Volvo’s sales successes in 2018 were supported by a strong second half of the year for true fleet sales.

Steve Beattie, head of business sales, Volvo Car UK

The year saw Volvo notch up 50,000 car sales in the UK for the first time in 28 years, while taking a 2.1% share of the market to become the fastest growing premium brand.

True fleet sales – those excluding Motability, rental, retailer demonstrators and internal cars – contributed to this achievement with a 16% increase from July to December, helped by the increased availability of popular models – including the XC40 and V60 – as well as a restructured Business Sales team. Volvo also said its growing range of plug-in hybrids is also proving popular with fleet customers.

2018 also saw a restructuring of Volvo’s Business Sales team, with an emphasis on tailoring its services to companies running different sized fleets. The changes helped the brand to secure sales to some 644 companies which hadn’t purchased a Volvo in four years or more.

Steve Beattie, head of business sales, Volvo Car UK, said: “Our restructured Business Sales team clearly had a positive influence on sales last year, alongside the increased availability of models popular with fleet drivers. Our aim is to be the easiest manufacturer for fleets to deal with, so it’s good to see this taking effect already.

“Notwithstanding the current challenges faced by the new car market, 2019 is going to be another exciting year for us. With an ambitious overall sales target of 60,000 cars within the next couple of years, Volvo Car UK is committed to growing its presence in the fleet market by delivering a seamless and unrivalled customer experience.”