Cars Direct, the online fleet remarketing company plans to double the size of its Fixed Price Stock Locator (FPSL) service over the next 12 months to sell around 10,000 units during 2004.

The service allows dealers to create a virtual showroom by displaying a range of suitable ex-fleet cars, refurbished and ready-to-retail, at a fixed typical forecourt price on the internet. Retailers can print details of the cars, with photos, to use as sales aids with customers or source specific cars requested by customers.

Roger Woodward, Cars Direct managing director, says: “Dealers are under increasing pressure to get ready-to-retail cars on sale as fast as possible. At the same time, fleet managers are under pressure to maximise residual values.

“Cars on FPSL have been fully refurbished and safety checked before being offered to our 6000 registered buyers.”

Woodward says the service is particularly valuable to smaller retailers who might only have forecourt space for a limited range but could now appear to stock more vehicles. Suitable cars are held on FPSL for 20 days before being put back through the Cars Direct internet auction.

In order to cope with the anticipated increased throughput, Cars Direct is moving its FPSL operations from Finedon, Northamptonshire, to its main headquarters in Corby. It will also be doing “selective advertising” to retail customers to help maximise fleet disposal values.

Fleets now using Cars Direct to remarket their cars include Saab Finance, Citroen Contract Motoring, Leaseplan, National Grid and Balfour Beatty.