CalAmp’s LoJack Italia and Maldarizzi Automotive Improve Road Safety With A “Virtual Technician”

PR Newswire

MILAN and IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CalAmp (Nasdaq: CAMP), a global technology solutions pioneer transforming the mobile connected economy, today announced its subsidiary, LoJack® Italia, a leader in stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) and innovative automotive services, entered into an agreement with Maldarizzi Automotive, a leading Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), BMW, MINI and Mercedes-Benz automotive dealership. This partnership is designed to improve road safety by providing timely preventative maintenance reminders, crash response and stolen vehicle assistance more accessible to Maldarizzi's 12,000 customers throughout southern Italy.

All FCA, BMW, MINI and Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold by Maldarizzi will be installed with LoJack Connect, giving customers the option to enable the Maldarizzi Business Development Center (BDC) to function as a "virtual technician" by monitoring vehicle diagnostics through LoJack's SmartDealer portal. Maldarizzi's long-term rental customers will also have the option to install LoJack Connect and enable the Maldarizzi BDC virtual technician. By alerting the motorist to potential maintenance issues that often result from exceeding mileage thresholds, low fluid levels, tire wear and tear, and more, the Maldarizzi BDC can offer preventative services to avoid unnecessary breakdowns or more costly repairs.

"In a challenging marketplace severely impacted by the global pandemic, providing our customers with a greater sense of safety and security is one of the best value-added services we can offer during these difficult times," said Nicola Maldarizzi, Co-CEO of Maldarizzi Automotive. "Establishing this agreement and leveraging LoJack's telematics and SVR technology directly align with our customer-centric strategy, while distinguishing ourselves in a competitive marketplace."

"The agreement announced today expands our existing partnership and strengthens our mutual commitment to advancing technology that helps to protect Maldarizzi customers and keep them safe," said Massimo Ghenzer, president of LoJack Italia. "LoJack Connect offers the peace of mind of having an on-board 'virtual technician' to help motorists keep their vehicles in optimal condition, prevent breakdowns, and provide quick and effective support at critical moments. Our telematics and software solutions allow Maldarizzi to build long-term customer relationships and expand their business at the same time."

In the event of a crash, LoJack Connect's CrashBoxx^™ feature will alert the LoJack 24/7 Command Center and identify the severity of the crash event. The Command Center operator will contact the driver, notify emergency response if life-saving support is needed, and conduct an initial assessment of the incident. If repairs are needed, Maldarizzi's BDC will contact the customer to offer mechanical assistance and detailed accident reconstruction information to expedite repairs and the insurance claims process.

The LoJack Connect App, part of LoJack's comprehensive telematics solution, allows the driver to track the car's location, monitor battery levels, view trips and review driving behavior. Maldarizzi customers can also receive notifications relating to routine or predictive maintenance and also provide notice of approaching deadlines for the payment of road tax, car insurance, financing installments, and other vehicle-related preventative maintenance.

In the event of theft, the driver can contact the LoJack 24/7 Command Center and send a photo of the theft report via a smartphone to quickly start the recovery process. If the battery is disconnected by the thief or the car is moved with the engine off, the customer will receive an alert.

The agreement was announced by the companies during "The life-saving car, here is the next revolution" webinar at the Automotive Dealer Day Digital Edition, being held on September 16th and 17th. The event focused on how connectivity solutions can help reduce collisions that occur every day in Italy, resulting in 9 deaths and 661 injuries on average per day for an overall social cost estimated at 16.9 billion euros, which is equivalent to 1% of the national GDP (Aci-Istat Report July 2020 for the year 2019).

About Maldarizzi
Founded in 1979 by Francesco Maldarizzi, Maldarizzi Automotive S.p.A. is a leader in the Italian automotive marketplace, with offices located between Puglia and Basilicata. The Group leads in the sale of new and used cars, kilometer zero cars, after-sales assistance services, medium and long-term rental and in the assistance and spare parts of the most important automotive brands. Maldarizzi Automotive is the official dealer of FCA Group (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), Mercedes-Benz Automobiles, Mercedes-Benz V and Vans, BMW and MINI, AMG Performance Center and is an authorized service center for the Smart brand. The Maldarizzi 4Business division caters to commercial, fleet and rental vehicles. For more information, visit the maldarizzi.com or Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube.

About LoJack Italia
LoJack Italia, a CalAmp subsidiary, is a market leader in stolen vehicle recovery and innovative automotive services in Italy and across the E.U., helping over 9 million people protect their assets and vehicles from theft. We have been active in Italy for 10 years and are undergoing a strong growth phase with more than 300,000 software and service subscribers. Today, LoJack Italia is leveraging CalAmp's telematics technology to create a new level of value for the automotive, insurance, and car rental markets and their end-customers, through easily accessible, innovative connected vehicle solutions. LoJack Italia is a recent 2019 Le Fonti Awards® winner in the mobility category for its telematics solution that monitors vehicle pollution. For more information, visit lojack.it or LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LoJack Blog.

About CalAmp
CalAmp (Nasdaq: CAMP) is a global technology solutions pioneer transforming the mobile connected economy. We help reinvent business and improve lives around the globe with technology solutions that streamline complex mobile IoT deployments and bring intelligence to the edge. Our software and subscription-based services, scalable cloud platform and intelligent devices collect and assess business-critical data from mobile assets and their contents. We call this The New How, facilitating efficient decision making, optimizing mobile asset utilization and improving road safety. Headquartered in Irvine, California, CalAmp has been publicly traded since 1983 and has 20 million products installed and over 1.3 million software and services subscribers worldwide. LoJack^®, Tracker^™ and Here Comes The Bus^® are CalAmp brands. For more information, visit calamp.com, or LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or CalAmp Blog.

CalAmp, LoJack, TRACKER, Here Comes The Bus, iOn Vision and associated logos are among the trademarks of CalAmp and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.