Maryland lawmakers have approved a hike in that state's new car fee, in another attempt to help balance the state's books. A budget conference committee decided to raise the fee that car dealers are allowed to charge for paperwork related to buying anew car from $100 to $200 for the next three years, and then to $300 a year after that.

The state estimates it will generate about $6 million a year from the fee increase up front. The fee is not mandatory, and car dealers usually work it into a vehicle's price. So it should be possible for people to negotiate this fee when buying a car. A separate certificate-of-title fee has also been raised from $50 to $100, but it exempts rental car sales for three years. This fee increase is expected to raise up to $50 million for the state.

Germans who are looking for high quality and affordable rental car in Crete can now log onto the new German website of Just Mietwagen Kreta at justrentals.gr/de/. This site offers a wide selection of rental cars that range from economy to compact and medium. Getting to all the various tourist hotspots on the beautiful island of Crete is easiest with a rental car. Visitors can choose from among several different car models available in each price range.

In the compact range, the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Micra and Suzuki Swift are the most popular choices, while in the economy range the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Fiat Panda are top choices. The medium-sized range includes models like the Peugeot 207, Volkswagen Polo and even high-end vehicles like the Smart ForTwo and Toyota IQ. Complete packages are available with unlimited mileage, insurance cover, and bonus freebies.

Shanghai native Ray Zhang spent 17 years living abroad before returning to China to launch a rental car firm called eHi Car Service. Car rental firms were still something of a novelty in China when he started his company in 2006, but that has not stopped Mr Zhang from successfully building his business and preparing to take the company public with a New York listing.

He said he is not just focused on making money, but also on doing something good for China. His company will focus on green vehicles and Zipcar or Streetcar-style car sharing. Mr. Zhang believes this is one solution to China's growing environmental, traffic and parking problems. The Chinese authorities agree, as car rental has become central to their strategy of limiting the explosive growth of car ownership. Beijing has even introduced a license plate lottery to reduce traffic, where the opportunity to buy a new car depends of success in applying for a limited number of plates.