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Avis and Motorola Kick Off Peak Travel
Season with National Launch
In
and out of the car, consumers can travel with confidence, ease, and
peace-of-mind
Parsippany, NJ and
Libertyville, IL – 13 May 2004 – In anticipation of the busy
Memorial Day travel weekend when millions of Americans will hit the road, Avis
Rent A Car and Motorola today announced completion of the nationwide rollout of
“Avis Assist” – a mobile phone-based navigation system now
available in 57 U.S. cities.
Powered by
Motorola’s VIAMOTO software, Avis Assist gives travelers the ability to
bypass unwieldy maps and confusing gas station directions by gaining instant
“talking” directions from a Motorola handset, which can easily be
mounted in the car or carried in your
pocket.
“Since we first introduced Avis
Assist late last year, consumer acceptance has exceeded our expectations,”
said Scott Deaver, executive vice president of marketing for Cendant Car Rental
Group, the parent company of Avis. “The fact that Avis Assist can be used
in conjunction with any vehicle is proving to be especially attractive to our
renters. This confirms our belief that drivers not only want GPS service, but
also seek mobility, speed and ease of use to reap the
benefits.”
To map out a route, travelers
simply contact the call center for a live Avis Advisor or input their
destination through the phone keypad. Once the destination is received, the
VIAMOTO system calculates a route, downloads it from a server to the mobile
handset, and begins pinpointing the traveler’s location to ensure accurate
directions. As soon as the car begins moving, street-specific directions are
communicated through the handset’s speakerphone. If the traveler takes a
wrong turn, the system knows it and will recalculate the route — helping
to ensure no more wrong
turns!
“Directions and navigational
applications are among the top requests for mobile consumers,” said Neal
Campbell, general manager of location services for Motorola. “By
harnessing Motorola’s deep understanding of GPS, cellular and software
technologies, we created a simple solution in VIAMOTO that delivers what
consumers want while giving companies like Avis a tool to differentiate and
drive sales.”
One-third of all U.S.
wireless users are interested in receiving location-based information such as
driving directions, according to the Yankee Group. “VIAMOTO and Avis are
together meeting an acute need in the market,” says Eugene Signorini,
wireless analyst with the Yankee Group, “while solving problems for people
on the go.”
The latest additions to the
roster of cities offering Avis Assist include: Seattle, Houston and
Honolulu.
Motorola and Avis plan to expand the
Avis Assist suite of offerings to include real-time traffic updates and
alternate routes, as well as Amber Alert notices, later this
summer. In
addition, Motorola’s VIAMOTO solution will offer users the ability to
receive information on local restaurants and schedule reservations, receive
updates on event listings, and identify areas of interest such as the closest
ATM.
Avis Assist units can be rented in
conjunction with any Avis vehicle at available locations for an additional $9.95
per day. Equipment can be reserved in advance at
888-777-AVIS.
About
Avis
Avis Rent A Car System, Inc. and its
subsidiaries operate the world's second largest general-use car rental brand,
providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services at nearly
1,800 locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the
Latin American / Caribbean region. Avis is one of the world's top brands for
customer loyalty, ranking as the number one rental car brand and the number one
brand overall among 182 in the 2003 Brand Keys® Customer Loyalty Index, and
tying for the highest ranking in the 2003 J.D. Power & Associates rental car
customer satisfaction study. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cendant
Corporation (NYSE: CD), a diversified global provider of business and consumer
services primarily within the real estate and travel sectors. For more
information visit www.avis.com or www.cendant.com/media.
About
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a
global leader in wireless, broadband and automotive communications technologies
that help make life smarter, safer, simpler, synchronized and fun. Sales in
2003 were US$27.1 billion. Motorola creates innovative technological solutions
that benefit people at home, at work and on the move. The company also is a
progressive corporate citizen dedicated to operating ethically, protecting the
environment and supporting the communities in which it does business. For more
information: www.motorola.com.
# #
#
Media
Contacts:
Avis
Susan
McGowan
+1.973.496.3916
susan.mcgowan@cendant.com
Edelman
Public Relations
Michelle
Sabolich
+1.312.233.1374
michelle.sabolich@edelman.com
Motorola
Sharen
Santoski
+1.617.252.9662
sharen.santoski@motorola.com
MOTOROLA
and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.
© Motorola, Inc.
2004.
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