recognisable business opportunity.

Although, still small and restricted to business hubs and tourist centres, car rentals have, nevertheless, crossed the critical mass. Notwithstanding the continuing buffeting of the present global economic slowdown, the worldwide

US$ 10 billion (Rs. 48,000 crore) in revenue the Indian BPO industry employs more than a half million people and spends nearly 2.50% of its income on local transport. However, with the road infrastructure set to improve, the advent of the GPS system, a greater discipline on Indian roads and the simple need to upgrade from a public taxi to a private, chauffer- or self-driven car will propel this industry forward.

Achievements
Avis is one of the world's iconic brands. Its reputation has been built on its untiring efforts to combine new technologies, impeccably maintained cars, outstanding service, ease of booking and a support system that is operational aroundthe-clock. In India it has set for itself the task of continuing to build an infrastructure for car rental operations which would be second to none and would meet the highest expectations of business, corporate and leisure travellers. The company has a varied fleet and offers a wide range of models, with a choice of sizes and styles to suit renters' requirements. Avis has a fleet of 1000 vehicles, all of which are, on an average, less than fourteen months old, undergo regular maintenance and are fully checked prior to every rental. This versatile fleet offers valuefor-money and dynamic pricing to fit the comfort and budgetary needs of every client. The fleet includes compacts, intermediates, sedans, premiums as well as luxury vehicles all of which are delivered from a network of 48 locations in eighteen cities across India. Internationally, the Avis worldwide network boasts of a fleet of 450,000 cars in over 5100 locations in 164 countries. Year after year, Avis has been showered with lofty honours from satisfied customers, consumer organisations, as well as industry associations. It was honoured with the Best Car Hire Company award by World Travel Awards, for the third year in a row. These awards are a matter of great pride and just the incentive for the company to 'try harder'. Its record in delivering value has been unblemished. Perhaps, because of the effort it makes and its impeccable lineage that it became the first international car rental company in India

Market
The car rental business has existed in India for several decades. In its early days it was primarily entrepreneurial in nature with most owners operating small fleets of vehicles in a geography where the service was located. The need for a network that operated nationally, offered standardised service and a professional work culture created the opportunity for big corporate houses to invest in it. The economic liberalisation had a cascading effect. It brought in its wake several multinational companies, new business opportunities and a fillip to the car rental industry to create an infrastructure for customers seeking transport services that they had been used to in other parts of the world. Further, billions of dollars were poured into developing highways and other business and tourism related facilities. One such beneficiary of these huge investments was the car rental business. Today, this has emerged as a
24

car rental market is anticipated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.50% in the period 2007/2010. This increment, even though comparatively modest, is expected to come from the developing markets of China and India as well as from Australia and the Middle East (Source: industry estimates). Internationally, car rentals are a US$ 30 billion (Rs. 144,000 crore) industry. In India, it is still largely unorganised. Smalltime operators dominate about 85% of the market. But growth figures are impressive. The car rental industry grew from Rs. 3000 crore (US$ 625 million) in 2003 to Rs. 10,000 crore (US$ 2.10 billion) in 2007 notching up an annual average growth of 30%. The key driver, so far, has been the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry much of which is currently localised in the hubs of Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Chennai. Generating over

SUPERBRANDS

potential of taking their car rental business out of a niche segment into a growing general market, the promoters decided to form a joint venture with Avis in order to build a

Goa and Amritsar. These are in addition to the seven airport operations it has in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Udaipur and Bhubaneshwar.

Promotion
Avis has cultivated several partnerships and strategic alliances to provide value addition to customers. With joint programmes and promotions as the basis, the company works with many partners to provide a totally integrated travel experience. Avis currently has tie ups with airlines such as Jet Airways and Kingfisher, with hotels such as Radisson and Ista, travel service providers such as American Express and with selected tour operators, hotel groups, car manufacturers and the railways. Promotions are a regular feature on the company's worldwide as well as India websites. The messaging is clear and unequivocal: Avis is committed to making travel faster, easier and more enjoyable. In order to make these goals a reality the organisation has developed membership programmes and personal services that are designed to meet a wide variety of needs, tastes and customer preferences. These value additions are available free of charge.

to be awarded the license to operate at the Delhi International Airport. Interestingly, Avis worldwide commenced operations as an airport-located business; today it has a presence in over 1000 airports including seven in India.

company with world-class standards in car rentals.

