Hertz Refreshes Green Collection to Meet Customer Demand for Eco Rentals

LONDON - Stringent CO2 Emissions Policy Introduced for Green Cars Which are Make and Model Reservable, an Industry First

To coincide with World Environment Day, the UN’s annual drive to raise global awareness of the environment, Hertz today announced the re-launch of its flagship Green Collection in Europe, which can be booked online at www.hertz.co.uk/green. Environmentally conscious travellers now have a refreshed range of fuel-efficient cars across 70 major airport and downtown locations in Europe to choose from, along with the ability to reserve their Green Collection vehicle by make and model - a first for the car rental industry.

The Green Collection offers eco-friendly models carefully selected according to the company’s enhanced CO2 emissions policy. All models have a CO2 output of less than or equal to 140g/km, with more than half of the models at 120g/km or less - exceeding the average voluntary target of 140g/km CO2 output set by the EU for the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

In Europe, the Green Collection is available in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Hertz is also extending its Green Collection into the Czech Republic and Sweden from June onwards, offering customers greater access to its fuel efficient cars across continental Europe.

“At Hertz, we take our role as environmental citizens very seriously, highlighted by the fact that we’re the only major car rental company to offer a dedicated fleet of reservable lower emission cars,” said Michel Taride, President Hertz Europe. “By adopting a more stringent CO2 emissions policy, and extending our service into new territories across Europe, we plan to set the green standard for the car rental industry,” he added.

In the UK, ‘green’ customers will have access to a range of makes and models, all of which conform to Hertz’s minimum green specification. Cars include the Ford Focus Diesel 1.6 and the VW Passat, delivering maximum fuel economy and minimum CO2 emissions. For example, the VW Passat Blue Motion employs automatic Stop/Start Technology, which reduces fuel consumption and emissions during urban driving.

This year, Hertz also introduced the Fiat Punto Natural Gas power model into its Green Collection in Italy and the compressed natural gas models Opel Zafira CNG and the Opel Combo CNG to Netherlands’ Green Collection. Hertz also launched a fleet of electric scooters in Amsterdam and Spain.

The reservable Green Collection vehicles join the luxury Prestige Collection and sporty Fun Collection vehicles, which can also be reserved by make and model at major airport and downtown locations across Europe.

In addition to the Green Collection, Hertz applies its green policies to its fleet sourcing strategies company-wide. In line with this, Hertz aspires to develop and agree overall quantifiable and time scaled reduction targets for its entire rental fleet, a project currently being developed via the World Economic Forum (WEF) to provide representation to the United Nations Framework Conventional Climate Change (UNFCCC) as part of the Copenhagen process (the new version of the Kyoto protocol, which comes to a natural end in 2012).

Hertz has also launched its new car share service ‘Connect by Hertz’ in December 2008 in London, Paris and New York to offer customers an economical, convenient and socially-conscious alternative to car ownership.

Source: Hertz

Alicia Mistry, +44(0)20-7611-3574, alicia.mistry at ketchum.com