Car Rental & the Environment

Author: Car Guru

With the environment such a hot topic around the world and especially in the transport industry, there are companies that are embracing new environmentally friendly technology. Hybrid Cars and ever increasingly fuel efficient diesel cars are becoming more available to mainstream motorists. I used to work for a corporate travel company and many of the major corporations were requesting the inclusion of Hybrid cars in their contracts. This was more to do with increasing business opportunities by being seen to be green as opposed to wanting to be green!

The question arises when people travel and want to maintain their commitment to the green cause. Car Rental companies will be the ones providing these vehicles... or will they?

I have chosen (for the Australia traveller) major car companies that you can book 'green cars' with. Working for DriveAway Holidays here in Australia, the most common request is for diesel cars. This is driven out of cost concerns and also the occasional environmental concern. (Shouldn't it be the other way around??)

First off the rank is Avis Rental Cars.

In Australia, the group L car will give you a Toyota Hybrid. This car is the favorite for the car rental companies due to it being built by Toyota.

In the UK, there doesn't appear to be any green cars, although there may be diesel cars on fleet, Avis don't make them easy to find.

In the USA, like Australia, the Toyota Hybrid under group XG is available.

Second off the cab rank is Hertz Rental Cars.

In Australia, like Avis, the Toyota Hybrid is the car of choice. Book a group G and you will get this car.

In the UK, Hertz has a range of fuel efficient diesels on fleet but no hybrids. This seems to be a common factor in the UK. Being an expat, I know that Toyota car prices in the UK are reasonably expensive compared to other european manufactured vehicles

In the USA, Hertz has a range of Hybrids, although on some of the cars, I couldn't tell if they were Hybrid or not.

Now, all credit to Hertz as they do promote their green cars as part of their Green Fleet. Avis don't appear to market their green cars in any way, which is a shame.

Third on the cab rank is Europcar Rental Cars.

Again, unlike Hertz, they appear not to promote their green fleet. Looking at their Australia Fleet guide, they have the regular passenger vehicles such as Small, Medium, Large, Prestige, Minivans, Sport, 4WD. Europcar list the green car as part of there regular fleet, however, it does have it's unique identifier (IHAR) in Australia.

In the UK, Europcar doesn't appear to have any green offerings. Maybe it's something you can request at pick up. Personally, if I could book a green car over the internet, I would do so with a company that offered that service.

In the USA, I chose LAX as Europcar have a limited presence. There were no cars I could find that looked green.

To Europcar's defence, in other parts of Europe where they are particularly strong, one is able to guarantee a diesel for an extra few euros per day.

In this brief look, Hertz appears to be the only car rental company that is actively promoting green cars. Avis & Europcar seem to be a bit hap hazard in their approach to a green fleet. Whilst it may be a case of logistics and a supply issue, there is no reason why they couldn't promote their green cars.
I am sure that in 12 months time, the situation will be that every car rental company will be actively marketing green cars. The consumer can currently offset their CO2 emissions in the various transport sectors and I am sure that the car rental industry will follow suit in the near future.

The Environment is a marketers dream and I do think that some of the car rental companies have missed the boat so far. Hopefully their marketing departments will wake up and smell the cleaner air..

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/vacation-rentals-articles/car-rental-the-environment-644913.html

About the Author

Car Guru writes for DriveAway Holidays, DriveAway Holidays New Zealand and DriveAway Holidays Blog

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Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability

At present, there are roughly a billion cars in the world. Yet within twenty years, the number will double to 2 billion, largely a consequence of China's and India's explosive growth. Given that greenhouse gases are already creating havoc with our climate and that violent conflict in unstable oil-rich nations is on the rise, does this mean that matters will only get worse, or are there hopeful signs that effective, realistic solutions can be found? In Two Billion Cars, through a concise history of America's love affair with cars and an overview of the global auto industry, leading transportation experts Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon explain how we arrived at this state, and what we can do about it.


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Epic 5-Car Drag Race

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How to Sell Used Cars in 6 Steps

Thanks to the Internet it is much easier today for one to sell their used car online quickly and affordably. Setting up an online ad for your car is much more cost effective and efficient than placing a sign in your window or using print advertising. Online classifieds run much longer than typical print ads and depending where you place your ad on the Internet you can even benefit from free advertising. Not only will you be targeting people in your neighbourhood but your ad will be seen by people all over the country making it that much more likely that you will sell your car fast.

The following 6 steps will help you sell your used car quickly and efficiently:

Step 1 - Asking Price

In order to sell your used car in a competitive market you need to know who your competition is. Namely what are other cars of the same make, model and year going for? You want to make sure the asking price stands out from the rest, while still leaving room for negotiation.

Step 2 - Keep Your Car Clean

This is probably the most crucial step. You want to a make sure both the inside and the outside are immaculate before you take the pictures and show it to potential buyers. It is definitely worth the added cost to get your car detailed just before the pictures are taken. Just make sure you keep the car in the same condition before potential buyers come by to view the car.

Step 3 - Where To Advertise Your Used Car

A mentioned at the beginning of this article one of the easiest and most cost effective places to advertise is on the Internet, however if you have a little money to spend it isn't a bad idea to use other sources as well. Here are a few options:

1) Online used car classifieds

2) Free online classifieds such as CraigsList and Kijiji

3) Social Bookmarking classifieds such as Facebook's Marketplace

4) Local newspaper classified ads

5) And even though I mocked it in the beginning a "For Sale" sign in the car's window with your phone number can't hurt

Step 4 - Creating Your Ad

Once you have decided where your ads are going to be placed the next step is to design an ad that will be an attention grabber. It is best to start with the basics - make, model, year, colour, etc. But to really grab a potential buyer's attention you need to include a list of the best attributes of your used car. Such as low mileage, highway driven, new parts such as tires, etc. making sure every statement is true of course. If you are going to price you car with room to negotiate, as suggested earlier, then make sure you also mention that.

Step 5 - Showing Your Used Car

Once your ads have been placed your next step will be to show your used car to potential buyers. Here are a couple of tips to help this process go smoothly:

1) Make an appointment with each potential buyer - this way if they are late you don't have to feel bad for not waiting for them

2) As mentioned earlier make sure your car is always clean

3) If you have all the service records make sure you have them available for the buyer along with any reports you have on your car

4) Pre-plan a test-drive route that you can take potential buyers on. The route should be one that shows your car in a good light. You should of course ask for proof of a license and accompany the buyer on the test-drive. Not only will this give you an opportunity to answer any questions but you will also get a feel for how motivated they are to buy.

Step 6 - Handling Negotiations

The majority of people are not very skilled when it comes to negotiating, many people actually feel really uncomfortable asking a seller to come down on their price. Just understand that everyone wants to pay less than the asking price, but some people don't know how to do it. If you've built in room for negotiation you should have no problem handling any potential buyers negotiating skills. If their offer is too low you can always move on to the next potential buyer.

Corey Rozon is a freelance writer in Ottawa.
This article about selling used cars was written for MonsterAuto.ca, a great Canadian site where you can easily sell your used Chevrolets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Corey_A_Rozon

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Welcome To My Car Blog

Welcome to My Car Blog. Although this blog about cars is still relatively new you can be assured that over the coming weeks and months it will become your #1 resource for everything about cars. As part of My Big List Of Blogs there is a lot of room for growth, so if you have any questions or suggestions please leave a comment or send me an email.


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