Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Carlyle Group and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity to Acquire Hertz from Ford Motor Company for $15 Billion

Press Releases »

NEW YORK, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest


New Owners See Significant Growth Opportunities

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc. (CD&R), The Carlyle Group (Carlyle) and

Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity (MLGPE), announced today that they have
reached a definitive agreement with Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) to acquire The
Hertz Corporation (Hertz), the world's largest vehicle rental organization, in
a transaction valued at $15 billion. George W. Tamke, a CD&R Operating Partner,
will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The transaction is subject to
normal regulatory approvals and is expected to close by year end.

Mr. Tamke said, "The company's underlying strengths -- an exceptional

global brand, premium pricing supported by superior customer service and a
history of industry innovation -- form a strong platform on which to pursue
further growth initiatives."

Gregory S. Ledford, Carlyle Managing Director, said, "We welcome the

opportunity to work with this storied company, the number one brand in the
global auto rental industry. In addition, we are delighted to partner with the
company's management team and employees to support the next phase of Hertz's
growth."

"We have been looking at Hertz for more than three years and believe it

fits squarely within our investment strategy -- a complex corporate
divestiture of a market leading business with a powerful franchise and
opportunities for profitable growth," said David H. Wasserman, the partner who
led the transaction negotiations for CD&R.

"We look forward to working with our equity partners and Hertz management

for the company's continued success," said Nathan C. Thorne, president of
MLGPE.

Craig R. Koch, Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are

pleased to be partnering with an outstanding group of financial and operating
investors who understand our business and are committed to supporting our
continued growth, success and value creation."

Hertz is the leader in the $25+ billion annual sales global car rental

market with strong positions in the high-margin corporate and leisure sectors,
where service is most highly valued. Hertz has more than $7 billion in annual
revenue and has been consistently profitable in recent years. Founded in 1918,
the company has 7,000 locations in the U.S. and 150 foreign countries.

The investor group was advised by Deutsche Bank AG, Lehman Brothers Inc.

and Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.  Debevoise & Plimpton LLP provided legal
counsel.

About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc. is a leading private equity investment firm

that has earned consistent, superior investment returns using an integrated operational
and financial approach to building and growing portfolio businesses.

Since its founding in 1978, CD&R has managed the investment of over $5.5

billion in 37 businesses -- mostly subsidiaries or divisions of large multi-
business corporations -- representing a broad range of industries with an
aggregate transaction value in excess of $25 billion and revenues of
approximately $40 billion.

Regarding Mr. Tamke's background, he served as Chairman of Kinko's, an

investment that CD&R sold to FedEx in February 2004 and currently serves as
Chairman of Culligan International, a leading global provider of water
treatment products and services, which a CD&R-managed fund acquired in
September of 2004. Before joining CD&R in 2000, Mr. Tamke was co-CEO of
Emerson Electric. The firm has offices in New York and London and manages
approximately $8 billion of capital. For more information about CD&R, visit
http://www.cdr-inc.com.

About Carlyle

The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm with $31 billion under

management. Carlyle invests in buyouts, venture capital, real estate and
leveraged finance in Asia, Europe and North America, focusing on aerospace &
defense, automotive & transportation, consumer & retail, energy & power,
healthcare, industrial, technology & business services and telecommunications
& media. Since 1987, the firm has invested $14.3 billion of equity in 414
transactions for a total purchase price of $49.5 billion. The Carlyle Group
employs more than 600 people in 13 countries. In the aggregate, Carlyle
portfolio companies have more than $30 billion in revenue and employ more than
131,000 people around the world. Visit http://www.carlyle.com for additional
information.

About Merrill Lynch

Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity is the private equity arm of Merrill

Lynch & Co., Inc.

Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading financial management and

advisory companies with offices in 36 countries and total client assets of
approximately $1.6 trillion. As an investment bank, it is a leading global
underwriter of debt and equity securities and strategic advisor to
corporations, governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. Through
Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, the company is one of the world's largest
managers of financial assets. Firm wide, assets under management total $478
billion. For more information on Merrill Lynch, please visit
http://www.ml.com.

SOURCE: Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc.

CONTACT: Clayton, Dubilier & Rice: Tom Franco, +1-212-232-2220,

[email protected]; Chris Tofalli, +1-212-232-2226,

[email protected]

The Carlyle Group: Chris Ullman, +1-202-729-5450,

[email protected]

Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity: Terez Hanhan, +1-212-449-2004,

[email protected] /

Web site: http://www.cdr-inc.com

http://www.carlyle.com

http://www.ml.com /

--Distributed by AsiaNet (www.asianetnews.net)--


ข่าวFord Motor Company+The Carlyle Groupวันนี้

WHAUP secures Ford Motor's Solar Carpark installation with 7.7 Megawatt capacity, worth 235 million baht

WHA Utilities and Power Public Company Limited (WHAUP) has sealed a Solar Carpark installation deal representing a generation capacity of 7.7 MW with Ford Motor Company. With a total rooftop space of 59,000 square meters and an investment of THB 235 million, it is considered the largest in Thailand. WHAUP CEO Mr. Somkiat Masunthasuwan is delighted with outstanding signed contracts for buying and selling electricity, coming from 77 solar projects with a combined capacity of 127 MW. Forty-six

ฟอร์ด ประเทศไทยประกาศความคืบหน้าโครงการระ... ฟอร์ดเผยความคืบหน้าโครงการระดมทุนต้านภัยโควิด-19 ช่วยชาวบ้านกว่า 50 ครอบครัวพ้นวิกฤต — ฟอร์ด ประเทศไทยประกาศความคืบหน้าโครงการระดมทุนต้านภัยโควิด-19 ของกอ...

กองทุน ฟอร์ด มอเตอร์ คัมปะนี (Ford Motor ... กองทุน ฟอร์ด มอเตอร์ คัมปะนี ชวนพนักงานและชาวไทย ร่วมระดมทุนต้านภัยโควิด-19 — กองทุน ฟอร์ด มอเตอร์ คัมปะนี (Ford Motor Company Fund) หน่วยงานเพื่อสังคมของ...

ฟอร์ด ประเทศไทย นำอาสาสมัครฟอร์ด พร้อมด้ว... ฟอร์ดนำอาสาสมัครร่วมอนุรักษ์และมอบน้ำสะอาดให้ชุมชน ในกิจกรรม Water Go Clean — ฟอร์ด ประเทศไทย นำอาสาสมัครฟอร์ด พร้อมด้วยคณะสื่อมวลชน ร่วมกิจกรรมเพื่อสังคม...

New facility in Bangna-Trad features adva... Ford Motor Company Invests Bt.100 Million in New Parts Distribution Center — New facility in Bangna-Trad features advanced technology and design, and help...

Ford Motor Company today announced the ap... Ford Motor Company Appoints Yukontorn 'Vickie’ Wisadkosin to President, ASEAN — Ford Motor Company today announced the appointment of Yukontorn 'Vickie' W...