Report: Fewer American vehicles are used as car rentals

by Aaron Foley | MLive.com

Wednesday July 22, 2009, 3:05 PM

More foreign brands are are turning up on auto rental agency lots, which means if you're borrowing a car for that big road trip, chances are it won't be a Ford, Chrysler or GM product.

Three years ago, 80 percent of cars came from the Big Three, but that number has since dropped to just under 50 percent.

From the Los Angeles Times, July 22: Agencies increasingly want cars their customers prefer rather than the cheapest vehicles available and, as important, ones that will hold their value over time. Meanwhile, manufacturers that scarcely bothered with fleet sales in the past now see them as an important sales channel as the traditional retail auto market flags. The result is a recent predominance of foreign makes to choose from at rental counters.

For a time, the major car-rental agencies were owned or partially owned by automakers. Avis was partially owned by General Motors, Hertz was a unit of Ford and Dollar Thrifty was a unit of Chrysler. But those companies were spun off, and only recently have those outlets began carrying cars made by other manufacturers than their former parent companies.

Recently, the Nissan Altima beat out the Chevrolet Impala as most-rented car. And while Hertz stocks more Toyota product than Ford, Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai have seen the most growth among popular rental choices.