Niet. The attempt to acquire Europcar by Volkswagen would have ended with a clear refusal. According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the German carmaker, which has long had its eye on the leading French car rental company, had the € 2.2 billion offer returned to the sender.
In recent weeks, a consortium led by Volkswagen has presented Europcar with an offer equal to 44 cents per share. The French company, which is currently controlled by a group of hedge funds, however, deemed the offer too low. This eventuality was also confirmed with an official note from Europcar itself, which however did not want to disseminate information on the authors of the offer.
Volkswagen’s approach to Europcar represents a strategic move with respect to the future view of the group. The Germans are in fact interested in the technologies and infrastructures of French society, as they consider them important for what will be the future of services related to mobility. At the moment Volskwagen does not intend to increase the offer, although a change of plan by the German company cannot be ruled out.