When times are tough one needs to think differently. And that is exactly what great companies do. SuperSpark recently came across an article to illustrate the point.

One would have thought that the US would be wary of the subprime market and shy away from the high risk associated with this kind of lending. Contrary to this belief Uber, through a wholly owned Delaware-based subsidiary called Xchange Leasing, managed to secure a credit facility of $1 billion to fund new car leases.

Xchange may be key to Uber's continued expansion. In its relentless pursuit for growth, Uber needs new drivers, and many of those drivers need cars. To help them get started, Uber has been offering short-term leases since June this year.

Uber also announced a partnership with Toyota to finance even more cars. Uber stated that its financing and discount programs, which include Xchange, will put more than 100,000 drivers on the road. That requires dipping into the vast pool of people with bad or no credit records.

In a deal led by Goldman Sachs, Xchange received a $1 billion credit facility to fund new car leases. The deal will help Uber grow its U.S. subprime auto leasing business and it will give many of the world's biggest financial institutions exposure to the company's auto leases. The credit facility is basically a line of credit that Xchange can use to lease out cars to Uber drivers.

Xchange caters for people who have been rejected by other lenders. Uber's lease is more flexible than most subprime leases, the company said. After the first 30 days of the lease, a driver can return the car to Uber with two weeks’ notice, without any additional fees, apart from the payments they owe and the $250 they pay up front.

Many other leases also charge drivers by the mile if they exceed a certain mileage threshold. Not Xchange, though; Uber wants to incentivize drivers to keep logging miles. In a statement made by Uber, Chapin said: “Many Americans don’t have enough cash on hand to buy a car. Many others could be denied leases or charged high rates due to their credit quality, and could owe thousands of dollars in penalties if they break the contract early. Xchange provides access to high quality cars with no restrictions on mileage (unlike most leases) and the ability to break the lease early with minimal fees.”

Drivers pay a $250 upfront deposit and then make weekly payments to Uber over the course of the three-year life of the lease. As a video promoting the arrangement puts it: "The best part: Payments are automatically deducted from your Uber earnings."

It is this kind of thinking that makes a difference, when times are tough, in a great company.