Hertz to Install On-Board Navigating Computers

07/11/96

The Hertz Corporation has announced that it has signed a deal with Rockwell Automotive to install $23 million worth of Rockwell-manufactured Hertz NeverLost navigation units in Hertz cars in 16 cities, beginning this month. Hertz plans to have 8,000 of the units installed by October 1996, eight times more than any other car rental company.

Rockwell's Hertz NeverLost units combine Global Positioning System satellite technology with with dead-reckoning and map matching technology. They include a four-inch color monitor and voice prompts, and will be installed into mid- and full-sized rental cars. The navigation units provide easy-to-follow, turn-by-turn directions to virtually any address within a defined geographic area. The driver can also select directions from a menu of thousands of area destinations. The units will be positioned between the driver and passenger seats in the front of the car, accessible by either individual. Cars equipped with the NeverLost navigation unit will cost renters an additional $6.00 per day.

The first city to receive the new units will be Atlanta, where 500 will be installed for the Summer Olympics. Other cities receiving units are Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Seattle.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel