LAS VEGAS — Dealerships can increase customer loyalty and profitability by tapping into the mobility-as-a-service model, according to Mike Furnari, chief business development officer at HyreCar, which provides a platform that matches ridesharing-service drivers with car owners who want to rent out their vehicles.
MaaS is the integration of various forms of transportation into an on-demand service that allows a person to complete a trip. Furnari, speaking during a session on innovation at the 18th Annual Auto Finance Summit, says dealerships are getting into MaaS “as a way to rent vehicles, pull from their rental fee, and potentially flip that customer into a car sell,” said Furnari.
Car dealerships, opposed to OEMs, have an advantage under this type of model because they offer a variety of vehicles and aren’t limited to particular brands.
Revenue, he said, could also be increased through servicing channels.
“The service department at a dealership absolutely loves a subscription for a car and ridesharing model because they have 100% customer retention,” Furnari said. “They know that customer is coming back to that service manager.”
The dispersed nationwide network of dealerships makes them ideal for MaaS, Furnari said, adding that dealers could see quick payouts from mobility services.
“Dealers have the most to gain in mobility future right now,” said Furnari. “Pick a car-sharing company, test it with one car, [and] dealers will start to see revenue within 24 hours.”
