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The Business Motoring Week, January 19, 2018

What car do you want in 2018? There’s plenty to choose from but will you lease or will you subscribe? Plus Software as a Service fleet management for SMEs – at last! – in the Business Motoring Week, January 19 2018
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19 January 2018

Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Rolls-Royce Cullinan undergoing tests in disguise – expect the luxury 4×4 later this year

What car will you choose in 2018?

Most will be choosing an SUV of some sort. There’s plenty to pick, ranging from BMW’s X2 right the way through to a Rolls-Royce Cullinan (no, truly) – an “all-terrrain, high-sided vehicle” (pictured above in camo). But it’s not all SUVs. Glynn Williams has been unearthing the cars coming your way in 2018. Click here to find out more.

The Big Sur virtual test drive
The Big Sur virtual test drive is just one of the new ways to have a blast in the new Kia Stinger

How will you take your next test drive?

When it comes to swapping your next business car, or the lease is up on your company car, what will you do to test your next set of wheels?

Go down to the local dealer? Read a few reviews and order it anyway? Or, if you’re in America, how about a 4D virtual reality test drive?

Kia Stinger GTS in greyApparently so. Kia in the States is offering customers an immersive Kia 4D Stinger Experience by putting drivers virtually behind the wheel and allowing them to feel the speed, agility, responsiveness and handling of the new Stinger (left).

You can travel through the provincial towns of Southern France, up and down the iconic Pacific Coast Highway along California’s Big Sur, and visit the Cadwell Park motor racing circuit in England (the latter will be immense).

Sounds like a great way to test a new car!

Businesswoman on her smart phone with car
Subscription services such as Netflix and Spotify encourage car leasing says Mike Lloyd

Why Netflix is driving more people to choose car leasing…

I watched the brilliant series ‘The Crown’ on Netflix over the Christmas break – great story lines, creative tension, brilliant acting and history lessons all wrapped into one and delivered to my TV when I wanted it.

And it’s that sort of subscription service, like Spotify, that is driving more people to choose leasing, reckons Mike Lloyd boss of leasing broker Leasecar.uk.

Mike told me: “Consumers now feel less need to own products and would often rather pay a monthly fee to rent or lease them than a loan or hire purchase agreement.”

I’m right with Mike on that. It’s a case of paying a fee for what you want to consume – rather than, say, owning a cinema which you have to constantly replenish with new films. Read more here: Netflix – driving the rise in car leasing

Talking of leasing, check out our new offers section

We’re launching a leasing offers section, with offers from trusted suppliers. The leasing deals are supplied by third parties, not Business Car Manager – but they do represent great value. How about this BMW 520 D M Sport Touring for under £300 a month?

https://www.businessmotoring.co.uk/special-offers/bmw-5-series-diesel-touring-520d-m-sport-5dr-auto-293-00-vat/

 

Instead of buying a car, would you subscribe to a car maker?

It’s an interesting one this. Rather than buy a car or lease a car, why not take out a car subscription? Starting with no deposit, a monthly payment includes various concierge services such as fuelling, car washing, insurance, the chance to swap to different cars. Sounds appealing?

Care by Volvo
Care by Volvo is an online only service where you can subscribe to have a flexible suite of services – and a car!

I’ve been talking talking to Volvo’s MD Jon Wakefield about the company’s new Care by Volvo. It’s a subscription service available on the new Volvo XC40. Read more about it here – Care by Volvo subscription service offers manufacturer alternative to leasing – and let me know what you think. Would you subscribe?

The QuickBooks of fleet management for SMEs

Most SMEs will have stumbled across QuickBooks at some stage. It’s cloud based accounting software. And now, from ODO, is something similar for SMEs who manage company cars or staff who run their own private cars on business.

Gordon Lyster ODO General ManagerI was at the launch last night at the Gherkin in the City of London. Gordon Lyster (left) is the general manager, and he told me:

“What does ODO do? It replaces no solution at all or perhaps replaces excel spreadsheets. It’s important for helping SME small fleets stay compliant and it can also deliver cost savings.”

I saw ODO in action – it’s simple to use, inexpensive (£5 a car) and organises all your cars and alerts in one place – such as when an MoT is due. Or, ahem, is overdue…. Read more here: New ODO product for SMEs – it’s like QuickBooks for fleet management

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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