Volvo has appointed Steve Beattie as head of business sales with immediate effect.

Steve Beattie, Head of Business Sales, Volvo Car UK

Beattie replaces Selwyn Cooper, who moved to the role of head of financial services at the carmaker this summer, and brings extensive experience in automotive business sales. This includes 12 years at Vauxhall, most recently as national contract hire and leasing manager.

Beattie’s new role will see him oversee all Volvo’s fleet and corporate sales in the UK and comes ahead of the launch of the XC40 and following the recent launch of the XC60. The carmaker also announced earlier this summer that it’s planning to launch five fully electric cars – including two high-performance models – by 2021 in line with its plans to use electric motors in all cars from 2019. The carmaker is also looking to achieve annual UK sales of 60,000 cars by 2020. Last year, Volvo recorded registrations of nearly 47,000 – up 7.5% on 2015.

Commenting on Beattie’s appointment, Jon Wakefield, managing director of Volvo Car UK, said: “Volvo has ambitious growth targets in the UK, and Steve’s energy, enthusiasm and experience will be invaluable in helping us succeed. The business sales sector continues to be critically important for Volvo, and I am delighted to have Steve on board to help us realise our potential.”