Sept 30 (Reuters) - Car rental firm Hertz Global ( HTZ )

said on Tuesday it had launched a fully online car-buying

marketplace, as it leans on the demand for used vehicles.

The company's shares rose as much as 2.5% after the

news.

The announcement follows Hertz's collaboration with

Amazon.com's ( AMZN ) automotive retail platform, Amazon Autos,

to sell preowned vehicles.

The company said it would also provide customers an option

for trade-in offers.

Hertz has been facing bumpy rental demand, which has

prompted it to shed much of its electric-vehicle fleet in favor

of gas-powered cars over the past few years.

The company last year offloaded a majority of its Teslas,

citing higher repair costs.

Hertz Global ( HTZ ) operates its car rental business through its

Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly vehicle-rental brands across 160

countries. Its Hertz Car Sales brand offers used cars for

purchase online and at locations across the U.S.