Since the late 1970s, Avis has featured mainly General Motors (GM) vehicles such as Chevrolet, but today also rents other popular brands such as Ford and Toyota.

[9] The company was founded in 1946 with three cars at Willow Run Airport,[10] Ypsilanti, Michigan, by Warren Avis (August 4, 1915 – April 24, 2007).

[8] It established branch operations across the United States over the next few years, becoming the second largest car rental company in the country by 1953.

The Avis corporate motto of "We Try Harder" was adopted in 1962,[11] during CEO Robert Townsend's tenure, who transformed the company.

The campaign aimed to put a positive spin on Avis' status as the second largest car rental company in the United States, at the expense of its larger competitor, Hertz.