German car rental company Sixt is to buy up to 250 000 cars for its rental fleets in Europe and North America from Stellantis, the group behind brands such as Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Fiat, and Jeep. The order involves several billion euros, although both companies are not naming precise amounts.

The move is also a slap in Tesla’s face. Just a few weeks ago, Bloomberg announced that Sixt told customers it would phase out its fleet of Tesla models due to a sharp decline in used EV prices, higher maintenance costs, and lack of demand.

The whole range of models and brands

The first deliveries are scheduled for the end of March and will run over the next three years. The deal “allows us to accelerate our growth strategy, having already increased global sales by almost 20% in the first nine months of 2023,” said Sixt co-CEO Konstantin Sixt.

Stellantis, headquartered in the Netherlands but with significant operations in France, Italy, and the US, among other countries, will supply a whole range of models and brands, from city cars and SUVs to vans and trucks, in all kinds of engine variants, from fuel and hybrid to electric.

Showcase for Stellantis

According to Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares, the rental cars will allow Sixt customers to experience the carmaker’s latest models. The company has announced its ambition to achieve a sales mix of 100% battery-electric vehicles (BEV) for passenger cars in Europe and 50% BEV for passenger cars and light trucks in the US by 2030.

Sixt is Europe’s largest car rental company. It aims to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of its rental fleet by achieving a 70-90% share of EVs in Europe by 2030.

Last week, rival Hertz announced that it will sell a third of its EV fleet, or 20 000 cars, in the US and revert to combustion engine cars because customer demand is unsatisfactory.