Over its century-long journey, Sixt has evolved from a humble German car rental service into a global player in the mobility ecosystem. Beyond traditional rentals, they've got car-sharing, rides with drivers, premium transfers, auto subscriptions, EV charging, and truck rentals—all in one app. Sixt's CFO, Franz Weinberger, shared in an interview with Oninvest how they're driving business growth, the impact of the escalating situation in the Middle East, and what advantages help them compete in the global market.
What is Sixt known for?
In Germany, Sixt has become a household name: "The brand is so ingrained in German culture that Germans, when dictating words letter by letter, say 'S as in Sixt,' just like Americans say 'X as in Xerox,'" writes the industry publication Automotive Fleet.
Sixt is known for its wide selection of premium vehicles — BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo Cars, as well as Porsche and Maserati. The share of premium segment cars in the company's fleet is about 58%. This allows Sixt to maintain higher prices and ensure increased margin: clients are willing to pay more for exclusive models and a high level of comfort.
The story of Sixt began in 1912 with three cars. Significant business development started in the 1970s when the third generation of the Sixt family, led by Erich Sixt, took over management. In the 1980s, the company rapidly grew in the domestic German market, focusing on a strong presence at airports and working with corporate clients. In 1986, Sixt went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and in the 90s, solidifying its leadership position in Germany, began international expansion.
Over the past fifteen years, Sixt has transformed into a full-fledged mobility platform: in addition to car rentals, the company is developing car sharing, truck and van rentals, electric vehicle charging, and car subscriptions. Today, the Sixt network consists of around 2300 branches worldwide — about 200 more than last year.
— Sixt remains a family business: the holding company of the Sixt family — Erich Sixt Vermögensverwaltung GmbH — owns 58.3% of the group's shares. Erich Sixt himself has been the Chairman of the Supervisory Board since 2021, and the co-CEO positions are shared by his sons — Alexander Sixt and Konstantin Sixt. How does the status of a family company influence the business?
— The family-owned business model allows us to think in generations, not just quarterly reports. This reflects our conservative balance management philosophy: our equity ratio stands at around 30%. We intentionally maintain a compact and disciplined fleet.
— In 2025, SIXT reported a revenue increase of approximately 9% — up to €4.3 billion — and nearly a 20% rise in profit. How did the business perform in the first quarter of 2026?
— We had a record first quarter: revenue was €929 million — this is already the 19th consecutive record quarter, and for the first time, the figure exceeded €900 million. Revenue grew by 12.6% in constant currency (i.e., excluding the impact of exchange rate fluctuations). At the same time, profit before tax turned positive and reached €2.1 million compared to a loss of €17.6 million a year earlier. This means an improvement of about €20 million in the seasonally weakest quarter of the year.
Europe (excluding Germany) grew by more than 16%, Germany by nearly 12%, and North America by about 9% in local currency.
The main growth drivers are consistent investments in brand development, the new Sixt One loyalty program, the international network, and the company's technological platform, as well as a strict approach to fleet planning, which has improved its utilization rate.
— How does the ongoing conflict between the USA and Iran affect demand and operational activities, and what share of the business is related to the Middle East? Have you maintained your forecast for 2026?
— We still expect that in 2026, the group's revenue will be between €4.45 billion and €4.6 billion, and the profit margin before tax will be around 10% by the end of the full year. Of course, macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty has increased due to the conflict in the Middle East.
In the conflict-affected countries, we operate exclusively through franchising partners. Therefore, the direct financial impact on the group level is relatively small. A much more significant factor is the indirect decline in demand from these client source markets. We'll see how the situation develops during the important summer season for us, and whether this can compensate, for example, for stronger tourist demand within Europe.
— High fuel prices and inflation can dampen demand — how do you manage these risks?
— Usually, clients book transport only a few days or weeks before the rental begins. We manage this uncertainty by keeping a compact fleet that remains below current demand, as well as ensuring that the lifespan of vehicles in the fleet is significantly less than one year. This allows us to quickly adjust the fleet structure to match actual demand levels.
— What are the differences between your business in Europe and North America?
— The most significant difference lies in the risk structure of the fleet: in Europe, over 90% of the fleet is 'risk-free' due to buy-back agreements with manufacturers. The US market is structurally more risky, as American car manufacturers do not have dealer networks of this type. Another key difference is market maturity: in Germany, our market share is about 40%; across Europe as a whole, about 18%; and in the US, only about 3.5%. This is why North America remains our most important growth market.
— Your advertising has long been known for its bold and sometimes provocative style, including political humor. However, lately, it seems more restrained. What is behind this change?
— Actually, I would challenge the framing of the question itself. The nature of our brand — fun, bold, and premium — has not changed at all. Our social media team is always keeping an eye on current events and ready to respond quickly in our signature ironic style — but only when it genuinely aligns with our brand and products. This applies to both viral internet trends and political topics.
A recent example: when Chancellor Friedrich Merz was in the media spotlight, we published a photo of a Mercedes-AMG SL63 with the caption: "So poliert man sein Image auf" (in German: "This is how you polish your image").