It will be headed by national sales manager Nigel Wright, who has worked with Mazda and also spent time with Mitsubishi and Alfa Romeo in Australia.
His immediate focus will be to establish relationships with the major contract hire companies and fleets operating 250 vehicles or more.
Mr Wright has ambitions to grow Alfa Romeo’s fleet sales by 45% on last year’s figures, and to triple fleet sales by 2009.
Last year Alfa Romeo sold just over 5,200 cars in the UK, with fleet business accounting for 1,112 units.
This year, the brand expects to sell 1,700 units in fleet with much of the growth attributable to the 159 upper-medium challenger.
By the end of 2009 this figure will have risen to around 3,500 units thanks to the addition of the new Alfa Romeo Junior – a sporty hatchback which will sit below the 147 lower-medium model.
Mr Wright said: “We’re planning to seduce drivers away from the obvious German marques and are looking to bring added style to the corporate car parks of Britain.”
Joining his team will be sales manager north Mandi McGregor, who has seven years’ experience with the Volkswagen Group and Lex, and sales manager south James Watson, who worked at LeasePlan for seven years.
Another team member will be appointed by the end of the year.
Earlier this year Alfa Romeo promised fleets better service and vehicle reliability, as well as improved residual values as part of a major turnaround programme in the UK.
The firm has already slimmed down its dealer network by half, introduced new quality controls and cut back on less profitable short-cycle business.
Christopher Nicoll, managing director of Alfa Romeo UK, said: “Without doubt, this new fleet team will deliver the levels of attention and support befitting the Alfa brand.”
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