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Cendant boosts budget for Biz.

Article Excerpt
One year after its acquisition of Budget Rental Cars Co., Avis parent Cendant Corp. is touting improvements to Budget's battered reputation, citing enhancements to Budget's customer service quality and fleet, as well as the integration of the two brands' salesforces and technology. Officials acknowledged, however, that there remains a long way to go to reestablish the brand.

Robert Salerno, who in June was promoted to CEO of Cendant Car Rental Group, said time success of business travel-oriented Avis stands as a blueprint for Budget, but the acquisition already has enabled Budget to reemerge as a quality product and has helped to fortify Cendant as a major player in the industry. "We love the Budget brand," Salerno said. "Its name screams value and leisure, it has a good mix of small- account and commercial business, and it allows us to appeal to a much broader segment."

"Certainly they are in the throes of transformation," said Nell Abrams, president of Abrams International Consulting based in Purchase, N.Y. "Pre-acquisition, Budget didn't have enough cars to meet their demand. Budget now has cars available that they didn't have before." Abrams, the preeminent U.S. car rental consultant, said the Cendant Car Rental Group was doing the right things in consolidating everything invisibly behind the...