Drive Home the Sales

PHOTO: Hertz launched its Prestige Collection in the U.S. in 2001 with a collection of Mercedes and BMWs.

It’s one of the fastest-growing segments of the car rental market — luxury and exotic automobiles.

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All the major car rental companies are either offering — or have gone as far as to create a special division for — luxury rentals to satisfy the demands of customers looking to drive the best of the best while on vacation or a business trip.

In many ways, this trend is similar to what has happened, and continues to happen, in first-class cabins on airlines, where no expense is spared on luxury amenities and seating. Airlines keep upping the ante on each other in the chase for the high-end customer, particularly the lucrative business travel sector.

Yet interestingly enough, the cost of a luxury rental car isn’t necessarily so outrageous. Oh, make no mistake, renting an exotic car can cost you thousands a day depending on car type and city of rental, and you’ll usually find a wealthy businessman or member of Arab royalty behind the wheel. But some luxury cars can still be had for hundreds a day, instead of thousands, and the average customer tends to be less royalty and more Joe Businessman, who maybe can’t afford to purchase a Maserati but certainly has enough disposable income to rent one.

And the car rental companies are only too happy to cater to his desires (sorry for the “50 Shades of Grey”-like description but the market is burgeoning and the rental companies are looking to distinguish themselves.)

Transparency Market Research, an Albany, N.Y.-based intelligence firm, last year published a report titled “Car Rental Market - Global and U.S. Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013-2019.” The firm found that the global car rental market was valued at $36.89 billion in 2013 and is expected to reach $79.5 billion by 2019.

Some of the primary growth factors for the global car rental market are increasing volume of tourists, both overseas and in domestic travel; better roads and infrastructure; growing disposable income that permits frequent traveling; and increasing GDP levels. The next noteworthy contributor to the growth of global car rental market is the growing business classes in countries such China and India and the booming automobile industries therein.

In terms of geography, North America was leading the global car rental market with a valuation of US$14.7 billion in 2013. Though this region will grow modestly, the report said, it will still exert its dominance in the global market share of car rental market until 2019.

And yes, Maserati is an option.

Last November, Enterprise Holdings’ National Car Rental announced a new car to its “Premier Selection” — the all-new Maserati Ghibli S Q4. A decade ago, that was unthinkable in the car rental business

“The selection of upscale vehicles offered through National’s Premier Selection allows our customers an opportunity to choose from a wide array of luxurious driving experiences,” Rob Connors, assistant vice president of brand marketing, National Car Rental, said in a statement. “Through our work with Maserati, one of the most premium vehicle manufacturers in the world, we are able to provide National customers with another high-end upgrade option for their next rental.”

Enterprise and its subsidiary companies — National, Alamo and the Enterprise brand — as well as Avis and a litany of several smaller, niche companies that rent only exotic collections, have been at it for a few years now, but the originator of all this was Hertz.

PHOTO: You can now rent high-end Bentleys from Hertz.

Hertz launched its Prestige Collection in the U.S. in 2001 with a group of automobiles available for rental that included Mercedes and BMWs. In 2012, faced with similar offerings from its competitors, Hertz changed the game again and began offering such models as Bentleys, Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

Today, even online travel agencies see the upward trend. In the summer of 2014, Priceline introduced its “Fun Rides” program, offering luxury vehicles along with classic muscle cars, hybrids and convertibles.

“This new offering from Priceline.com demonstrates our commitment to our customers and what we know they are looking for when renting a car. We believe travelers will have a variety of reasons to choose a ‘fun ride,’” Bill Jose, Priceline’s senior vice president, rental cars, said in a statement last June. “Whether you’re a business or a leisure traveler, Fun Rides is a great way to take a dream car for a spin and add an element of excitement to your next trip.”

In fact, in its own survey, Priceline found that 56 percent of Americans would like to drive a luxury rental car for a special occasion, including their wedding (33 percent), a summer road trip (26 percent) and high school reunion (19 percent).

And, just as we mentioned the similarities to first-class cabins in airlines, don’t be surprised to see some synchronicity here.

Donna Quadri-Felitti, academic chair of hospitality and tourism at New York University’s Tisch Center, told the New York Times, “If more exotic car rentals are packaged with first-class airline seats and five-star lodging, the more seamless the luxury experience will be.”

So, what are some of those luxury vehicles? We figured we’d take a look at five of coolest, most exotic, most luxurious rentals on the market:

Let’s start with the Ghibli, Maserati’s first-ever midsize four-door luxury sports sedan. It’s now available at 10 National airport locations: Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh-Durham, San Diego and Seattle.

In the Hertz Dream Car collection is the Lamborghini Gallardo Bicolore. The Bicolore is a special edition of the Gallardo featuring unique two-tone paint, a rear-wheel-drive powertrain, and exclusive rims and interior appointments. It starts at $1,200 a day and is available only in Florida locations — Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Naples and West Palm Beach.

From Enterprise, the Maserati GT Coupe. The Maserati GranTurismo is the first modern, two-door, four-seat coupe, Maserati’s new take on a classic touring coupe. Currently available only in Atlanta and Houston.

Also from Enterprise, the Bentley Continental GT Convertible. The cars are available in Las Vegas, Encino, Calif., Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Calif., Palm Springs, Calif., Pasadena, Calif., and San Diego.

And then there’s the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider. Well, this one might be the top of the line. Actual retail price? $335,000. This one is available at a niche car rental company, Gotham Dream Cars in New York.