In the sixth edition of the MO/OVE Business Talk, we discussed in the panel of experts how car subscriptions can make our mobility more sustainable in the future.
Car subscriptions are innovative, flexible and digital. They are now becoming a permanent fixture on the market and are the right answer to people's changing mobility behavior. So far, it has mainly been independent providers who have been doing business. We found out what role car subscriptions play on the way to sustainable mobility in conversations with the managing directors of the two providers Lynk & Co and ViveLaCar and the person responsible for the car subscription business at SIXT SE.
Missed the live talk? No problem. In the following videos you can watch the discussions with the respective experts again. These were our guests:
Alain Visser, CEO Lynk & Co
Alain Visser is not afraid to provoke. He shows no restraint when it comes to voicing his opinions on the status quo.
Visser is a visionary and paves the way for the world's fastest growing brand. He is committed to changing the way global manufacturers and dealership networks work. He wants to make mobility an accessible, future-proof and ultra-modern norm. For the past several years, Alain has been ranked among the top 10 most influential CMOs in the world by Forbes magazine for his honest and open approach to transforming the industry.
Before joining Lynk & Co to redefine mobility worldwide, Alain was Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Customer Service at Volvo and was responsible for the international market in this position. He also worked for General Motors for eight years, as Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales at Opel/Vauxhall. Alain was also a board member of Adam Opel AG. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with Ford Motor Company.
Alain is from Belgium and started his career in the automotive industry in 1986. He holds a Master of Science from the University of Antwerp and an MBA from Duke University in North Carolina. He speaks six languages including Italian, English, French and German.
Johannes Boeinghoff, Senior Vice President Subscription at Sixt
Johannes Boeinghoff started his career at Sixt with a dual degree in 2001. From 2005 to 2010 he was Managing Director of the Spanish Sixt branches, from 2011 to 2017 he managed the business in the USA. From 2018 to 2020 he was co-managing director of the chauffeur and limousine service Sixt Ride. Since 2020 he has been head of the product division for long-term rentals and for the SIXT+ car subscription.
SIXT+ is the perfect solution for more and more people who use their own car but don't want to commit to it for years by buying it. The customer simply books their subscription online, receives their vehicle within a few days and cancels their subscription informally by returning the vehicle when they no longer need it. In addition, SIXT+ offers a pause option of up to three months. For business customers, SIXT+ is suitable for making the company vehicle fleet more flexible and offers an alternative mobility solution for employees.
The all-round carefree package including liability, comprehensive insurance, registration, workshop costs, inspection, service and much more is available from 399 euros per month and with no long waiting times and with flexible contract terms. Since the launch of SIXT+ in Germany in June 2020, the car subscription is now available in 9 other countries (Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Italy and the USA).
Mathias Albert, CEO ViveLaCar
Mathias Albert is an entrepreneur and investor with passion and petrol in his blood!
In addition to his commercial training in 1989, he set up his own business with a regional publisher for used cars. In a print run of 10,000 copies, photo advertisements were distributed free of charge by dealers for used cars in southern Germany via petrol stations, the armed forces or in discotheques. In 1992, MediaTel Werbe- & PR-Agentur GmbH & Co. KG was founded, specializing in automobile accessories and automobile tuning. In the "sporty car accessories" segment, Albert succeeded in building the agency into the leading agency in Germany. In 1996, Albert founded ACA GmbH, an agency for Internet services.
Albert has been investing in existing Auto Domicil businesses since 2003, and by 2020 he was able to set up the leading car dealership group for Peugeot and Citroën automobiles in Germany with 13 locations and over EUR 120 million in sales. In 2007, Albert took over the majority of Carlsson Autotechnik GmbH, a tuning company for Mercedes-Benz automobiles. In 2012, the shares were sold to the Chinese Zongsheng Group, which, among other things, is the largest Toyota dealer in the world. In 2015 Albert took over the Auto-Illustrierte in Switzerland from Motor Presse Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KG. In 2018 he sold again.
In 2018, Mathias Albert founded Vive La Car and built the company into the leading provider of asset light car subscriptions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. At the beginning of 2022 he sold the majority of the company shares to The Platform Group GmbH & Co.KG in Wiesbaden. He is still active as managing director and shareholder.
Conclusion
What actually is sustainable mobility - and what role do car subscriptions play in it? We got to the bottom of these questions in the sixth edition of the Business Talk.
