Pullach / Erbil, 10 October 2022 – As part of its internationalisation strategy, the mobility provider SIXT opened its first station in Erbil, the economic capital of Iraq last week. The new station marks the start of a franchise partnership with Muhanad Rental Cars, a Muhanad Group company. The newly established station is the first step in an expansion plan that includes SIXT stations at international airports and in other major cities in Iraq.

With a fleet of more than 240,000 vehicles in over 100 countries, SIXT is already one of the world’s largest mobility providers and is constantly forging ahead with its international growth. Only a few months ago, the company headquartered in Pullach near Munich expanded its corporate footprint to Canada, and at the end of last year to Australia with a new franchise partner. SIXT has increased the share of its international business from 29% to around 70% over the past decade (financial year 2021 compared to 2009). Apart from geographical expansion, this is also due to significant gains in market share in the international markets.

Premium mobility from SIXT in Iraq for the first time

The new franchise partnership in Iraq will benefit from SIXT’s more than 100 years of extensive experience in the mobility business and Muhanad Rental Cars in-depth knowledge of the local car rental and leasing market. Since last week, SIXT has been welcoming customers at its new station in Erbil city centre to meet the growing demand for premium mobility in the city. The range of mobility services offered include conventional short and long-term vehicle rental, vehicle leasing and limousine services. The fleet mix includes vehicles ranging from small cars and sedans to SUVs and four-wheel drive vehicles.

By expanding into Iraq, SIXT is further broadening its presence in the Middle East: Among other countries, the company is already present in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia with successful franchise partnerships. The mobility service provider operates more than 2,100 stations in total in over 100 countries.

Yousif Ahmed, Managing Director of Muhanad Rental Cars: „The launch of SIXT Iraq is a milestone in our company history. We are very excited for the opportunity to be the exclusive representative of SIXT in Iraq and to provide our clients premium customer service, technical innovation, and affordable prices with a premium fleet. Also, we are confident that our new state-of-the-art facilities will imprint SIXT’s top-class services and heritage into the hearts of our customers. The Erbil facility is the first step in our expansion plan and our goal is to ensure that SIXT is available to all customers in Iraq in the near future. Our goal is to make travelling exciting, easy, and more flexible for our customers than one ever thought it could be.“

Ruediger Proske, Senior Vice President of International Franchise at Sixt SE: „Iraq is an interesting market and holds exciting opportunities for the mobility industry. We are delighted to welcome Muhanad Rental Cars as our latest franchise partner in the Middle East as we continue our internationalisation strategy. We now offer comprehensive premium mobility services to our customers in Erbil and will soon be expanding our range of services throughout Iraq.“

About Muhanad Group
Established in 2006, Muhanad Group is an international conglomerate engaged in several key business sectors including Automotive, Logistics and Media. The headquarters is located in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq with operations and offices spanning across UAE, Jordan and Turkey.