Avis Car Hire doubles its UK presence

Car hire giant Avis has doubled its UK presence over the course of the last two month with the opening of 37 new car rental outlets across the country.

This is just the start of the car hire company’s ambitious expansion plans as it revealed its intention to open a further 100 leisure car rental outlets across the UK over the coming year, and another 100 or more in 2012.

The new car hire centres have been situated in town and city locations across the country and will work in-conjunction with the 38 Avis car hire outlets situated in UK airports.

Avis boss Anthony Ainsworth described the new branch openings as a “significant achievement” and revealed that Avis is now a step closer to realising their goal of having a car hire branch within a few miles of every household in Britain.

The majority of the recently opened Avis car hire outlets have been launched in partnership with business centre operator, Regus, meaning customers can approach their local branch of Regus for car hire services in 21 locations. The remaining 16 Avis outlets which were opened this year have been launched in conjunction with leading hotels across the country.

Avis say the introduction of new car hire outlets across the country is in response to a very strong 12 months of trading in 2010. The car hire giant hopes to build on its success in 2010 with the introduction of new hire centres in Britain over the coming two years.

Choose bigger cars for group holidays advises car hire firm

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The advice being given by a leading car hire provider is to choose larger capacity cars instead of multiple smaller cars for those holidaying in large groups.

Popular car hire price comparison website, Carrentals.co.uk, advise those travelling as part of a large group such as with family members, business colleagues or friends, that the best deals on car rentals are available on large capacity cars with 7-seats or more.

The car hire giant says there is a wide choice of larger sized vehicles available to hire throughout the 9,000 global destinations they cover including the Renault Scenic, Chrysler Voyager, and also luxurious vans with seating for up to 12 passengers.

In the majority of cases, the car hire operator found that hiring one large vehicle as opposed to several smaller cars, works out much cheaper. So if you’re planning a holiday with family members or a group of friends this summer, you’d well advised to request a quote for a larger vehicle, instead of hiring a car each.

Carrentals.co.uk offers the opportunity to compare car hire quotes across leading car rental providers, with new deals being updated on the website daily. Check out the website to compare the cost of car hire for your next holiday, there’s a wide range of cars and people carriers to choose from so you’re bound to find exactly the right hire vehicle to suit your needs.

Car hire firms link up with airline to deliver deals for customers

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Alamo Rent a Car and National Car Rental have made a deal with Korean Air which will deliver great benefits to customers of both the airline and the car hire firms.

The partnership between the three companies will offer members of Korean Air’s frequent flyer program, Korean Air Skypass, the chance to earn extra air miles by hiring a car with Alamo or National Car Rental.

The two car rental companies are owned and operated by Enterprise Holdings, which is the largest car hire provide in the world, boasting a workforce of 68,000, and annual revenue of $12.6 billion, and a fleet of cars and trucks totalling over 1 million.

Korean Air frequent flyers will be able to collect 500 air miles per car rental when they hire a car with either operator. Up until the end of March, frequent flyers with the airline will earn an extra 500 air miles when they hire a car with either Alamo or National Car Rental as part of a special introductory offer to celebrate the start of the new partnership.

The air miles can be collected by frequent flyers hiring a car from any participating Alamo or National Car Rental centre in the world, so regardless of where you’re travelling to or from, you’ll be able to take advantage of this exclusive deal between Korean Air and the car hire giant.

Hertz buys out budget NZ car hire firm

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Hertz have acquired one of New Zealand’s leading car hire companies, Ace Rental Cars, which will allow the car hire giant to enter into the tourist market in both New Zealand and Australia.

According to Hertz, Ace Rental Cars is the second largest discount car hire company in New Zealand. The buyout will allow Hertz to continue with their expansion plans. The company has been expanding gradually throughout the US, Europe, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean through their subsidiary company, Advantage Car Rental.

The acquisition of Ace Rental Cars will provide Hertz with the perfect opportunity to get into the tourist market in both Australia and New Zealand as Ace is already well established in the budget sector of car hire in the two countries, being popular with both tourists and independent travellers.

Despite being bought out by car hire giant Hertz, Ace Rental Cars will continue to operate under its original name using its own branding as it will work independently from the Hertz name.

Ace Rental Cars started out 25 years ago and operates mainly in New Zealand, but also boasts car hire outlets in Australia’s Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane. The car rental provider specialises in budget car hire with their rates generally being approximately 40% to 50% than the car hire rates set by Hertz.

Car hire provider honoured with smoke free award

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Car hire giant Avis Budget was honoured last week with a smoke free award for their dedication in rolling out non-smoking rental cars across Canada and America.

The campaign group Americans for Non Smokers’ Rights awarded the car hire provider with the accolade to recognise the efforts the company has made in launching smoke free zones in all rental cars across its entire fleet in the US and Canada.

Avis Budget were singled out for the Smoke Free Business Award because of the dedication the company has shown over the last two years to a smoke free policy across all of its rental vehicles.

The car hire provider explained that their decision to ban smoking by employees and customer in all of their rentals cars in America and Canada was a reaction to customer demand as the company noted more and more requests for fresh smelling, smoke free cars. The company first launched their non smoking scheme in North America back in 2009.

The car rental expert is planning to build on their success in introducing a smoke free policy in their hire cars by extending the scheme so as to make all of their rental outlets in America and Canada smoke free zones as well.

The Americans for Non Smokers’ Rights described Avis Budget car hire’s smoke free policy as being a model for the rest of the industry to follow.

