Арендаторы автопарков сохраняют стабильные заказы на фоне дефицита и забастовок в Южной Корее

Rental Vehicle Orders Remain Steady Amid Supply Concerns With Hyundai’s South Korean strike creating uncertainty for 2027-model-year deliveries, Mike Muehlenfeld of Walser Automotive Group says rental operators are maintaining normal purchasing levels and generating strong returns at disposal. Rental operators appear to be maintaining normal vehicle purchasing levels, while strong wholesale values are helping them generate favorable returns on resale, according to Mike Muehlenfeld, general manager at Walser Automotive Group, an independent seller of multiple vehicle brands to car rental operators. However, production disruptions and the limited availability of lower-cost vehicles remain concerns heading into the 2027 model year. “The market has been really strong,” Muehlenfeld said in an interview with Auto Rental News. On several recent vehicle programs, he said operators realized a strong $2,000 per vehicle at disposal while depreciating at their normal rate. The strong current used-vehicle values partly reflect the lower number of vehicles placed into service a year ago, leaving fewer units in the marketplace today. Operators appear to be buying at customary levels. “It looks like people are buying what their normal purchases are — not really up year over year, but very similar to year over year,” he said. Hyundai Strike Creates Delivery Concerns One immediate supply concern is the labor dispute affecting Hyundai Motor’s South Korean production. Partial strikes began in July after wage and bonus negotiations stalled, disrupting production and contributing to a decline in the automaker’s July sales. Muehlenfeld said the disruption has created uncertainty around deliveries, which could affect operators planning fall fleet additions. “For the 2027 model year, any fall deliveries are very much a concern at this point,” he said. Affordable Vehicles Remain Difficult to Source Beyond the immediate production disruption, one of the rental industry’s continuing challenges is finding enough affordable vehicles to fill compact and intermediate rental classes. “The challenge is getting small, cheap cars,” Muehlenfeld said. “Those $20,000 to $22,000 vehicles are harder to come by.” As the number of traditional compact sedans has declined, small SUVs and crossovers are increasingly filling that role. Fleet Diversification Helps Reduce Risk Production interruptions are also a reminder of the importance of spreading purchases among multiple manufacturers. Muehlenfeld cautioned operators against placing too much of their fleet with any one automaker. He recommends limiting any one OEM to approximately 20% of the fleet to reduce the potential effect of a disruption. A diversified fleet can reduce exposure to production delays, allocation changes and recalls that could suddenly interrupt deliveries or sideline a large number of vehicles. More Fleet Acquisition Rental Fleet Sales Decline 4.2% in 2026 Through July Rental car sales fell 18% from a year earlier, while truck and SUV volume edged higher as rental operators took a more restrained approach to fleet purchasing. Read More → Global Carsharing Fleet Projected to Reach 768,000 Vehicles By 2030 A new Berg Insight forecast outlines several business models driving the projected growth in public carsharing worldwide through 2029. Read More → Rental Car Fleet Sales Show Mid-Year Strength June gains ensured rental fleets closed out the first half of 2026 in positive territory. Read More → World Cup Travel Data Shows Longer Car Rentals and More One-Ways A recent analysis of FIFA bookings found varied demand patterns that influenced rental car pricing. Read More → A Leveling Force: AI Morphs Into A Rental Car Profit-Seeker Revenue managers can’t match the emerging AI tools gobbling lots of data that could counter the competitive race to the rate bottom. Read More → Rethink The Future To Avert A Race To The Bottom Rental car operators heard a sobering industry message and a stern challenge at the close of the International Car Rental Show. Read More → DriveItAway, Free2move Plan Shared Fleet Program for Independent Rental Fleet Operators Vehicles would be placed with participating rental operations to support car renter demand and provide additional fleet capacity. Read More → Stellantis Recalls 1.3 Million Jeep Vehicles Worldwide Over Fire Risk Stellantis is recalling more than 1.3 million Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator models worldwide over a fire risk linked to power steering pump wiring. Read More → Rental Fleet Sales Skating Just Above 2025 Levels The U.S. economy's continued growth and positive business investment are creating a favorable environment for fleet vehicle demand. Read More → Get Ready To Roll: No Stopping Self-Driving Rental Cars The autonomous mobility technology revolution will move at its own pace, but sooner rather than later. Read More →