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Skoda to 'open doors' for more fleet business

Date: 03 November 2014

Skoda has made good progress attracting SMEs but the brand needs to get on more lists if it wants to grow its fleet business from 40% to 50% of its volume, according to Skoda UK's brand director Alasdair Stewart.
Stewart told BusinessCar: "At the moment we're on the edge of some large fleet deals but there are still many doors we need to knock on.

"We're getting on some good lists but the larger saloon sector is a very tough one. Premium brands are going into fleet deals with some very strong offers."

The growth Skoda has seen so far has come from local businesses, led by core models like the Octavia, Superb, Yeti and Citigo.

Skoda will launch its all-new Fabia early next year (see p29 for the first drive report) and while the hatch is seen as more of a retail proposition, the estate model will launch in the first quarter next year and is expected to add additional volume for fleet.

While Skoda is a strong brand in many areas, design and desirability has not been one of them and while Stewart was keen to stress Skoda would not be abandoning its traditional values of practicality and value, the Fabia marks the start of a more design-focused push.

That push will be consolidated with the next Superb, which will also go on sale next year. The new saloon and estate are expected to have a radical design in comparison to the relatively conservative looks of the current model.

Stewart also confirmed it was likely that Skoda would add hybrids to its model range using Volkswagen Group technology, but could not confirm a date for their introduction to the UK.



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