I recently rented a car from Avis. I have done busines with them before and so they had some user profile information about me and suggested the usual midsize vehicle. Since I was going to be driving long distances on the trip, I wanted to rent a vehicle with the highest possible fuel efficiency. Finally, Avis has hybrids in their fleet. I have requested them for years and they're finally here. Really, though, it's almost a joke; the cars rent for almost twice the cost of other vehicles, putting them in the same price class as sports cars and luxury vehicles.
I asked the representative, short of renting a hybrid, what the most fuel efficient vehicle they had available would be. She indicated that it was a sport utility vehicle. Something didn't ring true about that answer, so I questioned her, as politely as I could. I asked if they could sort the vehicles currently available at the location by fuel efficiency. She said no.
I wound up asking what vehicles they had and looking them up one at a time on my cell phone internet browser until I remembered the flip chart thingy; "Don;t you guys have a flip chart of all fleet vehicles?" She pulled it out from behind the counter and I began feverishly flipping through it, focusing on the MPG number (upper right in photo).
Bottom-line: they have the information, they're just not using it effectively for this challenge, which I am certain is on the minds of the majority of people doing business with them. Certainly, if I were a business renting a lot of vehicles, I would want the default vehicle not to be decided based on appearance, but on fuel efficiency, in order to save money.