Magellan 750M Plus, Magellan Meridian Color Lead the Way On Cross-Country ``Drive to Survive'' Event, Led by Actor Dennis Weaver
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--May 7, 2003--Actor Dennis Weaver and his energy-efficiency team are demonstrating the energy-saving benefits of Magellan(R) GPS navigation products on a 14-day cross-country trek. The trip from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., known as the Drive to Survive 2003, was created by the Institute of Ecolonomics, which Weaver co-founded, to demonstrate the viability and availability of hybrid, hydrogen and alternative fuel vehicles. Thanks to the Magellan 750M(TM) vehicle navigation systems and Magellan Meridian(R) Color GPS units, donated by Thales Navigation, Inc., one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of GPS products, the caravan is reaching each destination along its route without energy-wasting wrong turns and missed landmarks.
"Thales Navigation is honored to be associated with Drive to Survive -- an educational, effective, eco-conscious event," said Lonnie Arima, vice president of worldwide consumer sales and marketing for Thales Navigation. "We embrace the mission of the Institute of Ecolonomics and are pleased to support the drive to Washington D.C. by donating some of our leading Magellan GPS navigation products to the cause."
Drive to Survive team member Tai Robinson said the Magellan products have enabled him and his fellow teammates to drive with more confidence, in addition to helping them save time and fuel by not getting lost on the journey. "Using the Magellan 750M Plus navigation system has really made driving much more enjoyable," Robinson said. "We have more free time to take in the sights as we drive, because we know exactly where we are and we know we're getting exactly where we need to be without looking at a map and without taking our eyes off of the road."
The newly introduced Magellan 750M Plus is a lightweight, fully portable vehicle navigation solution that offers voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions to nearly every address in the continental U.S. The 750M Plus sets up in seconds for use in any vehicle -- without the cost and inconvenience of installation. The system offers an accuracy-enhanced, 12-channel GPS receiver and a sensitive antenna that ensures a strong GPS signal reception so users can place the system nearly anywhere inside the vehicle.
The pocketsize Magellan Meridian(R) Color is the first-ever, full-color handheld GPS receiver and is the flagship of the premium, high-performance Meridian series, which offers memory expansion through industry standard secure digital memory cards. The one-of-a-kind Meridian Color is feature-packed with a built-in 16MB map database that contains information for travel by land and water. The 16-color, 120 x 160 pixel backlit display provides a brilliant view of highways, major roads, parks, waterways, airports, cities and marine navigation aids.
Drive to Survive participants will arrive in Washington D.C. on May 14, having stopped in cities across the country to showcase cutting-edge vehicles powered by electricity, hydrogen, compressed natural gas, biodiesel, methanol and ethanol, in an effort to emphasize energy independence and to inform the public about developing a hydrogen economy. Along the way, the drive team will visit San Francisco, Sacramento, Reno, Bakersfield, Fresno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Philadelphia.
For the complete Drive to Survive event route, and other event information, visit www.drivetosurvive.info.
For additional information about the Magellan 750M Plus vehicle navigation system and the Magellan Meridian Color, visit www.magellangps.com or call 800-669-4477.
About Thales Navigation
Thales Navigation is one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of positioning, navigation and guidance equipment with global operations. Thales Navigation markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets. Through its joint venture with Hertz, Thales Navigation has developed the Hertz NeverLost(R) vehicle navigation system. Thales Navigation's key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first handheld GPS with industry standard Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities.
Thales Navigation, headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. with European headquarters in Carquefou, France, is a subsidiary of Thales, a world leader in professional electronics in three key markets: Aerospace, Defense and Information Technology & Services (IT&S). The Group employs 60,000 people in nearly 50 countries worldwide, and generated revenues of over $11 billion in 2002. For more information, visit www.thalesnavigation.com.
(C) 2003 Thales Navigation Inc. All rights reserved. Magellan, Meridian and 750M are trademarks of Thales Navigation Inc. NeverLost is a registered trademark of The Hertz Corporation.
Note to Editors: Downloadable product images are available at: http://www.magellangps.com/en/news/mediaResources/media_con.asp