Hertz Firsts

Hertz has scored many "firsts" in the car rental industry. Here are some of the most notable Hertz Firsts:

1918
Hertz begins renting cars

1925
Hertz establishes first coast-to-coast car rental network through national franchise system

1926
Hertz offers the first advanced reservations and introduces Rail-Drive, which later expands to Fly-Drive and Sail-Drive

Hertz’s National Credential Card is the industry’s first identification card and precursor of the credit card

1932
Hertz opens the nation’s first airport Rent-a-Car location at Chicago’s Midway Airport

1933
Hertz’s revolutionary Rent-It-Here/Leave-It-There option drastically increases use of rental cars

1947
Hertz introduces first uniforms in the industry

1950
Hertz opens the first European location in France

1955
Hertz is the first car rental company with 1,000 locations

1957
Hertz offers first European Fly-Drive at Orly Airport in Paris

1959
Hertz uses first Centralized Billing System

1962
Hertz utilizes first Booking System for Travel Agents

1972
Hertz introduces the first #1 Club, a computerized data system that makes renting a car faster and easier

1978
Hertz introduces the first Nationwide Emergency Road Service

1980
With the first Express Service, #1 Club members bypass the airport counter

1984
First computerized driving directions give printed directions to thousands of destinations in over 100 cities

1988
Hertz utilizes In-Car Cellular Phones

1989
Hertz launches #1Club Gold®, which allows member to go directly from airplane to their car.

1995
Hertz introduces first On-Board Navigation System, NeverLost®

1996
Hertz launches its first website – www.hertz.com
 
1998
Hertz creates first Hertz Return Centers

1999
Hertz launches its first multilingual website

Hertz launches its first Euro Conversion website

2000
Hertz introduces #1 Club Gold Five Star and President’s Circle membership levels

2001
First launch of the Hertz Prestige Collection in North America

2002
Hertz becomes the first global car rental company to operate in China

Hertz first introduces SIRIUS Satellite Radio

Hertz first introduces the Hertz Prestige Collection in Europe

2004
Hertz introduces brand and model reservability to #1 Club and #1 Club Gold members

2006
Hertz rolls out the Hertz Fun Collection®, featuring vehicles tailor-made for travelers seeking exciting driving experiences

Hertz introduces the Green Collection of fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly cars

2007
Hertz launches Hourly Rental Program in New York City and Boston.

Debut of the Shelby GT-H convertible, a special run of performance-modified Ford Mustang GTs

Hertz expands Company-wide environmental initiatives: Announcing the addition of Toyota Prius Hybrid to Green Collection; $1 million donation to the National Park Foundation and $250,000 Donation to Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.

Hertz partners with Nickelodeon to introduce Nick-On-the-Go, a fully portable, pre-loaded, touch-screen media player for vacationing families.

2008
Hertz introduces the Corvette ZHZ, a special limited-edition, high-performance supercar

Hertz is the first car rental company to launch a Worldwide Online Check-in service to anyone, anywhere, anytime. In the U.S., Hertz begins its Online Check-In Guarantee, which gets customers on their way in 10 minutes or less, guaranteed.

Hertz launches Connect by Hertz, a pay-as-you-go car membership club that allows members to book a car for an hour, a day or even longer. The Company begins operations in New York City, Paris and London

2009
Hertz acquires Eileo S.A., the Paris-based leader in the design and deployment of car sharing technology.

Hertz purchases the rights to Advantage Rent a Car, initially operating 20 Advantage locations in key U.S. leisure travel markets.
  
2010
Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation (HERC) acquires Rent One, a top power generation company in Spain.

Hertz Entertainment Services acquires First Call based in Los Angeles, California.

Hertz acquires FlexiCar, an Australian car sharing company

Hertz launches Global Electric Vehicle (EV) initiative in New York City.

2011
Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation opens its first facility in Saudi Arabia.

Hertz launches the restaging of its collections including the Adrenaline, Green Traveler, and Prestige.

Hertz introduces its new brand ambassador, Horatio

Hertz’s Global EV initiative expands to Washington D.C. and London.

Hertz unveils “Hertz On Demand” car sharing

Hertz acquires Donlen, a leading provider of fleet and leasing management services.

Hertz announces “Movin’ With Music” and a partnership with Live Nation.

2012
Hertz fully acquires Navigation Solutions, the producer of Hertz’s customized NeverLost GPS system.

Hertz Entertainment Services acquires Cinelease, the U.S. market leader in TV lighting and grip rentals.

Hertz On Demand becomes the first city-sponsored car share program in the state of Florida by launching the program in Miami Beach.