News - Page 1857

CHISWICK Honda, the world's first Honda brand centre, was awarded the title Dealer of the Year at the recent MCN Awards.

TOOMEY Eurolease and Toomey Westlease have both outsourced their driver helplines to All Fleet Services.

PRICES for the revised Hyundai Elantra have been announced, undercutting the Vauxhall Vectra, Nissan Primera and Renault Laguna by thousands of pounds.

COMMUNICATIONS giant BT is putting more than 1,500 of its high-risk drivers through extensive driver training in one of the biggest programmes of its type ever undertaken in the fleet industry.

PRICES have been announced for the diesel version of the Mazda3, with the firm expecting it to account for a third of all sales.

FORD will use next week's Geneva Motor Show to unveil its new Fiesta ST (pictured).

THE Fleet Safety Forum has launched a campaign to encourage fleet managers to monitor and assess drivers more effectively.

BMW will launch its first multi-stage turbocharged diesel engine later this year with a new variant of the 5-series.

THRIFTY Car Rental has awarded a 2,500-vehicle deal to Renault in a deal worth more than £35 million at showroom prices.

THE Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has launched a consultation into whether the counterpart to the photocard driving licence should be abolished.

SKODA has launched its new website where users can buy new or used cars, request a test drive and search for specific vehicle data.

NATIONAL charity, BENergy has received a donated Avensis T4 from Toyota.

AYLESBURY-based dealership Perrys has acquired Aylesbury Ford and Chiltern Ford.

Satellite Navigation in Transport and Logistics event<br> 16 March 2004 - Institute of Physics, London

I HAD the strangest feeling after leaving Vauxhall's Luton headquarters. I was driving a new Volkswagen Golf 1.6 FSI, and all the way back to the Fleet News offices I pondered long and hard over a question I have never had to ask myself in depth before.

FLEETS wanting to introduce a European fleet policy were shown a nine-point action plan designed to ensure such a mammoth task succeeds.

DEMAND for pan-European deals is increasing but fleets are being warned not to see it as a solution to all problems.

USER-choosers take note. The Porsche Boxster has topped a used car value league for the third time in a row.

EMPLOYEES opting out of their company cars are now worse off after being hit hard by falling residual values in many car sectors and should protect themselves by choosing personal contract purchase (PCP) schemes over cash allowances, a major bank has claimed.

LEASING companies need to focus on three key areas in a bid to stay ahead in the pan-European market.

A MAINTENANCE contractor has switched its light commercial fleet from Ford to Toyota because it believes the Japanese firm has a better reliability record.

MAJOR differences in tax levels between key EU countries mean that a 'true' single market is still a long way away.

EUROPEAN governments which are reducing rail subsidies and increasing public transport costs are helping daily rental companies expand across Europe, delegates were told.

ON the first anniversary of the London congestion charge, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was in a self-congratulatory mood over its success – while a number of fleet customers were less enthusiastic.

IF fleet sales are all about market share and volume, then Nissan is losing interest.

CHANGES to block exemption offer major opportunities to fleet manufacturers, service companies and end fleet users if companies approach the market in the right way.

IMPROVING existing fuels rather than developing new ones will probably power the fleet vehicles of the future, delegates were told.

JUST a few years ago, epyx 1link was virtually unheard of – now, half of the top 50 leasing companies are using the online system.

MULTI-NATIONAL fleets are not doing enough to explore the opportunities presented by remarketing end-of-contract cars across borders.

A EUROPEAN company has launched a service which aims to combat the toll dilemma for fleets throughout Europe.