FLEET sales continued to run at record levels last month with February's figures 4.1% up on February 1997 at 85,142 units, according to figures released this week by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Monthly fleet sales records have been set for 14 of the last 17 months, but with the Budget just four days away industry bosses are lobbying hard to ensure that Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown takes no action which would disrupt UK new car sales and particularly the fleet market.

Fleet sales last month totalled 85,142 (February 1997: 81,753) to take a 48.07% share of last month's new car sales market which totalled 177,133 - 8.3% up on February 1997's figure of 163,492 - the third highest February total on record after the record years of 1988 and 1989. Fleet registrations this year are up 4.8% at 188,677 (1997: 179,988) with total new car sales standing at 409,188 (1997: 370,477).

Ford led the way last month with fleet sales of 17,936 - up 1.2% year-on-year - and in the Mondeo the manufacturer had the best-selling fleet car for the month. Vauxhall held second place with sales up 1.6%, but both Peugeot and Rover saw fleet sales slip by 6.5% and 7.1% respectively with the major beneficiary continuing to be Renault, which saw fleet sales increase 17.4%. The rise and fall of those three manufacturers resulted in Peugeot narrowly staying ahead of Renault, with Rover dropping to fifth spot.