Enterprise Holdings has announced a partnership with General Motors to boost the number of connected vehicles within the Enterprise rental fleet by the end of 2019.

Enterprise first began a pilot program with GM in 2018 and is aiming to add more than 100,000 connected Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles to the fleet during the next 12 months.

This connected vehicle partnership is designed to enhance and streamline the customer experience for Enterprise, National and Alamo rental car brands.

“This is our first step toward a fully connected fleet of vehicles,” said Christine Taylor,  Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise Holdings.

“We’ve always understood the value of an integrated network, which has made this an easy decision. We’ll continue to adopt technology solutions that make renting cars easier and seamless for our customers.”

Key benefits from introducing connected vehicles are seen as the automation of tasks such as checking fuel levels, overall vehicle condition and odometer mileage.

Onboard telemetry will also enable geofenced rental locations to automatically receive these readings when customers return their cars, designed to make the vehicle return process as friction free as possible.

“Connected vehicles provide customers with a simple, fast rental and return experience,” added Taylor. “The potential for the products and services we’ll be able to offer our customers when all of our vehicles are connected is limitless. As we add these cars to our fleet, we look forward to introducing customers to new technologies and features that not only enhance the driving experience, but also the entire transportation ecosystem.”