Car Rental 2019: Solid Fundamentals, but Questions Ahead
Exiting a year of record revenues, the new year brings challenges from market disruptors, incumbent players new to the U.S. market, and new mobility models.
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.
Exiting a year of record revenues, the new year brings challenges from market disruptors, incumbent players new to the U.S. market, and new mobility models.
The major Brazilian car rental companies are on a buying spree, while long-term rentals to commercial customers are keeping the independents afloat. The biggest story, however, is that rental companies are now the biggest suppliers of cars to ride-hailing drivers in the country.
Walking into a representative’s or senator’s office to cogently deliver a message that will inspire change is an exhilarating, exhausting, and daunting task. Here’s an inside look on how these meetings go down.
Lyft’s car rental service offers renters some great perks, though it doesn’t yet have the big-volume problems that airport car rental companies experience.
Avis’s expansion of its TNC rentals program depends on its ability to manage vehicle mileage and telemetry, made possible by a connected car.
One of the final consolidations in U.S. car rental, the acquisition has ramifications in both the leisure and corporate markets, as well as for other brands.
If your business creed is to solve problems, you might serve a customer well enough that they may not need you anymore.
From a geeky industry insider standpoint, the fact that Lyft is renting fleet to consumers on a daily rate is a big deal. But questions abound regarding the business model and profitability.
De Shon came up as an operations guy. Perhaps that mindset, whether moving airplanes or rental fleets as efficiently as possible, is what ultimately led him to lead the charge as Avis's first “mobility CEO.”
On its first quarter conference call, Hertz was candid about the impact of Uber and Lyft — as well as the unrealized revenue potential.
One, the method in which operators put renters into cars is becoming more fluid and varied; the second: “The days of 60% utilization are over.”
Sales into rental fleets are up in the first quarter, while residual values are softening. Are higher fleet costs and over fleeting on the horizon?
Where is car rental headed with initiatives surrounding Mobility as a Service offerings, fleet management of autonomous vehicles, subscription services, and a rental fleet that connects it all?
A new group of fleet owners has emerged to supply peer-to-peer platforms. They’re getting together, learning fast, and hungry for resources. They’re not going away.
“Disengagement reports” reveal how many times a human driver had to take control of a driverless car in testing in California. A few well-publicized autonomous players lagged far behind.
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