Car hire firm to introduce solar power at US outlets

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Car hire giant, Hertz, have unveiled plans to introduce solar power at 16 of its outlets across the US including key locations in California and New York.

The announcement to roll out solar power at a number of Hertz rental centres follows a successful pilot scheme at the car rental company’s Denver Airport outlet. Hertz estimate that the solar panels at their Denver centre alone will offset 650,000 pounds of CO2 emissions every year, so the off-setting potential for 16 outlets across America is huge.

The process of introducing solar panels at Hertz car hire outlets involves fitting Photovoltaic panels to the roofs of these centres, providing on average, 2.3 mw of energy. Hertz hopes to have the 16 outlets, complete with their new solar panels, up and running by the end of the year.

This is just another example of Hertz’s commitment to greener energy as the company has always already introduced a number of electric powered vehicles to its rental fleets, including the ultra green Nissan Leaf, and the Chevrolet Volt.

One of the heads of Hertz car hire in the US say the company “leads the industry in sustainable practices” and the introduction of solar panels is just another way in which the company is striving to offer environmentally friendly practices.

Car Hire firm encourages Brits to holiday at home for the Royal Wedding

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Car Hire company Avis is encouraging Brits to stay at home during the Easter break by offering travel tips for interesting breaks in the UK.

With an extra bank holiday granted for the Royal wedding planned for April 29th, which falls the week after Easter weekend, many British holiday makers are planning a staycation during the break in order to make the most of the royal nuptials and the extra bank holiday.

Avis car hire rates start at £16 a day, which makes for affordable travel for people who don’t own their own car. Plus, with the Avis Preferred Service, customers are guaranteed to have the keys for their rental car in their hand within 3 minutes of entering their Avis rental centre, or they’ll receive £20.

The car hire giant conducted some research recently into Brit’s holiday plans for this Easter and found that a third of people are planning to stay in the UK for the break. Thanks to the extra bank holiday which has been granted especially for the Royal wedding, workers can enjoy a whole seven days off by just booking 3 days holiday from work.

Avis say they have noted an increased volume of bookings for car hire for April as people plan ahead for the extended break. So if you’re planning a staycation this Easter, you’d we well advised to book your car hire in advance.

Car Hire in Beijing soars by 300%

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Car hire in Beijing is booming with the Chinese press reporting bookings have increased by a massive 300% compared to the same time last year.

There are two main reasons for the sudden surge in car hire bookings, the first being the introduction of new policies by local government to help reduce carbon emissions in the city, and also the forthcoming Spring Festival.

The authorities have introduced a number of radical policies to help the Beijing promote environmentally friendly travel and also ease congestion on the inner city roads. Beijing residents have to draw lots to determine who and when they are permitted to use their car in the city, plus a lottery has been introduced whereby only those who are chosen are allowed to purchase a new car.

Another reason for the increase in car hire in the city is the Spring Festival which takes place on February 18th and is part of the celebrations for the Chinese New Year. At this time, people from all over China and also from overseas, are likely to descend on the city, which has contributed to the rise in car rental bookings.

Because of the high demand for car rentals in Beijing during the Spring Festival combined with the new government regulations, car hire providers have warned that hire prices are likely to increase unless vehicles are booked well in advance.

Enterprise launch electric car hire in the US

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Enterprise Rent-a-Car has joined the electric car revolution and will be offering electrically powered vehicles from their California car hire centres from this year.

The car hire giant plan to introduce two eco-friendly vehicles to their fleet including the popular Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt Extended range vehicle.

While many car hire companies have started offering electric powered vehicles, some providers have encountered some minor teething issues associated with them. The biggest issue is the range of the electric cars, as many are only able to travel 100 miles on a single charge. Although electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent, charging points are still very few and far between, which can cause extra issues for those wanting to hire one of these vehicles.

However the Chevy Volt offers an extended range which will help alleviate the most common stumbling block associated with electric hire cars. As well as being powered by electric, the Chevy Volt also has an onboard fuel powered generator which helps extend its driving range.

Enterprise say purchase demand for electric powered vehicles has been growing, and they expect this demand to continue into the car hire industry, which is why they’ve taken the decision to invest in eco-friendly vehicles.

The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf will be available in California Enterprise centres initially, although the car hire provider plans to roll out the green vehicles to other locations in the US within the coming year.

Eco friendly car hire coming to German city

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Car2go is due to launch its eco-friendly car hire service in Hamburg as part of the company’s European expansion plans.

Car hire firm, Europcar, will be introducing the fleet of green smart cars to the rental market in Hamburg by early next year. Europcar owns a 75% share of Daimler’s Car2go.

The eco ride was first unveiled at the Paris Motor Show earlier this year. The new vehicle features a solar panelled roof which charges the battery and helps run the car’s telematics system while it’s on the move and stationary which in turn, helps reduce the car’s carbon emissions. Also, if the vehicle is left parked in the sun, the solar panel will work to cool the car down by as much as 18 degrees Celsius.

The green Smart car will be available to hire from next year in the German city of Hamburg with rates starting from just €14.90 per hour. This price includes fuel, mileage covered during the hire period, and is also inclusive of insurance and taxes. Plus, car hire customers will be able to park for free in designated Car2go spaces dotted around the city.

A fleet of 300 Smart Cars will be introduced by Europcar and will be available to hire from car rental firm’s base in Hamburg.