Hertz And Nissan Launch Electric Vehicle Initiative In Milan, Italy

LONDON, Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hertz Corporation (NYSE: HTZ), the world's largest general use car rental brand, has launched an ElectriCity initiative in Milan to provide Nissan LEAF electric vehicles for rent by the hour or day. The Nissan LEAFs can be rented from Hertz Milano Centrale railway station location (Via Cappellini 10), and are bookable online at www.hertz.it.

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IKEA, which hosted the official launch at its Milan - San Giuliano store, has agreed with Hertz to offer a specially discounted rental price for member customers of the IKEA Family. The electric vehicles also have free access to Milan's ZTL congestion zone (C area), with free parking in pay and display parking spaces marked by blue stripes. The ElectriCity Milan launch follows the success of Hertz's electric vehicle offerings in other major cities including Rome, Paris, London, New York City and Washington D.C.

Michel Taride, President of Hertz International, said: "Hertz offers electric vehicles in more cities than any other rental company and we are committed to offering eco-friendly mobility solutions for business or holiday journeys. We believe that renting cars such as the Nissan LEAF to city dwellers and visitors can help increase the use of this new technology."

Massimiliano Archiapatti, General Manager of Hertz Italy, added: "Thanks to our partnership with IKEA Family, our joint customers can rent the Nissan LEAFs with a 20% discount and use them to easily shop at the Milan stores in San Giuliano, Carugate and Corsico. They can also re-charge the Nissan LEAF for free at IKEA's electric vehicle charging stations."

Stefano Brown, Sustainability Manager, Retail, IKEA Group said: "IKEA wants to take a leading role towards a low carbon society by significantly reducing CO2 emissions  and adopting new technologies for renewable energy and mobility solutions. Today more than half of the energy used for IKEA buildings is renewable. With this cooperation with Hertz we confirm our commitment to help encourage a new type of mobility by making it available for our IKEA Family customers at a special price."

Bernard Loire, Manager of Nissan Italy, stated: "We're proud to be involved in this innovative electric mobility project along with Hertz and IKEA, who - like us - have always been committed to developing sustainable solutions that combine nature, people and vehicles."

Alberto Sabatino, Corporate Sales Manager of Nissan Italy, added: "With ElectriCity, Hertz and IKEA customers can experience the innovative driving experience of Nissan's LEAF. Thanks to its electrical range, customers will be able to drive the Nissan LEAF from Milan to IKEA stores within the Milan urban area."

Nissan LEAF is a highly popular all-electric vehicle and features a 4 star Euro NCAP rating. It comes with a compact electric engine, with 80 kW power and 280 NM torque, powered by a 24 kWh lithium ion laminated battery which guarantees efficiency, great performance and range. While travelling downhill or braking, the special brake system converts the Nissan LEAF's kinetic energy into electric energy, helping to recharge the battery. A dashboard display indicates the efficiency of the driving. A complete recharge is enough for a distance of 175 km. In addition, with the ECO option drivers can reduce the electric energy consumption, increasing the driving range per recharge.

As the world's largest airport general-use car-rental brand, Hertz is introducing multiple groups of consumers – urban drivers, university students, travellers and corporations – to all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. As a result, the company is forming partnerships with automakers, charging-station providers, municipalities, non-governmental organizations, corporations and other stakeholders to make EVs easily accessible to consumers.

Hertz plans to increase its global EV presence by deploying vehicles in other countries in the coming months. Hertz Global EV will continue to leverage the company's rental and car sharing locations as bases for vehicles and charging stations, and tap into its technology – including sophisticated fleet management tools and consumer-facing GPS systems, including Hertz NeverLost in the U.S. – to help form an EV grid.

About Hertz
Hertz operates its car rental business through the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty brands from approximately 10,400 corporate, licensee and franchisee locations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand. Hertz is the largest worldwide airport general use car rental brand, operating from approximately 8,800 corporate and licensee locations in approximately 150 countries. Hertz is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 111 major airports in Europe. Dollar and Thrifty have approximately 1,580 corporate and franchisee locations in approximately 80 countries.

Hertz is an inaugural member of Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards Hall of Fame and was recently named, for the thirteenth time, by the magazine's readers as the Best Car Rental Agency. Hertz was also voted the Best Overall Car Rental Company in Zagat's 2012/13 U.S. Car Rental Survey, earning top honors in 14 additional categories, and the Company swept the global awards for Best Rewards Program and Best Overall Benefits from FlyerTalk.com.

Product and service initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, NeverLost®, and unique cars and SUVs offered through the Company's Adrenaline, Prestige and Green Traveler Collections, also set Hertz apart from the competition. Additionally, Hertz owns the vehicle leasing and fleet management leader Donlen Corporation and operates the Hertz On Demand car sharing business. The Company also owns a leading North American equipment rental business, Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation, which includes Hertz Entertainment Services.

About NISSAN
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., the second largest Japanese car manufacturer by sales, is headquartered in Yokohama (Japan) and is a Renault-Nissan Alliance partner. With over 248.000 employees worldwide, Nissan sold more than 4.8 million vehicles in 2011 generating revenue of 9.4 trillion yen (118.95 billion US dollars). Committed to developing innovative vehicles, Nissan offers a range of 64 models through the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A zero-emissions pioneer, they reached an historical landmark with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first fully electric vehicle for mass market sale at a reasonable price, winning numerous awards, such as Car of the Year 2011 in Europe, Car of the Year 2011-2012 in Japan and World Car of the Year 2011.

For more information on Nissan electric vehicles visit http://www.nissan-zeroemission.com

Further information is available on www.newsroom.nissan-europe.com/it/

SOURCE The Hertz Corporation