Green Mobility Holdings, a consortium led by the Volkswagen Group has acquired an 87% shareholding of the French car rental operation Europcar, giving the German car maker effective control of the company. The consortium is also offering minority shareholders an attractive offer to gain more shares. 

VW plans to make Europcar the centerpiece of an expanded mobility services offering. This will feature traditional vehicle rentals, car-sharing, subscriptions and leasing. There are also plans to introduce autonomous vehicles into the offering after 2025.

Christian Dahlheim, the chief executive of Volkswagen Financial Services, said: “Our expectation is that by far most people will still prefer individual mobility by 2030, but it will be more about using and less about owning vehicles. Our new mobility platform will perfectly respond to this trend with a highly flexible and convenient offering at our customers’ fingertip.”