Hertz Enters Online Car Sales in Competition With Carvana (1)

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. and Carvana Co. are becoming frenemies.

The rental car company said Tuesday that it’s launching a platform to sell used cars directly to consumers online, which would put it in competition with online retailer Carvana along with CarMax Inc. and the independent dealers who aggressively employ the web. Hertz also sells some of its cars to Carvana.

While Hertz has offered its rental cars for purchase on the web, this is direct selling instead of simply showing a digital catalog of what’s for sale at its retail outlets. Going online is the latest move by Chief ...