Average age of vehicles on UK roads increases

Post Office Car Insurance reminds drivers of the importance of vehicle maintenanceRecent research from the Department of Transport has revealed that the average age of vehicles on the road in the UK is increasing. In 2009, cars licensed in the UK had been registered for an average of 7.1 years, compared to 6.6 years in 2003. In addition, Post Office Car Insurance research has also found that 48 per cent of car owners have skimped on repairs and maintenance to save money in the past year. With the age of cars on UK roads increasing, Post Office Car Insurance is advising drivers not to cut corners on their vehicle maintenance, as avoiding spending money on repairs could invalidate a car insurance policy. With so many UK motorists failing to properly maintain their vehicles, Post Office Car Insurance reminds motorists that overlooking wear and tear could affect car insurance policies.Post Office Head of Car Insurance Gerry Barrett said: "Saving a few pounds may seem like a good idea at the time, but when ignored for too long even smaller problems can escalate and put your car at an increased risk of breaking down. Failing to maintain your car could even result in it being deemed unroadworthy and therefore invalidate your car insurance."Source: RealWire

Fly-Drive Racing Is Back

As the Maserati Trofeo motor-racing series comes to Brands Hatch this weekend, we take a look at this unique concept in fly-drive motor-racingThe Maserati Trofeo single-marque race series is back, with a newer, faster car and a whole new way to go racing. When the Trofeo series launched in 2003 it became the first "fly-drive" racing experience. The idea is that non-professionals can participate in a prestigious international race series, but without the necessity of owning the car or dealing with the mechanical and logistical support. Maserati supply the car, a 450hp Trofeo GranTurismo MC, deal with the technical support, transport the car to the race tracks, supply the mechanics and ensure that all the driver has to do is turn up and race.Back for 2010, the concept has been refined to include a more comprehensive race weekend, not just for the drivers but also for their friends, family and guests. At each round there will be the Maserati Lounge, an oasis of peace and tranquillity amongst the noise and smells of the race paddock, where drivers, friends and sponsors can soak up the experience.The race car, a Maserati Trofeo GranTurismo MC, is based on the GranTurismo S road car, but with a few significant modifications to adapt it for track use. Power output from the 4.7-litre V8 is up to 450hp thanks to some remapping of the ECU, a racing air filter and a race exhaust — more than enough power to guarantee some close and exciting racing.The modifications applied to the standard road car by the designers at the Maserati Design Centre include improved aerodynamics (while maintaining the classic Pininfarina styling). There has been some dramatic weight saving by stripping out the normally luxurious interior and replacing certain items with carbon-fibre versions. Reliability, synonymous with Maserati ownership, should be maintained as the car keeps the original design for the engine, gearbox and transmission.This unique concept in motor-racing is attracting a lot of attention, and a number of gentleman racers and pop stars have taken the opportunity to get behind the wheel of this gorgeous Italian thoroughbred and experience the thrill and excitement of high-octane motor racing, but without the complications involved in running your own race team.The Maserati Trofeo series runs alongside the World Touring Car Championships, one of the most popular race series on the international race calendar. The first two rounds were at Monza and Zolder, and now the championship moves to Brands Hatch in the UK this weekend. Next on the calendar is Brno in the Czech Republic on July 31/Aug 1, Oschersleben in Germany on September 4/5, Valencia in Spain on September 18/19, and Mugello in Italy on October 9/10.endswww.thenewsmarket.com/maseratiwww.maseraticorse.comwww.media.maserati.com For further information, please contact:Lisa Barnardlisa.barnard@iln.co.uk+44 (0) 207 426 1011+44 (0) 7887 823116Source: RealWire

Carhiremarket.com reveals the best (and worst) motors to impress your partner on a first date

