Meridian Vehicle Solutions has launched a new service that will supply “almost any car” on medium-term rental.
 
Meridian says that it has previously offered a defined range of models in a similar way to a short-term rental company, but it is now extending its offer ordering cars to meet individual requirements.
 
Phil Jerome, managing director, said: “This is something that we are introducing very much at the behest of customers, who are coming to us in increasing numbers and asking for specific cars.
 
“There are a variety of reasons for this. Sometimes they have very clearly defined company car schemes and want us to provide vehicles that fit into this structure so that it doesn’t cause any kind of internal difficulties.
 
“At the other extreme, we have individual customers, often people who run their own businesses, who use medium-term rental to try a variety of cars and want a particular model for six months or a year.”

Meridian will attempt to supply any mainstream car on medium-term rental terms although it does point out that factors such as delivery times are often outside of its control.
 
“We’re qualifying our offer slightly by saying that we will provide ‘almost any car’. At the end of the day, we are essentially in the business of supplying medium term rental cars to fleets, and we don’t deal in exotica. However, when it comes to everyday models, we are happy to quote and then supply whatever the customer may want. 
 
“While we expect our standard range to very much remain the core of our business, the ‘supply to order’ element has definite potential and we expect it to grow quite substantially over the remainder of the year and into 2020.”
 
All Meridian cars are supplied new from a franchise dealer on contracts ranging from 6-12 months at monthly rates that are highly competitive compared to long-term leasing.