What new services could emerge in a world where mobility is increasingly shared — a world in which ownership is no longer a necessity?

If you did not already know the name Pon Holdings, chances are you were already familiar with one of its many mobility brands. In the Netherlands, Pon Holdings is the importer and distributor of Volkswagen Group cars. Other well-known names within the Pon family include bicycle brands such as Gazelle and Swapfiets, as well as the car-sharing service Greenwheels.

Mobility, therefore, truly lies at the heart of Pon. The parent company operates in around 60 countries worldwide and is also one of the largest companies in the Netherlands, employing nearly 14,000 people.

The challenge
For companies such as Pon, it is crucial to anticipate the future of the sector in which they operate and the consumer needs that arise from it. A key question is: which alternative forms of mobility will become increasingly mainstream alongside the car? And what new forms of value will emerge in relation to mobility? This includes changing perspectives on speed, safety, comfort, sustainability and cost.

These questions have significant implications for buying or leasing a car, and raise the issue of how companies can prepare for these shifts. In 2021, we worked with Pon to focus specifically on the private lease market.

Buying a car was — and still is — a costly investment, particularly for those who want to drive electric. How do you bridge the needs of a generation that wants to travel more sustainably but lacks the financial means to do so?

The insight
The idea that younger generations — at the time primarily millennials — are entirely open to second-hand cars and shared mobility turned out to be just that: an idea. Through interviews with the target audience, it quickly became clear that the sustainable mobility mindset was more of an aspiration than an established trend.

Students, young professionals, and young families were, in fact, looking forward to having that brand-new car in the driveway, even if it did not yet seem financially within reach.

During a five-day sprint week, we developed two new mobility concepts: one for the long term and one for the short term. Both centred on making private leasing more attractive and affordable for a young adult audience.

The concepts focused on smartly leveraging the strength of Pon Holdings’ vehicle fleet and on exploring ways to offer second-hand (electric) vehicles at more accessible prices.