June/July 2001: Daily rental giant Avis is looking to develop a pan-European relationship with Renault after signing a deal to acquire 1,000 new Renault Lagunas in the UK.

The two companies have established an innovative marketing initiative to launch the Laguna in the UK, including the creation of a central display stand at Avis' Heathrow location, the largest car rental station in Europe.

Avis and Renault have produced jointly-branded promotional packs to explain the features of the new car to hirers. The pack includes a response card for customers seeking further information on the Laguna and local Renault dealers. Avis staff will conduct 'hand-over' demonstrations wherever possible.

Carolyn Emberton, Avis UK fleet director, said: 'We believe that developing strong relationships with car manufacturers is fundamental to Avis' success in the car rental market.

'In addition, Renault benefits from having access to a rich customer base. We would like this sort of relationship across mainland Europe.'

She estimated that each car would be driven by 25 different customers, the majority of them corporate clients, and Avis has deliberately tried to introduce the Lagunas to rental stations with a high volume of business customers.

Kim Baxter, Renault UK's national rental manager, said: 'This agreement allows maximum exposure to a whole cross-section of potential customers. The Avis customers of today could well be the Renault customers of tomorrow.'