FORTUNATELY for Kia, its brand is right on the nail when it comes to SME demand for new cars, with a plug-in hybrid version of its all-new Optima saloon and estate available in quarter 4 next year.

According to research it has carried out among SMEs running company cars, along with appearance, environmental friendliness fuel efficiency puts it right at the top of the list when it comes to future car decisions.

So with an all-new Optima saloon due for launch in January, followed by a plug-in version due in Q4 2016 along with an Optima estate, Kia believes its well poised to satisfy this demand.

Oh, and there will also be a specialised petrol-electric hybrid model available in the summer.

Add in the new Kia Sportage due in quarter 1 and then Kia will have ticked  both the environmentally friendly box and the appearance box of the key wants from SMEs.

Kia’s boss, Paul Philpott, told us: “The rapid rise in green awareness took us by surprise. The respondents to our survey are envisaging more hybrid and electric powertrains – so by the end of 2016 we will have the full suite: the Kia Soul EV, the dedicated hybrid model, and the plug-in hybrid Optima.

“However, there are hard-headed reasons to the change in attitude. The company car managers said they would want to see a fuel saving of £483 per car before they would consider changing the type of fuel used by their company cars.”

Paul said he expected Kia to have a big business car presence next year due to the business focused nature of the cars they were launching (see table right).

Paul also said the company was evaluating a ‘business line’ version of the new Optima, featuring a low P11D price, competitive company car tax position and business focused standard specification.