By the end of March the company had recorded 1,582 registrations of its Maxus panel vans - an increase of almost 18 per cent over the same period last year. At 956 registrations, March also saw a massive near 90 per cent rise in volumes over the previous month, when 504 were registered.

Speaking at the 2006 Commercial Vehicle Show at Birmingham's NEC, Interim CEO, Charles Megan, said: "March was a particularly strong month for Maxus sales and the forward order book looks very encouraging. We've now really shifted up a gear with a product that some big name operators recognise as being well designed and well built and that represents great value for money.  At the same time we're broadening our appeal to the small operator with the excellent new product offering that is our Maxus Platinum range.

"It's particularly pleasing that several major rental and leasing companies are amongst our recent customers. These include Avis, Budget, United Rentals, Europcar, TLS and Lex Leasing as well as several more regionally based companies.

"These are the most discerning of buyers who expect a good yield from the large investments they make in vehicles, for whom quality and reliability are paramount, and who need to offer their customers vans that are attractive and easy to drive. Their orders are a clear endorsement that Maxus is scoring in all of these areas."

As well as sales to rental fleet customers and booming retail sales, Maxus is also making its mark with own-account fleet operators. March deliveries have included vans for the Royal Mail, Parcelforce, City Link and Hotpoint.

Export sales are beginning to grow as MAXUS is released for sale in more global markets. Recent business includes Maxus vans for the cold climates of Iceland, Denmark and Lithuania to rather hotter countries like Turkey, St Lucia and, most recently, St Helena.