Growing demand for seasonal car rental services from business professionals and long-term UAE residents is helping drive the expansion plans of Hertz UAE into local communities.

The company will open its 16th branch at MotorCity in Dubai before the end of June and plans to add at least five more locations to its UAE network this year, with others in the pipeline.

“Our new MotorCity location will service the residential community there, as well as those in Arabian Ranches, Victory Heights and the Green Community,” said Nigel Johnson, managing director of Hertz UAE.

“We are responding to demand by taking our car rental offering into these communities. The biggest chunk of our monthly car rental business comes from UAE residents, as opposed to tourists, and 80 per cent of this business comes from expat professionals working and living in the UAE.

Hertz UAE posted a 12 per cent growth in inventory last year, when online daily and weekly car rental bookings rose by 35 per cent.

The company is now looking to build on that growth in 2012 and will follow up the purchase of more than 4,800 new vehicles in 2011 by introducing approximately the same number to the fleet this year.

“The new MotorCity branch will be the first neighbourhood car rental service available to residents in that particular area of Dubai,” added Johnson.

“It is part of our strategic network expansion which is designed to make the rental experience as easy as possible by extending our reach into every corner of the community in the UAE.”

Hertz UAE currently has branches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah , Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.