Nissan is looking to the public sector as it seeks to re-establish itself in the fleet market.

The Japanese brand has endured a torrid first half of 2006 in fleet, dropping behind Audi, Citroen and Honda due to a cut in short cycle business and a lack of competitive product in the crucial upper- and lower-medium sectors.

Nissan fleet sales director David Murfitt said the company's public sector share is below its overall fleet share, and the target is to take 2.5% of the 100,000-vehicle public sector market by mid-07, having appointed a public sector specialist within the fleet team.

"We needed someone to get under the skin of the market and know what opportunities are out there," said Murfitt. "It's a complex market."

He is also looking to new product to re-establish Nissan as a major fleet player, after the diesel-free rationalised Almera and Primera ranges that have struggle to find fleet favour. The new lower-medium crossover vehicle based on the Qashqai concept should provide a huge boost when it arrives next year.

Murfitt expects the new model to be either Nissan's biggest or second-biggest fleet seller. The Micra is currently top Nissan fleet model, shifting more than 7000 in the first half of the year.

"We're trying to adjust our sales mix across different types of fleet business," said Murfitt, referring to Nissan's reduced daily rental volumes over the last three years.

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