Hertz Provides Fans Exclusive 'in-car' Access to Tennis Players as They Travel to Wimbledon

LONDON, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --



"Driving The Championships with Hertz" video diaries launched as Hertz and The All England Lawn Tennis Club celebrate 18 years together

The Hertz Corporation (NYSE:HTZ), the world's largest general use car rental brand and the official transport provider for The  Championships, Wimbledon, will be giving fans unique access to the world's leading tennis stars through exclusive daily interviews during the tournament. Every day one player or official will be interviewed as part of the new "Driving The Championships" video series with Hertz and The All England Lawn Tennis Club's Live @ Wimbledon initiative. The interviews will be filmed in the Hertz cars as the players make their way to The Championships. The footage will be uploaded daily to http://www.wimbledon.com, the new Live @ Wimbledon channel, and will be available via links from http://www.hertz.co.uk as well as the Hertz Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Michel Taride, President, Hertz International, and Executive Vice President, Hertz Corporation, said: "It has always been a great honor to support The Championships by transporting players and officials to and from the world's greatest tennis event. For the first time ever their journeys to The Championships will be recorded - providing fans with an exclusive insight into players' thoughts, expectations and ambitions for the tournament - as we celebrate 18 years as the official transport provider."

Footage of the journeys will be captured throughout The Championships (25 June - 8 July 2012) until the winners are crowned. Tennis stars from both the ladies' and gentlemen's draws will all be transported in Hertz vehicles while competing in the premier lawn tennis tournament on the professional circuit. The "Driving The Championships" video diaries will be filmed in a Ford Galaxy Zetec brought in by Hertz specifically for the purpose.

Hertz is the official transport supplier for Wimbledon for the 18^th year in a row. Over the two weeks of the world-renowned tournament, Hertz is providing rides to tennis stars, coaches and officials in livery featuring the strap-line "Driving The Championships."

A fleet of 164 Ford vehicles, made up of the Galaxy and SMax, as well as two coaches and luggage vans, will be used to transport more than 32,000 passengers. A partner of Hertz for over 20 years, Ford has supplied vehicles for The Championships since Hertz became the official transport provider in 1996. A team of 296 drivers and 40 supervisors will be operating the Hertz fleet which in 2011 completed 17,000 journeys, carrying more than 32,000 passengers and covering just under 250,000 miles. During the first four days of The Championships, Hertz will carry out more than 1,000 journeys per day.  

Hertz has been working with a number of its partners offer customers across the globe chances to win tickets to Wimbledon and other travel prizes. These partners include: Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Etihad, Flying Blue (Air France/KLM), Lufthansa Miles & More, SAS EuroBonus, Virgin Atlantic, AA and Saga, ADAC (Germany), ARC Show Your Card, and Nectar.

About Hertz

Hertz is the world's largest general use car rental company, operating from over 8,500 corporate locations in 150 countries worldwide. Hertz is in its 93rd year of delivering quality car rental solutions to leisure and corporate customers.  Product and service innovations such as Hertz #1 Club Gold, Worldwide Online Check-in, specially designed NeverLost® satellite navigation systems, and unique cars offered through the company's Prestige, Family, Fun/Adrenaline and Green Collections, set Hertz apart from the competition. For more information please go to http://www.hertz.com

About Live @ Wimbledon

Live @ Wimbledon is an enhanced live radio, TV and video broadcast service bringing Wimbledon's digital experience to life in a fresh, creative and vibrant way. Encompassing both radio and TV, Live @ Wimbledon will blend live tennis with the off-court scenes of every day day at The Championships, allowing fans a greater interaction and engagement on Wimbledon.com. The TV service will initially be live in the UK and the Americas, and available on Wimbledon.com and mobile applications.

Hertz Press Contacts
Caroline Trotman Dickenson
Ketchum Pleon
T: +44(0)20-7611-3686
E: caroline.trotman-dickenson@ketchumpleon.com

Luke Campbell
Ketchum Pleon
T: +44(0)207-611-3735
E: luke.campbell@ketchumpleon.com