IT'S JUST LIKE BEING THERE! AVIS RENT A CAR
CUSTOMERS ARE FIRST TO GET VIRTUAL TOURS OF VEHICLES USING
IPIX 360 DEGREE DYNAMIC IMAGING
GARDEN CITY, N.Y., Feb. 12 Avis Rent A Car customers are
the first in the rental car industry to get virtual tours of the vehicles they
want to choose, thanks to technology provided online at the Company's Web
site, (http://www.avis.com), by Internet Pictures Corporation ,
the standard for delivery of dynamic imaging.
Bumper to bumper, Avis customers can now preview the look and feel of a
vehicle before they rent. It's all possible through iPIX's immersive
360 degree images that give drivers the opportunity to see the entire inside
of a vehicle as if they were looking through a door or sitting behind the
wheel. The images capture the full ambiance, including legroom, leather seats
and the entire dashboard.
"By adding 360 degree iPIX images to our site, Avis is offering consumers
the ability to truly immerse themselves in their rental cars of choice without
leaving the comfort of their own homes," said Stanley J. Schwarz, Avis' Vice
President - Revenue Management. "We believe the iPIX images will give current
and potential customers at http://www.avis.com a more dynamic online experience. The
addition of the iPIX images enhances Avis as a recognized technology leader in
the rental car industry, as evidenced by our introduction of the OnStar System
for driver security and convenience; the creation of Avis InterActive, the
industry's most advanced, Web-based rental fleet management system for our
corporate customers; and the January 25th announcement of another industry
first -- a new Web site that allows conference and meeting attendees to
reserve their Avis cars online through a customized page."
While today's announcement represents a first for the car rental industry,
iPIX has been actively providing 360 degree images for automotive sales sites
for over two years. Last fall, iPIX announced that it would also provide
leading automotive sites with a syndicated catalog of 200 immersive images of
new cars to be released in 2001.
"iPIX dynamic imaging has once again been recognized by a top automotive
company as a necessary search and decision-making tool for the millions of
consumers visiting their Web sites," said Stu Roberson, iPIX Senior Vice
President of Worldwide Marketing. "Our customers are finding that dynamic
imaging is critical for Internet commerce."
About Avis
Avis Rent A Car is the second largest general-use car rental business in
the world, with locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
and the Latin American Caribbean region. It is operated by Avis Group
Holdings, Inc. , one of the world's leading service and information
providers of comprehensive automotive transportation and vehicle management
solutions. Avis Group also operates PHH Arval, one of the world's largest
fleet management and leasing companies, and Wright Express, the world's
largest fleet card provider.
For additional information and news, please log onto the Avis Web Site
(http://www.avis.com) or call Company News on Call at 800-758-5804, access
code #078975.
About iPIX
iPIX is the standard for dynamic imaging. Twenty-two of Media Metrix's
top 25 Web sites use iPIX to make their sites more dynamic. iPIX end-to-end
dynamic imaging solutions enable the capture, processing, hosting, and
distribution of rich media to thousands of Internet sites and millions of
Internet enabled wired and wireless devices. A broad array of industries
-- including real estate, online auctions, e-retail, automotive, travel,
publishing and entertainment -- are capitalizing on iPIX dynamic imaging to
give viewers more information, more interaction and a richer online
experience. The company is headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with
co-headquarters in San Ramon, California.
Internet Pictures and iPIX are trademarks and service marks of Internet
Pictures Corporation.