Teaming up for rental service
Volkswagen New Zealand has teamed with new mobility company SIXT to offer rental and subscription services in four major cities in the country.
The initiative is a sign of future intentions with the global car industry facing major supply issues.
Jake Tobin, marketing manager of Volkswagen NZ, says: “We teamed up with the guys at SIXT to make something happen.
“With the perfect storm of restricted global production, and pre-sold stock of Golf R and Tiguan R in high demand, we looked to our friends at SIXT for a clever alternative to traditional ownership.”
The collaboration has resulted in a bespoke “Rent an R” programme, which will be launched from two SIXT locations in Auckland – Grey Lynn and Auckland Airport.
The programme allows Aucklanders and visitors to rent these freshly launched performance vehicles for up to a week. If an R model purchase follows at the end of the rental period, Volkswagen will reimburse the rental fees to the customer.
Dane Fisher, chief executive officer of SIXT NZ, says: “SIXT is all about offering exciting new mobility solutions to New Zealanders and nothing represents this better than the Volkswagen R range.
“Volkswagen recognises the growing market for flexible solutions and once supply improves we look forward to more exciting collaborations.”
Tobin adds: “As we concluded the pre-sales phase for these models, the clear feedback from our nationwide dealer network indicated that for Kiwis to experience the best of these R models, they must get behind the wheel for an extended period of time.”
Aside from providing a high-performance solution for the casual rental consumer, this offering enables a “try before you buy” opportunity with a particular emphasis on the limited stock availability should any would-be shopper look to take full ownership of a new Volkswagen R model over the coming months.
“Our connection to SIXT NZ is so important as it allows us to offer a range of personalised mobility solutions to Kiwis that sit outside of traditional car ownership,” says Tobin. “Stay tuned for further initiatives.”
