A last-minute, first-time exhibitor at the 2025 International Car Rental Show in April exemplified the new dynamics transforming car rental operations.

Orcar, an AI-focused car rental system, registered just days before the event. The team traveled from South Korea to demonstrate their technology and illustrate how their service removes rental counters, wait times, paperwork, and price uncertainty.

After the show, they deployed their system at Jeju International Airport near Seoul, as well as in Seoul and Busan, with plans for global expansion.

I share this story because, in 2025, AI and emerging technologies became central to the rental car industry. As detailed in our Fact Book, these developments enable more responsive rental rates, improved bookings, digital customer service, and real-time metrics that help operators better target business.

Going forward, rental car operations will depend on the speed, precision, accuracy, and flexibility enabled by AI and data.

Innovators like Orcar, who move quickly, will shape the future of the car rental industry.

In fact, as I write this, Car Trawler, a B2B mobility technology provider, has released the results of a survey of U.S. travelers. It found that among those who used AI for car rentals, 67% were satisfied. They cited improved price-comparison capabilities and a simpler rental-car selection process as key benefits.

The ascendance of AI and advancing technology comes as we mark our 30th anniversary for the International Car Rental Show, May 13-15, 2026, at the Gaylord Texan near Dallas. It’s our first foray out of Las Vegas.

In addition to an opening night gala, we’re looking to call out some “long-timers” who’ve been attending ICRS for the last three decades, maybe even the first one. (We’ll be sure to tell everyone you started attending at age 10).

A Tech-Driven Industry Agenda

Now with 30 years on the books, ICRS's challenge is to remain relevant and forward-thinking for the next year, two, three, and beyond. As the industry transforms at a faster pace, so must the show.

Our agenda for ICRS 2026 will center on the overriding topics and themes of 2025 to date:

• AI and how to monetize car rental damage: We’ll address the media uproar of the year with angry car renters facing damage costs from AI-detected dings, scratches, and abrasions that may have escaped duller digital and human eyes. How should this factor into the customer relationship?

• Real-time rates: As we see in this year’s Fact Book, immense data can now adjust pricing in real time based on supply and demand flow. How do car rental companies maximize these opportunities as AI gets smarter and faster?

• OTA and online bookings: The Millennials and Gen Zers are having none of it: Counters, lines, phone calls, reservation windows, and even large parking lots. What are ways to connect rental cars with arriving car renters at airports, especially younger travelers? How can rental cars better compete on tech-driven convenience?

I can already tell we’ll generate plenty of topics and ideas for ICRS sessions. Send me your insights as well.

Welcoming A New Generation Of Car Rental Operators

Finally, celebrating the past cannot happen without a focus on the industry’s potential ahead. We would like to welcome and recognize more young entrepreneurs entering the industry.

I met Nathaniel Fuentes two months ago at the American Car Rental Association’s annual conference. Nathaniel, 25, runs Daily Frequency Rentals, a Cleveland, Ohio-based company he started in 2023. He buys used cars and rents them out. At his first ACRA event, I observed him speaking with a successful veteran rental car operator, who gave him wise advice.

Nathaniel has grown the company’s revenue from $140,000 in the first year to $1.2 million this year, running a fleet of 100 rental cars. He’s now aiming for his first 1,000.

“We’ve learned to focus on community, compliance, and smart growth,” he told me. “The revenue and customer loyalty prove that our model works. As long as we keep improving and adapting, I’m confident about where we’re headed.”

And so should we as an industry. If we encourage and support businesspeople like Nathaniel, we can look forward to ICRS events for decades to come. 

This column first appeared in the January 2026 print edition of the Auto Rental News Fact Book.