I am excited to announce the launch of the Avis Eco Collection, our new low emissions car group. If you choose to rent a car from the Avis Eco collection you can drive away in a brand new, stylish and fuel efficient VW Golf 1.6 TDI 90ps. The cars combined MPG is 62.8 and its CO2 emissions are sub 120, at 118g/km. Currently these cars are available at 21 Avis locations across the UK.

Also to celebrate the launch of the new Avis Eco collection, we will offset the carbon offset all of the Eco collection rentals that have pick-ups in December 2009 and January 2010.

We would love to hear what you think about this new car group and it would be great to get feedback if you have rented one of our Avis Eco cars.

Following on from Barry’s post mentioning particular Cool Cars you’d like to see on fleet, I’d like to introduce what could potentially be the future of practically zero emission transport, although I’ll leave it up to you to judge whether or not it’s a “Cool Car”.

With such a high focus lately on low carbon emissions it was only a matter of time before air powered cars became a reality. And that reality is far closer thanks to Guy Negre, a French auto engineer who has developed a car powered by fresh air, with a fraction of the carbon emissions to that of a standard engine. He claims the car can reach speeds of 30mph-plus, travel for 65 miles on a one-minute recharge and best of all will only set you back just over £3000.

With Electric cars now on the rise, Negre has promoted the AirPod claiming “Compared to electric cars, air-powered cars cost a fraction of the price to buy, they don’t need expensive batteries to be replaced every five years or so and crucially they take only a fraction of the time to recharge.”

The plan is to have the air powered cars ranging from three-wheeled buggies to four-wheeled, five-door family saloons. This is then expected to increase to eventually include Vans, buses, taxis and boats. There is a potential agreement that could see air cars on sale in the UK within three years.

Ultimately it’s a City Car but for those of you looking for slightly further ventures there is a hybrid, battery-assisted version which is claimed can reach 100mph and travel 900 miles on one gallon of petrol.

Would you like to see air-powered vehicles available for rental within major city centres in the future? Would you be persuaded to rent based on the practically non-existent carbon emissions, the small compact size or the virtually free running costs? Let us know what you think.

There is always lots of talk around the office about what cars we might potentially get on fleet, which cars we would like to see and what we think our customers would like to drive. Following on from Robert’s blog post on the Frankfurt Motor Show and news of our exclusivity on the Porsche Panamera in Germany, I was inspired to take a look at some of the other desirable cars available with Avis.

The focus of my attention starts in the US where they have a range of cars, similar to our own Select Series fleet – Cool Cars. Immediately, the selection of cars available in the range had me dreaming of picking up a Chevrolet Camaro (my personal favourite from the range!) at Los Angeles and cruising along the highways to the Grand Canyon to admire the awesome views.

Although, as the Cool Cars range is available throughout the States, from California, to Florida to Texas to Chicago, to name just a few, I could happily spend a few months travelling across the country taking in all the US has to offer, picking up a different car every week!

Alongside the Camaro (which is exclusive to Avis), you could also choose from the Ford Mustang or Chevy Corvette, both modern versions of the traditional ‘muscle cars’ I’ve admired and longed to drive since my youth. The Cool Cars fleet also boasts a handful of urban cruisers in the Cadillac CTS & STS, convertibles (Pontiac Solstice, Nissan 350Z convertible) for the poseurs amongst you and the inevitable ‘gas-guzzling’ SUVs such as the Hummer H3.

But fear not, there is also the Eco-Ride selection for those renters conscious about their carbon footprint. The Eco-Ride cars are either hybrids or have been SmartWay certified by the US Environment Protection Agency as being environmentally cleaner and more fuel efficient vehicles.

Whilst I try to convince my wife that taking the kids stateside to cruise the highways in a muscle car is a great idea for next years holiday, why not share what your ideal Cool Car fleet would look like!

One of our customers, Robert, posted a great review of the Frankfurt motor show on our blog about the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamic the other day. It was so comprehensive, in fact, that we decided to publish it as a full blog post in it’s own right! Enjoy and let us know if you went to the motor show as well!

Rob White – Marketing, Avis UK

I was lucky enough to visit the show yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyed it as always, and I think this year’s is possibly the largest, most lavish there has been so far (well, of the ones I have visited, anyway).

I would agree that this year’s show had a large “electric car” theme to it, which was to be expected, and was very interesting indeed. However, there is still a long way to go and the technology is still in its early days compared to the standard conventional motor car. There were some stunning new cars at the show, I’ll try and mention a few of them that stood out, for me at least. In terms of show stands, BMW most definitely had the most impressive hall, with race tracks running through it, a car “cut walk” etc. It was huge, and if I am not mistaken, I think they had the same hall Mercedes used last year.

