Operative lease is a better choice

Kálmán Tekse, vice president of the Hungarian Leasing Association is of the opinion that the SME sector is more and more interested in operative leasing schemes, which is one of the most beneficial forms of vehicle fleet financing in Hungary too. Because of this the fleet market is expanding by 8-10 percent year after year. From the various services the most popular are telemetrics and driving style monitoring systems, and car sharing. Full service lease (FSL) products continue to dominate but companies often ask for a few more additional services. Although Hungarian firms are price-sensitive, they are starting to put bigger emphasis on the content of services.

Tibor Szilveszter, sales and marketing director for vans at Mercedes Benz reckons that lease financing is an excellent choice not only for businesses but private individuals as well: the capital stays with the owner as they only have to pay the so-called ‘own resources’ sum when buying the vehicle. Small and medium-sized enterprises can even apply for a tax credit if they invest in purchasing new assets, and in the case of financing they are entitled to write off up to 60 percent of the interests paid from the corporate tax. Mercedes-Benz Hungária Kft. provides corporate partners with special, customised offers.

_{Kálmán Tekse
vice president
Magyar Lízingszövetség}

_{Tibor Szilveszter
sales and marketing director
Mercedes Benz}

Csaba Molnár, managing director of Flottaautó Lízing Kft. informed us that demand increased for lorries smaller than 3.5 tons. In the case of smaller vehicle fleets too there is demand for operative lease schemes combined with fleet management services. He added that from their product portfolio customers most often opt for the comfort package of services. In his view it isn’t always the best idea for companies to decide who to order services from based on only the price. His company can serve partners throughout more 3-4 year cycles, without exposing them to unexpected costs and the negative feelings caused by this. As regards the future, Mr Molnár is looking forward to the spreading of electric car use in vehicle fleets.

_{András Kovács
commercial vehicles brand manager
Volkswagen Haszonjárművek}

András Kovács, commercial vehicles brand manager of Volkswagen underlined that from financing services classic products are still available: credit, open- and closed-end leasing schemes and operative leasing. He sees a shift in demand for operative leasing solutions, because companies don’t want to own vehicles any more, they wish to use them. One of operative lease’s biggest advantages is that monthly costs are calculable. Businesses primarily purchase economical commercial vehicles. A good example of this is the new Volkswagen Crafter model, which was named Van of the Year 2017.