Arval grows leased fleet in the UK and globally

Arval has reported growth both in global and UK markets, with its leased UK vehicle fleet up by 3.6% and its global leased fleet increasing by 6.4%.

The growth came despite challenges in the sector caused by the pandemic and the global semiconductor shortages.

New vehicle orders increased by 15% globally (15% in UK) compared to the pre-Covid period (2019). Its corporate financed fleet amounted to 1,032,065 vehicles globally in 2021.

Its retail segment grew by 11% with leasing to non-corporates increasing by 24%. Its mid-term rental segment rose by 20%.

Alain van Groenendael, Arval chairman and CEO, said: “We developed our new strategic plan before the pandemic, with pioneering and visionary ambitions in terms of energy transition, mobility and partnerships. 2021 was a year of consolidation.

“We have provided as much support as possible to our clients to help them deal with Covid-19 and, more recently the vehicle shortage, and have thus reported incredible results for our activity. All in all, 2021 was an amazing year.”

The transformation related to mobility solutions and sustainability, initiated by its Arval Beyond strategy, has also begun to bear fruit.

Internationally, the number of bike-leasing contracts grew by 54%, the number of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) users increased tenfold, the number of rented months with Arval mid-term rental rose by 34%, and 30% of Arval’s new orders were for electrified vehicles.

In the UK, almost half (47%) of orders were for electrified vehicles, while the number of rented months for mid-term rental increased by 23%.

Lakshmi Moorthy, Arval UK’s managing director, says that 2021 was a strong year for Arval UK, despite the many challenges posed by the pandemic and the resultant supply issues impacting the industry.

She continued: “We grew our fleet by 3.6% in a flat market, consolidating our position as number three in the FN50 rankings.

“As a leader in sustainable mobility, we continued to support our clients in their electrification journey in the run up to the UK’s road transport decarbonisation agenda for 2030, while also winning accolades for our focus on employee wellbeing,”

Arval’s 7,500 employees provide services to more than 300,000 customers across 30 countries.

In the UK, Arval has around 750 employees serving more than 87,000 customers, from sites in Swindon, Manchester and Birmingham.

Car sharing platform

Arval says that 2022 will herald a transformation of the mobility sector within a changing environment.

In 2022, the leasing company says it will continue to support its customers with consulting services, as part of ‘The Journey Goes On’ campaign, assisting customers with finding the most appropriate sustainable solutions in view of the current situation in the automotive sector.

A car sharing platform will be launched early in the year with the mobility start-up Ridecell, along with a partnership with Jaguar Land Rover on mobility financing solutions where Arval will provide the leasing and fleet management component of its alliance with BNP Paribas Group.

It will also focus on connected services, to help clients optimise the use of their fleets, improve safety and accelerate their energy transition, by developing a range of innovative and differentiating offers.

Groenendael says that 2022 promises to be a very “dynamic year” for Arval and for the mobility sector in general.

“Arval will stay the course and remain focused on its goals,” he continued. “We have a robust and effective plan, we have a solid foundation, with very satisfied clients and strong confidence in our future.”