LONDON, UK 01 August 2012 - If you want to impress on a first date then a Lamborghini or Porsche is the clear favourite with men and women, according to a survey by carhiremarket.com, which reveals that sports cars top the list of the most impressive wheels. In contrast, pulling up to pick up a prospective date in an electric vehicle or pimped up car is a definite no-no. The survey of 1,000 Brits also reveals that for the older lady or gent, a vintage car like a Bentley or Rolls Royce could be just the ticket to securing a second date. And it seems that size really does matter, as one in five men would be impressed to see their date driving a large 4x4, while surprisingly women like to see their partner in a small and cheeky car like a mini, rather than a Chelsea tractor. What's inside the car is also important, with a smelly interior being the biggest turn off. Women are also keen to avoid their dates having a baby seat in the back, while men are more likely to reel at a mass of dog hair or wet towels. If you don't think your wheels are up to the job, why not hire a car for the day to impress your date? Here are some of the latest deals in the UK from carhiremarket.com, which start for collection from 12:00 on 10th August for 24 hours:London city: £35.80 - small car£88.34 - Premium/LuxuryBirmingham/Manchester city:£25.52 - small car£101.14 - Premium/LuxuryFor more information on the best value car hire visit www.carhiremarket.com- Ends -About carhiremarket.comcarhiremarket.com is an independent price comparison website whereby customers can choose a car hire out of 24,000,000 offers from 130 suppliers and 90.000 stations in 178 countries and book directly. carhiremarket.com is connected with the most reputable car hire suppliers worldwide over an XML-reservation interface. The customers can reserve their desired car hire with only two steps and can specify their offer by filtering through price, car category, equipment, doors / passenger and supplier. In addition, the customer can immediately see which services are included in the offer. Another advantage: Bookings can be made directly on the site. By exclusively negotiated rates with the car rental companies carhiremarket.com also guarantees special terms and prices. Furthermore, our trained call centre provides support to our customers with their online reservations and also with any other questions around the subject rental car. They are available by phone from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - for free. The team care about concerns and booking procedures. From England you dial the free service-hotline 0800 098 82 20. Short news also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/carhiremarket.PR contactHannah WrightEML Wildfirecarhiremarket@emlwildfire.com0208 408 8000Source: RealWire

Vintage Porsches drive Ireland’s epic Wild Atlantic Way

The road at the edge of the world A fleet of 38 Porsche enthusiasts took on the world’s longest continuous driving route – Ireland’s stunning Wild Atlantic Way, named ‘the most scenic drive in the world’ by The Huffington Post. Organised by the passionate and dedicated team at Porsche Club Ireland, the inaugural Wild Atlantic Way trip attracted Porsche drivers from around the world sparking the interest of fighter pilots, rally drivers, land speed record breakers and automotive craftsmen.This winding and picturesque road runs the entire length of Ireland’s rugged west coast, over 1550 miles. The trail offers up stunning scenery, from soaring cliff-tops, golden beaches, jutting headlands and of course, the wild and crashing Atlantic Ocean, which over the years has shaped the area’s jagged and alluring coastline. “The Wild Atlantic Way shows you every challenge of driving, but in the most beautiful countryside you could ever come across”, reflects Mel Nolan, a former world speed champion and Wild Atlantic Way native.Want to embark on your own exhilarating adventure? Whether you’d like to explore the west coast’s entire length like the Porsche crew, or would prefer to break it into sections, there’s a unique Wild Atlantic Way getaway for everyone.---- EndsWildAtlanticWay.com is the Wild Atlantic Way's official tourism information website and is operated by Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority. For further information please contact Elaine Joyce at In The Company of Huskies. content@wildatlanticway.com (01) 6681529Source: RealWire

Thunderhead partners with Aston Martin to Drive a New Era for High Performance Sports Cars

