With carmakers predicting that up to 54% of new car sales this year will be fleet registrations, Peugeot has renewed its focus on developing fleet sales.

It now has a team of 19 staff dedicated to fleet sales; some concentrating on winning public sector contracts, some looking at improving penetration into the user-chooser market and others on helping dealers win local business fleet contracts.

Evidence of this approach can be seen in the way the manufacturer is handling the launch of its latest model – the 308cc.

Peugeot will not allow any of the new couple cabriolets to go into short-term rental. Instead, sales of the 308cc will mainly go to retail buyers (65%) while the remaining 35% of its full-year 5,000 sales will go into the user chooser market.

The short-term rental market is still important said Phil Robson, Peugeot’s fleet director.

“But we are reducing our exposure in this sector – we will have 25% fewer vehicles into short-term rental compared to last year and that will be on the back of a 50% reduction in 2008.”

Peugeot is now approaching lease companies promoting three aspects of its product portfolio – its vehicles’ environmental credentials, their improved quality and the range of product now on offer.

“Lease companies and some big fleets are key influencers in the market,” said Mr Robson, which is why British lease companies were the first to see the new 308cc in detail when representatives were taken to a static launch just days after its world debut at Paris.

“This was a new move for us,” said Peugeot product manager Steve Fahey and reflects the renewed attention the fleet sector is getting from carmakers.

Across the company’s entire portfolio, fleet registrations account for 52% of Peugeot sales.

“We believe that the market this yea will move more towards fleet and our proportion will grow,” said Mr Robson.

To ensure this, Peugeot dealers are also being trained and being given marketing material to target local SME fleet business.

The company is about to embark on a series of dealer business seminars – a ‘back to basics’ approach – that will train dealers in how to secure fleet business.

“We will get the foundations right and support our dealers in local business sales,” said Mr Robson.

“In fact we are already seeing the results – especially in van sales – these could even be the first green shoots of recovery.”