Avis switches from fake ‘new-car’ smell in rentals to eau de Lysol

Avis once sprayed a faux newcar leather scent into its rental cars forafresh aroma, but now it’s spritzing them with an antiseptic to ease customer fears of viral contamination.

“For many years we used a product that replicates a new-car smell,” Chief Executive Officer Joe Ferraro said. “Now people want their senses to tell them that their car is safe, that it smellsand looks clean.”

Avis has teamed with Reckitt Benckiser Group, the maker of Lysol, to give its disinfection protocols a boost and is starting to promote the partnership to consumers.

The company will begin replacing or supplementing other cleaning products with the widely recognized brand as it emphasizes antiviral clean-car measures in its marketing.

The company is publicizing its anti-COVID-19 measures, which include wiping down or spraying 15 key touch points in its cars, in hopes of drawing a bigger share of leisure travelers from rivals including Hertz. Ferraro said customers are coming back to rent cars despite the coronavirus pandemic and want to have the sense a car has been sanitized when they pick one up.

Avis said on its first-quarter earnings call that revenue fell 80% in April and May but was expected to bounce back in June. There are some signs a recovery is underway, despite countervailing signals in the travel industry that an anticipated rebound may fizzle.

Website traffic for rental cars was down 21% year-over-year in June from a year ago after falling 28% in May.

“If people feel they are in a safe environment, they will travel,” Ferraro said.