Javier Diaz Laviada (Anivale): “The shortage of car rentals could recur next summer” | comp

car rental sector or Rent a car He was one of those who felt the impact of the pandemic most in the automotive world. Evidence for this is that in 2020 its sales volume in Spain decreased by 73.3% to 480 million. Today, its turnover, although improved with the summer in which demand recovered, still does not reach pre-pandemic numbers and is expected to end 2022 at about 1,600 million, about 200 million less than in 2019. Aneval, which is represent association Five major companies in the sector Rent a car (Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Enterprise and Sixt)He was recently appointed as its new president Javier Diaz LaviadaGeneral Manager of Hertz Spain, who received five days To discuss the challenges facing the sector.

Although recordings from Rent a car They are starting to pick up It is the channel that suffers the most from the chip crisis, as manufacturers prioritize the private channel and the corporate channel. How do you expect the end of 2022?

We’re going to finish about 70% of the enrollment volume for 2019. Anyway, enrollment volume is just one of the elements that indicate what our business is and what fleet is available, because this year, in the absence of vehicles because of the chip crisis, we’ve had to do a lot of different things . For example, we stopped selling cars in order to have an extra fleet. We have renegotiated and extended our resale contracts with manufacturers. In addition, we looked for alternative sources of supply, even outside of Spain, looking for all the opportunities that existed to buy cars. For all these reasons, the recordings themselves do not give a true figure of what was the availability and activity of the sector.

Feneval (an association representing the sector as a whole that includes Aneval) In March, it asked customers to reserve their cars early. Did they have a shortage of vehicles? Will the same thing happen next summer?

Yes, there was a shortage because there were fewer cars than we had before the pandemic and the demand was pretty much the same. However, we were able to accommodate all of our reservations with the fleet we had. For next season, we think some of the shortfalls we had in the summer may continue. The big question, I think, is whether demand will continue at the same levels or even more, or will there be some decline as a result of the economic situation.

Are you starting to notice a slowdown in demand due to inflation?

We have to wait until next summer. So far, we haven’t seen a drop in demand. Our pricing is absolutely dynamic and transparent, and the variance that arises is driven more by the dynamism and transparency that is in the market than by increasing costs, but without a doubt we’re seeing a significant increase in expenses, starting with the fleet, and that will be translated into pricing.

Have you felt discriminated against by car companies by prioritizing the sale of cars to individuals and companies?

Logically, every company plays with their interests the way they see it, and it is true that we have had less access compared to other sectors by manufacturers, but it is also true that we have a long-standing relationship with them and we have always understood each other correctly. Yes, it is true that we call for more clarity regarding production plans and vehicle availability.

You have been calling for a reduction in VAT for many years. What are your arguments for making this request?

The shuttle service has a reduced tax of 10%, same as tourism, however we have a VAT of 21%. The reduction will help make renting the car more attractive from the user’s point of view than owning it, because it will have a lower starting price due to lower taxes.

What is the weight of an electric vehicle in a fleet? Rent a car?

The weight of environmentally friendly vehicles, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars, is 30%. Only electric accounts for about 5%.

Customers do not want the electric car?

No, for various reasons. The first thing is that an electric car is a vehicle that generates a lot of indecision when it is not known. On the other hand, our country, moreover, is at the bottom of Europe in terms of infrastructure recharge. It’s key, specifically, to beat those hesitations, and we have a historic opportunity with Bertie’s electric car money. All of our companies are multinational, we buy hundreds of thousands of pure electric vehicles around the world. These cars are destined for some countries or others depending on the demand and the existing infrastructure. In Northern Europe, in the Netherlands, in Germany, we have many more electric cars than we have in Spain. We will not have a problem increasing this percentage of electric cars as long as there is an infrastructure that helps overcome consumer reluctance.

I have complained about the legislation of the Balearic Islands, which requires a minimum number of electric cars from Rent a car. Why don’t you like this law?

The problem with the Balearic Islands is the saturation that can be there at times in the summer. The growth in recent years has been tremendous, and it is not prepared to accommodate so many people. It is logical that there are traffic jams and crowds. Some departments have noticed part of the problem with car rentals when it’s basically the other way around is the solution, since anything involving vehicle sharing rather than car ownership will help alleviate that congestion. In addition, in our particular case, we have vehicles that are not only renewed every year, but are also the most sustainable and least polluting.

The Valencian Community also wants a minimum electric vehicle and car emissions tax.

That’s how it is. That’s why it is Rent a car It has commissioned a technical and environmental study on mobility in this community to be carried out prior to the final approval of the Climate Change and Environmental Transformation Act in the Valencian Parliament, which is already in the final stage of approval. The goal is to strive for the greatest efficiency and fair balance between the mandatory percentages of electric vehicles established by the project and the existing infrastructure to meet the requirements of electric vehicles.