Europcar will be offering Smartnav as a standard feature on all new Mercedes Benz C and E-Class cars in their UK rental fleet from the beginning of March, and what’s more, Europcar customers will be able to experience the benefits of Smartnav, included within the cost of the car hire.

David Alexander, Sales & Marketing Director at Europcar, comments:
" This is a fantastic partnership as we are able to offer our customers one of the most advanced satellite navigation systems on the market, without any cost to them. In addition, because Smartnav is operated from one button on the dashboard, it is so easy to use. Customers can just jump in the car and start off for their destination without having to worry about getting lost or finding themselves stuck in traffic."

Europcar chose Smartnav above other satellite navigation systems, because it not only supports a whole range of services that directly benefit their customers, but it also supports their business strategy, customer service and product offering.

Smartnav uses Trafficmaster’s live, incident, historic and predictive traffic information to calculate the optimum route and guide motorists around jams. The drivers also benefit from Smartnav PAs, real operators, who at the touch of a button take he driver’s destination and input it into a powerful central computer. The route is sent to the car in seconds and the driver is given clear, concise vocal instructions until the vehicle reaches its destination.

David Martell, Chief Executive at Trafficmaster, comments:
" Having been chosen by Europcar, one of the principal car hire companies in the UK, and by Mercedes Benz, proves the value Smartnav has. Smartnav is well suited to the car rental market as many drivers who hire a vehicle are often in unknown territory and will appreciate an easy to use satellite navigation system. We look forward to working with both Europcar and Mercedes Benz to help them provide customers with valuable in car tools."

ENDS

Founded in Paris in 1949, Europcar is the largest rental company of European origin and a wholly owned subsidiary of Germany’s Volkswagen Group, the largest car manufacturer in Europe.

With 2685 worldwide locations in 123 countries and a fleet of more than 120,000 vehicles, Europcar is one of the world’s leading car rental companies. Europcar boasts greater airport coverage in Europe than any other car rental.

Europcar UK provides rental choice from 1 hour to 1 year, with or without a driver, for work or play. We provide a large selection of vehicle makes and models from small economy models and sporty convertibles to large family cars, minibuses and luxurious sedans, as well as vans.

Europcar, you rent a lot more than a car.

Marketing and Communications

(t) 01923811311 (e) hendersonc@mail.europcar.com

Trafficmaster
Founded in 1989, Trafficmaster Plc is the UK’s leading journey management company providing high quality satellite navigation, traffic data and vehicle tracking systems.

Trafficmaster’s leading product is Smartnav, an easy to use, technologically advanced, satellite navigation system that guides you around the jams. Smartnav uses Trafficmaster’s unique live, incident, historic and predictive traffic data to calculate the optimum route at the start of your journey and will continue to monitor the route for delays, re-routing you around jams until you reach your destination. The Smartnav service also incorporates nationwide safety camera alerts, GPS stolen vehicle tracking, emergency and breakdown service 24-hour personal assistant support.

Trafficmaster’s information is derived from its unique state-of-the-art network of nationwide static roadside sensors and transmitters that gather and distribute traffic data from over 8,000 miles of motorway and trunk routes. Designed, developed and patented by Trafficmaster, the system disseminates the gathered data at the company's headquarters in Bedfordshire, and is delivered to the customer through a number of screen or speech-based receivers. These include a variety of in-car products and services that include Smartnav, Trafficmaster Monitor, YQ², Oracle and Freeway units. Traffic information from Trafficmaster can also be obtained by phoning the 1740 service, which is run in partnership with the RAC and the UK’s main mobile phone operators. You can also log onto www.trafficmaster.net, which provides live traffic information on the PC at home or in the office.

Michele Murphy telephone +44 (0) 1234 759309