Avis Rent A Car System
Encyclopedia
Avis Rent a Car System, LLC is a car rental
company headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township
, New Jersey
, United States
. Avis, Budget Rent a Car
and Budget Truck Rental
are all units of Avis Budget Group
.
Avis Budget Group operates the Avis brand in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, India, Australia and, New Zealand. Recently Avis has acquired Avis Europe plc which once was a separate corporation licensing the Avis brand. Avis is the second largest car
rental agency in the world preceded by Hertz Corporation.
Since the late 1970s, Avis has featured mainly General Motors
(GM) vehicles such as Chevrolet
and Cadillac
, but today also rents popular non-GM brands including Ford and Toyota.
Avis is a leading rental car provider to the commercial segment serving business travellers at major airports around the world, and to leisure travellers at off-airport locations. Many of the off-airport locations are franchise
d operations rather than company-owned and -operated, as is the case with most airport locations. Avis was the first car rental business to be located at an airport.
, Ypsilanti by Warren Avis
(August 4, 1915 – April 24, 2007). It established branch operations across the United States over the next few years, becoming the second largest car rental company in the country by 1953. By its tenth anniversary in 1956 it had opened its first international offices in Europe
, Canada
and Mexico
.
Their corporate
motto
is "We Try Harder" It was adopted in 1962 (during the tenure of Robert Townsend
as its CEO) to make a more positive reference of Avis' status as the second largest car rental company in the US, at the expense of its larger competitor The Hertz Corporation
. In 1972, Avis introduced Wizard, the first computer-based information and reservations system to be used in a US car rental business; to this day, almost all frequent Avis customers are identified by their unique "Wizard number". In 1981, the company instituted its system of vehicle tracking, that was not coincidentally named Advanced Vehicle Identification System (AVIS).
Avis has been owned by a number of other companies over the years, along with several periods of being a public company. These include:
Car rental
A car rental or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time for a fee...
company headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township
Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, commonly called Parsippany, is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 50,649. The name Parsippany comes from the Lenape Native American word parsipanong, which means "the place where...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Avis, Budget Rent a Car
Budget Rent a Car
Budget Rent a Car System, Inc. is an American car rental company that was founded in 1958 in Los Angeles, California by Morris Mirkin. Budget's operations are headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey....
and Budget Truck Rental
Budget Truck Rental
Budget Truck Rental, LLC is the second largest truck rental company in the continental United States of America with around 2,800 businesses and 32,000 trucks across the country...
are all units of Avis Budget Group
Avis Budget Group
Avis Budget Group, Inc. operates Avis Rent A Car System, LLC , Budget Rent A Car System, Inc. and Budget Truck Rental, LLC...
.
Avis Budget Group operates the Avis brand in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, India, Australia and, New Zealand. Recently Avis has acquired Avis Europe plc which once was a separate corporation licensing the Avis brand. Avis is the second largest car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
rental agency in the world preceded by Hertz Corporation.
Since the late 1970s, Avis has featured mainly General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
(GM) vehicles such as Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
and Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
, but today also rents popular non-GM brands including Ford and Toyota.
Avis is a leading rental car provider to the commercial segment serving business travellers at major airports around the world, and to leisure travellers at off-airport locations. Many of the off-airport locations are franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
d operations rather than company-owned and -operated, as is the case with most airport locations. Avis was the first car rental business to be located at an airport.
History
The company was founded in 1946 with three cars at Willow Run AirportWillow Run Airport
Willow Run Airport is an airport located in Van Buren Charter Township and in Ypsilanti Township, near Ypsilanti, Michigan, that serves freight, corporate, and general aviation clients...
, Ypsilanti by Warren Avis
Warren Avis
Warren Edward Avis was an American entrepreneur who founded Avis Rent A Car System Inc. in 1946.Born in Bay City, Michigan, Avis graduated from Bay City Central High School in 1933, and served in the United States Army Air Force during the Second World War...
(August 4, 1915 – April 24, 2007). It established branch operations across the United States over the next few years, becoming the second largest car rental company in the country by 1953. By its tenth anniversary in 1956 it had opened its first international offices in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Their corporate
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is "We Try Harder" It was adopted in 1962 (during the tenure of Robert Townsend
Robert Townsend (author)
Robert Townsend was an American business executive and author who is noted for transforming Avis into a rental car giant. He was born in Washington, D.C. in 1920. His parents moved to Great Neck, N.Y. where he spent his childhood. After high school, he was accepted to Princeton, graduating in 1942...
as its CEO) to make a more positive reference of Avis' status as the second largest car rental company in the US, at the expense of its larger competitor The Hertz Corporation
The Hertz Corporation
Hertz Global Holdings Inc is an American car rental company with international locations in 145 countries worldwide.-Early years:The company was founded by Walter L. Jacobs in 1918, who started a car rental operation in Chicago with a dozen Model T Ford cars. In 1923, Jacobs sold it to John D...
. In 1972, Avis introduced Wizard, the first computer-based information and reservations system to be used in a US car rental business; to this day, almost all frequent Avis customers are identified by their unique "Wizard number". In 1981, the company instituted its system of vehicle tracking, that was not coincidentally named Advanced Vehicle Identification System (AVIS).
Avis has been owned by a number of other companies over the years, along with several periods of being a public company. These include:
- 1962 - Investment group Lazard FreresLazardLazard Ltd is the parent company of Lazard Group LLC, a global, independent investment bank with approximately 2,300 employees in 42 cities across 27 countries throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Central and South America...
- 1965 - ITT CorporationITT CorporationITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
- 1977 - Norton SimonNorton SimonNorton Winfred Simon , in the United States was a millionaire industrialist and philanthropist based in California. A significant art collector, he is the namesake of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California.-Early life:...
- 1983 - Esmark
- 1984 - BeatriceBeatrice FoodsBeatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company. In 1987, its smaller international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of its domestic brands and assets were acquired by Kohlberg,...
- 1986 - Investment firm Wesray Capital CorporationWesray Capital CorporationWesray Capital Corporation was an early private equity firm focussing on leveraged buyout investments. The firm was founded by former US Secretary of the Treasury William E...
- 1987 - Majority ownership under an Employee Share Ownership Plan
- 1989 - General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
(acquires 29% stake) - 1996 - HFS CorporationCendantCendant Corporation was a New York-based provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, Cendant broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses...
- 2001 - CendantCendantCendant Corporation was a New York-based provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, Cendant broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses...
- 2006 - Avis Budget GroupAvis Budget GroupAvis Budget Group, Inc. operates Avis Rent A Car System, LLC , Budget Rent A Car System, Inc. and Budget Truck Rental, LLC...
- 2009 - Avis Colombia
See also
- Robert TownsendRobert Townsend (author)Robert Townsend was an American business executive and author who is noted for transforming Avis into a rental car giant. He was born in Washington, D.C. in 1920. His parents moved to Great Neck, N.Y. where he spent his childhood. After high school, he was accepted to Princeton, graduating in 1942...
, Avis CEO who launched the "We Try Harder" advertising campaign
- Ronald Wild, head of the Avis advertising department over the time the "We Try Harder" campaign was conceived.