Autorola to handle Smart’s European fleet remarketing

09/06/2022

Smart Europe has awarded a new five-year remarketing contract to the Autorola Group.

Autorola will set up and run the European fleet remarketing infrastructure for Smart´s new range of electric cars.

The company’s Fleet Monitor, a web-based asset management IT platform, will be rolled out to enable an “efficient end-to-end vehicle remarketing management process” across Europe.

The Fleet Monitor system will be the backbone of Smart’s relationship with rental, car sharing and subscription companies. It will enable Smart to track each car’s status including mileage, servicing history and current location.

Autorola will also provide integration of data from all of Smart´s relevant partners for logistics, inspection, and storage.

The platform roll-out includes Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden.

André Janssen-Timmen, COO, Smart Europe, said: “We are setting up our own, strong remarketing capability right from the start. Our focus is not only on the first cycle, but also on 2nd and 3rd. We believe that Autorola for us is exactly the right partner for this endeavor.”

Smart aims to ramp up car sales once deliveries begin of the first of its new generation of cars, the Smart #1.

The electric-powered five-door crossover, whose #1 name is pronounced "Hashtag One", will reach the UK in 2023 and is hoped to put the Smart brand on the consideration lists of far more car buyers than its iconic, yet niche, two-seater Smart ForTwo has ever been able to.

The first new model since Mercedes sold a 50% stake in Smart to Chinese automaker Geely in 2019, the Smart #1 is built using Geely's SEA architecture and has a range of up to 270 miles on a full charge.

Alone, Mercedes had struggled to make Smart a financial success since its launch.

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