz NeverLost was initially launched in Europe in November 2005 and has proven to be highly popular, with over 100,000 customers opting for it as part of their Hertz rental during 2006.
Fabrice Genty, Director Navigation Systems – Europe, at Hertz, said: “Our original Hertz NeverLost units were very popular.” “We identified that it would be hugely beneficial to our business and leisure customers to extend the functionality of the system by offering navigational assistance while travelling by foot as well as by road, so the new units fit neatly in your pocket doing away with the need for cumbersome paper maps and making exploring holiday destinations much easier and more fun.”
Hertz NeverLost is specially designed for Hertz and is based on Magellan’s award-winning Roadmate 760 and Maestro products.
It is the only navigation system available in the car rental market to include Magellan’s industry leading SayWhere text-to-speech technology, which announces upcoming street names in advance.
The system has mapping for 27 countries, works across borders and has built-in intelligence to automatically adjust volume levels to be heard above traffic, or wind noise at higher speeds.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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