Auto Rental & Leasing NAICS 532111, 532112

Sep 22, 2025 - Hertz Begins Selling Cars on Amazon

• Rental car firm Hertz has started selling some of its used vehicles through Amazon’s automotive marketplace, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move is part of the firm’s effort to sell more excess cars directly to consumers to boost profits. Hertz sells most of its cars through auctions and to dealers; consumer sales account for about a third of total vehicle sales. Currently, car shoppers can browse Hertz’s offerings on Amazon, make their purchase, then pick up their cars at locations in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, or Seattle. The company aims to add another 45 US pickup locations. In addition to Amazon, Hertz is also ramping up retail sales through its website and other digital outlets, including Carvana and Autotrader.com.
• According to a late-August report by the US Travel Association, US travel spending returned to growth in July. Travel expenditures inched up 0.2% year-over-year in July as record domestic demand helped offset weaker inbound international travel, which was down by 3.1% compared to July 2024. Hotel demand was softer in July than a year earlier, but short-term rentals increased by 2.6%. Visits to national parks are showing signs of recovery as they were down just 1.5% year-on-year in July after dropping 10% in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. While Americans continue to prioritize travel, and travel prices are down compared to last year, increased economic uncertainty could put downward pressure on travel spending.

• US automotive fleet sales, which include rental, commercial, and government fleets, increased by 24.9% in August compared to the same month in 2024, according to marketing and data firm Bobit. Rental fleet sales were a bright spot, rising 86.3% in August year-over-year, but they dropped 7% compared to July 2025. On a year-to-date basis, rental fleet sales were up 55% compared to the first eight months of 2024. Despite the August surge in rental sales, 2024 was a slow year for fleet additions, so a large jump year-over-year is less significant.
• Some rental car companies are using AI-powered software to inspect cars for possible damage when customers turn in their rentals, according to USA Today. Such tools can detect minute damage to a vehicle's paint or body. Hertz has deployed technology by UVeye and suggests the AI-enabled tool streamlines rental and maintenance processes, ultimately improving customer experiences. However, some industry watchers suggest such tools often trigger additional charges to consumers for damages with no human oversight baked into the process. In some cases, there is no human intervention unless a customer complains.