Ford Launching New Financing Scheme to Attract Young Drivers

Ford Motor Company will begin to offer a new type of car purchasing plan which will be a kind of middle ground between a traditional car finance program and a car hire agreement, which could be a model for the way cars will be purchased in the future.

The car manufacturing giant will start offering finance deals for as short a term as one month to buyers in the US who are not interested, or cannot afford longer, yearly leases. The “variable-term leases with flexible payment options” will combine maintenance, insurance and towing services into one monthly premium which can either be renewed or opted out of each month.

The hi-tech company Canvas will run the program, but Ford’s US consumer financial credit provider Ford Motor Credit, will back up the scheme. David McClelland, executive vice president of marketing and sales at Ford Motor Credit said his company “recognized the need for financial services and technology to facilitate our future vision.”

Canvas, formerly Breeze, was purchased by Ford at the end of 2016. The tech company is expert in providing short-term vehicle finance to drivers working for Lyft, Uber and others. Ford is using Canvas’s web-based platform, as well as their familiarity with short-term leasing, to attract a broader range of customers. The program is hoping to attract young drivers, especially those who would otherwise not be eligible for auto financing.

CEO of Canvas, Ned Ryan said, “Our mission is to identify, test and launch financial products that meet the changing needs of consumers. We’re addressing the void in the consumer space between daily rentals and long-term (financial) commitments.”