We actually offer this service to our European fleet customers as an all-round service together with partners from the Volkswagen Group. We call it Electrification-as-a-Service. The modular 360° e-consulting approach is a one-stop shop for companies, offering them everything they need to electrify their fleets: fleet analysis, vehicle and dashboard selection, tailored financing and leasing offers and, of course, charging infrastructure and load management. The modules can be selected individually or combined as required. On the German market, the advisory role is assumed in turn by Key Account Managers at Volkswagen Leasing GmbH.

That’s right – this is the second major trend we are seeing among fleet customers. In urban centres, in particular, having your own car is nowhere near such a foregone conclusion as it was in former times. More and more employees are working from home, want to use public transport or take advantage of flexible car rental offers. As such, mobility budgets are an ideal means for companies of literally keeping all avenues open for their employees.

To continue the concept of roles, I would say the director’s chair as it were. We coordinate the resources within the Group and in this way reduce complexity for our fleet customers. In the case of mobility budgets, this includes aspects that you might not initially associate with an automotive company – such as bicycle leasing.

In the case of primary products – especially semiconductors – the situation remains complicated. However, we are anticipating a significant easing from the second half of 2023, which means that we can then devote ourselves fully to working through the backlog.