News - Page 1915

LDV is offering drivers a new 2.8-tonne Convoy van in a four-year finance deal at £44 per week (plus VAT) to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

A RADICAL four-point plan to change company van taxation will penalise drivers of older vans, offer tax cuts for drivers using the cleanest models and introduce a new charge for the use of private fuel.

'I spent a week on the road recently, attending van sales up and down the country and what struck me most were the issues of condition and the presence – or otherwise – of a vendor representative. This latter point is a recurring theme in the van market and a constant frustration to the trade.'

BCA's customers are now even better informed thanks to the latest SMS and email messaging technology.

BANK Holidays have been something of a crossroads in the commercial vehicle auction market over the past five years, marking a change in the market's performance.

THINK of Poland and you'll probably conjure up images of dirty shipyards staffed by female stevadores who look suspiciously like blokes, huge grey apartment blocks and dodgy motors that spew out enough noxious gases to choke the whole planet.

MG ROVER'S launch of a new van range has been a pretty quiet affair so far. But despite the lack of the usual razzmatazz that accompanies a new LCV, the Rover Commerce and MG Express are proving stylish and capable performers.

MANY van fleet operators still view Britain's auction houses as scurrilous nests of rogues, where sheepskin-coated dealers huddle together to fix prices and where honest sellers are likely to be ripped off.

MERCEDES-BENZ has quite a lot to crow about this year. Not only did the Sprinter win the best panel van title at the Fleet News Awards in March, but it has also been upgraded and remodelled with a raft of new improvements.

ABS, ASR, ESP – all these new-fangled hi-tech systems sound fine on paper. But it is not until buyers have seen them used in anger that they can appreciate just how much they can increase the safety and security of drivers and other road users.

BRIAN Roskell, Citroen's commercial vehicle operations manager, has a message for the Governmment as it considers altering benefit-in-kind tax for van drivers.

PROTON is reviving the dormant car-derived pick-up truck market with a jaunty new offering at a staggeringly low on-the-road price.

THE internet will never replace the traditional physical auction in the used car market, despite its growing importance as a defleeting tool.

THE British Vehicle Rental Leasing Association (BVRLA) has released a new set of guidelines to help clarify what is acceptable wear and tear.

FLEET managers can avoid unexpected costs at defleeting time by demanding a thorough initial quality inspection audit and subsequent report.

Key to the success of a new car is innovation. But it should never be forgotten that a car spends most of its life as a used vehicle and that is where its desirability is truly measured. If the used car buyer is not interested then long term it is effectively doomed.'

FLEETS throughout the country are being urged to have their say on the future of alternative fuels as the Government publishes its consultation document on the future of taxation of clean energy and grants for converting vehicles.

THE Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced plans to publish its generic guidance for employers on work-related road safety this autumn.

AN award-winning fleet manager whose car policy bans vehicles if they produce too much carbon dioxide has slashed the level of emissions cars can produce to qualify for his company's choice list.

BMW has revealed the first official pictures of its X3 'sports activity vehicle' which will make its public debut at this September's Frankfurt Motor Show.

THE Fleet News Get Trained campaign moves to its second stage next week, with latest figures showing fleets operating more than £160 million worth of vehicles are asking for help through the initiative.

FORD'S Mondeo 2.0 TDCi engine is to receive an upgrade to bring it in line with the unit offered in the forthcoming Jaguar X-type diesel.

GUNN JCB, the UK's largest dealership of JCB plant machinery, has taken delivery of 10 Mitsubishi L200 GL double cabs to be used by its mobile servicing managers throughout the UK.

FUEL management company CH Jones has acquired the British Gas CNG vehicle refuelling business for an undisclosed sum.

VAUXHALL will offer new common rail diesel engines in the revised Corsa when it goes on sale this autumn, as well as low consumption petrol technology.

RoadBASE, the PC-based fleet software from Chevin Fleet Solutions, has been developed further to aid users' fleet management efficiency.

MASERATI has revealed the first pictures of its high performance Pininfarina-styled four-door saloon.

A NEW motorcycle anti-theft device from Honda has won Category 2 approval from the Thatcham Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre.

ANC Rental Corporation, parent company of Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental, is to be sold to a private investment group in a multi-million pound deal.