Simple sustainability efforts go a long way. Here’s a bit of a scoop on one such effort we’ve deemed worthy to shake up our headlines here at LGBG.
That’s right. It’s a company by the name of MPG Car Rental, and although its not the largest company, it hasn’t allowed that small fact to prevent it from doing big things!
Similar to rental car services like Hertz, Budget, Enterprise, and even old Thrifty, MPG provides a slew of automobiles to its customers on a temporary, rental basis. No biggie, right? But what sets this little Venice, California-based rent-a-car service apart from its traditional competitors, is that MPG’s fleet of vehicles are “all green” and still suit all needs. Whether customers are looking for compact sedans or full-size SUV’s, MPG Car Rental boasts a wide range of eco-friendly vehicles.
The brand management experts at Interbrand rank the most green global brands yearly, based on what they consider to be critical criteria in determining the sustainability of business efforts. In first, third, and fourth place on 2012’s Interbrand Best Global Green Brands list were Toyota, Honda, and Volkswagen, respectively. It should therefore come as no immediate shock to the consumer that MPG Car Rental offers some of the flagship hybrid vehicles associated with these top performing brands.
Aside from Toyota’s three generations of Prius vehicles, MPG offers its Camry and Highlander hybrids, as well as its Lexus offspring, including the CT 200 hybrid and two variations of the RX model. Also members of the all-green MPG fleet are Honda’s Insight, Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI (diesel), and Chevy’s new Volt and hybrid Tahoe. And the customer should look forward to seeing this selection of vehicles change, as MPG makes it a point to constantly re-examine and continually update its fleet’s member vehicles to reflect current top performance trends.
What further sets MPG’s business model apart from those of competitors is its special test drive program. MPG allows its customers who are thinking about purchasing a eco-friendly hybrid vehicle to rent and test drive any member of its fleet for up to four days to see if the vehicle fits the customer’s lifestyle. From that point, if the customer purchases that model vehicle from one of MPG’s affiliated dealers, the customer is automatically eligible for the reimbursement of up to four days’ rental of that MPG vehicle. Clever and helpful.
Through minimal efforts in specialization within the constraints of already established methods of business in an industry, MPG has managed to re-vamp operations to increase sustainability. Customers can rest assured that they are not only receiving vehicles that perform well, but that they are helping lessen their carbon footprints all the while. MPG Car Rental should be an example to all future rent-a-car companies, that small change can make a difference and still pay off financially. Hopefully the company continues to grow, both in successful business, and in the admirable ideologies with which its conducts its business.