Fleet customers say they like the competitive and flexible contract hire and leasing rates; the outstanding quality of the vehicles from the various marquees that make up the Volkswagen Group; and the high levels of customer service backed by first-rate customer support through the Volkswagen Group retailer networks.

"It is an overall quality package that is finding favour with growing numbers of fleet customers" explained Tim Johnson, Head of Sales at Milton Keynes-based Volkswagen Group Leasing.

One of the latest fleet successes has been with well-known sports retailer, JJB Sports, which has appointed Volkswagen Group Leasing as the main contract hire supplier for its fleet of 220 vehicles.

Wigan-based JJB Sports, which operates around 450 retail shops and 37 health and leisure clubs around the country, runs a predominantly Volkswagen diesel-only fleet, the mainstay of which is the Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDi 140ps SE and is used by area managers who often travel very high mileages around the country. The company also orders Polo 1.4 TDI 80ps SE five door models, Golf 1.9 TDi 105ps SE (now Match), Jetta 1.9 TDi Se, and Touareg, while other models which currently feature on the fleet include Audi A3, A4 and A6 and the Skoda Octavia.

The vehicles are financed over a three year life cycle with no set mileage limits as some of the vehicles may be travelling up to 120,000 miles during that time, and all mileage is pooled to smooth out any fluctuations caused by high mileage vehicles. JJB Sports fleet manager, Toby Barlow, said the company had decided to opt for the leasing company associated with the vehicle manufacturer because "they should have the most confidence in the product".

"We use BMW's leasing company to fund and supply our BMW's of which we have around 20 on the fleet, and we wanted the same approach for the bulk of our cars, which come from the Volkswagen Group," he said. "We have a diesel only policy at JJB Sports and opted for Volkswagen because we believe the TDI diesel engines to be the premier diesel engine in the market. And we decided to choose Volkswagen Group Leasing, following its re-branding last year, because we believe they should be the strongest supplier for Volkswagen Group vehicles," he explained.

"We were not looking for the cheapest quote but we did want high levels of customer service. We also wanted to be part of a smaller fleet rather than a very large fleet where we would just be a number rather than a valued customer.

"We have found the rentals from VGL to be very competitive and the service levels, backed by the Volkswagen Group network, are excellent. We have every confidence we have made the right decision for our fleet," he added.



Transcript of the published article created in October 2006 by Leasing Life Magazine