Crédit Agricole Auto Bank is born

A new chapter begins for the mobility sector in Europe with the birth of CA Auto Bank, an international banking group with operations in 17 European countries and Morocco, heir to FCA Bank. The new Bank, controlled by Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance (itself part of Crédit Agricole S.A.), is the brainchild of the arrangements between the French Group and Stellantis, announced in 2021, as part of the reorganisation of the two companies’ financial partnerships.

CA Auto Bank‘s goal is to become a leading independent, multi-brand player in vehicle financing and leasing and in the mobility sector. The Bank, which will retain its European headquarters in Turin, has a strong international presence and a target of at least €10 billion in outstandings by 2026 and the ambition to achieve, by 2030, 80% of the portfolio of new vehicles being “green” (either full electric or hybrid).

Its establishment represents one of the pillars of the strategy of CA Consumer Finance: the Group aims to be a European leader in green mobility, through a full range of solutions provided by its subsidiaries and designed to meet all customer needs.

CA Auto Bank, which positions itself as the new “mobility bank for a better planet,” intends to lead the industry’s energy transition, making access to zero- and low-emission vehicles increasingly democratic and affordable for all.

In its new iteration, the Bank features a comprehensive offering of financial, insurance, and rental solutions, partnering with more than 30 prestigious brands, active in different areas of mobility. Partnerships range from agreements with iconic manufacturers such as Ferrari, Tesla, Mazda, Aston Martin, McLaren, Lotus and Morgan to arrangements with newer automotive brands such as VinFast, DR Automobiles, Aiways, XEV, ElectricBrands and Invicta Electric, active in the electric vehicle market and beyond. These are joined by several multi-brand distributors and dealers, along with the Stellantis retailers, which CA Auto Bank will continue to support, although not as a captive.

The Bank is also active in the two-wheeler world, alongside Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield, Fantic Motor, Vmoto Soco and CAKE; in the leisure world, with Erwin Hymer Group, Groupe Pilote, Groupe Rapido, Knaus Tabbert, Concorde and Carthago; and the light and heavy commercial vehicle world, with Ford Trucks and BMC Trucks.

More partnerships will be announced in the near future. In addition to strengthening agreements with current partners, the Bank will initiate new ones, including with the support of Crédit Agricole. The Bank will gradually extend its reach to all mobility sectors, including marine and agriculture.

CA Auto Bank will step up on the long-started electric transformation process, which has led the company to adopt an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) strategy based on the principle of “creating mobility solutions for a better planet every day”. To achieve this, the Bank is offering a wide range of flexible financial products designed to encourage the adoption of the new motorization vehicles.

In parallel, the development of mobility solutions for green driving by Drivalia, the mobility company of the CA Auto Bank group, will continue. Drivalia provides a full range of leasing, rental and mobility plans: from electric car sharing to car subscriptions and rentals of all durations including operational leasing. The company will continue investing in its electric infrastructure, which will have 3,500 charging stations throughout Europe by 2026, and in its fleet, which will reach 200,000 vehicles within three years, 55% of which will consist of full electric and PHEV models.

Furthermore, in the coming months, CA Auto Bank has planned the acquisition – subject to authorization by the competent authorities – of the activities of ALD in Ireland and Norway and of LeasePlan in the Czech Republic and Finland, which will allow the Bank and Drivalia to further expand their European perimeter, for a total of more than 70,000 vehicles.

New technologies and digitalization are key tools for CA Auto Bank’s business. The Bank, which is fully digital, has developed an integrated network of state-of-the-art platforms, developed from an omnichannel perspective and used in all European countries where the Group is operational. CA Auto Bank will take advantage of the constant evolution of financial and insurance tools, as well as of the new payment systems – as in the case of CA Auto Pay, a platform that manages buy-now-pay-later plans such as instant credit and split payment.

“We are proud of the birth of CA Auto Bank and of integrating 100% of its activities, as well as those of Drivalia, within the Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance Group. This is a unique opportunity for us and one that greatly contributes to our ambition to be leader in green mobility in Europe” said Stéphane Priami, Chairman of CA Auto Bank and CEO of CA Consumer Finance.

“The mobility sector is undergoing profound changes both in terms of energy transition and usage. In this context, the skills, experience and professionalism of the CA Auto Bank and Drivalia teams will be a major asset, combined with the entrepreneurial culture and the strength of Crédit Agricole”.

“This new beginning constitutes the natural evolution of the project we have been pursuing so far. The history of CA Auto Bank began almost a century ago, with the birth of SAVA, one of the first financial companies in Europe, created in 1925 in Turin to help people buy an automobile. Some 100 years later, through the various iterations of the company – at first as Fiat Auto Financial Services, then FGA Capital, up to the transformation into a bank in 2015, as FCA Bank – our mission has remained the same. Today it applies to green and sustainable mobility, the mobility of the future”, said Giacomo Carelli (pictured), CEO of CA Auto Bank.

“This is just the beginning of a growth story, which will take us to be the only independent player in Europe working as a true captive and specialising in financial services for mobility in all its aspects”.