INFLUENTIAL fleet operators have been called in to help steer Nissan towards winning extra business in Britain with the crucial new car it is planning to pitch against the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat. A select group of customers is advising the Japanese company on optimum trim and equipment packaging to underscore an ambitious bid to drive the next-generation Primera a vital notch further upmarket.

Due on sale in the UK next January, the Sunderland-built upper medium sector challenger has been revealed to executives from firms operating 'significant end-user' fleets. The all-new model is set to play a pivotal role in McNally's plans to give Nissan wider exposure in the user-chooser sector. 'The aim is for us to achieve 45,000 fleet sales while avoiding any impact on our position in the marketplace,' he said. 'We're not going back to the direct rental area in a hell-for-leather fashion. The need to act carefully in order to maintain good residual values means we will return with a limited number of partners. My aim is to grow our business to get closer to the top three - now Ford and Vauxhall with Peugeot and Renault vying for third spot - and I think we'll achieve that with cars that offer rather more driver appeal than they have in the past.'