Toyota acquires large kiwi owned and operated rental car business

Toyota has announced today that they have acquired Ezi Car Rental (‘Ezi’), one of New Zealand’s largest, Kiwi owned and operated rental car businesses, as they continue to grow their mobility ecosystem in New Zealand.

The acquisition of Ezi by Toyota Finance New Zealand (‘Toyota Financial Services’) was completed on the 2^nd October 2023. Toyota Financial Services will run Ezi as a separate business as it has with other acquisitions such as Cityhop.

Toyota New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, Neeraj Lala, says this is an exciting opportunity for Toyota as the company transitions from an automotive to a mobility company.

“Toyota wants to become the mobility company for Kiwis by providing mobility solutions that are affordable and accessible,” says Neeraj. “The acquisition of Ezi Car Rental allows us to focus on the opportunities in car usage as well as car ownership, and sits alongside our ownership of Cityhop, putting Toyota in a great position.”

“Ezi puts us at 18 airports across the country, as well as an additional 6 locations, and through it’s significant vehicle fleet, enables us to provide mobility solutions to existing and new customers.”

Toyota has been proud to serve the mobility needs of New Zealanders for the last 57 years and has been the market leader for the last 36 of these. This leadership position allows Toyota to help shape the future of the mobility landscape of New Zealand.

Car rental is an important supporting industry for New Zealand tourism - which contributes around 3% to New Zealand’s GDP.  For Toyota, the importance of the rental car industry is the expansion of their value chain.  

“We remain committed to the rental car industry, as we have over the past three decades, and will continue to supply safe and reliable vehicles to all industry participants,” says Neeraj.

Established in 1998, Ezi Car Rental is one of the country’s largest Kiwi owned and operated rental car companies. They are spread across 24 locations and most airports including: Auckland, Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gisborne, Hamilton, Hokitika, Invercargill, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Queenstown, Rotorua, Taupo, Tauranga, and Wellington.

Ezi’s current CEO, Kevin Walker will remain in the business for a period to ensure a seamless ownership transition.

^{*As of March 2022, according to Tourism NZ: https://www.tourismnewzealand.com/insights/industry-insights/}