The Hertz Corporation is consolidating in the Asia-Pacific to dovetail with global growth efforts. In the region, it continues to diversify and align with local firms to create culture-specific, targeted services.
Its most recent move has been the acquisition of Flexicar, an Australian car sharing company, effective from December this year. Flexicar will come under the umbrella of Connect by Hertz, the company’s car sharing division launched in 2008, which has since made inroads in 200 locations including New York, London, Berlin, Madrid, Paris as well as several North American university campuses.
Currently, Flexicar has 90 vehicles and 2,500 active members in Melbourne and Sydney. They will have access to Hertz’s range of vehicles and in-car technology as well as Connect by Hertz services in other parts of the world.
In India, Hertz has teamed up with ORIX Auto Infrastructure Service Ltd, an Indian vehicle rental provider, under a Customer Referral Program to expand its network. Since August 14 this year, the scheme enables members of both rental companies access to each other's services, including the For-She service, which provides women with female chauffeurs. Complementing Indian cultural sensitivities, the product is expected to generate healthy demand. They currently operates in 10 cities – Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida and Pune.
In China, Hertz operates in Shanghai and Beijing, and plans to cater to this clientele more effectively through the mandarin website www.hertz.cn. For this market, services such as chauffer drive, self drive, airport transfers, leasing and cars for special events are available.
On a larger scale, the company has racked up several achievements: acquired Advantage Rent A Car, introduced greener vehicles and more sophisticated technology into its fleet and maintained a growing network of airline partners enabling passengers to accumulate miles in the air and on the road.
Hertz’s airline partners include Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Emirates, Jet Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines. The alliance rewards frequent flyer program members with bonus miles per rental in Asia and beyond.
For more information, visit www.hertz.com
Alisha Haridasani
