Continental products stop car thieves

KUCHING: Global automotive accessories supplier Continental Corporation (Continental) is declaring war on vehicle thieves with the introduction of a electronic pocketbook unit that can be used to track down a vehicle worldwide, known as the Novanto.

HIGH SECURITY: The tracking module from Continental stops car thieves in their tracks, enables a new approach to fleet management, and revolutionises insurance rate calculations.

The Novanto telematics box has a global positioning system (GPS) receiver that permanently tracks a vehicle’s exact position on the basis of the worldwide satellite tracking system and is hooked up to a GSM module. The sender can transmit the location of the vehicle to the control centre via a coded cellular radio connection.

The radio message may be triggered by an alarm system, by pressing an emergency button in the vehicle or by a motion transmitter activated as soon as the vehicle starts moving. Novanto can also be programmed to allow a fleet’s central office to request the vehicle’s current position, whenever required.

If the vehicle is stolen, the police or authorised service providers can monitor the vehicle on the screen. Continental also offers the option of remote vehicle disabling. As soon as the vehicle is stopped for more than thirty seconds, Novanto acts to prevent the engine from being started again, putting an end to the thief’s getaway.

In addition, the central office can also monitor a vehicle’s movements and even remotely disable it if required and if permitted under data protection law, its press statement said.

Possibilities like this can be put to use everywhere; fleet managers could keep tabs on their vehicle pools on their computer screens and insurance companies could individualise rates based on log profiles, known as ‘pay as you drive’ insurance models. Therefore, the needed electronic module can be integrated into the vehicle architecture by the vehicle manufacturer.

However, the percentage of vehicles equipped with such systems is still quite low in many markets.