(Releads with Italian antitrust statement)
ROME/AMSTERDAM, July 29 (Reuters) - Italy's antitrust watchdog has opened an investigation into eight long-term car rental companies for possible breach of competition rules, the agency said on Wednesday.
"The inquiry aims to ascertain whether the companies coordinated their commercial strategies by exchanging sensitive information," the watchdog said in a statement.
Industry lobby Aniasa may have also played a role in helping rivals coordinate, it said.
In addition to Aniasa, the inquiry targets Ald Automotive Italia, part of French bank Societe Generale ; Alphabet Italia Fleet Management, which belongs to German car maker BMW ; and BNP Paribas' Arval Service Lease Italia.
It further concerns Europcar Italia, Hertz Italiana, Avis Budget Group's Maggiore Rent, the Italian unit of Dutch leasing company LeasePlan; and Win Rent, partly owned by Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo.
On Wednesday, Dutch leasing company LeasePlan said its Italian unit had been visited by the authority.
The leasing and fleet management company, which was sold last week by carmaker Volkswagen and German bank Metzler to a consortium of institutional investors, said it would cooperate with the investigation.
"LeasePlan takes the investigation by the competition authority very seriously," LeasePlan said in a statement. "The company will refrain from further comment." (Reporting by Alberto Sisto in Rome and Thomas Escritt in Amsterdam; Editing by Mark Heinrich)