- Details
- Category: Industry News
Fast on the heels of this year’s wildly successful Executive Retreat in Nashville, Chauffeur Driven and the National Limousine Association are thrilled to announce our return to Miami for the 2024 CD/NLA Executive Retreat on June 2-5. What’s more, we’re particularly excited about next year’s host property—the fabulous Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
This legendary hotel, well-known for its incredible architecture, is a preferred property among celebrities and VIPs from around the world, offering incredible 5-star amenities and an amazing location right on the ocean in the heart of Maimi Beach. CD and the NLA are pleased to offer an incredible room rate of $321 a night, which includes resort fees.
As evidenced by our outstanding 2022 Executive Retreat, Miami is a favorite destination among our industry partners and friends. Capped at 200 operators, the CD/NLA Executive Retreat offers a patented combination of next-level educational programming, close-knit networking, and local experiences, and we couldn’t be happier to bring it to Miami again next year. And don’t worry, we play as hard as we work at these events, so you’re sure to have an amazing return on your investment for your time away from the office. These annual events appeal to the best and the brightest the industry has to offer.
“We always have a good time at the Retreats. They offer us the opportunity to spend quality time with our industry friends, fostering strong relationships and ensuring that we gain valuable insights and knowledge,” says Ariadna Noches of Mundi Limousines.
“These events are a must-have for me in this industry. My ROI is knowing I am not alone on an island and that there are like-minded people willing to connect and share,” says Becky Laramee of All Points Limousine Service.
More information about our 2024 Miami Executive Retreat will be released in the months ahead. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to seeing you at the 2023 CD/NLA Fall Show in Orlando from October 22-25. You can take a peek at the photos from our most recent Nashville retreat in the upcoming July issue of Chauffeur Driven.
- Details
- Category: Industry News
UK-based chauffeured transportation magazine Professional Driver has announced that its annual Car of the Year Judging Day will be held on Tuesday, August 22. During the event, which will take place at the Epsom Racecourse in Surrey, industry professionals will have the chance to test drive dozens of vehicles that appeal to chauffeured transportation and give their opinion on various features (using a 17-point questionnaire for each vehicle for consistency). Once tabulated, the winners will be announced and crowned at the magazine’s annual QSi Awards dinner, which will be held in November at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Brighton.
Last year, the Genesis G80 Electrified swept two categories; will it be unseated, or is it destined for an impressive second year?
Vehicle categories include:
- Private Hire Car of the Year (Electric)
- Private Hire Car of the Year (Hybrid)
- Executive Car of the Year
- Chauffeur Car of the Year
- MPV of the Year
- Luxury SUV of the Year
- Estate Car of the Year
Pro Driver invites all licensed private hire, taxi, or chauffeur operators or drivers in the UK (25 or older) to participate in the free event for the best results. All drivers and guests (must be over 18) are required to register prior to the event. More information is available here.
[06.30.23]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
The summer might be a time to slow down and enjoy a bit of sunshine and relaxation, but the major automotive manufacturers are busier than ever with plenty of updates, new releases, and anticipated announcements in the coming weeks. Here's a roundup of the latest info we're hearing about.
Volvo Partners With Tesla on Charging: The EV market is heating up! Swedish carmaker Volvo just inked a deal with powerhouse EV brand Tesla to gain access to its 12,000 fast charging stations across the US. As per the announcement, future Volvo cars, starting from 2025, will be equipped with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging port in the region. Volvo currently offers several electric models, including the newly released EX90, its largest electric SUV. Volvo has committed to offering a fully electric platform across its lineup by 2030. Read the full release here.
Derek Jeter Approves: The newly relaunched and completely redesigned large luxury peoplemover, the Grand Wagoneer, continues its alliance with the baseball legend and model (respectively) Derek and Hannah Jeter for a lineup of new advertising. The power couple were first featured in a Grand Wagoneer ad this past October. The upcoming campaign will lean heavily on the summer vibes, evoking the feels with the classic “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” amid a bevy of relaxing sunny day activities and even a stop on the red carpet—with the premium full-size SUV, of course. Expect the 30-second spots to start hitting soon. Read the full release here.
Mercedes Embraces ChatGPT: The luxury German automaker is tapping into the power of AI’s newest darling, ChatGPT, for the latest update to its voice-activated control center, MBUX Voice Assistant. This new collab is part of a beta testing program and customers can opt in by accessing through the Mercedes me app or by using the prompt “Hey Mercedes” and asking to join the program. Mercedes says that it’s working with the AI to make its voice control even more intuitive for its users. As for privacy: “Through Azure OpenAI Service, Mercedes-Benz is tapping OpenAI's large-scale generative AI models combined with the enterprise-grade security, privacy, and reliability capabilities of Azure. Mercedes-Benz retains complete control over the IT processes in the background. The voice command data collected is stored in the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Cloud, where it is anonymized and analyzed.” Read the full release here.
ABC Unveils Bus Charging Station: ABC Companies and Proterra will debut its largest private motorcoach facility in North America this July 19. The facility, located in Newark, Calif., is part of ABC’s multiyear project to achieve zero emissions for passenger transportation via bus. All in all, the facility is capable of fast charging up to 40 motorcoaches at a time. Attendees will also be able to see in person the fully electric TDX25E, Van Hool’s 45-foot double-deck motorcoach. The coach, which uses Proterra battery power, has a range of up to 260 miles and can seat up to 69 passengers. More information will be available at abc-companies.com.
Cadillac Escalade IQ EV Debuts Next Month: Excitement is building as one of the industry’s most popular full-size SUVs, the Escalade, goes electric in 2025. This is part of the brand’s extremely aggressive move to offer an all-electric lineup by 2030 (Also, GM announced that its goal was to sell 1 million EVs across all its brands by 2025). The OEM is keeping the vehicle under wraps for now, but you can be sure that we’ll have all the details once it’s revealed in New York next month. You can peek at the silhouette of the vehicle for now in its teaser video here.
[06.30.23]