NavTrak's European Operation Launches With Bentley

NavTrak, the stolen vehicle tracking service from ITIS Holdings Plc, is to expand its operations in Europe from September 2004. ITIS will provide OEMs and private customers with its sophisticated vehicle tracking and recovery service, already established in the UK, with the benefits of support operations in local markets.

Bentley will be the first OEM to introduce NavTrak as an approved vehicle accessory for Bentley Continental GT in mainland Europe. NavTrak will provide local language operations centres in the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) with full SCM approval, and with operations in English across other European countries including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.

NavTrak already operates a pan-European support service for drivers based in the UK, and this will extend to other European drivers: should a car fitted with NavTrak be stolen in any one of 23 European countries, NavTrak works with local police forces to track stolen vehicles and recover them to their country of origin.

With over half of all cars stolen in the UK taken using the driver’s own keys, and similar statistics reflected across Europe, NavTrak’s ADR (Automatic Driver Recognition) system requires authorised drivers of vehicles to carry a wallet-sized key card. If the card is not present, an automatic alert is sent to the NavTrak control centre, which contacts the authorised keeper to confirm whether or not the car is moving illegally.

"We have extended our operations on the continent in order to support OEM distributors across Europe," commented ITIS Chief Executive Stuart Marks. "This reflects the demand from both automotive manufacturers as well as drivers for a high quality and sophisticated stolen vehicle tracking product and support service. The pan-European nature of our operations also reflects the international driving habits of car owners, particularly of prestige models. Crossing borders is a regular occurrence for both UK and continental drivers, and it is essential that a stolen vehicle tracking device is as effective in one European country as any other that might be visited. It also allows OEMs such as Bentley to offer NavTrak as an approved vehicle accessory for Continental GT across markets."

NavTrak is the only approved stolen vehicle tracking system for marques in the UK including Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati and Land Rover.