Hertz - Hertz.com glitch with low European rates

I posted this on the Zurich "Delta mistake fare" community thread, but I think others may benefit from it, too. At least in Zurich, there seems to be some mistake in how Hertz is pricing rentals using the "Affordable Europe" 1853260 CDP. I'm getting prepaid automatics for less than $45/day all in, and little more than $30/day for manuals. I chose the automatic Prius hybird for $47/day all in.

The website is dodgy today, and it may take a couple tries to get the super-discounted rates to pop up, but I've been successful in making 2 reservations already.

BTW, do people think I'll actually be able to get a Prius when I show up? I'm skeptical it will be in stock -- although the website makes a big deal of their "Green Selections." I really just need an automatic, but for less than $3/day extra over a small automatic, I took the Prius for the fuel efficiency. I figure gas must be over $6/gallon in Switzerland.

FWIW, when I called Hertz, the agent could not duplicate these rates with the same CDP number (which is why I suspect this is a glitch). Also, AutoEurope refused to "beat rate" it, saying they would lose money.

I've had 2 experiences in Italy where I booked a Prius for friends and they arrived only to be given a standard diesel compact. They did not consider this a downgrade; "green" collection does not equal hybrid apparently.

I've had 2 experiences in Italy where I booked a Prius for friends and they arrived only to be given a standard diesel compact. They did not consider this a downgrade; "green" collection does not equal hybrid apparently.

Yeah, I'm a little afraid of that. I really just want a small automatic. The Prius automatic was just $3/day more, but I'll be surprised if I actually get it. I'm not doing this to "go green": I just figure that with $6/gallon gas, the fuel efficiency will pay for itself.

When I request a small automatic, I usually get any automatic car they have. Often a Mercedes. :)

FWIW, when I called, the agent at Hertz said I was guaranteed "an automatic hybrid" with this class. We'll see.

Gas in Switzerland is around 1.5$ per liter (Depending on exchange rate, and oil price, of course) at the moment. Cheaper than in most countries around, still relatively expensive. Both regular petrol and diesel is around the same (Usually, the higher the price goes, the more expensive diesel gets compared to petrol, and the cheaper it goes, the cheaper diesel is... with 1.5$ it's pretty much the same, when it was 2$ per liter diesel was 15% more (2.3$)

Hertz Green collection in Europe means a car with high economy and low emissions. This does not necessarily mean a Hybrid. I've used Hertz green collection quite a few times, and never had a Prius.

Models such as the Focus diesel (available with the six gear ZF double-clutch automatic) or Golf diesel (with seven gear double-clutch automatic) return better mileage than a Prius in highway use.
Incidentally, the VW models using their double-clutch automatic return better mileage figures than the equivalent manual model.... The Ford figures not quite as good - their double-clutch automatic is just a fraction less economical than the equivalent manual.