LeasePlan Corp N.V. and FCA have established an operational lease partnership in several European markets to focus on growth in the small and medium enterprise (SME) segment.

The partnership is designed to meet the needs of customers for flexible, cost-effective solutions delivered in a short space of time, according to a release from the fleet management company. For example, LeasePlan will offer customers pre-configured FCA vehicles, which means they can receive their selected vehicles within two weeks.

Under the agreement, LeasePlan will become the preferred partner to FCA's European dealer network in the markets where FCA does not operate its own captive arm, offering LeasePlan operational lease solutions to FCA's customers, according to the fleet management company. Full operational lease products will be offered on a preferred partner basis to FCA's SME customers in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland. 

The partnership is based on a referral model through which FCA will provide the vehicles to customers, with the operational lease being directly managed by LeasePlan. This is the first partnership of its kind for LeasePlan with a major European OEM.

LeasePlan defines SME customers as those with 25 or fewer vehicles, a segment which accounted for 17% of LeasePlan's serviced fleet at the end of 2017, according to the FMC.