Presented at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, the new service offered by Avis Budget Group and Continental should enable business travellers to manage their car hire only from the rental company's application. Developed by the equipment manufacturer, the KaaS technology ("Key-as-a-Service") will be integrated into almost 50,000 vehicles in the United States and Europe. This will enable information to circulate between the vehicles, the Avis Budget Group cloud and the mobile application. In practical terms, travellers will no longer need a key to open and start their hire car.
A fully connected fleet by the end of 2020
Keyless start technology had already been tested in the "Mobility Lab Avis Budget Group in Kansas City and its integration with new vehicles marks another milestone in its development for Mark Servodidio, the rental company's international president: "Continental's technology combined with Avis' application capabilities in Europe is yet another example of how we are reinventing rental by creating a more seamless, transparent and personalized customer experience. We look forward to making KaaS a pioneering service in the US and providing our European customers with on-demand mobility anywhere, anytime. We're taking another step towards our goal of a fully connected fleet by the end of 2020."
