Thursday, August 2, 2007

Avis to Add 500 Hybrids to Fleet By Anthony Fontanelle





Car rental company Avis will be expanding their fleet of eco-friendly vehicles. The company announced that 500 hybrid vehicles will be added to their fleet. According to information released by the car rental company, the 500 hybrids will be Nissan Altima units. These will be delivered to selected branches.


The addition of the 500 Nissan Altima Hybrid units will give customers of the company the choice between a Toyota Prius and the Nissan hybrid. Interestingly, the Altima Hybrid is designed using the powertrain design of the Prius. The Prius and the Altima Hybrid will be part of Avis’ Eco Rides selection.

The Altima is a midsize sedan while the Prius is a compact car. The difference between the two hybrid cars is the interior space. With the addition of the Nissan Altima Hybrid to the fleet, Avis is giving their customers a choice.

Incidentally, the Nissan Altima Hybrid was recently adjudged by Edmunds as the second best hybrid sedan in the market. According to the online source of auto information, the Camry Hybrid is better than the Altima overall. But in the fuel efficiency tests undertaken by test drivers for Edmunds, they found out that the Altima Hybrid is more fuel efficient than the Camry Hybrid on city driving. Overall though, the Camry has a better gas mileage when highway mpg is considered.


The choice of the car rental company of the Nissan Altima Hybrid may be because of its superior city driving gas mileage. The roomy interior of the Nissan Altima will also appeal to customers of Avis. This roomy interior is complemented by the high quality of materials used inside the car which includes the floor mats which are comparable to the Subaru cargo liner in terms of practicality. According to the company, the reason for the expansion of their hybrid car rental fleet is twofold.


Becky Alseth, the senior vice president of marketing for Avis Budget Group, Inc., explains: “In addition to consumers who wish to make their rental experience one with minimal environmental impact, we expect a substantial number of customers are thinking of purchasing a hybrid vehicle, and want to try the Nissan Altima or Toyota Prius for themselves to see how it performs.”


The purchase of the 500 units of Nissan Altima Hybrids will give the Japanese automaker a boost in promoting the hybrid car. With Avis’ wide reach, consumers will be exposed to the Nissan Altima Hybrid. The expansion will benefit both Avis and the automaker. With the promotion of the hybrid vehicles, Nissan can expect an increase in the number of visitors in their dealerships.

Aside from the Toyota Prius and the Nissan Altima Hybrid, Avis also offers other vehicles which is a part of their ‘Cool Cars’ collection. The collection includes the Eco Rides - the Prius and the Altima Hybrid. Other vehicles includes what the company labels as ‘Joy Rides’ - the Ford Mustang, Mitsubishi Spyder and Eclipse, Dodge Nitro and the Magnum. The ‘Ultimate Rides’ includes the Hummer H3, Cadillac CTS, Chrysler 300, Lincoln MKX, and the Chrysler Crossfire.


“All of our Avis Cool Cars can now be specifically reserved by individual make and model, and if that's the car you reserve, that's the car you will get,” said Alseth. “We look forward to adding more exciting and exotic vehicles to the Avis Cool Cars collection in the coming months.”

About the Author: Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

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