Global Fleet Conference eyes Latin America fleet market

Latin America is a rapidly growing market for the fleet and mobility industry, a region which was one of the main focuses during the second day of the 2019 Global Fleet Conference in Miami.

On Wednesday (June 5), a three-part session providing a comprehensive overview of Brazil, Mexico and other markets was moderated by Fleet Latam advisory board president Pascal Serres.

Part one addressed some of the current and future trends in the market and how they will impact multinational fleets operating in the region, including those that will influence HR, procurement (e.g. regional tenders) as well as fleet operations. 
Joining Mr. Serres on stage was ALD Automotive regional director-Latin America Kent Bjertrup, Element Corp president-Mexico David Madrigal, Teva Pharmaceuticals Mexico Fleet Manager Jaime Bringas, and MSD Mexico senior specialist for vehicle fleet Kevin Kibilds.
Part two analyzed the fleet market in Brazil & other key markets in South America. Joining Mr. Bringas and Mr. Kibilds on state were Localiza managing director Joao Andrade, Arval Global Business Development Director-Latin America Ricardo De Bolle, RDA Renting president Arturo Simone, and ALD Automotive International Key Account Director Sergio Lecue.
Finally, part three analyzed the fleet market in Mexico and joining the two fleet managers on stage were LeasePlan Mexico CEO Regina Granados, ARIZA Mexico sales & marketing director Victor Campuzano, and Element Mexico CCO Manuel Tamayo.
Takeaways
Besides being a growing market, among the trends occurring in the region is fleet managers transitioning more toward mobility managers. Alternative transportation such as ride hailing, e-mobility for last mile solutions and others were discussed.

Electric vehicles, however, has not really been implemented in Latin America to much extent but this is still an option for some companies, more likely for those located in Mexico (mostly hybrid) where prices are slightly better.

As for armored cars, which are fairly popular for top-level executives in comparison to other parts of the world, they are being used and more so in Brazil. However, it seems to be more for peace of mind as actual incidents of gun fire are not that common.

Another note on Brazil is the common use of ethanol in cars. More than 80% of the vehicles in the country are flex-fuel, running on both gasoline and sugar cane-based ethanol.

For more information and networking on the Latin American market, take a few days to visit Mexico during the first-ever Fleet LatAm Conference in Mexico City from 23-25 September. 
It is a two-day event for regional and international vehicle fleet decision-makers followed by a one-day training session for fleet managers with multi-country responsibilities.