According to German publication Manager Magazin, Volkswagen is reportedly interested in taking a 15% in the global mobility brand.
The investment firm is looking to sell its 29.8% stake in Europcar by September. If a new owner doesn’t emerge, the company would enter talks on a debt restructuring deal.
VW has contacted Europcar to express interest in an acquisition and carry out due diligence, though the talks are preliminary.
Prague and Hamburg in the spring are to be followed by Paris, Madrid, Budapest, Munich, and Milan in the course of the year.
Waikato-based Loop operates a fleet of Volkswagen Golfs that cost about 15 NZD ($9.70) to rent per hour.
The service, launched in Berlin, will expand to Prague and Hamburg in 2020. The number of carsharing users in Germany has risen to 2.46 million this year.
Europcar is now offering EVs for private, leisure, and business rentals at its Auckland Airport, Christchurch Airport, Wellington Airport locations, and Dunedin.
All vehicles come with a driver who all previously served government officials and guests during the 2010 World Expo and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The companies plan on scaling the project to a commercial venture by 2022.
These services are to be extended to major cities in Europe, North America, and Asia as early as 2020.