Thrifty - Dollar Thrifty to cut Chrysler Purchases

Seen in Automotive News:

Dollar Thrifty cuts Chrysler purchases, costs

October 12, 2009 - 3:01 pm ET

DETROIT (Reuters) -- Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. said today it would cut back sharply on 2010 car rental purchases from Chrysler and that its average fleet costs had stabilized at levels it hoped to maintain next year.

Chrysler, which had made up 76 percent of Dollar Thrifty's total U.S. fleet purchases in 2008, will make up about 30 percent of 2010 fleet purchases, said the company, which rents under the Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental brands.

Ford Motor Co. will make up 34 percent of its purchases and General Motors Co. another 20 percent, Dollar Thrifty said.

I had no idea GM had such a stake iun their fleet purchases. Up here in Canada I have NEVER seen a GM vehicle on a Thrifty lot, except for medium-duty trucks. Toyota has become the flagship vehicle for Thrifty up here. Most of the car class examples are Toyotas, and Toyota vehicles are in all the promotional materials. But less Chrysler is fine by me, no more living in fear of a PT Cruiser!

I had no idea GM had such a stake iun their fleet purchases. Up here in Canada I have NEVER seen a GM vehicle on a Thrifty lot, except for medium-duty trucks. Toyota has become the flagship vehicle for Thrifty up here. Most of the car class examples are Toyotas, and Toyota vehicles are in all the promotional materials. But less Chrysler is fine by me, no more living in fear of a PT Cruiser!
I've seen Impalas and Cobalts, but primarily at franchises, not corporate locations.

Fear of being assigned a dreadful Dodge Caliber or Chrysler PT Cruiser is the reason I switched much of my business away from Thrifty in the past year. If these crummy vehicles become less common on Thrifty's lots I might come back.

Fear of being assigned a dreadful Dodge Caliber or Chrysler PT Cruiser is the reason I switched much of my business away from Thrifty in the past year. If these crummy vehicles become less common on Thrifty's lots I might come back.
Funny how the PT is a love-it-or-hate-it vehicle. I have a friend who always requests one wherever she goes and has looked at buying one. (Many people appreciate its flexibility--I've seen people cram more luggage in the back of that thing than in the trunk of a Charger--and the minivan-style bucket seats that are more upright and comfortable.) When people get a PT, it's either "Is that that cool, retro-looking one? Sweet!" or "I hate those pieces of &@#^!" No one just says, "Sure, whatever."

With DTAG's renegotiated contract with Chrysler, I think they're much more flexible to lease/purchase the cars they want. Even if they do still get a sizeable portion of Chrysler cars, I don't know that they're required to have a certain percentage of PTs in the mix like they were before. And since more people seem to be in the second camp than the first, I suspect you'll see PTs disappear through normal attrition and not come back. Check back in another six or twelve months.

I'm wondering what they're doing about the PT. Chrysler announced in January that it would end production in 2009, but then reversed that decision in July. I don't see where else they could go with the PT, other than making it into a generic crossover that would internally compete with the Journey.

Flexibility is one area I will give it some credit. However when I need extra space and what to fold the seats down, I'll opt for a Kia Rondo (if available where I'm renting) as it's a much nicer car to drive imo and has 10 cu ft more cargo space and seats that actually fold flat into the floor. With DTAG offering Toyotas up here (I peered down the two Thrifty rows at YVR Saturday and did not see a SINGLE non-Toyota), I'll go for a Matrix when I need space...

luv the honda's at LAX

never pick a mopar all POS's

Fear of being assigned a dreadful Dodge Caliber or Chrysler PT Cruiser is the reason I switched much of my business away from Thrifty in the past year. If these crummy vehicles become less common on Thrifty's lots I might come back.

Totally agree. Used to rent frequently from Thrifty, mainly mid-sized Dodge Stratuses (which I really liked), but when they were dropped, tried their compacts. But when the PT Cruisers and Calibers essentially became all that were pushed as compacts (such as at OMA), a year ago I switched to other companies. Neither the Cruiser nor the Caliber got what I'd consider decent gas mileage for a compact, and the Caliber seemed "bulky" to drive, and its limited visibility from inside was a safety issue to me.

I am elated to hear this. Chryslers just don't hold up as well as GM & Ford as rentals.