The iconic British luxury brand selects Thunderhead’s ONE Engagement Hub to support its Customer Engagement strategy15 February 2017, London – Thunderhead, the leader in enterprise technology for customer engagement, today announces its collaboration with Aston Martin, the British sports car manufacturer, to increase Aston Martin’s understanding of customer behaviour and to enrich their customer experience.Thunderhead’s ONE is a cloud-based customer engagement platform that surfaces unique customer insight and journey behaviour. It enables enterprises across all industry sectors to optimise marketing and customer retention strategies, and drive conversation-led engagement, building stronger and more valuable relationships with their customers.Aston Martin will use Thunderhead’s ONE Engagement Hub to deliver insights and a rich understanding of each customer’s individual journey. Aston Martin intends to use the behavioural insights and journey analytics delivered by ONE to connect to both dealers and customers, building deeper and more personal relationships with prospective and current customers. Aston Martin Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Simon Sproule commented, “Thunderhead’s ONE Engagement Hub allows us to develop a greater understanding of our customers and prospects, in line with their expectations of our brand. Our 2nd Century plan will see our business grow, supported by the greater insight and intelligence that ONE will deliver.”“The next generation of Aston Martin cars are incredibly exciting,” said Glen Manchester, Thunderhead CEO and founder. “Optimising Aston Martin’s investment in Salesforce CRM, ONE is the Customer Operating System™ that will deliver true omni-channel customer engagement and usher in a new era of customer centricity and innovation. We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Aston Martin to make their visionary approach to customer engagement a reality.”About Aston Martin Aston Martin is an independent British luxury sports car company. Famous for the creation of beautiful hand-crafted sports cars, the Aston Martin range today comprises the Vantage, Rapide S, Vanquish, DB11 and special-series cars such as the Vanquish Zagato and Aston Martin Vulcan. Based in Gaydon, England, Aston Martin designs and creates sports cars which are sold in more than 50 countries around the world. Founded in 1913, the company recently launched its six-year Second Century plan for sustainable long-term growth. This is underpinned by the replacement of our entire sports car range, including the all-new DB11, an all-electric RapidE, the reintroduction of the Lagonda marque, as well as the development of a new manufacturing centre in St Athan, Wales which will build our new sports utility vehicle.About ThunderheadCustomers don’t talk to you because they like you, they talk to you because they need something; they need it now and on the platform that suits them.At Thunderhead we join up web, mobile, high street and contact centre customer experiences, connecting them with your existing CRM system giving you a multi-dimensional view of your customers.Our intuitive ONE Engagement Hub allows you to act on the right customer need at the right time. For the first time, customer relationships can be effectively managed at scale.Now you can interact with customers as individuals. Effortless engagement just got personal.Thunderhead | Effortless Engagement. Happier Customers.www.thunderhead.comThunderhead helps brands and consumers live in harmony. Unlock the potential of effortless engagement and happier customers with Thunderhead.Source: RealWire

ADLV Working With DVLA on New Real-Time Driving Licence Data Verification System For Fleets

The recently launched ADLV (the Association for Driving Licence Verification) http://www.adlv.co.uk/ has announced that it is now working closely with the DVLA on a new digital service for fleet customers to check driving licence data in real-time. Subject to licence holder consent, the new secure digital web services technology will enable ADLV members, and other organizations meeting DVLA requirements who sign up to the service, to perform 24/7 real-time licence checks for the first time. The new system will also enable faster batch processing of licence data. Ultimately, it is intended that the new service will replace the DVLA's current EDECS (Electronic Driver Entitlement Checking Service) system, which is used by members of the ADLV to provide secure driver licence information to many UK fleet operators of all sizes across UK industry. Fleet users of the service will also continue to have access to comprehensive management reporting on driver checks using the services of Approved Operators of the ADLV.Kevin Curtis the ADLV's Technical Director believes that the new service's benefits are clear and that there will also be a best practice dividend. In his view, "By working closely with the DVLA on this new platform, ADLV members can deliver 24/7 real-time checking and faster batch processing for fleet users. This will be a major advance over the current service and as such the new system will re-define best practice across the sector."Eddie Eusebi a founder member of the ADLV welcomed Kevin's comments adding, "The formation of the ADLV means that we are able to work with the DVLA on many different fronts ensuring best practice and compliance for our members."Initial ADLV member organisations include: Licence Check Ltd, Drivercheck Ltd, Licence Bureau Ltd, Fleet Claims Administration Ltd, DrivingMonitor, AA DriveTech (UK) Ltd, GB Group plc, Pinewood Technologies, Admin Business Solutions, Interactive Driving Systems Ltd, Fleet Partnership Solutions Ltd, Chalcheck Limited, Descartes Systems UK Ltd, Intelligent Data Systems (UK) Ltd., Inchcape Fleet Solutions & Jaama Limited.The service is nearing completion and is scheduled for launch in early 2015.EndsNote To Editors: About the ADLV (http://www.adlv.co.uk/) The Association for Driving License Verification has been established to promote and encourage best practice within the industry for the initial and continued validation of driver entitlement for responsible employers and road safety. The ADLV will both represent and regulate Members organisations in accordance with its rigorous Code of Conduct. For further information please contact:Richard Payne-GillADLV07534 199236 richard.paynegill@adlv.co.ukor Leigh RichardsThe Right Image PR & Marketing Group leigh.richards@therightimage.co.uk 07758 372527Source: RealWire

https://www.realwire.com/releases/ADLV-Working-With-DVLA-on-New-Real-Time-Driving-Licence-Data-Verification

