AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals will be adding Volkswagen Jetta sedan and Sportwagen models to its fleet by the end of the year, adding to the automaker's growing list of commercial fleet customers.
"We will be adding more customers to our commercial fleet portfolio now that we have dedicated fleet account managers out in the field," said Martin Kiel, fleet manager for Volkswagen Sales. "Up until AstraZeneca, Best Buy was our biggest customer with the New Beetle for the Geek Squad fleet. Otherwise, we were only doing daily rental sales. We are really excited about the commercial fleet possibilities with all the change in the industry and have found interest in our products have grown considerably."
AstraZeneca was ranked #52 on Automotive Fleet's 2009 Top Commercial Fleets listing. In addition, US Fleet Manager Kimberly Jamme was one of 20 corporate fleet manager recipients selected for the first-ever Environmental Leadership Awards, presented at the 2009 Green Fleet Conference in Chicago.
Volkswagen has been working with Best Buy's Geek Squad division since the 2005 model-year. Best Buy's 5,404-unit fleet ranked #69 on this year's Top Commercial Fleets listing.
Expanding into the commercial fleet business allows VW's commercial fleet customers to experience its products for up to 3 years on average. "The vehicle is in their drive way each day; it is seen by friends, family, and clients, and it allows them to fully experience all of the great aspects of driving a Volkswagen," said Kiel.
The automaker has also brought three new fleet account managers on board to join the Volkswagen fleet team. Caroline Costello, Lorraine Heinicke, and Patrick Saint-Pierre will be responsible for responsible for commercial vehicle sales in their respective regions and serve as the primary Volkswagen sales and service interface with commercial account customers. They will also work closely with Volkswagen's fleet team in Herndon, Va., to coordinate with fleet management and leasing companies to ensure customer needs are met, according to the automaker. For information on which territories each will cover, click here.
