DESPITE growing competition from rivals trying to muscle in on the business car sector, Ford is bullish about its future in fleet. The company was the only one of the three traditional fleet power houses to increase its market share last year, and with new product coming on line in the shape of the Focus and Cougar coupe, optimism is high at the manufacturer.

Mike Wear, Ford's director of fleet operations, said: 'We are looking forward to getting Cougar on each and every fleet policy list in the land, and we will maintain our overall leadership in the fleet market this year, despite strong competitors with new products.'

Some of these competitors have raised their eyebrows at Ford's sales performance in March, which saw it register 10,992 cars on the last two days of the month, a quarter of its 40,931 sales. Wear, however, rejected absolutely any suggestions of sales manipulation, saying the leap in registrations was due to retail success.