Chevrolet is to go it alone in fleet with sales to businesses no longer falling under the management of GM UK.

Fleets will now deal directly with Chevrolet, following the establishment of a new, independent fleet sales operation.

Furthermore, the company has appointed Keith Jones as its national fleet sales manager.

Jones is charged with growing Chevrolet's share in the fleet market, a task that should be helped with the launch of several new models over the coming months, starting with the all-new Spark.

Jones, 50, has a strong fleet background, having worked for the past 12 years within General Motors, most recently as Saab national fleet sales manager, as well as several field-based jobs before that.

"It's a really exciting time to be part of Chevrolet UK," said Jones.

"The company has huge potential in the fleet market, we have a great range of products that keeps on getting better and we're ready to offer the same levels of great value for money, stylish design, comprehensive specification and customer-driven service to our fleet clients that are already much admired by our retail customers."

Chevrolet's fleet offensive kicks off with the launch of the Spark, which replaces the Matiz.

It will be aimed at low-mileage, user-chooser, city-based business user or small business looking for a distinctive model.

Chevrolet is also to launch a diesel automatic version of the Cruze, which uses the 2.0-litre VCDi engine.

"Demand among fleets for the Cruze since the car's introduction in July 2009 has consistently exceeded expectations, and the new model further strengthens the car's position in this market, especially among user choosers who value high specification and low P11D values," said Chevrolet.

"With more new models in the pipeline, all of which will have widespread appeal in the core fleet markets, Chevrolet's position in the fleet sector is positioned to grow further over the next couple of years."