News - Page 1861

SALES of commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes hit an all-time record last year as companies rushed to the showrooms to snap up a host of new models.

CITROEN, Peugeot and Fiat have all began rolling out their facelifted light panel vans to take on renewed opposition in the sector from the likes of the Vauxhall Vivaro, Renault Trafic, Volkswagen Transporter and Mercedes-Benz Vito.

BRITAIN'S fleet operators are increasingly turning to their drivers for advice, according to a new report commissioned by Vauxhall.

LEX Vehicle Leasing has just produced The Rough Guide To Vans, a booklet giving tips to LCV operators on how to run their fleets more efficiently.

FLEET Van editor Trevor Gelken lists 10 wishes for the coming year from the magic fairy godmother of van fleets.

FIAT'S 2.3-litre JTD common rail diesel gives the new Ducato quieter, cleaner and more fuel-efficient performance than the old 2.8 diesel, as Paul Clark reports

WITH all the razzmatazz that has accompanied the string of new panel van launches in the past year or two, it is easy to forget a small but important sector of the LCV market – the microvan.

ASK the average UK fleet operator which is the biggest selling van manufacturer in Europe and most would probably guess Ford, General Motors or Volkswagen. All would be wrong.

'The traditional strong start to van sales in January has been boosted by the roll-over of demand from the latter days of 2003.'

'IN the widely diversified commercial vehicle sector, knowing what it is and where to find it is a major benefit.'

'LPG was promoted as an economical way of reducing emissions, with encouragement from the Government by way of tax breaks on the fuel and other concessions such as conversion grants and exemption from congestion charges in London and elsewhere.'

ALEX Wright, commercial vehicle sales director at Manheim Auctions, reports early signs of another buoyant year in the van auction market.

FLEETS are not doing enough to ensure they have adequate protection against computer viruses, a leading IT expert has warned.

RENAULT has confirmed its seven-seat Grand Scenic will be priced at £1,000 more than the standard five-seat model when it goes on sale in April.

OPEL will unveil a new small car concept at the Geneva Motor Show next month which features an inflatable rear seat.

BOURNEMOUTH Borough Council has boosted its alternatively-fuelled vehicle fleet with 18 LPG-powered Vauxhall vans.

HYUNDAI is now offering a diesel version of the Getz supermini, using the 1.5-litre three-cylinder common-rail diesel used in the Matrix and Accent.

LANDSCAPE materials manufacturer Marshalls has installed an online telematics and fleet management system into its fleet of 150 vehicles.

NATIONWIDE Accident Repair Services has launched a new website.

THE Fleet Safety Forum, a division of road safety charity Brake, is hosting a half-day interactive Reverse Safely workshop on March 24 at the DaimlerChysler site in Barnsley.

CALLS for a radical shake-up of motoring taxes would send the price of fuel rocketing and fleet costs soaring, it has been claimed.

TOYOTA has won the manufacturer of the year accolade in LeasePlan's annual supplier awards.

COMPANY car drivers working for PricewaterhouseCoopers are being encouraged to go green.

HYUNDAI has unveiled its new Tucson sports utility vehicle (pictured), which will go on sale in the UK this autumn.

AUDI has replaced the Sport version of the 190bhp A4 1.8T with a performance-focused variant called S line.

VAUXHALL ended 2003 on a high after taking the top fleet sales spot for the first time. And the manufacturer has a strong chance of pulling ahead even further this year, with a new Astra and enhanced diesel engine range.

BLOCK exemption was supposed to bring a free market of servicing and repair that would result in lower costs for fleets. This would be achieved by using independent – but authorised – centres with cheaper labour and parts rates than main dealers, yet with equal skills.

FLEETS must take steps now to ensure their insurance providers are up to speed with forthcoming regulations that will govern the way motor insurance is sold.

CAST your mind back to January 2003 and you may recall that half of Britain's road infrastructure ground to a halt after a piffling snowfall of around two inches.

The latest appointments in the fleet industry.