U.S. Sedan Sales Will Suffer as Autonomous Vehicle Use Grows
According to a new study by consulting firm KPMG, by 2030 sedan sales will drop by half as costs for autonomous cars drop and ride-sharing services increase.
Currently, families are opting to keep larger crossovers and sport-utes in place of sedans, and the study predicts that sedan sales with drop to 2.1 million sedans annually in the U.S. by 2030 as ride-sharing services will be used for errands instead of maintaining a second car.
KPMG said it used data collected from cell phones to analyze trips in Atlanta, Chicago and the Los Angeles-San Diego metropolitan regions.
Read more of the original article at The Detroit Bureau.
LeasePlan USA: What’s Next in Remarketing — Phil Schappert
LeasePlan USA has hired Phil Schappert as director of remarketing. In his role, Schappert oversees vehicle sales nationwide through the use of innovative sales channels.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Phil on board with us at LeasePlan,” said Tony Blezien, vice president of operations. “His years of experience, coupled with our development of cutting-edge solutions, will continue to enhance the way we do business.”
“I am honored to join the LeasePlan family,” said Schappert. “The company is in the midst of a total transformation, and I consider myself fortunate to be a part of it. LeasePlan has a strong record of getting top dollar for client vehicles. I am excited to be working directly with the teams here to create even more efficiencies in the marketplace and benefit for our clients.”
Sofico Turns To the Cloud for Next Generation Services Platform for Miles
Sofico has taken its market-leading Miles software system for automotive finance, leasing, fleet and mobility management to an exciting new frontier by complementing it with a next generation services platform built upon cutting-edge cloud technology.
Using a cloud-native micro-services architecture that enables modular feature delivery, 24/7 availability and elastic on-demand scalability, the platform offers near real-time data integration and advanced analytics power. It forms the backbone of an array of fresh mobility and connected-car services and use cases, including mobile and web front ends, and will pave the way for future developments in machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Sofico Chief Technology Officer, Piet Maes, said the new services platform and the new Mobile, Web and Analytics solutions it powers would provide Sofico’s customers with the system they required going forward to future proof their businesses in the light of fast-evolving and developing market conditions."
Disruption!
KPMG predicts that by 2030 demand for owner-driven sedans will drop by half as autonomous cars used by ride services will dominate the market. But some industry analysts are saying that the falloff has already begun.
In Fleet Spectator, Mark Boada explains the factors behind the current trend of declining auto sales, which he predicts could lead to heftier fleet incentives as OEMs respond to the weakening sedan market.
With more and more fleets reporting to Procurement, NAFA’s two-day webinar How Fleet Management Links with Procurement in the Supply Chain could not be more relevant and timely. December 6th & 7th. This is a terrific opportunity to learn from the experts.
What to do about disruption in your business? In The Fleet CX Toolkit, Wendy Eichenbaum says, “Consumers will embrace change when the change removes the pain.”
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
Brendan P. Keegan Named CEO at Merchants Fleet
Brendan P. Keegan has been named Chief Executive Officer of Merchants Fleet Management.
Merchants appointed Keegan as the interim CEO this past August and today the company announced he will take over as the company’s full-time CEO.
Merchants conducted a national search for the best person to fill the CEO seat. Merchants Chairman of the Board, Gary Singer stated, “After many conversations, we continued to identify the best candidate as Brendan”.
Upon accepting his new CEO position at Merchants, Keegan stated, “Having had the opportunity to work in many different capacities with the Merchants team over the past nine years, I am excited and honored to accept the full-time position of CEO. The reputation Merchants has as a leader in the fleet management business, its commitment to their clients and employees, and being named Best Company to Work for in NH, and Coolest Company for Young Professionals makes me proud to call Merchants my new home.”
