Kia curbs fleet sales to protect RVs

Kia has moved to quell fears that it is moving away from fleet, after deliberately reducing business sales by more than 40%.

The Korean carmaker had seen fleet sales rise against falling total sales since 2005, but it has now stopped selling to all but one rental supplier. The move has seen fleet sales drop 43% year-to-date, but is intended to protect Kia’s RVs, which have been hit hard by the excess rental cars and falling retail sales.

The firm has a restructured, larger fleet team and a new dedicated fleet business centre in Woking.

It is also putting resources into local business sales through a revamped dealer network, including 21 fleet specialist dealers. This goes alongside a new retail strategy.