Hyundai Motor UK has appointed Ashley Boaden as national new business development manager.

He is the third high-profile fleet-focused appointment by the the manufacturer in the past two years, joining fleet director Michael Stewart and national fleet sales manager Tim White.

Boaden previously held roles with fleet management specialists CBVC and Daimler Fleet Management, as well as at Vauxhall Motors.

He will report to White and will target car fleets of 250 vehicles plus with Hyundai’s range of low emissions and alternative-fuelled vehicles.

White said: “Ashley joins the brand at a truly exciting time; we are already seeing great interest in our brand and product portfolio from both end-users and the major leasing sales teams.

“With the launch of new Ioniq later this year – one of our most popular fleet models – and the roll-out of Kona Hybrid around the same time, we’re continuing to strengthen our offering to fleets by providing them with models that are not just desirable, but come with genuine business benefits, too.

“Having a proven new business hunter in the team like Ashley will give us that extra impetus to firmly position Hyundai as the first choice ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV) offering to a fleet’s car policy, as many fleets seek to lower their carbon footprint.

“Our Nexo Fuel Cell Vehicle and Kona Electric show we’re already on the right track; we’ve had incredible interest from fleet buyers since they launched.”

Hyundai last year registered 50,571 units in the fleet and business sector – a record for the manufacturer and 56.2% of its total sales – strengthening its position as a top 10 best-selling fleet brand.

In the past five years Hyundai has won seven Fleet News awards, with its Kona this year named best compact SUV with the Kona Electric taking the prize for best zero emission car.

Hyundai’s fleet offering has evolved in recent years with the addition of 15 large fleet centres around the UK, featuring a dedicated Hyundai fleet structure, national fleet delivery capability and pre-delivery inspection capacity for more than 1,000 vehicles each.

These centres also provide support to the manufacturer’s retail network of 163 sites.

The manufacturer has also launched a new fleet aftersales charter and a dedicated fleet support line.