With GPS in their cars, their cameras and smartphones, photographers can now happily navigate to where they need to go by simply typing the address into their GPS. They can also easily save the location where they took a keepsake photo, allowing them to revisit the exact same spot where they last captured a memorable image — be it a special vacation, a cityscape, a landscape, a rare plant, beautiful sand dunes, or stunning sea stacks.
But what happens when where you want to get to (or the location you want to save) has no specific address and the closest intersection is miles away? Well, you’re pretty much lost. Sure, you can save the exact GPS coordinates on your camera (if it’s equipped wih GPS) or on your smart phone, but who can remember those long cryptic numbers? I remember many years ago trying to drive to a big amusement park and typing the given address took me to the front of the park with no vehicle entrance. The vehicle entrance was in the back and no one had thought of giving that address on their website. With what3words, all these problems are solved because every 3m square in the world has already been mapped and uniquely linked to just three random words. Imagine being able to tell your friends where exactly on the beach or in a park you are meeting. Just text them the 3 words that uniquely identifies your location.
For example, ///traqueur.réalisable.affliger locks in the exact spot on the snowy Mont-Tremblant mountain where you started your ski descent in beautiful Quebec, Canada.
And, ///sparks.verve.trends is the exact location where you took that fantastic scene when the leaves were changing colors last Fall in Ajax, Ontario, Canada.
Thousands of people, businesses and NGOs in over 170 countries use what3words to easily communicate precise locations. In Canada, what3words has coverage in eight provinces and two territories. It’s available to over 41 communication centres that answer 911 calls. what3words is used by Ontario Parks (in their blog about staying safe outdoors), Manitoba Forestry (to map trees with disease), and Canada Scouts (for treasure hunts), just to name a few examples of how Canadians are using the app. In 2021 to date, what3words has seen a 239% increase in monthly active users in Canada.
Though you can download the what3words app onto your smart phone, now drivers of the 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross have the convenience of using what3words in their built-in TomTom navigation system. And in a world first, what3words works offline in the Eclipse Cross. Since TomTom can map the 3 words onto a GPS location, no app, data or cellular connection is required to input or navigate to a what3words address.
PRESS RELEASE
A World First! 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is the first vehicle to offer what3words offline– with no data or connectivity required
Eclipse Cross drivers can now navigate to any 3m square in the world using just 3 words.
Mississauga, ON (///boom.manuals.trample) – August 19th 2021 – Getting to the world’s most remote places just got easier with the restyled 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. Its navigation system features what3words location technology, enabling drivers to input and get directions to any 3 metre square in the world using just three words. And in a world first, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is the first car company to offer what3words offline through its built-in TomTom navigation system.
what3words is a very simple way to identify exact locations. Every 3 metre square in the world has been given a unique combination of three random words. For example, ///boom.manuals.trample points you to the head office of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, and ///undermines.honestly.douses is an awe-inspiring remote location in the interior of BC.
Mitsubishi Motors is renowned for its adventurous vehicles, built for exploring the world in comfort and safety. However many adventurous places, including beaches, parks and rural locations don’t have street addresses, and postal codes often cover large areas. Even in modern cities, street addresses are surprisingly unreliable to enter into a navigation system. Street names are often duplicated; there are 2,022 Second Streets in Canada, and 1,914 First Streets, making input errors common. Accuracy is also an issue, with street address searches typically dropping pins in the centre of buildings. This causes navigation frustrations when trying to find a specific entrance, especially for large malls, stadiums and warehouses with multiple entrances.
In the true spirit of adventure and innovation, Mitsubishi Motors has teamed up with what3words to introduce the unique location technology to the refreshed Eclipse Cross* in 17 languages, from English and French to Finnish and Thai. what3words gives drivers the ability to navigate to off-the-beaten track places without an address, and to pinpoint precise locations such as specific entrances and parking spots. what3words’ AutoSuggest technology helps drivers to identify and correct any input mistakes, so they can drive off feeling reassured they’re heading to the correct destination. And in a world first, what3words works offline in the Eclipse Cross. No app, data or cellular connection is required to input or navigate to a what3words address.
* Navigation available on the GT price line.
“The Eclipse Cross customer is adventurous so with our first introduction of navigation in the vehicle this year, we wanted to help them get to any place whether off the grid or in the city core. what3words enables exploration and with 17 languages embedded in the navigation, it also recognizes the depth and expanse of our customer base here in Canada and around the world,” said Matt Loptson, VP, Corporate and Product Planning, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc.
Minoru Uehara, Chief Product Specialist of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, explained that “Our drivers love to explore, and what3words ensures that they are always in control of the destination for their next adventure. what3words is at the forefront of in-car navigation technology and we’re excited to introduce this feature to our customers.”
Chris Sheldrick, CEO and co-founder of what3words, added that “it can be difficult and frustrating putting an address into a navigation system and many of the most amazing places in the world don’t have a street address. Even if you have a building number, address and postal code, you can still be left driving around trying to work out exactly where the entrance is. Now, when a driver enters a what3words address, they can be confident that the location is accurate to 3 metres every time, and it’s as simple as typing in status.deep.mountain”
what3words is used by businesses all around the world from ride-hailing apps, delivery companies, hotels, sports stadiums and emergency services. National partners include over 40 communication centres across Canada, Ontario Parks, and the Manitoba Forestry. Individuals are also using the free what3words app to navigate the world more easily and to meet friends in places without addresses such as parks and beaches.
About Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc.
Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc. (MMSCAN) is the sales, service, parts and marketing arm for Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors. MMSCAN has a product range consisting of the sub-compact hatchback Mirage, RVR sub-compact crossover, Eclipse Cross, the all-new Outlander, and Canada’s top-selling plug-in hybrid SUV, Outlander PHEV*. MMSCAN supports its dealerships with a head office team and parts distribution centre — both located in Mississauga, Ontario. Established in 2002, MMSCAN and its dealerships employ over 1,200 people in communities large and small.
*JATO, based on 2020 sales
About what3words
Find your what3words address here.
Co-founded in London in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, what3words is the simplest way to talk about location. The system covers the entire world, never needs updating, and works offline. A what3words address is a human-friendly way to share very precise locations with other people, or to input them into platforms and machines such as ride-hailing apps or e-commerce checkouts. It is optimised for voice input and contains built-in error prevention to immediately identify and correct input mistakes.
The free what3words app, available for iOS and Android, and the online map enable people to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in over 45 languages to date. Millions of what3words addresses are in use around the world, with thousands of businesses using them to save money, be more efficient and provide a better customer experience. what3words is integrated into apps, platforms and websites, with just a few lines of code. Products are available for free or for a nominal fee for qualifying NGOs. Its partners include Mercedes-Benz, Triumph Motorcycles, Premier Inn, the AA and many emergency services across the world.
what3words has a team of over 100 people, across offices in the UK, USA, Germany and Ulaanbaatar Mongolia. The company has raised over £80 million in capital from investors such as Intel, Aramex, Deutsche Bahn, Subaru and the Sony Investment Fund.