ISTANBUL, Turkey, April 2, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zipcar, the world's leading car-sharing network, today launches its service in Istanbul. Istanbul marks Zipcar's sixth European city and with Istanbul straddling Europe and Asia, its first footstep into Asia.
Today's launch is a further step in Zipcar's international expansion, which already includes an established presence in the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Austria. The expansion to Istanbul celebrates Zipcar's third new European market in seven months as it accelerates growth and increases its footprint to meet increasing consumer demand.
Founded in 2000 in the United States, Zipcar has long pioneered a new model of vehicle ownership. With global car-sharing members forecast to reach 12 million by 2020, up from 2.3 million in 20131, Zipcar's 15 years' experience combined with its global network of over 10,000 vehicles across seven countries, 30 cities and 400 university campuses is helping to transform urban living.
As consumers and businesses across the globe seek a sustainable and economic alternative to car ownership, Zipcar provides its 900,000 strong member base with a simple and streamlined user experience with access to vehicles by the hour or by the day, in locations close to where they live, work and travel. Zipcar is helping to ease the pressure of congestion and pollution in the urban hubs in which it operates with each car club vehicle helping to eliminate the need for around 17 privately owned cars from the streets2.
Massimo Marsili, President, Zipcar International, said: "With a population of over 14 million, Istanbul is one of the largest cities in the world, and like many of the cities where we operate, is challenged with increasing pressure on the transport infrastructure and the environmental impact of congestion in the city. We are delighted to be able to provide an alternative mobility solution to residents in Istanbul and to play our part in helping to reduce congestion in the city. Our service is environmentally friendly, complementary to public transportation and ideal for a new generation of smart consumers who are looking for goods and services that are available on demand."
Launching today as Zipcar's first licensee, Zipcar Turkey will be operated by Otokoç Otomotiv, a unit of Koç Holding. Inan Ekici, Assistant General Manager, Otokoç, said: "Today's launch of Zipcar in Istanbul represents an exciting opportunity for us to meet the needs of the city dweller by providing a convenient and flexible mobility solution that saves money, reduces hassle and improves urban living. As a vibrant destination for both tourism and business, Istanbul is an increasingly popular travel destination. We are excited to be launching our first wave of locations across the city today and look forward to providing Zipcar's existing member base with access to Zipcars when they travel to the city."
About Zipcar
Zipcar, the world's leading car sharing network, has operations in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria and France. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for smart, simple and convenient solutions to their urban and campus transportation needs. Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:CAR), a leading global provider of vehicle rental services. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.
About Otokoç Otomotiv
Founded in 1928 as the first investment of Koç Holding in automotive sector Otokoç Otomotiv operates in vehicle retail market with Otokoç and Birmot, and in car rental market with Avis and Budget. Otokoç Otomotiv is the leader of car rental with its Avis and Budget brands operating 131 offices countrywide and nearly 30,000 vehicles for short and long term rental. Otokoç Otomotiv ranks 35th in Capital 500 and 31th in Fortune 500 Turkey listings.
1 Navigant
2 London based evidence, Carplus Annual Survey of Car Clubs 2013/14 (London)