Speaking to Fleet World at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Wheeler said that from January next year, Honda will have Civic hatch, Civic Tourer and the CR-V all available with its new 1.6-litre diesel engine, and all built in the UK. However, it isn’t seeking vastly accelerated growth from the predicted 21,000 fleet sales this year, focusing instead on retaining high residual values and customer satisfaction.

However, even without the 1.6-litre engine, Wheeler said the CR-V was proving to be a popular car on choice lists of large PLCs, helped by a downward push on CO2 emissions. The new 2.2-litre four-wheel drive model emits 149g/km in the manual version, down from 171g/km in its predecessor, while the first 1.6-litre two-wheel drive diesel CR-V will launch in October with CO2 emissions of 119g/km.

‘I think the 1.6 in that model will add a whole different dimension,’ Wheeler said. ‘There are only a couple of cars that can play in that arena with CO2 at 119g/km, and I do think the CR-V 1.6 will give a whole host of customers the opportunity to drive CR-V. So someone driving a C-Segment vehicle will suddenly find, on a whole-life cost point of view, CR-V becomes open to them.’

The Civic Tourer launches in January, and is also aiming to broaden Honda’s fleet appeal. Sales will be 25-30% weighted towards the corporate sector, comparatively retail heavy in what Wheeler said is a fleet-dominated sector, with a focus on offering strong whole-life costs rather than selling on price and aiming for high volumes. D-segment downsizers will be as much of a target as customers of the car’s more direct rivals, with a large and versatile load area proving a key lure.

But despite rumours, there are no plans to offer the 1.6 i-DTEC in the Accord. Wheeler said economies of scale meant even if Honda could achieve best-in-class fuel economy, it would be difficult for a Japanese-built saloon to compete with European brands. A competitive CR-V is being offered as an alternative, where policies allow.

‘Honda is not trying to be something it isn’t in fleet, which is a single-badge policy, because we don’t have a product in every sector,’ he said. ‘I think what Honda is going to start to open up for customers is alternatives.

‘It’s no secret Honda has had a tough couple of years globally for a number of reasons outside its control, and locally in the UK in fleet we’ve felt the effects of that. That’s meant we’ve lost some customers but it means we can work harder re-winning them back.’