Car rental operator Sixt announced on Oct. 4 that it will order several thousand electric vehicles from BEV and PHEV manufacturer BYD. The initial order's vehicles will be available for Sixt customers in Europe in Q4 2022. The companies have an agreement to purchase around 100,000 additional electric vehicles over the following six years. In addition, BYD and Sixt will explore potential cooperation opportunities in different regions around the world, according to the announcement. 

Starting for customers in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the U.K., Sixt will be the first car rental company in Europe to offer BYD's vehicles. The first model provided by BYD will be the fully electric, European-styled BYD ATTO 3, a C-segment SUV. All BYD models that will become part of Sixt's fleet are fit to the expectations and needs of European customers with Blade Battery developed for safety, durability, and performance, according to the company.

The order from BYD fits in Sixt's recent goal to significantly increase the share of electrified vehicles in its fleet and boost excitement for emobility. The Sixt offering of electric vehicles in the volume segment will benefit from the cooperation with BYD. The Sixt fleet in Europe will be 70% to 90% electrified by 2030, covering a wide range of manufacturers and models. Sixt is also establishing its own charging infrastructure, will expand the Sixt app and the underlying ONE mobility platform to a single sign-on for hundreds of thousands of public charging points, and will switch its stations and branches to CO2 neutrality by the end of 2023.

“Cooperations are a core part of the BYD business strategy," said Michael Shu, general manager and managing director, BYD Europe and International Cooperation Division. "We are delighted to start our cooperation with Sixt, the car rental company with the world’s fastest-growing brand value, and a very important key partner to BYD as we take our first steps into the rental market. Our shared vision allows us to build our green dreams together, initially starting in Europe. We aim to inspire Sixt customers with our latest products and innovations in EV technology. These are exciting times for BYD, as our market leading solutions provide greater access, and more options for electric mobility. We look forward to a long and flourishing partnership with Sixt.”

“Sixt offers easy-to-use, flexible, and limitless mobility to its customers every day," Vinzenz Pflanz, chief business officer, Sixt SE, added. "With over 1 million units produced from January to August 2022, BYD is the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer in the area of emobility. The agreement with BYD is an important milestone to deliver on our promise of putting significantly more e-cars onto the street. We are very much looking forward to our cooperation with BYD.”