Chris Brown, executive editor of Business Fleet, Auto Rental News, and Fleet Forward, offers his perspective on fleets, auto rental, and the new mobility ecosystem. Along with related publications and online newsletters, Chris produces the International Car Rental Show and the Fleet Forward Conference. Chris is relied on as an industry resource in matters by major media outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio.
Hertz’s massive EV rental initiative will have impacts in the corporate and B2B sectors. It will also provide a hedge against supply shortages and deflated pricing, whenever that comes. But blazing a trail is never easy.
With more than 800 registrants for the 2022 International Car Rental Show, you could surmise that “the car rental industry is back” — but nowhere near what it looked like before the pandemic.
Hertz’s 2021 fourth quarter and full year earnings call shed light on its post-bankruptcy future, the near-term prospects for car rental fleet and demand, progress in EV rentals, and a new corporate mindfulness.
A battle is brewing between the traditional telematics providers, third-party connected car platforms, and the automakers themselves, which are returning with new digital applications.
Avis Budget Group was able to pivot to meet rapidly changing conditions last year. Can Avis and the rest of the industry manage what’s ahead in 2022?
Strong business performance usually comes during times of stability. Then how come car rental is doing so well in the most disruptive era in its history?
There will be short-term impacts to the TNC model and long-term implications to our autonomous future. How will this work operationally?
With an order of 100,000 Model 3s by 2022, Tesla is now on par — or even surpassing — Hertz’s previous number one supplier. Can Hertz get the infrastructure in place to support this timeline?
Yes, the situation has officially reached Code Red. But in the disruption lies opportunity for car rental operators willing to adjust their plans.
Interacting with attendees at the 2021 International Car Rental Show, it’s clear that car rental is the most resilient sector in travel. That resiliency will again be tested on the road ahead.
Multiple external disruptions have impacted the car rental industry in the last 25 years. Each time, the industry has convened at the International Car Rental Show to figure it all out and bounce back stronger than ever.
The coming year will begin with upside down fleet patterns, a constricted lending environment, a looming tax liability, and a changed rental customer. Yet by the second half, business could be gangbusters. Will you be ready?
The final day examined whether the car rental industry has turned the corner to meet next year’s challenges. The answer is not about the current travel outlook, which still isn’t pretty. It’s about how car rental companies are reacting to meet those conditions.
This day’s seminars offered advice on how to deal with lenders in a crisis, which COVID-19 claims to look out for, new business to source arising after the pandemic, and how to prepare for the increasing number of weather events in the U.S.
We learned that rental fleet allocation will be tight in the next few quarters, so operators will have to work harder to source vehicles. In this massive disruption, renter types are changing too. Third-party platforms are designed to find them.
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