Posts Tagged ‘Avis’

Avis’ situation slowly improves

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Leading car hire company Avis Budget Group finally seem to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Despite announcing a US$6 million loss for the second quarter of the year, this is a dramatic improvement on the recent trends and they seem confident that the situation will soon stabilise throughout the market.

In the first quarter of the year, the company made a US$49 million loss, but the company believes that it shouldn’t be too long before they are back in the black.

In a recent interview, Avis Budget Group Chairman and CEO Ronald Nelson said: “While we continued to face sharply reduced demand for vehicle rentals in the second quarter, rental volumes did stabilize. We also made significant progress in several other areas. Our cost saving initiatives continued to deliver substantial benefits. Demand for car rental seems to have stabilized in the second quarter. Third quarter demand, especially in the leisure segment, appears to be modestly stronger than recent trends, allowing some upward pressure on pricing to continue as our fleet levels remain in line with demand.”

No matter what happens, customers can be sure that Avis will still be offering plenty of great deals, making car hire an excellent option for those who want to travel independently while pinching the pennies.

Thanks to www.etravelblackboard.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

China car rental venture plans expansion

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

As car rental giants Hertz and Avis are experiencing declining revenues, eHi Car Rental in China is planning a major business expansion that will be enhanced by an initial public offering of its stock sometime in 2011. The company would not disclose the proposed size of the IPO nor the location at this time.

“Car rentals in the United States is a sunset business, but in China, it’s a sunrise one. China has the potential to become the world’s biggest car rental market, where the world’s biggest car rental company could be born,” said Ray Zhang, chairman of eHi. Zhang started the company three years ago.

The company is experiencing explosive growth. Revenue more than tripled this year alone and company officials expect it to continue rising and to at least double next year.

According to company officials, the funds from the IPO will be used to expand its fleet from its present 1000 vehicles to 10,000. China’s car rental market has been steadily growing. Every year the number of people who get driver’s licenses increases by 20%. Because of the way that car ownership is restricted in China, the demand for cars far outpaces the supply which is good for the car rental market.

Thanks to www.reuters.com for the above quote. For more information on this article please visit their website.

Rental car toll cuts hire costs

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

In a new bid to make car hire easier for visitors to New South Wales in Australia, the Minister for Roads has got together with a number of car hire companies to launch a new tolling system.

Michael Daley, the Minster for Roads in New South Wales, is making plans in conjunction with leading car hire companies such as AVIS Australia and Budget Rent-A-Car. In a recent interview Mr Daley revealed that the plans would involve 735 rental cars in the region of Sydney and Newcastle.

“This trial has the potential to save our international, interstate and regional visitors confusion, time and money.” Mr Daley said in a recent interview. “While we expect rental car companies to show restraint and charge a fair amount to cover the costs of recovering tolls from their customers, we know this is not always the case. It is currently the practice of some rental car companies to charge an administration fee of up to $35 to identify the driver and pass on any correspondence. This trial is about giving our visitors a cost-effective and convenient way to use Sydney’s motorways without being slugged by unfair administration fees.”

The beauty of the trial, which will be put into effect at selected Avis Australia and Budget Rent-A-Car outlets in the Sydney CBD, Kings Cross and Newcastle, means that the true cost  Of car hire will be clear from the very start.

Thanks to www.etravelblackboard.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

Avis car rental set to reopen in Barrow

Monday, July 20th, 2009

In a major coup against rival Hertz, Avis car rental has secured a three-year contract with BAE Systems valued at £20 million.

In order to service the contract, Avis will reopen the Barrow branch which was shut down last year because of problems involving the Marina Village development. The council needed the land for the development and forced the previous franchise owner off the premises.

The new operation will provide three full-time jobs and three part-time jobs at the Barrow location. Vehicles that will be made available include the Ford Fiesta, the Focus, and the Mondeo.

Avis is currently operating out of a lot in back of the Hertz rental site.  Avis plans to build a brand new building on the site.  Besides servicing BAE systems, plans also call for car hire to be made available to the public at the location.

In addition to the Barrow location being reopened, eight additional Avis stations will be opened in other parts of the UK in order to service what is a national contract.  Barrow intends to rent more than 1600 vehicles over the course of the three years.

“Bringing on 1,600 new Ford vehicles, opening eight new stations and implementing our Avis Preferred programme across 5,000 users in five weeks has been a great result.” said Avis Sales Director, Anthony Ainsworth.

So far, three car hire stations have been opened under the agreement.  Besides Barrow, they are located in Southampton and Leicester.

Thanks to www.nwemail.co.uk for the above quote.  For more information about this article, visit their website.

Cheap car hire prices make driving holidays ideal

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

www.avis.com

Good news if you’re planning to hire a car and drive around Europe this summer. Most car hire companies have cut their prices and fuel prices have fallen, meaning that driving holidays are up to a third cheaper this summer.

A new report by the Post Office shows that the average price of a litre of diesel has fallen by up to 32%, which unleaded petrol getting 12% cheaper. Many car hire companies such as Avis have also cut their prices in order to tempt customers. (more…)

Avis rolls out Satellite TV for Hire Cars

Friday, July 10th, 2009

www.avis.com

Avis is taking car rental to the next level of comfort. They have teamed up with RaySat Broadcasting (RBC) to offer satellite TV in their rental cars. The new service is called AT&T CruiseCast and it serves up 22 television channels complimented with 20 audio channels.

For safety reasons the mobile units are mounted in the car’s headrest and the screen is not visible to the driver. (more…)

Avis adds Chevrolet Camaro to car collection

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

www.avis.com

Leading car hire company Avis Rent A Car System LLC have recently announced a new addition to their fleet of rental cars. The Chevrolet Camaro will be added to the company’s “Cool Car” collection, which is a series of popular vehicles that are available to be reserved according to the specific make and model.

First introduced in 1967, the Chevrolet Camaro is one of America’s best known and loved cars. Although production ceased in 2002, demand was so high that in 2006 manufacturer General Motors announced that new models would begin production in 2009. (more…)

Car hire on the increase in Spain

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

www.hertz.com

If you’re heading to Spain in the next few months and plan to rent a car, make sure you book in advance. This summer, finding car hire in popular areas might be more difficult than usual.

Victoria Rent a Car have been telling their customers that car hire might be in short supply in areas such as Madrid, Murcia and Alicante. (more…)

Avis re-opens its doors in Barrow

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

www.avis.co.uk

Thanks to BAE Systems Avis are opening up their branch in Barrow around a year after it was shut down.

Avis have struck a deal with BAE worth  Subscribe to hirecars News