Hertz's China Partner, CAR Inc., Announces Initial Public Offering

NAPLES, Fla., Sept. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hertz Corporation HTZ is poised to enhance its presence in the world's fastest growing economy as its car rental partner in China uses an initial public offering (IPO) to increase its rental fleet.

CAR Inc., China's biggest car rental company, launched its IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange (HKEx) today.

Hertz, the world's largest general use car rental brand, acquired a 19% stake in CAR in April 2013. Under the partnership, both firms are co-branded at more than 600 of CAR's directly operated service locations, giving the Hertz brand a significant presence in the Chinese market.  Hertz is investing an additional $30 million into CAR in its IPO.

The expansion of CAR's fleet is intended to satisfy the rapidly growing demand for car rental vehicles in China – a research study on the market cited in CAR's IPO prospectus projects the car rental sector will enjoy a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% through 2018.

CAR reports in its IPO prospectus that it has the largest car rental fleet in China, one that is larger than the aggregate fleet size of the next nine largest car rental companies and over four times that of the second largest car rental company in China.

The IPO should allow the Hertz-CAR partnership to expand its network further as CAR reports service locations in 70 major cities and 162 small cities  as of June 30, 2014.

"Hertz's investment and partnership is a strategic alliance that demonstrates our confidence in CAR as the most recognized, trusted and successful car rental operation in China," said Brian MacDonald, Hertz Interim Chief Executive Officer. "CAR's IPO marks a milestone in its development as leader of China's car rental industry."

The IPO, being managed by Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, will make more than 426 million shares available.

CAR has reported impressive growth in recent years, stating it has increased its fleet size from 25,845 vehicles in December 2011 to 52,498 vehicles in June 2014 and that its customer base rose four-fold over the same period from approximately 450,000 to 1.962 million.

CAR believes the increase is being fueled by a surge in business and leisure travel among Chinese customers, a rising number of licensed drivers who do not own their own cars, and greater demand from government bodies following regulatory reforms.

The partnership's expansion plans are anticipated to drive greater outbound business opportunities from China as the Hertz brand becomes more established in the country.

"The potential for growth in the Chinese car rental market is profound and we believe CAR is the strongest competitor. When CAR expands its fleet, the partnership should be able to continue to thrive, with Hertz and CAR being co-branded at more than 600 locations in China, giving millions of Chinese and visitors to China greater consumer choice to travel in this inspiring country," said Naren Srinivasan, Hertz Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Corporate Development. Naren Srinivasan, who joined  the ceremony to launch the listing on HKEx, is a member of CAR's board of directors.

About Hertz                          
Hertz operates its car rental business through the Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly brands from approximately 11,555 corporate and licensee locations in about 145 countries 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 10,090 corporate and licensee locations in approximately 145 countries. Dollar and Thrifty have approximately 1,400 corporate and franchise locations in approximately 75 countries. Hertz is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 130 major airports in Europe.  Product and service initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, NeverLost^®, Carfirmations, Mobile Wi-Fi and unique vehicles offered through the Company's Adrenaline, Dream, Family, Fun, Green and Prestige Collections also set Hertz apart from the competition. Additionally, Hertz owns the vehicle leasing and fleet management leader Donlen Corporation, operates the Hertz 24/7 hourly car rental business and sells vehicles through its Rent2Buy program. The Company also owns a leading North American equipment rental business, Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation, which includes Hertz Entertainment Services. More information about the company can be found at www.abouthertz.com.

Forward Looking Language

Certain statements contained in this press release include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements often include words such as "believe," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may," "would," "should," "could," "forecasts" or similar expressions. These statements are based on certain assumptions that the Company has made in light of its experience in the industry as well as its perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors that the Company believes are appropriate in these circumstances. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could affect our actual financial and operating results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, due to a variety of important factors, both positive and negative.

Additional information concerning these factors can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

The Company therefore cautions you against relying on these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on the Company's behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

Hertz        
Richard Broome
T: +1 (239) 552-5558
E: rbroome@hertz.com

Ketchum                   
Ian Savage                             
T: +44 (0) 207 611 3774                   
E: ian.savage@keetchum.com  

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SOURCE Hertz Corporation