Leasys, the mobility subsidiary of FCA Bank, is to extend its portfolio of long- and short-term vehicle solutions in the UK, aiming to grow its fleet and make it easier for private and business customers to move into electrified vehicles.

Launched in the UK in 2017, Leasys has more than 15,000 vehicles on its books

The company is active in eight European markets, with a combined 280,000 vehicles on its fleet – by 2021, the aim is to reach a further five countries and expand to 450,000 vehicles. Its UK operation launched in 2017 and has more than 15,000 vehicles on its books, ranking it among the 20 largest leasing companies.

Alongside a 30% year-on-year order uplift (to 9,000 units) in 2019, new launches include a smartphone app providing customer information and live data from AppyParking, a rolling subscription-based rental programme in collaboration with Drover, and the U-GO service which enables private customers to share their Leasys-funded vehicles, insured by FCA Bank.

In 2020, the portfolio will be extended to include pay-as-you-go product Leasys Miles, and UK country manager, Sebastiano Fedrigo, said the flexibility offered is important as new technologies come to market: “Electrification is one of the key challenges the automotive industry is facing. Hybrid and electric are more expensive to produce, so we are looking to help make this transition.

“We believe that by linking the cost of these cars to the usage, that helps make the powertrains more palatable to the consumers ultimately also contributing to the government and the BVRLA’s Road to Zero policy agenda.”

The CarCloud service will also be extended from Italy to Europe’s five largest markets by 2021, enabling customers to pay an all-inclusive subscription and switch between FCA products depending on their needs. Launched at the end of last year, there are 3,500 private and ‘freelance professional’ users signed up so far – by the end of 2021, the aim is to have 50,000 vehicles available on the fleet.

Its rollout will be facilitated by extending the network of Mobility Stores, 350 of which are open in Italy, to 1,200 across Europe, each with onsite charging to support a fleet which will be “at least 50%” electrified, the company has stated. Fedrigo said it was too early to indicate what share of those would be in the UK.