Nissan Motor Co. and Europcar Groupe, a European leader in the passenger car and utility vehicle rental business, have agreed to form a partnership to sell and lease electric vehicles starting next year in a bid to promote zero emission mobility worldwide, officials from the two companies said Tuesday.
Nissan will sell electric vehicles to Europcar, which will then lease the cars to its clients, thus serving a broader reach of customers, a Nissan official said. It has yet to be determined whether the vehicles will carry the Nissan brand.
The vehicles will be introduced in various parts of Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, including France, Germany, Spain and Australia, and eventually spread to more countries, the companies said.
Rafael Girona, chief operating officer of Europcar, said the partnership gives customers "the option of exploring a new means of mobility by giving them the unique experience of using an electric vehicle in order to encourage them to become better eco-citizens."
The agreement with Europcar is the latest among Nissan's joint efforts with ally Renault S.A. to promote the use of electric vehicles globally.
Nissan has said it plans to introduce the zero-emission vehicle in Japan, the United States and Europe next year, and that it will begin mass-marketing electric vehicles worldwide in 2012.