Monday 

Down to Jaguar’s research and development facility at Whitley, near Coventry, to have a presentation on a future product (I can’t say too much, but if you think large luxury saloon you won’t be far wrong).

The firm’s UK managing director, Geoff Cousins, said that Jaguar Land Rover employs 15,000 people in the UK, plus another 60,000 jobs indirectly through the supply chain, with exports accounting for £4 billion.

Like most manufacturers, it expects to have fewer dealers at the end of the year than it does now. JLR needs to get its future products right and make them desirable in a tough time for all the world’s markets to ensure all those people have long-term employment – not an easy task.

 

Wednesday

I was surprised to discover how many cars no longer have
an alarm fitted as standard. An increasing number of
manufacturers are removing them, saying the immobiliser is a much more effective way to stop cars being stolen.

Take superminis such as the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Renault Clio, Vauxhall Corsa, etc – of 603 derivatives in this sector currently offered, only 180 (or 29.9%) have an alarm, leaving 423 without – quite alarming.

The moral for all fleet managers is to find out which models do have an alarm fitted and inform the drivers as they, like me, could have been under the impression they all had them fitted.

Friday

Just a short hop down the M1 to Donington Park to the Mazda Fleet Forum and the fleet industry’s first drive of the all-new Mazda3. 

More than 100 guests were given an update by Peter Allibon, fleet and remarketing director, on the company’s progress. Despite the downturn in new car sales, Mazda seems to be holding its own, with much help from the popular Mazda2 supermini.

Most of Peter’s team were there, and James Hopkins, European fleet director, came over from Germany – it is good to see how Mazda really is taking the fleet industry seriously, helped by its strong product offering. The audience seemed to approve of the new Mazda3, its price and specification levels. Prices for the new 3 start from £13,500 for a 1.6 S, but my choice would be the 1.6 TS2 diesel that has a CO2 figure of just 119g/km and costs £16,960.