APAC on the move: Key takeaways from recent regional events

Southeast Asia is now ground zero for rapid expansion from Chinese brands like BYD and Great Wall Motor. Supported by local production, aggressive pricing, and a strong EV-first message, these OEMs are building a significant footprint—especially in Thailand, now the region’s largest EV market. 

For leasing and mobility providers, this isn’t just a product change—it’s a competitive shift. As traditional models are displaced and customer expectations reset, the ability to adapt quickly becomes your differentiator. 

What to watch: 
Can your systems handle unfamiliar asset types and new contract lifecycles? Can you go to market quickly with a compelling offer when a new OEM launches an entire EV lineup overnight? These are the questions shaping the next 12 months. 

While enthusiasm for EVs is growing—projected at over 40% market growth in APAC this year—plug-in hybrids are emerging as the pragmatic middle step. At both events, we heard consistent feedback: for many corporate clients, plug-in hybrids offer a faster, lower-risk entry point into sustainable mobility. 

This plug-in hybrid resurgence is being driven not just by environmental goals, but also by infrastructure realities and TCO considerations. In markets like Australia and New Zealand, where the transition is already underway, plug-in hybrids are a reliable way to test new mobility models without overcommitting. 

What to watch:
You’ll need to offer contract flexibility that matches your customers’ energy mix—while accurately modelling residual values, lifecycle costs, and service intervals across mixed fleets. 

A recurring theme across both events was collaboration. Not just in theory, but in action. A great example: the integration between Summit Fleet and AutoGuru, connected through SOFICO’s Miles Enterprise platform. 

AutoGuru’s AI-driven booking tool is now streamlining maintenance approvals—an area long plagued by manual delays and miscommunication. By linking predictive booking intelligence with contract workflows in SOFICO Miles Enterprise, Summit Fleet has significantly reduced downtime for its B2B clients and removed hours of admin overhead from its teams. 

What to watch:
This kind of integration isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s becoming the new standard for competitive mobility providers—especially those aiming to differentiate through service experience and speed to resolution. 

Across both summits, what we heard confirmed what we already see in the APAC region every day: leasing and mobility providers are now central to enabling the future of fleet.

And that future is complex. 

You’re not just managing vehicle contracts anymore—you’re orchestrating a blend of assets, services, digital tools, and strategic partnerships. You’re being asked to support plug-in hybrids today and EVs tomorrow, while also preparing for entirely new mobility models driven by real-time data and predictive analytics. 

That’s where we believe the right foundation makes all the difference. 

With SOFICO Miles Enterprise, you’re not locked into rigid workflows or legacy constraints. You can launch new EV offerings, adapt contracts for Chinese OEMs, plug in third-party tools, and scale across markets—all without compromising compliance, efficiency, or control. 

We’re proud to support success stories like Summit Fleet Lease, who chose SOFICO Miles Enterprise for its easy integration and high flexibility, and Volkswagen Financial Services, who made a 40-year leap forward in efficiency with the help of our platform. And we’re ready to support more like it, across APAC and beyond.