RENAULT is to target small fleet business as it aims to stabilise its sales during 2007.

The firm saw fleet sales fall by 23% in 2006 with big losses across the board, not helped by pulling 10,000 units out of Motability. Only the Clio of its volume sellers saw any growth.

Keith Hawes, director of fleet and commercial vehicle sales at Renault, said: ‘We want to grow small fleet sales and open up the fleet market to people buying one or two cars. We are not so visible in this sector but we have the finance products in place through our dealer network.

‘At the moment this sector is more about contract hire firms and brokers.

‘We need to get more directly to these customers and aim to be more proactive through increased communication and lead management.’

Business sales to fleets operating 25 vehicles or fewer represent nearly 7% of the new car market – accounting for almost 155,000 registrations during 2006.