France as the first step in an internationalization process; a solid response to the "new normal" dictated by Covid thanks to digitalisation; and the belief in the new “car as a service” paradigm, under the banner of electricity and sustainability. He spoke to FIRSTonline about these topics Alberto Grippo, CEO of Leasys, a company of the FCA Bank group and leader in Italy in long-term car rental. An activity slowed down a bit by the emergency but in the face of which a future full of opportunities opens up, thanks to increasingly innovative and digital products: "The virus has led us to accelerate the development of increasingly efficient and flexible products, that give the mobility consumer maximum peace of mind at a time like this".
Leasys continues its expansion abroad and in recent months has focused in particular on France, where it acquired Aixia and launched CarCloud and My Dream Garage. What is the focus on the French market due to?
“The French market represents an important element of Leasys' expansion strategy in Europe, especially as regards integrated mobility. With the acquisition of Aixia, a renowned short-term rental operator in France, Leasys continues in the direction of enriching and internationalizing its business model and with it the Leasys Mobility Store network that represents it; specialized shops where you can satisfy all your mobility needs, including electric ones, from one hour to a lifetime. Now therefore also in France, as already in Italy, Leasys adds to the traditional long-term rental offer also that of short and medium-term rental as well as UGo car-sharing and subscription mobility programs such as CarCloud. France is therefore the country from which Leasys has chosen to start the process of internationalization of its integrated and innovative mobility offer, a process which will continue in a short time also in other countries”.
Do you have other operations in mind in France, or in other European countries, in the coming months or in 2021?
“In addition to Italy, Leasys is already active with its long-term rental solutions in seven other European countries: Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland. To these will be added another four by the end of 2020, thus extending the geographical perimeter to twelve countries. An integral part of this internationalization strategy is also the extension of the offer to short and medium-term rental, as well as CarCloud subscription mobility to the five major European countries by 2021. To accompany this strategy, replicating the success seen in Italy, we plan to expand the Leasys Mobility Store network to 400 by the end of the year to triple it at European level in the next 24 months”.
The half-yearly accounts held up despite the Covid. What expectations do you have for the second half of the year and how is Covid affecting a business like yours and changing your strategies?
“Certainly our business, like the entire sector, has been affected by the effect of the Covid-19, especially during the lockdown period. However, despite the fears generated by the pandemic in the European social and economic fabric, Leasys has managed to lay the foundations for a solid restart. The strengthening of the competitive positioning, achieved both on the basis of the recognized product innovation that has always characterized the commercial strategies of Leasys, and also through the progressive internationalization of our activities, justify the expectation of further significant growth in terms of fleet which it will reach 350 thousand units at the end of the year. Even in the context of relative uncertainty of the current macroeconomic context, therefore, we maintain positive expectations for the current semester and confirm for the future the strategy of internationalisation, innovation and construction of an integrated 360° mobility offer that we have been successfully implementing since over two years. The emergence of a post-Covid "new normal" obviously suggests the acceleration of some elements of our strategy and in particular the refinement of digital technologies both for the rental and for the resale of used cars but also the development of products increasingly efficient and flexible that give the mobility consumer maximum peace of mind even in this context of uncertainty".
Your products are increasingly innovative: they go beyond the traditional concept of rental and offer new and digital solutions, which increasingly lead the car to be a service rather than a private good. Can you tell us how they were born, how they work and above all what kind of feedback services like CarCloud and My Dream Garage are having? Do you have anything else in mind in the coming months?
“CarCloud and My Dream Garage are two decidedly innovative services for the mobility panorama, inspired by a trend that has infected more and more sectors, that relating to the subscription economy. CarCloud, the first car subscription, was born from a concept as simple as its use: the freedom to change the vehicle according to one's needs and without limitations as well as to enter and exit the subscription without time constraints; an easy, fast and completely digital process, always maintaining the same fixed monthly cost. In Italy CarCloud has met with enormous success with over 10 subscriptions sold since its launch at the end of 2019 and we are certain that its revolutionary concept will arouse growing interest with the progressive introduction of plug-in hybrid and full electric models representing, for the consumer interested in experimenting with these new engines, an ideal opportunity. This brings us to My Dream Garage, the exclusive service developed by Fiat and Leasys which will help give birth to a new concept of "green" mobility. An opportunity reserved for customers who, with the purchase of the electric New 500, will be able to access a 100% digital virtual garage, made up of 13 FCA Group car models (usable for a total of 60 days a year) and manageable through an app on your smartphone”.
One of the challenges of today's car market, in addition to sharing and the paradigm of the car as a service, is that of the electric. Can you give us some data to give the dimension of your commitment in this sense? In your opinion, is the Italian market mature or is there still a lot to do, especially on the infrastructure (for example charging stations)?
“We are currently going through a phase in which it is necessary to contribute, on the one hand, to the diffusion of a culture of sustainable mobility and, on the other, to a decisive development of infrastructures. Much remains to be done in these directions and Leasys, the market leader, is essentially committing itself in three directions: development of mobility products designed specifically to favor the consumer of electric mobility, investment in the "electric" content of its fleet and in the construction of charging infrastructure at the Leasys Mobility Store network. We have already talked about mobility subscription products and how these are designed in particular to facilitate the transition to electric. These products are added to the other product offers, such as for example the Leasys Miles, developed mainly for electric mobility, reducing their cost also to the advantage of the average distance traveled of this type of customer. As regards the fleet of Leasys Mobility Stores, we continue in the direction of its rapid "electrification" with a content of hybrid or electric vehicles exceeding 50% as early as 2021 to achieve a reduction in average emissions of over 50% compared to 2019. With regards to the infrastructural aspect, Leasys has launched an ambitious investment program which in the coming months will lead to the progressive, complete electrification of the Leasys Mobility Store network with a total of 1,200 electric charging points installed by the end of the year. Electric mobility is therefore, inevitably, the central theme of Leasys' development strategy, in all its articulations".
