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Volvo true fleet sales rise 43% in first half

Volvo has posted a 43% rise in true fleet sales in the first half of the year, with the rise attributed to its new model range as well as continued investment in its Business Sales team.

The XC40 T5 Twin Engine PHEV arrives at the start of 2020

The carmaker achieved more than 8,500 true fleet sales – which exclude Motability, rental, retailer demonstrators and internal cars – from January to June, helping to drive an overall 27% increase in registrations to 30,000 units. This keeps the company on course to meet its target of 60,000 annual sales by 2020.

Commenting on the rise, Steve Beattie, head of business sales, Volvo Car UK, said: “The strong increase in true fleet sales is testament not only to our fantastic new product range, but also to the dedication of our fleet team and their unremitting focus on making life easier for our business customers.

“Continued investment in our Business Sales team rubber-stamps our commitment to the fleet sector, and we look forward to continuing the momentum through the second half of the year.”

The increase in true fleet sales follow Volvo’s restructure of its Business Sales team in 2018, while key developments in 2019 include the appointment of a new business sales manager and the launch of a virtual sales team. Volvo has also launched a number of new initiatives to further enhance the customer experience. This includes extended test drive opportunities and a new online car buying service that can enable customers to buy a new Volvo entirely over the internet in as little as 20 minutes.

Volvo has also scored a series of recent accolades, including for the XC40, which earned the title of Best Small SUV in the 2019 Great British Fleet Awards and is proving a strong success with fleet operators, including Asda, while the arrival of the XC40 T5 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid at the start of 2020 will add a further option to fleet customers looking to go greener. Meanwhile the XC60 is now available in front-wheel-drive diesel with low emissions and 33% Benefit-in-Kind tax for company car drivers.

And alongside SUV demand, other models recorded strong growth in the first six months of the year – with more new product introductions to look forward to as 2019 continues.

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.