Europcar Continues Asia Pacific Expansion Into Thailand
October 26, 2006
Continuing their progressive expansion into the Asia Pacific region, Europcar Asia Pacific has today announced it will enter into a franchise deal with Thailand-based rental car company, Thai V.P. Corporation.
The master franchise agreement with the high profile company will boost Europcar's substantial global network, with a fleet of initially 300 vehicles to operate throughout Thailand.
This deal follows the recent announcements of agreements between Europcar Asia Pacific and India's Jetfleet, an associate entity of Indian airline sales and marketing company, Jetair, followed by an agreement with the Infinity Rent-A-Car group in the Philippines.
Europcar Asia Pacific executive director Douglas Hunt said the new partnership will open the door for future growth in the flourishing Thai self-drive market.
"Car rental services have increased considerably in Thailand over the last four to five years, reporting a 13.5 percent increase in 2006 and we expect this to continue as foreign investors continue to show confidence in Thailand's overall economy," he said.
"We intend to secure 20 percent of the Thai corporate and leisure car rental market within the next three years and chose Thai V.P. Corporation to represent us in Thailand because they are a local car rental firm with over 10 years experience in the industry.
"They share our vision for business in Thailand and have an absolute commitment to providing a superior level of service and an excellent track record in establishing and maintaining international relationships.
"This particular agreement enables Europcar to further develop the Thai self-drive market, attracting both local and international clients while also forging agreements with local hotels and airline carriers that will allow us to successfully tap into the outbound market."
Thai V.P. Corporation, will operate Europcar Asia Pacific's Thai franchise, trading as Europcar Thailand offering a choice of luxury premium vehicles with the provision of English-speaking, uniformed chauffers.
Europcar Asia Pacific was recently recognised as the leading car hire company in Australasia in the World Travel Awards, with Paris-based parent company Europcar also receiving numerous awards including the world's leading leisure car rental company.
The Thai franchise joins the worldwide Europcar network, which includes a fleet of over 220,000 vehicles at 2,650 locations covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Indian Ocean, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Asia Pacific.