Rajant and DG World partnership on display at TOC Asia 2019

Rajant’s Secure and Resilient Industrial Wireless Network Featured as the Backbone Solution for DG World’s Advanced Vehicle AutomationMalvern, PA – April 9, 2019: Rajant Corporation, the exclusive provider of Kinetic Mesh® wireless networks, has entered into a strategic partnership with DG World, a Dubai-based company that develops products and solutions using the most advanced form of Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and self-driving systems. This partnership formalizes a working relationship the two companies have had for two years and aligns with their co-exhibition at TOC Asia 2019 at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on April 9th-10th, 2019 (Booth D4).DG World evaluated a range of technologies before choosing Rajant’s secure and resilient industrial wireless network as their backbone solution for their self-driving container terminal trucks. Due to the mission-critical nature of their fleet, specific to seaport operations, DG World requires continuous connectivity for never-fail mobility. Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh network is not only mobile but smart, working peer-to-peer to form connections with other nodes as they move in range. The network nodes can hold multiple connections simultaneously over multiple frequencies. Often in port operations, one path can become blocked. Rajant’s technology has machine learning capability to identify and route communications via the next-best available option overcoming any obstruction instantaneously and autonomously without outside intervention.Chris Mason, Rajant’s Director of Sales – EMEA, shared: “DG World has been working with Rajant since 2017, incorporating Kinetic Mesh with InstaMesh® into their advanced vehicle automation technology. The resiliency, high bandwidth and low latency of Rajant’s Mesh network have enabled them to develop sophisticated control systems ideally suited for use in container ports.” DG World’s autonomous technologies combine LiDAR and camera data to classify and track objects helping to identify pedestrians, vehicles and roadway details such as lane lines, construction zones, and signage. Their set of long-range sensors track high-speed objects, such as oncoming vehicles, while short-range sensors provide details about moving objects near the vehicle, such as pedestrians and bicycles. Close coordination between hardware and software team evaluations have afforded DG World the ability to pinpoint potential failure modes for all systems and address them throughout the development cycle to ensure a safe, reliable product. According to Gautam Ahuja, DG World’s Business Development & Sales Director: “No one technology makes this “brain” (autonomous system) work. Instead, the computers use a combination of systems that work safely together, including Mapping, Simulation, Behavioral Control, Machine Learning, Localization, Planning, Safety, Controls, Networking, Dispatch and Routing, Perception, and Remote Assistance. All of these data points need a mission-critical, fail-safe network as Rajant has to offer. Partnering with Rajant, a global leader and sole provider of their Kinetic Mesh wireless network, will strengthen our offering of an end-to-end solution for any port in the world. Showcasing our technologies together at TOC Asia is a one-stop service to any seaport operator looking to automate their ITVs and other port vehicles.”####About DG WorldConceptualised in the year 2013 in Dubai, we opened the First Robotics Development Park and Demo Centre in Dubai and the entire MENA region. DG WORLD has been developing Products and Solutions using the most advanced form of AI, Automation, self-driving system. DG WORLD has stimulated the levels of development in the field of AI and Robotics Technologies. From Self-driving Automobiles to operating Robotics Systems by Voice Command to AI-powered server configurations and working for the concept for digitization and Converting Smart cities to the next level of Robotic cities. About Rajant CorporationRajant Corporation is the exclusive provider of private wireless networks powered by the patented Kinetic Mesh® network, BreadCrumb® wireless nodes, and InstaMesh® networking software. With Rajant, customers can rapidly deploy a highly adaptable and scalable network that leverages the power of real-time data to deliver on-demand, mission-critical business intelligence. A low-latency, high-throughput and secure solution for a variety of data, voice, video, and autonomous applications, Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh networks provide industrial customers with full mobility, allowing them to take their private network applications and data anywhere. With successful deployments in more than 50 countries for customers in military, mining, ports, rail, oil & gas, petrochemical plants, municipalities, and agriculture, Rajant is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania with additional facilities and offices in Arizona, Kentucky, and Alabama. For more information, visit www.rajant.com or follow Rajant on LinkedIn and Twitter.Contact: Alice DiSanto, AVP of Marketing for Rajant CorporationTelephone: 914-582-8464Email: ADiSanto@rajant.com Source: RealWire

https://www.realwire.com/releases/Rajant-and-DG-World-partnership-on-display-at-TOC-Asia-2019