ALD Automotive short-term leasing business boom

The operational leasing and fleet management business line of the Socit Gnrale group said that its PoolFleet service the companys short-term, flexible leasing product has increased from 650-700 live car rentals at any time last year to more than 900 vehicles in the first half of 2010. PoolFleet operations manager Adrian Temple commented: Corporate demand for vehicles on short-term contracts is high as employment conditions are changing and businesses report signs of recovery from recession.

By Antonio Fabrizio

ALD Automotive has seen a hike in the demand of its short-tem leasing offering recently – reflecting an expansion of short-term deals across the sector, as reported in the June issue of Leasing Life.

The operational leasing and fleet management business line of the Société Générale group said that PoolFleet – its short-term, flexible leasing offering – has increased from 650-700 ‘live’ car rentals at any time last year to 900 vehicles in the first half of 2010.

Typical contracts for nearly-new cars are six months and12,000 miles, ALD Automotive said.

PoolFleet operations manager Adrian Temple explained: “Corporate demand for vehicles on short-term contracts is high as employment conditions are changing and businesses report signs of recovery from recession.

“Meanwhile, a combination of circumstances including long lead times for new models and a shortage of high quality nearly-new vehicles means that dealers are prepared to pay above guide prices for ex-PoolFleet cars to satisfy consumer demand.”

To meet the increasing demand, the company is also offering for the first time commercial vehicles on short-term lease, with over 100 Volkswagen Caddy, Crafter and Transporter vans joining the fleet in the coming weeks.

Antonio Fabrizio