IVIEW_Supplier_Europcar_FW_Mar22.qxp 15/03/2022 16:42 Page 1
supplier stories EUROPCAR Ron Santiago managing director
RENTAL
ON THE RISE
A thriving rental market might be due to coronavirus and lockdowns, but Ron Santiago, MD, Europcar Mobility Group, intends to build on the growth seen over the previous two years
Keeping going through the pandemic was an achievement In the beginning, the airport businesses were decimated and our leisure business evaporated, but thankfully we had a strong corporate backbone of B2B customers. We kept our operations open through our delivery and collection model and I think that was the saving grace for us and our customers. We continued to deliver cars where some of our competitors didn’t and were able to fast-track our delivery and collection app, which meant we could do contactless delivery. It’s currently a mixture of challenges and opportunities We went from having too many vehicles during covid – when demand plummeted – to now not having enough. The semiconductor shortage has meant we couldn’t get enough new models and
“With the move to hybrid and electric, people want to try before they buy” 20 fleetworld.co.uk
demand has returned. The situation in the fleet leasing replacement sector has meant we’ve been able to them help out, though. We currently have more vehicles rented out to that part of the industry now than we’ve ever had. We’re hoping that demand from the fleet market will remain It’s not just been caused by a shortage of vehicles. With the move to hybrid and electric, people want to try before they buy. Rental offers the ideal opportunity to do that and we’re seeing the rental duration extend longer and longer. People also want flexibility – they don’t know if these vehicles are going to be suit them long-term. Another positive is our delivery and collection service. We’re constantly looking to improve the driver App to make it slicker and we’re also introducing e-bikes, so some drivers can improve efficiency and help the planet. As we progress, we’re looking at our longer-term subscription offers, but that’s a challenge at the moment because of vehicle availability. But, next year, I think there’ll be more subscriptionbased models coming to market. We see that as a potential strength for us be-
cause we are well-suited to developing that product offering. Our connected car programme will appeal to fleets We can provide our customers with a lot of information about the vehicle usage, within data protection rules using our connectivity technology. We have 95% of our fleet connected now, which offers a lot of potential for improved fleet management. In addition, we’re able to share our car-sharing business technology with fleets, if they want to manage their pool cars, like their own car-sharing business. It’s fully flexible and just one of the technology programmes we’re working on. Although, we can’t ignore there are challenges ahead We have an ambition to move towards a more electrified fleet, but electric vehicles are very tough to source because of the chip shortage. However, we have a high percentage of hybrids and are in the process of installing chargers at locations throughout the network. But the costs involved are an issue, as is the amount of power at some locations. The charging infrastructure is not moving fast enough to keep up with vehicle demand!
