DES PLAINES IL – Wheels Inc., a North American fleet management & leasing industry company, today announced a global partnership with ALD Automotive, a subsidiary of Société Générale, headquartered in Paris.

Wheels serves many of the largest fleet customers in North America, managing more than 270,000 vehicles. ALD Automotive is one of the largest fleet management & leasing providers in Europe. Present in 39 countries, ALD International operates a fleet of more than 786,000 vehicles. Together, Wheels and ALD Automotive serve the strategic needs of multinational corporations whose large, global fleets require specialized management and attention.

ALD International will continue to operate ALD Automotive USA based in Madison, Wis. The new arrangement allows U.S. customers the benefit of adapted product and service offerings appropriate for their size and fleet needs, according to a company spokesperson.

According to the company announcement, as part of the agreement, Wheels and ALD Automotive offer global consolidated summary reporting to corporate fleet managers. In addition, global customers will have access to market-specific expertise and insights across numerous countries. Finally, the partnership's customers will benefit from a single point of contact who will manage global initiatives for the worldwide outsourced.

The partnership focuses solely on global fleet management. Both companies remain financially independent and maintain their existing operations. Now aligned, the companies together serve internationally more than 1 million vehicles. Over 40 percent of the partnership's combined customers have already initiated an international approach to fleet, according to Wheels.

"The two brands, ALD Automotive and Wheels are market leaders that have similar customer profiles, as well as comparable service portfolios," explained Gianluca Soma, CEO of ALD International, holding structure of ALD Automotive. "We believe that combining our respective experience and variety of products will bring best-in-class service at a worldwide level to all of our customers. This will accelerate the homogenization of new products developed by Wheels and ALD Automotive according to each customer's specific needs."

Jim Frank, Wheels CEO and chairman, said, "The combination of Wheels and ALD Automotive is uniquely qualified to provide innovative and comprehensive solutions to our clients in response to their global aspirations and initiatives. No other combination of companies providing fleet management has even close to the extensive industry experience, depth of resources, financial strength, comprehensive coverage, and shared commitment to service excellence as that provided by Wheels and ALD Automotive."