Business Lease presents Tesla in Hungary

Business Lease Hungary is the first leasing company that can offer Teslas in collaboration with Tesla in a market that they have no representation. Later Business Lease Slovakia and Czech Republic will follow the Hungarian office.

'It is not just a car, it is joy and entertainment. Moreover, it is a totally new concept which perfectly fits to our way of doing business. It represents high quality, high service, innovation and sustainability ' - Vincent van der Meijden, Managing Director of Business Lease in Hungary (BLH) said, recalling his first ride in the brand new Tesla Model S. Currently BLH is the first and only leasing company that can offer Teslas in collaboration with Tesla in a market that they have no representation. 'BLH have the first launch, later Business Lease Slovakia and Czech Republic will follow as I have agreed this for three countries. We make every effort to attract more high end corporate customers to use our complex electric mobility solution.' - he added.

The manager has been involved in the electro mobility business since 2009 when Tesla was not on the map at all. He recalled those earlier times when a lot of concessions had to be made: "The first electric cars were not on the quality level of conventional cars, ranges were very short, everybody was unsure about batteries, charging facilities and the comfort did not reached the expected level. Engineers and designers worked very hard in the following years and the overall picture became much brighter.'

Business Lease provides a complex offer for Tesla-users: operational lease (including leasing fee, insurance,taxes, maintenance, road assistance ), a charger unit with all components, a replacement car if necessary and certainly an access to Tesla supercharging grid across Europe. 'A growing number of CEOs, CFOs and COOs are approaching us. More and more senior managers understand and accept our electric mobility concept. Moreover, by using electric cars they can show their environmentally conscious way of doing business. So it is a very good CSR message too.' - Van der Meijden argued.

Offering Tesla and the related services is not a large part of BL's overall service, - he admitted, but added: 'We do not expect a large volume of that, but we think it is an ultimate proof of what BL can do for its high end customers.'

The Total Cost of Mobility (TCM), a primary concern of corporate customers, has become an important factor in business planing, as every minutes lost, related to a car problem, can cause large damages to a company. Therefore reliability is a high priority.'Offering this high end service package we differentiate ourselves from our competitors. This service means the TCM will be lower, compared to average  fleet management offers in the market, while our customers are offered a high end car which is innovative and environmentally friendly', - he said.

Business Lease Hungary more than doubled its fleet size, increased its service level, established a used car location in Budapest and invested in the staff over the last 3-4 years. It is witnessing a moderate growth of the leasing market and plans to add to its fleet in the upcoming period.

Grid of superchargers

Tesla established a network of so called superchargers throughout Europe. It aims to have these charging points in each of its major markets, including Hungary. The first station in the CEE region will be available near Budapest, offering a 'refuel' before driving to Vienna or Ljubljana. Business Lease expects to build a 25-car Tesla portfolio in 2015 and may add some 80 to it regionally in 2016.

Tesla Motors Inc.

Last year Tesla Motors Inc. produced more than 22,000 cars; this year  it is on track to build about 35,000. With Model X on the horizon, Dual Motor Model S now in production, and increasing global demand, Tesla recently decided to pause production temporarily to increase capacity at the its factory in Fremont, California. Tesla Motors Inc. delivered 11,507 Model S sedans in the second quarter, a 52% increase over a period a year ago and a record for the company. However, there are questions hanging over Tesla: 'We still do not know whether demand for its Model S will wane, and whether the launch of its newest offering, the Model X SUV, will be delayed.', - marcatwatch.com quoted automotive analysts in a recent article.