A fleet special is a term applied to an automobile that is produced by a manufacturer with the express intent of it being sold in large volumes to corporate interests for business purposes rather than to consumers for personal use.
In the 1950s and 1960s, fleet special models were usually stripped down full size cars such as the
Plymouth Savoy
The Plymouth Savoy is an automobile model produced from the 1954 through 1964 model years by Plymouth.
Early history
Plymouth used the name Savoy on several automobiles. From 1951-1953, the Savoy name was used on a station wagon, upgrading th ...
,
Chevrolet Biscayne
The Chevrolet Biscayne was a series of full-size cars produced by the American manufacturer Chevrolet between 1958 and 1975. Named after a show car displayed at the 1955 General Motors Motorama, the Biscayne was the least expensive model in the C ...
and
Ford Custom 500
The Ford Custom is an automobile which was produced by Ford in the United States, Canada and Australia in certain years from 1949 to 1981.
Custom and Custom Deluxe (1949-1951)
For the 1949 model year, the Custom nameplate was used for the top tr ...
.
Fleet special vehicles can be customized in equipment (all red cars with grey interiors, etc.) or for a specific purpose (
Ford Police Interceptor
The Ford Police Interceptor is a range of automobiles manufactured by Ford. First used in 1992, the range consists of existing Ford models modified and sold for use as police cars and other car-based emergency vehicles.
Though Ford has histori ...
) model.
An automobile can also be produced for a specific industry if the demand is sufficient to meet cost/volume factors. In the case of the rental car industry in the United States, General Motors produced the
Chevrolet Classic
General Motors used the Chevrolet Classic nameplate for the following vehicles:
* The second generation Chevrolet Corsa, produced in Argentina and Brazil from 2002 to 2016
* The fifth generation Chevrolet Malibu, produced in the United States f ...
(previously built as the Chevrolet Malibu until 2003) which was only available for fleet sales to rental car companies. {{Citation needed, date=September 2010
External links
GM Fleet sales2004 "Chevrolet Malibu, don't just call it a rental car", ''Car & Driver'' Magazine Online
Automotive industry