BRITAIN'S two largest car manufacturers have called on the Government to introduce major incentives - including reductions in company car tax - to encourage fleets to operate 'clean and green' gas-powered vehicles. Ford and Vauxhall each urged the Government to take radical action to incentivise the widespread introduction of compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas vehicles as both announced major fleet initiatives on gas-powered cars and vans.

Vauxhall has launched a gas-powered Combo van, announced that gas-powered versions of the Vectra and Omega will go on sale in Britain next year to be followed by similar versions of the Corsa and new Astra, and revealed that a demonstration fleet of 30 gas-powered Combos is to be put on the road. Ford will launch a 50-strong demonstration fleet of CNG and LPG cars and commercial vehicles including 2.0-litre Mondeos and 2.0-litre Transit vans. That will be followed early in 1999 by five gas-powered cars and vans from the 1998 model range going on sale in Britain.

Vauxhall chairman and managing director Nick Reilly said: 'Dual-fuel vehicles could be a significant market and that would be helped if incentives were introduced to encourage fleets to operate these vehicles.' Ford fleet operations director Mike Wear said: 'LPG vehicles are successful in Holland because of tax concessions. There must be some Government intervention to encourage gas vehicles in Britain. We are making LPG and CNG vehicles available to fleets and now we are waiting to see what the Government does.'