CCIA: Kia doing well in 'all the fleet channels'

New for 2016?

Sportage was launched in February. A facelifted Optima has also been launched, with plug-in hybrid (September), estate (September) and a GT performance model (November) to follow. Niro, a hybrid SUV, will be launched in August.

What are your hopes for 2016?

 “In total – fleet and retail – we sold just under 80,000 cars last year and this year we will sell just under 90,000,” says John Hargreaves, head of fleet and remarketing at Kia. Registrations are split almost equally between fleet and retail, but with slightly more retail sales.

“It’s good growth without being excessive, so it is not going to put RVs under pressure,” he adds.

“We are doing well in all the fleet channels. We are keeping Motability below retail share. We have done less rental this year because we haven’t needed to because the strength of natural demand has been good, but we keep a toe in that market and where we are looking to grow is with true fleets and user-choosers.”

What new initiatives are you introducing for fleets this year?

“We are rolling out a few things, such as putting in some subsidised service packages into small business offers, but really we are fairly complete now in terms of a fleet charter, with dealers, and certainly our own fleet department structure we are not looking to change this year,” says Hargreaves.

What is the biggest automotive issue facing fleets this year?

“I think there are a lot of people who have come out of company cars who are looking at going back into them because we are getting better at making the tax liability less by reducing emissions,” says Hargreaves. “I don’t see any situation where there will be a migration out of company cars as there will be more focus on emissions.”