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N. Pumilia & R. Honorati, Corporate Fleet Solutions, FIAT: “FIAT wants to increase fleet sales by 15%”
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On the occasion of the international fleet presentation of the Fiat Freemont in Gavi (Italy), we discussed FGA’s ambitions in the B2B market and its collaboration with Chrysler with Nicola Pumilia, Fleet Sales Manager for Europe and Ranieri Honorati, Marketing Director.
What are the implications of your collaboration with Chrysler?
This collaboration is a great opportunity for both our companies to share industrial experience, process knowledge and customer management expertise. We exchange best practices, but also information and databases. It will also bring benefits to the fleet customer, as we are now able to offer them one single point of contact in Europe and the US. And this includes a unique range of vehicles.
FGA Corporate Fleet Solutions, the international coordination unit, has been reinforced with a new organization. Could you elaborate ?
First off, we have a strong network in every European country, with a total of about 100 international Key Account Managers (national and international) across the continent. These KAMs offer products and support to our clients in the distribution process and via after sales. This structure is in the department “Corporate Fleet Solutions”, coordinated at European level by Nicola Pumilia. In our new structure, we offer our international clients one single point of contact for all the levels of fleet management, from the acquisition, the management, the services to the after sales.
We have already signed global agreements with big corporations, comprising the US and Latin America.
It seems like the FIAT Group is again prioritizing its fleet customers?
Absolutely! We want to strengthen and develop the B2B sector. Like any other sales channel, fleet is an important tool for FIAT to reach its strategic targets, and ambitions for growth. Furthermore, we have a complete product range, both in light commercial vehicles and passengers cars, for the B2B market.
What are your fleet sales objectives?
We want to increase our fleet sales by 15% this year, as compared to 2010. But more importantly, we want to expand on the relationship with our customers. We want to do this by providing more than the normal range of products and services. We want to assume the role of consultants, helping them to optimise fleet management.
What kind of services do you provide?
Last year in Italy, we started with a user chooser program for the driver. We are concentrating on helping organizations to have a better green fleet management. For example, our eco:Drive, a programme that improves your driving experience, saving fuel, CO2 and thus money. We are now working on a second-generation version, which will send info straight to your smartphone.
Client feedback is extremely good, as customers are realizing savings of 10% to 15% on fuel costs. Until now, eco:Drive has only been available on Fiat vehicles, but we will also implement it progressively for the other brands. Another example of a unique service is the personalized stickering that we offer our clients. We have developed this service in close collaboration with the designers of FGA in order to integrate the client’s corporate identity into the design of the car.
For many years, car manufacturers have been trying to regain direct contact with the fleet customer. Is eco:Drive a strategic choice for you, in this perspective ?
With eco:Drive we maintain this contact throughout the entire lifecycle of the car and indeed, it is important that we can offer a good proposal for the replacement of the vehicle. But it also gives us the opportunity to be a real partner for the client. Eco:Drive is truly the telematics application that makes a difference to the client and it will be the central tool from which we will develop other services.
| 04/10/2011 | Caroline Thonnon
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