As always, some of the more exclusive manufacturers allowed visitors on their stands by invitation only, and I was lucky enough to be invited to visit the Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Jaguar stands.

I thought the new Rolls Ghost is gorgeous, and the first Rolls that would actually appeal to the younger generation (Not that I could afford one in any way….). I had a nice rest in the back of a Phantom, just to see how the other side lives…

Loved the new Jaguar XJ!!! What a different animal to the old one which was lovely but very traditional. The new one is beautiful, though I can see why it wouldn’t be to all tastes, especially the rear. The XF looks stunning as always. They didn’t bother with any X-Types; seems they are going to stop manufacturing them in the next couple of months anyway, and not a minute too soon. Shame they aren’t replacing it though, as if they came out with a “mini” XF to compete in the BMW 3 and Audi A4 category that would be amazing, but no plans right now.

Now, back to earth…
The new Astra is a lovely looking car both inside and out – It basically has the Insignia interior which is a very good thing, and a huge step forward from the old model. I did find it a little cramped in the back, and if I were driving there would be no way anyone my height (6.2) could fit in the back behind me.

The Citroen DS3 is one of the cutest and coolest little cars I have seen in a long time. They come in 4 different colour combinations, so you choose the roof colour and the body colour, (a trend Mini started, (and which has been adopted by the likes of Skoda with the Fabia, and others). I think I would choose this really cool car over the Mini (brilliant fun to drive but too common now), or the 500.

Talking of Mini, they did bring the new Mini concept Coupe convertible which they have promised they are going to make – it’s really cool and makes a nice change from the standard one.

Renault brought the new Fluence to the show. It’s a family salon originally aimed at developing Eastern markets, but I was told they are now considering selling it in Western Europe too. It’s a actually a nice looking car, with the same interior as the Laguna. In fact I was not sure what the point was of offering both cars, and I was told the Fluence was more Megane size then Laguna – Possibly, but it didn’t look that way.

Volvo’s new S60 concept car is a stunner, and the production car due next year is likely to look almost identical. It’s got that 4 door coupe theme going (Ala Merc CLS, Passat CC, A5 etc) and you can definitely spot some styling cues from the XC60 which I think is one of the nicer looking SUV’s on the road.

Saab brought the new 9-5 to the show. This is basically a glorified Vauxhall Insignia. I like the styling, especially from the rear, but the inside is too similar to the Insignia (the steering wheel is identical) and just doesn’t feel special enough. This is a car that starts at £30k and you would have expected a little more from Saab. A bit disappointing, but I’m still interested to see what they will be like to drive.

There were hundreds more cars there of course, from your average family saloons to Lamborghinis and Ferraris, but I’ve tried to sum up the few that actually got my attention for more than just a couple of minutes…

All in all a great show, looking forward to the next one already!

Robert

It looks like Porsche have finally cracked a challenge they’ve been taking on for years: a four seater, four door family car that retains the poise and performance of a classic Porsche. The car I’m talking about is the new Porsche Panamera.

And the car, one of Porsche’s most anticipated in many years, has not been short of rave reviews despite the bold steps that has been taken. Stuart Birch of the Telegraph states that the “steering is beautifully weighted, brakes massively powerful and the transmission/engine duo an invigorating harmony act” while Giles Smith at the Times enthuses “what a relief to find something with the Panamera’s handsome, low-slung lines. In two-wheel drive, as in appearance, the car does a loose but enjoyable impression of a 911″. OK, so some people may not buy into it. They might find it a bit bulky or perhaps not quite grasp it’s place in the market. But I think it looks great and you’d be hard-pressed to find a review that doubts it’s performance.

And in a real coup for Avis, the team in Germany have managed to bring the Porsche Panamera exclusively to their fleet. It even comes equipped with a Bose Surround Sound System. Unfortunately it can only be booked on a purpose-built microsite which happens to be in German. But if you do want to book it and feel confident enough to navigate the language then you can do so by visiting www.avis.de/panamera. Otherwise you can try our German call centre on +49 1805 55 77 55 (and they do speak English!).

And as the Panarema represents something of a new concept we’d love to hear your feedback. Do you believe that Porsche has nailed the four door family car? Or have they been unable to make the transition? Let us know what you think!

Unfortunately I never get to go to the Frankfurt motor show but it is great to be reading all the buzz around some of the electric and hybrid cars on show. Peugeot, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Ford and Renault were all there to showcase electric-powered concepts while Tesla showed off a Brabus tuned-up Roadster and their upcoming Model S.

