It leaves expensive cars in company fleets

The subject matter is provocative: the crisis finally over, profits have melted, wages are compressed and spending hunted, yet still are many leaders in of beautiful and powerful cars. "There was no revolution in the behaviour of firms", said Olivier Rigoni, specialized independent consultant. "These cars still remain an outward sign of status," observes Jean-François Chanal, Director General France of the long period rental ALD Automotive. As many of these cars are frozen in concrete contracts. But not only. A high hood of SUV and the distinct roar of a heavy-duty remain signs of belonging to the club of the CSP and men of power. The bonuses and golden parachutes are shown on the finger. Not beautiful cars instead, who instead of the envy. This engine of desire feeds marketing.

It leaves expensive cars in company fleets. In ALD, for example, first independent rental in France, the average purchase price excluding taxes high range of the France fleet vehicles (counting the segments M2, H1, H2 SUV, large minivans and sports cars) is roughly 38,000 euros in addition to 2.800 euros of customization options. A few Jaguar, Porsche and Aston Martin were even made in managed Park, record of the purchase price at 152.000 euros. But these extravagances are most often those patterns their SME owners, without constraints of shareholders, who did not conceal their pleasure. A specialized consultant tells have met around the same table the pattern of a small case of 15 rolling stock in Porsche Cayenne and the Director of a subsidiary of multinational employing 10,000 people with a 4 x 4 was refused.

Lever of motivation

It includes the beautiful car of service is a fantastic lever of motivation. Not just for the elite. Even if it does not assign large sedans and 4 4 everyone, found in the trades of the Council, the liberal professions. Certain premium vehicles are distributed to the trade in the pharmacy, high technology or telephony, sometimes in subsidiaries of international groups which are in line with the most advantageous countries: a trivial Germany model becomes high in France. Claims of high range car drivers yet somewhat declined with the crisis and environmental taxation. "The large benefits that were granted to the"top management"have become more gradual," summarizes Olivier Fossion, responsible for the development of ALD International sales. "Even if the hierarchical differences are kept." It came in a philosophy of management by the example.

In fact, "when a company is in trouble and requires much effort wage earners, its leaders avoid strut in too insolent vehicles", says a fleet manager. Some large groups, hypercommunicants and focused on consumer products, have taken additional sustainable development commitments and apply to all levels of "car policies" binding. The notion of high-end in the fleets therefore often won one or two segments down, offsetting the decrease in size and performance by a significantly higher level of equipment. These smaller improved cars benefit from tax advantages of low emission, the citizen wave surf cars, keep their force of rewarding motivation to the staff and preserve a good perspective of resale. Audi, who sells a car on two fleets of company, well understood. Its success lies in "vehicles relatively discrete, consensual and statutory than BMW for example", think Bruno Camus, who teaches at the school of Euromed Management.

Floating concept

In fact, the highest range is only a small fraction of business fleets. In ALD in Europe, for example, vehicles of over 80,000 euros are a micro-niche weighing only 0.1 of the road. The rate climbs to... 1.2 for vehicles of over 50,000 euros. In fact, the notion of high-end still floating. If we stick to premium vehicles for which the public prices start around 35,000 to 40,000 euros (sedans and road segments H1, H2 and SUV), their presence in the fleets is marginal in France. Specialized German automakers, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, stick the top of the keypad, far ahead of the generalist manufacturers. If one takes into account the intermediate and family cars M2 segment, where the Citroën C5 is leader, significantly increases the weight of these vehicles.

Furthermore, the values of the vehicles on the road vary greatly from one country to another. Thus, the average value of purchasing original France (all combined service vehicles) is a little less than 14,000 euros in ALD, then, in Germany, where taxation is comparable, it reaches 25,000 euros, because of the higher salary levels and the importance of premium brands. French and Germans are not at the same speed.