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ABOUT HAWK RENT A CAR


The Hawk

Hawk Rent A Car derives it’s name from the eponymous founder and the regal bird. The hawk is an efficient and intelligent bird whose graceful bearing invites admiration. Hawk Rent A Car takes pride in delivering its services efficiently and thoughtfully, following the world’s best practices with a graciousness that reflects our Asian roots.


Our Heritage

Hawk has 20 years of experience in the car rental industry. The company was founded by people with decades of experience in the industry.


Run by Owners

Hawk is run by its very own founders. That means when you are dealing with us, you are essentially dealing with the founders of this humble business whose best interests is to take care of our customers.


Driven by Service

The team at Hawk is dedicated to our customers as we believe in excellent service.


Faith in Product

Hawk possesses a young and well-maintained fleet. When we hand over cars to our customers, we have great faith that the car is up to the highest standards.

In 1994, Richard Hawkins had the ambition to start Southeast Asia’s first international car rental company. Equipped with nothing but his sound knowledge of the car rental industry; plus a resolute determination that he wanted to make something of himself, he set out to starting his own car rental business. He was joined in this endeavour by Felix Fernandez and David Chen, also industry veterans who share the same vision of building the region’s homegrown car rental company.

Rather than acquiring a foreign franchise, the three gentlemen decided instead to build their very own brand. Inspired by the founder’s surname, Hawk – which also coincidentally the word for the regal and intelligent bird, Hawk Rent A Car was born. The hawk is also a representation of the graciousness that reflects the company’s Asian roots. Together, they established the first Hawk Rent A Car offices in Malaysia and Singapore in 1994, and subsequently in Hong Kong two years later.

Car rental businesses are inherently resource-intensive and heavy on capital, yet the three gentlemen found ways to pull through the first year. Armed with their network and knowledge of the industry, they established the foundations of the business and built the fleet size from zero to a respectable 200. The difficulty of acquiring the relevant business permits didn’t deter the gentlemen from their vision.

At the first year, when they successfully signed up a new client, they would go to great lengths to ensure that the needs of that client was met. From there, their reputation grew. Soon after, companies like Boeing, Caltex and Amec Foster Wheeler were onboard with Hawk Rent A Car, a move that the founders attribute as the client’s faith in the product and the people of the company. Slowly but surely, the foundations of the business was put together and they were officially in the game.


Hawk Best Value

Driven by the belief that every company needs to start somewhere, no matter how small, has proven to be a useful mantra for the establishment of Hawk Rent A Car. As Richard Hawkins put it, “If we didn’t start somewhere, we would never have started in the first place.” If the three gentlemen didn’t pursue their beliefs, Hawk Rent A Car would not be here standing strong, 20 years later.

The bold venture into the industry was not without its challenges. Although the bullish economy, positive foreign direct investments in Malaysia and growth of the inbound expatriate market contributed to Hawk’s growth in the region, the company also had its fair share of adversity. The company has survived the Asian currency crisis, SARS and economic downturns. These significant events are detrimental to businesses and can greatly impact the travel industry. Under the diligent management of the founders, Hawk strategically downsized the fleet to meet dwindling demands during times of crisis. When the market showed signs of recovery, Hawk reacted proactively to grow the fleet. This has enabled the Hawk Rent A Car business to endure till this very day.

Today, all three gentlemen continue to manage the company – this means when you are making a booking, you are really dealing with the owners, who have your best interests at heart. Don’t be surprised to hear from the gentlemen when you make a call to Hawk – they are still part of the company’s operations till this very day.

As Hawk sets its eyes on the coming years, the founders expect to grow the number of operations in the region as well as the number of cars the company operates. By growing the business, Hawk aims to better serve the needs of customers in Asia. With the company’s extensive network of business associates, Hawk has the capability of providing customers with a car in just about any corner of the world.

Hawk Rent A Car, Southeast Asia’s First International Car Rental Company.