Car Hire Tips UK

Sixt is one of Europe’s largest car rental companies, having more that 3,500 rental locations covering 80 countries. The company was founded in 1912 as “Sixt Autofahrten und Selbstfahrer” by Martin Sixt with an initial fleet of only 7 cars, four Mercedes and three Luxus-Deutz-Landaulets.

Sixt was one of the first rent-a-car companies in Germany, specialising in day-trips and custom tours. The first clients were almost exclusively members of the British nobility and dollar-rich Americans.

Sixt suffered a setback during 1914 due to World War 1, as vehicles and drivers were placed under the High Command of the Army and confiscated. It bounced back after the war though and in 1919 the expansion of the company continued. Notably, Martin Sixt bought the Munich location, Seitzstrasse no. 11, which even today is one of the most-visited Sixt city locations.

In 1927, founder Martin Sixt handed over the company to his nephew Hans Sixt. 2 years later Sixt made the decision to make its fleet exclusively Mercedes cars because of problems getting spare parts for foreign cars.

Disaster loomed again for the company with the onset of World War II. As with the First World War, in 1939 The German Wehrmacht confiscates all of Sixt’s rental vehicles due to the war. Only a seven-seat Mercedes 230 Landaulet that was hidden in a barn made it through the war for the company. A chapter in the company’s history ended when founder Martin Sixt died in May 1945.

After the war, Sixt re-launched with the single Mercedes 230 Landaulet as a chauffeured limousine. Part of the re-launch included setting up an Export-Taxi fleet for members of the US Army. In 1948, as a first in Europe, Hans Sixt employs radio taxis in Munich. The current form of the company, as “Auto Sixt” Rent a Car, was established in 1951.

Sixt, like many other car rental firms expanded rapidly, fuelled by growth in airline travel. As part of this trend, in 1966, the first airport offices in Frankfurt am Main and Munich were opened.

“Auto Sixt”, in 1967, became the first German company to launch a leasing program for vehicles. In 1970, vans are added to the Sixt fleet. By 1977, Sixt had operations in all major airports in Germany and a license agreement with Budget Rent a Car.

As of 1980, the company changed its name from “Auto Sixt” to “Sixt Autovermietung GmbH”. As part of financing reform of the company, Sixt goes public in a stock-market launch of “Sixt Aktiengesellschaft” in 1986, during a time when the rental car business in financial troubles worldwide, partly due to strong price competition.

In 1993, the company announced a new structure of the Sixt Group with Sixt AG as a holding company. This new structure separated out the rent-a-car business as “Sixt GmbH & Co Autovermietung KG”. Sixt became the leading German rent-a-car company in 1994.

Since then, the company has been expanding, both in domestic European market, as well as in the rapidly growing Asian market, with some 646 rental cars in the inventory reported for 2006.