√BMW iX3 electric cars to join NRMA-owned Sixt rental fleet
The NRMA-owned rental-car company Sixt Australia will take delivery of approximately 100 BMW iX3s, the fifth electric vehicle join its fleet.
The BMW iX3 luxury SUV is set to join the Australian fleet of electric cars available through NRMA-owned rental company Sixt.
BMW Australia has partnered with Sixt Australia – formerly known as Thrifty – to deliver 500 vehicles to the rental car company, which includes 100 examples of the iX3 electric SUV.
The cars appear to be provided by the car company, for an unspecified time – rather than being purchased by Sixt itself.
Priced from $114,900 before on-road costs for private buyers, the BMW iX3 surpasses the $102,206 Mercedes-Benz E200 sedan as the most expensive car in Sixt’s local fleet.
The BMW iX3 arrived in Australia late last year, powered by a rear-mounted 210kW/400Nm electric motor mated to an 80kWh battery, delivering a claimed driving range of 460km on the European WLTP test cycle.
BMW’s iX3 will become the fifth electric vehicle to join Sixt’s Australian rental fleet alongside the MG ZS EV small SUV, Hyundai Ioniq hatchback, Hyundai Kona Electric small SUV and Tesla Model 3 sedan.
Sixt also offers free charging for its electric rental car customers through the Chargefox network – one of Australia’s largest – which is also owned by the NRMA.
“At Sixt, we are obsessed with growing our electric vehicle fleet and providing our customers with options to travel in comfort and style,” Sixt Australia CEO Matt Beattie said in a media statement.
“So whether travelling for business or a weekend away we are pleased to be partnering with BMW to provide both for our customers.
“One of the greatest advantages of hiring an electric vehicle through Sixt is that there is no charge to recharge. Just return your vehicle and we’ll recharge it for you so you can save time and money.”
In addition to the 100 iX3s, Sixt has announced an additional 400 BMW vehicles including the 330i sedan, 220i Gran Coupe small car and X3 xDrive30i SUV will become available within the next 12 months.
The rental car company is yet to announce how much its upcoming BMW fleet will cost to hire.
While Sixt appears to offer one of the most diverse ranges of electric cars to rent in Australia, it is not the only company to include zero-emission vehicles in its fleet.
Throughout the next five years, global rental car giant Hertz will partner with Volvo spin-off Polestar to receive 65,000 vehicles worldwide – with the Polestar 2 sedan rolling out across selected locations in Australia.
The rental car company has also ordered 100,000 Tesla Model 3s for its global operations, with Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr citing the lower maintenance costs of electric cars as a contributing factor.
In April 2021, Europcar Australia added the MG ZS EV to its fleet – the cheapest electric car locally at the time, with a drive-away price of $44,990.
Although not a rental car company, utilities provider AGL offers the Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq and Mini Electric through a subscription service, allowing its customers to sample the electric cars for a week.
Meanwhile, Australian car-sharing start-up Evee allows users to hire or rent out electric cars directly from their owners, similar to the business model of Airbnb.
In August 2022, rental car sales in Australia slumped to 3495 nationwide – the lowest point since 3120 rental cars were delivered in January 2021.
Last month, SUVs continued their run as the vehicle of choice for rental car companies, making up the majority of deliveries with 2681 examples registered compared to the 1708 passenger vehicles and 1061 light commercial vehicles (utes and vans).
Despite this, utes and vans have experienced the most consistent run throughout the past 12 months, peaking with 1248 deliveries in March 2022 after hitting a low of 650 examples in January.
The post BMW iX3 electric cars to join NRMA-owned Sixt rental fleet appeared first on Drive.
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