As part of the cooperation, the global mobility provider will immediately achieve a 13 percent market share on the continent and expand its international network by around 160 branches with a rental fleet of 16,000 vehicles.
The international mobility provider SIXT is driving its global growth strategy. By concluding one of the largest franchise collaborations in the company’s history to date, SIXT is launching its partnership with the National Roads & Motorists’ Association (NRMA), the largest national automobile club and one of Australia’s leading car rental companies, started on 1 December. As part of the cooperation, the global mobility provider will immediately achieve a 13 percent market share on the continent and expand its international network by around 160 branches with a rental fleet of 16,000 vehicles.
The company will also benefit from a broad existing customer base as well as a modern fleet with a wide range of as good as new private and commercial vehicles.
The NRMA is Australia’s largest motoring organisation with around 2.7 million members. The company offers a wide range of services related to cars, leisure, tourism as well as mobility and is present with its products in 7 out of 10 households. While the NRMA previously operated as a Thrifty franchisee, the new agreement will see all 160 branches operating under the SIXT brand and shine in SIXT orange.
Strong expansion of SIXT’s presence across the continent
SIXT has already been represented in the Australian market since 2005 with smaller partnerships, which are now being dissolved as part of the comprehensive agreement with the NRMA. This will allow the international mobility provider to massively strengthen its presence in Australia and offer its customers high-quality mobility services across the continent – especially at the airports as well as in the major urban cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, which account for around 60 percent of passenger traffic (as of pre-corona). Australia’s car rental market represents a market volume of over one billion euros and is characterised by a strong domestic market, with inbound business at around 20 percent.
Driving Australia’s transition to a more sustainable transport future
The start of the partnership between SIXT and the NRMA coincides with the initial integration of 40 MG EV and 25 Tesla Model 3 vehicles, making it one of the largest electric vehicle fleets for hire in Australia, which will be available at key metropolitan SIXT locations. For the NRMA, the significant addition of electric cars is an important step towards electrifying half of its nationwide rental fleet within 5 years to support the nation’s net zero emissions target.
Konstantin Sixt, Co-CEO of Sixt SE: “Our expansion into Australia marks another milestone in SIXT’s corporate history and substantiates our position as a leading international mobility service provider. The strategic partnership with the NRMA creates the perfect basis for SIXT to fully exploit the huge market potential in Australia. It is only natural for us to offer our customers one of the country’s largest electric rental fleets upon entering the market. We are thus not only meeting our customers’ desire for environmentally friendly electric mobility, but also contributing to Australia’s transition to a more sustainable transport future.”
Ruediger Proske, Senior Vice President International Franchise of Sixt SE: “By entering the Australian market and with our latest cooperation, SIXT is concluding one of the largest franchise partnerships in its expansion history. After the launch in New Zealand in November 2020, we are significantly driving our international network coverage with this step and are now present throughout the Asia-Pacific market.”
Matthew Beattie, Managing Director of SIXT Australia: “Our team is excited about the new partnership and the opportunity to launch the SIXT brand in Australia. The connection to SIXT’s global network offers us and our customers significant added value. SIXT will also stand for premium mobility in Australia. We will now focus on driving the sustainable growth of our company even further in the coming years and set our sights on the goal of Australian market leadership.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
