Europcar
Encyclopedia
Europcar is a Paris
based car rental
company owned by the French investment company Eurazeo
, after its sale by the Volkswagen
group. The company was founded in Paris in 1949. Europcar today operates a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles at 2,825 locations in 143 different countries covering Europe
, North America
, The Middle East, Africa
, Latin America
, the Indian Ocean
, the Caribbean
and Asia Pacific.
While Europcar is an international car rental company, the brand is best recognized in the larger European economies, particularly, Germany
, France
and the UK
. Their core markets are in leisure
and corporate rentals.
As part of a cost-cutting strategy, Volkswagen
chose to divest from its Europcar holdings. On June 1, 2006, the sale of Europcar to French investment company Eurazeo
was completed.
In 2007 Europcar purchased Vanguard EMEA for €670 million. Vanguard EMEA is the operator of National car rental and Alamo Rent A Car
in Europe
. As part of this purchase a partnership was made for any business that Europcar would send to North America it would be directed to National Car Rental
, instead of their previous North American Partner Thrifty Car Rental
.
which was held in South Africa, although it was not a major sponsor.
Europcar is the title sponsor for the French professional cycling team
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
based car rental
Car rental
A car rental or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time for a fee...
company owned by the French investment company Eurazeo
Eurazeo
Eurazeo is a French investment company, formed in the merger of Eurafrance and Azeo. Its headquarters are in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.The firm's strategy is to focus on growing companies operating in various markets, with a path to eventually become the chief shareholder of, or at least a...
, after its sale by the Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
group. The company was founded in Paris in 1949. Europcar today operates a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles at 2,825 locations in 143 different countries covering 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...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, The Middle East, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Asia Pacific.
While Europcar is an international car rental company, the brand is best recognized in the larger European economies, particularly, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Their core markets are in leisure
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
and corporate rentals.
As part of a cost-cutting strategy, Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
chose to divest from its Europcar holdings. On June 1, 2006, the sale of Europcar to French investment company Eurazeo
Eurazeo
Eurazeo is a French investment company, formed in the merger of Eurafrance and Azeo. Its headquarters are in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.The firm's strategy is to focus on growing companies operating in various markets, with a path to eventually become the chief shareholder of, or at least a...
was completed.
In 2007 Europcar purchased Vanguard EMEA for €670 million. Vanguard EMEA is the operator of National car rental and Alamo Rent A Car
Alamo Rent A Car
Alamo Rent a Car is the third-largest car rental agency in the United States. Based in Clayton, Missouri, it has branches across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, parts of Africa, Europe, and Australia, and various Caribbean islands...
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...
. As part of this purchase a partnership was made for any business that Europcar would send to North America it would be directed to National Car Rental
National Car Rental
National Car Rental is a rental car company based in Clayton, Missouri. National was founded by 24 independent rental car agents on August 27, 1947...
, instead of their previous North American Partner Thrifty Car Rental
Dollar-Thrifty Automotive Group
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group is a holding company for Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Rent A Car, formed in 1990 by Chrysler and spun off in 1997....
.
Sponsorship
Europcar has sponsored 2009 ICC Champions Trophy organised by ICCInternational Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
which was held in South Africa, although it was not a major sponsor.
Europcar is the title sponsor for the French professional cycling team