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Article: Car rental outfits head in a green direction - Demand grows for fuel efficiency
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- August 9, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2007 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON -- Faced with sluggish rentals of sport utility
vehicles and eco-conscious consumers demanding cars with higher gas
mileage, auto rental companies have scrambled in recent months to
stock their fleets with more fuel-efficient vehicles -- including
cutting-edge hybrid vehicles and flex-fuel cars that run mainly on
ethanol.
Analysts of the rental car industry say that the number of "green"
vehicles still represents a small fraction of the overall fleet, but
is on a rapid upswing, growing from a few hundred vehicles last year
to more than 6,000 today.
"SUV sales in general are on a significant decline. Some rental
companies are practically giving SUVs away just to get people to
drive ...