Product
Avis India provides the complete range of ground transportation services required by hotels, corporates and retail users. Chauffeured cars driven by well-trained, disciplined and reliable drivers take clients around town, ferry them for airport transfers and facilitate outstation trips. Dynamic prices offer choices between fares such as hourly rates and half- and full-day packaged rates. Well-maintained, self-driven cars are available from Avis on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The company has on offer four-wheel drives, SUV's and automatic transmission cars in selected cities. The company also manages ground transportation for events and conferences, including pre- and post-tour functions. Long-term rentals and mini leases are custom-designed for corporate and individual clients needing specific cars for long durations. The options come with several packages which include the services of a chauffeur, vehicle- and fuelmaintenance, insurance even resale. The company also undertakes leasing and fleet management for corporate organisations that prefer to outsource their fleet requirement. In an effort to develop worldwide relationships Avis in India now also offers its clients the benefit of the company's worldwide network. Customers travelling to any one of 164 countries and 5100 rental locations Avis operates out of can rent a car-of-choice and expect the same friendly, service-with-a-smile welcome.

History
In 1946 Warren Avis opened the world's first airport car rental location at Willow Run Airport, Detroit. On day one, the company had on offer a grand total of three cars. Energy, enthusiasm, innovative industry leadership and an ethos of continuous improvement have characterised the company through the years. In 1960 Avis crossed another landmark when it established its corporate offices in the UK. Three years later, the company's advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach had developed one of the world's truly great slogans: 'We try harder'. As the high-tech decade dawned in the West, the company was among the first to take advantage of innovations by introducing the 'Wizard', in the early 1970s. This was the first real-time, information management and reservation system of making worldwide bookings using network communications. Each 'transaction' was typically completed in an average of two seconds. In 1973 Avis was nominated as the market leader in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The dawn of the millennium was historically significant in the company's continuous evolution as a world leader in the car rental business. Within the first year of the new decade it was ranked highest for customer loyalty among 129 companies evaluated for the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Awards. In 2003, the company introduced Avis Assist, the first hand-held GPS system. In the next two successive years the brand launched Avis Access the first car rental offering for travellers with disabilities; it was ranked the number one car rental company in customer loyalty and ranked number two in overall customer loyalty, just behind Google. Avis' history in India commenced with its launch in 1999. Initially, the company was designed to provide car rental services to the guests of the Oberoi and Trident chain of hotels. However, awakening to the

Brand Values
'We try harder' is one of the ten most influential advertising campaigns of all time. Launched in 1963 to make a virtue of Avis's #2 position, the slogan helped in achieving worldwide expansion. Later it became a rallying point for all Avis employees. It established Avis's commitment towards customer service and the need for continuous improvement. With this promise, every employee recognised that Avis will not ever take the customer for granted and that its goal is to build unimpeachable loyalty. 'We try harder' has actually transcended into a culture Avis lives by.

www.avis.co.in
Things you didnt know about

Avis
With the acquisition of Budget, three years ago, the group is by far the number one car rental organisation in the world Avis became the first international car rental company in India to be awarded the license to operate at various airports Avis and British Airways have entered into a five-year global partnership deal in which all British Airways customers worldwide can avail of the Avis car rental service The loyalty programme run by Avis is called Avis First. It offers rewards such as weekend rentals, a members-only website and a dedicated, toll-free reservation number India's largest fleet of premium cars is offered by Avis

Recent Developments
As markets have grown and new opportunities have manifested themselves Avis has grown with them. The company has expanded its India operations by opening two new Avis locations in

SUPERBRANDS

25