Inchcape’s Pre-Contract Fleet Showcases Avensis

Business drivers on temporary job contracts or awaiting delivery of permanent cars are to get the chance to sample the new Toyota Avensis if their employers are clients of Inchcape Fleet Solutions. The contract-hire company took on 50 of the cars at the start of May for use on its “pre-contract” fleet.

Forty are 1.8 T2 petrol five-doors and the remainder 2.0 D-4D T2 Tourers. Portsmouth-based Inchcape Fleet Solutions has taken them on for 12 months in a deal funded by Toyota Financial Services.

“This is a brand new model launched into a very important sector of the company-car market,” says Andy Brown, Inchcape Fleet Solutions’ Operations Director. “We like to provide our drivers with the latest models if they need a car on a pre-contract basis.”

The vehicles are the first Toyotas on Inchcape’s 230-strong pre-contract fleet, although the marque is well-represented in its main fleet of around 40,000 vehicles. Pre-contract cars are leased out where there is a long lead-time on delivery of an ordered car – usually for a period of at least a month – or for between three and six months for those drivers on short-term job contracts.

“This gives the drivers a good opportunity to experience the benefits of the Avensis,” says Andy. “As the cars will be with us for a year, they should get good exposure among our corporate customer base.”

From September, Inchcape Fleet Solutions is set to run the back office of Toyota Financial Services’ own contract-hire service, “so this is all part of developing a strong partnership with Toyota,” says Andy Brown. And he paid tribute to Toyota Financial Services who have also funded the Avensis Pre-contract cars: “I find them very helpful – and they’re very knowledgeable people. We have a relationship that’s working exceptionally well.

ENDS