There were plenty of hybrid and plug-in hybrids on display also. Toyota look to be expanding their hybrid range to the Auris and GM’s hybrid plug-in, the Ampera, is particularly exciting and is expected to go on sale in the UK in 2012. But the hybrid that has really got me drooling is BMW’s Vision EfficientDynamic concept. BMW claim that the diesel hybrid will hit 0-62 mph in 4.8 seconds while running at 75.1 mpg. Check out this video that I found on Youtube and I think you’ll see what I mean! And let us know if you have any thoughts on the motor show or if you were even lucky enough to go!

You may have picked this news up from some of the recent commentary anyway, but I just thought I’d write a quick post to tell everyone that we now have the BMW 3 Series and 5 Series back on the Avis Select Series. The BMWs were immensely popular when we first introduced them so we’re delighted to have them back.

The 3 Series are a mix of 318d and 320d. They are also a mix of SEs and M Sports, although there are more M Sports than SEs. The 5 Series are all 520d SEs.

If you rent one of our BMWs and fancy writing a review (and, ideally, take a few photos) then please send it in to comments@avis.co.uk. If we publish it, we will sort you out with a free 3-day weekend rental in one of our 3 Series as a way of saying thanks (there are some terms and condition so email me if you are interested and I’ll send these over).

I’ve just been advised by my colleague in the Avis Prestige team that they have recently introduced the Jaguar XKR to their fleet (available as a 5.0 coupe and a 5.0 cabriolet). While I have never had the chance to drive one myself, there is no doubting that it is a gorgeous car to look at. And the overwhelmingly positive reviews I’ve read about it is testament to the success the product development team at Jaguar have enjoyed over the past few years. I’ve posted some snippets of these reviews below. As always let us know what you think about the Jaguar XKR and feel free to post your ideas about what you would like to see on the Avis Prestige fleet!

“The XKR is furiously fast, fun to drive, yet still comfortable and sumptuous when you just want to cruise.”
Channel4 – 4Car

“Even from the passenger seat, it’s clear Jaguar has created a special machine. Not only is it quick in a straight line, but it handles as well as any of its rivals. In Mike Cross’s hands, the pace is truly spectacular. And while we can’t wait until our own test drive, one thing is already very clear – the XKR might be yellow, but it’s far from mellow.”
Auto Express

“You’ll be reading a lot about this new XKR over the next few weeks so you’d better get used to “best Jag since the E-type” headlines. This doesn’t interest me at all. What does excite me is that within 10 miles at the wheel I suspected this Jaguar was not simply more charming than its rivals from BMW and Mercedes, it was plain better, too. Now, several hundred miles down the road, I’ m convinced. And that is a story worth telling”
The Sunday Times

“…the XKR can stand toe-to-toe with the best GTs at any price. Fast, refined, beautiful, high-tech…”
Car Magazine

Last week a customer (Robert) asked if we could publish a
blog post that would essentially be used as a thread to feedback on
our UK fleet. It’s a great idea and I thought this blog post could be
used as that thread. When posting your comments just please bear in mind
that the market is very tough at the moment, which has affected the
available supply and pushed our costs up. So while your feedback is
important to us, we also need to be pragmatic about how much action we
can take from this.

And to give you something to feedback on, here is a list of the current
fleet (I’ve only included those that we have the most fleet of in each
category). I look forward to reading your comments!…

Standard fleet
Small
Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 207, Renault Clio, Chevrolet Matiz (recently launched due
to demand for a “Small – Mini” category)

Medium
Ford Focus, Peugeot 308, Nissan Note

Large
Ford Mondeo, VW Jetta, VW Passat, Vauxhall Vectra, Mercedes C-Class,
Mercedes E-Class

Estates
Peugeot 308 SW, Citreon C5, VW Passat SW

MPVs
Vauxhall Zafira, VW Sharan, Kia Sedona

Select Series
Fiat 500, VW Golf, Audi A4, Audi A4 Avant

Just a short note to let you know that Avis have extended the Fiat 500 trial due to popular demand and positive customer feedback. You can now rent this fantastic little car up to the end of March 2009.

The Fiat 500 has just won BusinessCar magazine’s City Car of the Year Award. This prize – decided by the publication’s readers – follows other accolades for the 500, including Car of the Year 2008, Auto Express’ Best City Car 2008 and Fifth Gear’s Car of the Year. And if this great car couldn’t get any better, Fiat will be showing off their convertible version at the Geneva Motor Show in March!

Have you tried one yet? Why not let us know if you liked it? If you haven’t experienced the Fiat 500, visit the Avis website for details of how to book your drive today.