SIXT Leasing has launched an operation in the UK, the latest addition to the company's pan-European network in Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria. Sixt Leasing has a fleet of 26,000 vehicles in Germany, and is a division of the massive German daily rental company which last year entered the UK with the acquisition of European Car Rental.

The company has already supplied its first 'pan-European' car in the UK to Deutsch Post, a contract won thanks to its ability to quote in German and invoice in Deutschmarks, and is currently putting in place the technology and establishing the products for substantial growth in the UK. A new on-line IT system will enable it to provide quotations for contracts in several European languages and currencies, explaining local tax and insurance differences, all from the comfort of a computer at its Milton Keynes office.

In Germany, local customers already have secure Internet access into Sixt's IT system, enabling them to specify and order a vehicle on-line, and the same software will arrive in the UK before the summer.