A SIGNIFICANT rise in fleet sales is being predicted by Chrysler Jeep with the establishing of a new Corporate Direct sales team and 20 designated corporate dealers. And in a bid to boost sales the Corporate Direct team, headed by corporate sales manager Graham Powell, has compiled the, eCard which is being billed as an 'innovative electronic calling card'.

The eCard can be e-mailed or supplied on CD-Rom to customers and prospects - including leasing companies - and contains key product and contact details and offers direct links via the internet for latest prices and other information.

The initiative was developed in-house by the five-strong team and is the brainchild of new corporate sales development managers Noel Critchley and Paul Roberston.

Powell said: 'It is a simple yet innovative method of communicating with customers and prospects - it gets us on to their screens and shows we are serious about our corporate business. The eCard helps to differentiate us from our competitors and reinforce our aim to be a 'one-stop -shop' for big corporate clients.'

Until now Powell has been a one-man corporate team. But, having established links with 21 contract hire and leasing companies, as well as many of the top 250 FTSE companies, he is confident of corporate sales success.

'We are on track to sell more than 500 vehicles in 2000 under the Corporate Direct banner - a 153% increase over 1999 - and the new team is looking forward to further dramatic progress in 2001,' said Powell.

Corporate sales are also expected to be boosted with the sharing of information and databases with sister company Mercedes-Benz. Powell said: 'A number of major companies are asking us as DaimlerChrysler to quote for both Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler Jeep products and we will join forces and look at the opportunities.'

Next year the five-strong team is looking to increase sales three-fold, while it is relying on the new corporate dealer franchises to further boost fleet sales which run at around 3,000 units out of 17,000 vehicle sales expected this year.

Chrysler is buoyant at the moment following a 'shot in the arm' in June with the arrival of PT Cruiser, which is sold out until next February. The company is pressing for an increased range of right hand drive models to supplement sales of Neon, Voyager, PT Cruiser and 4x4 offerings.

However, it is the PT Cruiser which, Powell says, has stirred huge interest in Chrysler.

'There is a lot of user-chooser interest and young companies run by entrepreneurs want to offer the car to their staff as a motivational tool,' he said. Hampshire-based computer company Taylor Made has taken delivery of a fleet of six PT Cruisers which have been signwritten with the company's details.