Kia is moving towards small fleet deals with local businesses through its dealer networks.

Last year the South Korean manufacturer started to cut back in bigger fleet deals as it repositioned itself as a higher-value brand.

Following the recent introduction of the impressive Cee’d range of family cars, Kia is now hoping to improve its residual values by moving away from high-volume daily rental business.

It has appointed 17 new Kia Fleet specialists across its dealer network and a five-strong fleet sales field team has been formed. They will work alongside two contract hire relationship managers and another five-strong team in the Kia Business Centre to act as a first point of call for any business enquiries.

Sara Pratten, Kia’s fleet specialist dealer programmes manager, said: “High volume, low profit sales into broker and daily rental business could not be sustained.

“This has been stopped and replaced with a strategy to move with the increased fleet team and the fleet specialist dealers to focusing on local business sales to small-to-medium-sized fleets.

“Moving from the high-cost daily rental business will improve the residual values of the Kia product. We can see this already reflected in the Cee’d range.”

The whole dealer network can conduct fleet business although the specialist dealers will focus on targeting small businesses and raising fleet service standards.

To become a specialist, dealers need to meet certain standards and be able to introduce the Kia brand to business customers who are unaware of its vehicles.

Ms Pratten said the specialist dealers were located across the UK, and work was ongoing to place more in areas currently not covered.