Ridesharer BlaBlaCar announces competitive Opel, ALD leasing deal

6 April 2017

Europe’s biggest ride-sharing startup BlaBlaCar is to offer its drivers very competitive leases for Opel cars, in the latest disruption to the traditional transport model. BlaBlaCar’s phone app has 40 million users in 22 countries.

The partnership with Opel and ALD will see Paris-based BlaBlaCar offer Opel models on competitive zero-deposit terms to some of its French drivers through ALD’s leasing units.

The scheme, which will first be offered to more active BlaBlaCar drivers in France before expanding geographically, offers monthly rates as low as €164 including maintenance and warranty for the subcompact Opel Corsa, providing drivers complete at least one ride-sharing trip per month.

BlaBlaCar CEO Nicolas Brusson said: ′The BlaBlaCar community will purchase more than 1.3 million cars in 2017. We leverage the strength of this community to unlock deals otherwise unavailable to our members, pioneering a new, usage-based approach to car ownership,’ adding that carpooling activity can lower the cost of the vehicle even further.

For ALD, the deal signifies a move from the Société Générale bank leasing arm into consumer car financing.

′This new partnership is a key step for private leasing, which is gathering momentum among consumers,’ says deputy CEO of ALD Automotive France Fabrice Denoual, ′ALD is now positioning itself as a key mobility player for corporates and individuals.’

For Opel, managing director of GM France (still owners of Opel) said: ′Our partnership with BlaBlaCar is another step on our way to not only being a car manufacturer but also a leading provider of mobility solutions.’

The Opel offer combines zero-deposit finance, low monthly payments and inclusive maintenance with flexible mileage. Scheme users, called ′Ambassadors’, will also get a €20 discount on their lease for each month they share journeys on BlaBlaCar.

BlaBlaCar is among new mobility service operators springing up that offer popular services that break from the traditional transport models – with Opel and other OEMs aiming to adapt to mobility companies to reflect this changing consumer landscape.

BlaBlaCar differs from local ride-hailing services such as Uber by offering longer-distance carpooling, as well as these special leasing deals. Others in the space include car-sharing firms such as Avis-owned ZipCar, which offer access to self-drive vehicle fleets for as little as an hour at a time.

Traditional OEMs, as they transition to mobility services, are also getting in on the action, such as with Daimler’s car-sharing subsidiary Car2Go, which has 2.2 million global members, and BMW’s Drive Now. General Motors owns Uber’s main US competitor Lyft, and France’s state-owned SNCF railway has partnered with Zipcar.

BlaBlaCar allows car owners to cover their expenses but not make a profit – which shields it from regulatory costs and tax, further boosting its appeal to customers. ALD also adds the clout of competitive leasing to its offering. The startup’s 9 million drivers buy an estimated 1.3 million new cars each year. ALD and BlaBlaCar are also offering their ride-sharing plans on a handful of models from Toyota, Volkswagen and Peugeot.