Citer SA

Citer SA is a French car-rental company established by Citroën in 1968. The business developed as a vehicle-hire operator serving customers in France and later expanded its presence in Spain through ownership of the Spanish rental company Atesa. Citer acquired Atesa in 1989, creating a broader Iberian operating footprint alongside its French network. From 1998, Citer operated as a franchise holder for National, linking the French business to the international National Car Rental brand while retaining the Citer identity in its home market. The company’s network was reported to include approximately 250 locations in France and another 110 in Spain. Its activities centered on short-term vehicle rental, with a fleet that included passenger cars and other rental vehicles used by leisure travelers, business customers, and replacement-vehicle users. Citer and Atesa were transferred by PSA Peugeot Citroën to Enterprise Holdings in 2011. At the time of the transaction, the combined Citer and Atesa fleet was reported at about 30,000 vehicles. The sale connected the businesses to Enterprise Holdings, the parent group associated with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo Rent A Car. The transaction also marked a significant change in ownership for a company whose origins were closely linked to Citroën and the wider PSA group. Available reference material provides limited detail on Citer’s later standalone corporate status, management, product segmentation, or current consumer-facing identity. The company is therefore best described as a French-origin rental business whose historical operating platform was integrated into Enterprise Holdings’ broader rental structure. Its principal geographic legacy is in France and Spain, while its brand history reflects the coexistence of local Citer operations with National franchise activities.

Citer SA was established in France by Citroën in 1968 as a car-rental business. Its creation placed the company within the automotive ecosystem surrounding Citroën, giving the manufacturer an associated rental operation and a channel for providing vehicles to short-term users. The available historical record does not provide a detailed account of Citer’s early management, fleet composition, or regional rollout, but the company subsequently became an established operator in the French rental market. A major expansion step came in 1989, when Citer acquired Atesa, a Spanish car-rental company. The acquisition extended Citer’s presence beyond France and gave it an operating platform in Spain. Atesa remained an important part of the group’s Iberian footprint, and the two businesses later formed the basis of a combined operation spanning hundreds of rental locations. In 1998, Citer became a franchise holder for National. This relationship connected Citer’s local French business with National’s international rental identity and distribution network. Citer continued to be associated with rental locations in France, while the broader operation also included Atesa in Spain. Reference material describes a network of roughly 250 sites in France and approximately 110 in Spain, indicating a substantial regional presence rather than a small single-city operator. Citer’s ownership changed in 2011 when PSA Peugeot Citroën sold Citer and Atesa to Enterprise Holdings. The transaction transferred the French and Spanish rental businesses into the Enterprise group, which also controlled the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo Rent A Car brands. Citer’s reported combined fleet with Atesa was approximately 30,000 vehicles at the time of the sale. The transaction is the clearest documented turning point in Citer’s corporate history. It moved the company from a business associated with Citroën and PSA into the portfolio of a global rental group. The supplied reference material does not establish whether Citer continued as an independent consumer brand, was progressively integrated into Enterprise Holdings’ operating structure, or retained the same network and naming conventions after the acquisition. Consequently, the company’s current status and present-day brand architecture remain uncertain. Historically, however, Citer is documented as a France-based rental company with a Spanish subsidiary, a National franchise relationship, and a sizeable combined vehicle fleet.

• 2011

  Sale to Enterprise Holdings

  [1]Citer SAen.wikipedia.org

  PSA Peugeot Citroën sells Citer and Atesa to Enterprise Holdings. Their combined fleet is reported at approximately 30,000 vehicles.

• 1998

  National franchise relationship begins

  [1]Citer SAen.wikipedia.org

  Citer becomes a franchise holder for National, adding an international brand affiliation to its rental operations.

• 1989

  Acquisition of Atesa

  [1]Citer SAen.wikipedia.org

  Citer acquires the Spanish car-rental company Atesa, extending its operations into Spain.

• 1968

  Citer is established by Citroën

  [1]Citer SAen.wikipedia.org

  Citroën establishes Citer as a French car-rental company.

A regional car-rental operator with French roots, a substantial France-and-Spain location network, and historical alignment with the National brand.

• Vehicle rental · 1968

  Citer car rental

  Citer’s core offering was short-term rental of passenger vehicles through a network in France. The service addressed ordinary mobility needs for leisure travelers, business users, and customers requiring a temporary vehicle. Available reference material does not specify detailed vehicle classes, pricing structures, or ancillary services.

• Vehicle rental

  Atesa car rental

  Atesa was the Spanish rental business acquired by Citer in 1989. It gave the group an established operating presence in Spain and formed part of the combined Citer-Atesa platform later sold to Enterprise Holdings. The available sources do not provide a detailed breakdown of Atesa’s fleet or service formats.

• Branded vehicle rental · 1998

  National franchise operations

  Beginning in 1998, Citer operated as a National franchise holder. This arrangement allowed the business to participate in National’s international rental brand system while maintaining its regional operating base. The exact division between Citer-branded and National-branded locations is not specified in the available reference material.

• 2011

  PSA sells Citer and Atesa to Enterprise HoldingsM&A

  Background

  Citer had developed a French and Spanish rental platform through its ownership of Atesa and its National franchise relationship. PSA Peugeot Citroën was the seller, while Enterprise Holdings was the acquiring group.

  Action taken

  Enterprise Holdings acquired Citer and Atesa from PSA Peugeot Citroën and brought the businesses into its rental portfolio.

  Aftermath

  The transaction transferred control of the two rental companies to Enterprise Holdings. Their combined fleet was reported at approximately 30,000 vehicles, but the available source does not document the subsequent brand-integration process.

  Source

• 2011

  Enterprise Holdings acquires Citer and Atesa from PSA Peugeot Citroën[1]Citer SAen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  PSA Peugeot Citroën sold Citer and its Spanish subsidiary Atesa to Enterprise Holdings. The businesses reportedly operated a combined fleet of approximately 30,000 vehicles at the time.

1. 1Citer SAen.wikipedia.org