OLATHE, Kan. -- Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group will begin offering portable Garmin GPS navigation devices at 287 Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, Garmin International Inc. said.

The device is based on Garmin's StreetPilot c330. It features a touchscreen interface, with automatic route calculation to any destination and turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions along the way. The navigator contains detailed maps of the U.S. and Canada and features addresses and nearly 6 million points of interest. Included are hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and tourist attractions.

Dollar and Thrifty car rental locations are also stored in the unit's database, so drivers can easily route to the vehicle's rental return facility.

"Offering Garmin car navigation in Dollar and Thrifty rental vehicles is an ideal fit for everyone involved," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's vice president of marketing. "Dollar and Thrifty can provide their customers with a convenient and easy-to-use navigation device, and Garmin is able to expose thousands of potential customers to its popular portable GPS navigator."

"Our customers are asking for GPS navigation to make their time on the road more convenient, time-saving, and enjoyable," said Jay Foley, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group's senior executive vice president of corporate operations. "Whether for business or pleasure, travelers want to make the most of their travel time, and the StreetPilot c330 definitely helps them do that."

The specialized StreetPilot c330 will be available in the fourth quarter of 2005 to Dollar and Thrifty customers for $9.95 per day, and is subject to availability at the time of pickup.

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