Rental car company Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group said earlier this week that it would cut its 2010 car rental purchases from Chrysler Group LLC by 46 percent and that its average fleet costs have stabilized at levels it hopes to maintain next year. Chrysler, which originally made up of 76 percent of Dollar Thrifty’s total U.S. fleet purchases in 2008, will now account for 30 percent of 2010 fleet purchases.

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group had an agreement with Chrysler that required it to purchase 75 percent of its fleet from the Auburn Hills automaker. The agreement was modified during Chrysler’s bankruptcy process and under the management of Fiat SpA.

FoMoCo vehicles will account for 34 percent of its purchases while General Motors Company vehicles will account for 20 percent. Nissan will make up about 6 percent of the fleet purchases, and the rest will come from Hyundai and Kia.

Dollar Thrifty rents cars under the Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental brands.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Reuters