A wholly owned subsidiary of the Michelin Group

Michelin

Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...

, ViaMichelin designs, develops and markets digital travel assistance products and services for road users in Europe.

Launched in 2001 and drawing upon a century of Michelin experience in the publication of maps and guides, ViaMichelin provides services designed for both the general public and for business. The company uses its technological expertise to provide a complete service offering (maps, route plans, hotel and restaurant listings and traffic and tourist information, etc), across a range of media including the Internet (www.viamichelin.co.uk), mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistant

Personal digital assistant

A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...

s (PDAs) and GPS navigation systems, etc. ViaMichelin now employs 200 people and has locations in London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan and Paris.

ViaMichelin website

The ViaMichelin website now attracts more than a million hits per day and provides mapping coverage for 7 million kilometers of roads and streets across more than 42 European countries.

The website is available in many languages (for example, Dutch, English (US/UK),French, German, Italian, Spanish) and its on-line hotel reservations service features more than 60,000 hotels across Europe. Visitors to the site gain access to an exclusive database of Michelin Guide content and listings including 18,000 tourist site recommendations and ratings for 62,000 hotels and restaurants, as well as additional travel services including traffic and weather updates, on-line car-hire booking and a database of speed camera locations, updated regularly and available to download free of charge. The website also features an online store offering electronic updates of the Michelin Guide and a range of GPS accessories, as well as navigation-related software (SD cards, CD-ROMs etc) designed for third-party GPS navigation devices and PDAs. The older version of the website is also available. A website called ViaMichelin Labs is available to share ideas, improve and test new products like, for example, Michelin maps on an iPhone.

Mobile Services

ViaMichelin services are now available in the United Kingdom (02), France (Bouygues Telecom), Italy (Wind), Spain (Telefonica), Germany (E-Plus), Holland (Base) and Belgium via the i-mode portal. Users can access many services including automatic routing and travel-related address finder services (hotels, restaurants, petrol stations, etc).

Software for PDAs

ViaMichelin also develops navigation software designed for PDAs providing PDA users with direct access to ViaMichelin’s route calculation and map display services, as well as comprehensive Michelin guide listings.

Navigation for PDAs

HP iPAQ rx1950 GPS Navigator / Tungsten E2 Navigation Companion / Palm TX GPS Navigation Companion

GPS Navigation

In October 2005, ViaMichelin accelerated its growing presence in the digital navigation market with the launch of its own portable GPS navigation systems that combined innovative technology, renowned Michelin Guide content and a range of additional location-based content including shops, petrol stations, service stations and safety camera locations. ViaMichelin’s traffic information service is also available to vehicle manufacturers. Since September 2006, all Peugeot-Citroen vehicles equipped with an integrated navigation system benefit from ViaMichelin traffic updates. On January 11, 2008, ViaMichelin took the decision to cease production of its GPS range in order to focus on its core activities and services.