Sixt has signed a deal with Chinese EV brand BYD that could see the rental giant deploy over 100,000 electric cars by 2028.

The deal will kick off with the Atto 3 fully electric family SUV

The contract will make Sixt the first car rental company in Europe to offer BYD’s vehicles and will initially cover several thousand BYD electric cars. This will start with the Atto 3; a C-segment SUV that rivals the VW ID.3. The first vehicles will be available for Sixt customers in Europe in Q4 2022, including in Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK.

It’s the first step in an agreement expected to encompass the purchase of around 100,000 additional electric vehicles over the following six years. The two firms will also explore potential co-operation opportunities in different regions around the world.

Michael Shu, general manager and managing director, BYD Europe and International Cooperation Division, said: “Cooperations are a core part of the BYD business strategy. We are delighted to start our cooperation with Sixt, the car rental company with the world’s fastest-growing brand value, and a very important key partner to BYD as we take our first steps into the rental market.”

Sixt will be the first car rental company in Europe to offer BYD’s vehicles

The order follows Sixt’s recently announced promise to significantly increase the share of electrified vehicles in its fleet and boost excitement for e-mobility. The brand has said it’s looking to increase the share of electrified vehicles (including plug-in and mild hybrids) to 12 to 15% by the end of 2023. And by 2030, 70 to 90% of the company’s vehicles in Europe will be electrified, covering a wide range of manufacturers and models and all bookable via the Sixt app.

Vinzenz Pflanz, chief business officer at Sixt SE, said: “Sixt offers easy-to-use, flexible, and limitless mobility to its customers every day. With over one million units produced from January to August 2022, BYD is the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer in the area of e-mobility. The agreement with BYD is an important milestone to deliver on our promise of putting significantly more e-cars onto the street. We are very much looking forward to our cooperation with BYD.”

Sixt is also establishing its own charging infrastructure, expand its app and One mobility platform to enable a single sign-on for hundreds of thousands of public charging points and will take action to ensure its stations and branches are CO2 neutral by the end of 2023.