Desks used by Saab fleet sales staff in Britain are the first to be cleared in the wake of the Swedish company’s last-minute rescue from closure.

“We urgently need to re-establish our credentials with the fleets, but the first job is to move the fleet operation out of the General Motors UK headquarters building at Luton.

“Independence means we no longer need to be embedded within Vauxhall and the team is coming out straight away,” Saab GB managing director Jonathan Nash told Fleet News.

Minutes after takeover plans by Dutch sports car firm Spyker were confirmed at the Genera Motor Show, Nash said separation from Vauxhall would allow Saab to take a different approach to future fleet business.

“As market leader, Vauxhall is active in daily rental and other areas I regard as more racy business that is not a natural fit for Saab.

“We will be aiming for baseline and corporate user choosers. We have done well in the past with drivers who can pick from a range of cars but many fleets simply took us off the lists because of the uncertainty about the future of the brand.

“Putting that right will take a few months and will be hard work, but cars like the new 9-5 will help us get re-established,” he said.

Expected to be on sale by summer, the premium contender saloon will be joined by an estate version early next year. The 9-4X crossover model jointly developed with GM will arrive at the end of 2011 and a replacement for the brand’s best-selling 9-3 model is due in 2012.

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