CAP manufacturer relationships manager Martin Ward scours the globe for the week's insider fleet knowledge 

Monday

A delegation from Subaru UK came up to Leeds, led by managing director Paul  Tunnicliffe, for a long overdue meeting.

In the past few years Subaru has been drifting in the wilderness with nobody, including us, really knowing their strategy.

Subaru certainly hasn’t had much, if any, presence in the fleet sector, and Paul said it would be difficult to break into the market in any great numbers now.

But with the 2.0-litre diesel engine, and more fuel-efficient models in the pipeline, it could be easier in the future.

A good catch-up session which has given us a clearer insight into the brand and its plans.

Friday

Am I the only one who hasn’t been bowled over by the new Jaguar XJ?

While the front-end is stunning, the back-end treatment is, in my eyes, not the best.

While I was travelling to Jaguar’s Whitley engineering centre to have a closer look at the car, I spotted one on the road, and my feelings on the rear-end treatment were proved correct.

If you want to see one in the metal, park up in a layby on the A45 near Coventry airport – a new XJ will be along soon.

The XJ is joining a sector that is struggling and some very competent cars are already out there such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8, Lexus LS460 and the BMW 7 Series.

And the latter should provide a warning to Jaguar.

BMW came to market with an unusually styled 7 Series a few years ago, but has now reverted to a more conservative look to appease luxury car buyers.

Will the new XJ’s styling prove too much for used buyers in three years’ time

That’s what we’re currently trying to decide.