News - Page 2043

THE merger of two of the world's leading vehicle marketing and logistics companies has created a major new supplier to European vehicle manufacturers and fleets.

Ramesh Notra, economist at CAP Motor Research, and Martin Ward, international research manager, review the European used car market.

Volvo's director of international fleet, Alan Carpenter, described the Ford strategy for the international fleet market as realising 'maximum synergy while protecting the individual brands'.

CW Lease has appointed an international co-ordination team to support the development of pan-European and cross-border leasing business.

TRANSPORT and Energy Commissioner Loyola de Palacio has promised that the Galileo project, a new European satellite navigation system, will bring great advantages to the continent's transport industry.

THE European Commission has decided to take France to the European Court of Justice and to send a reasoned opinion to the UK because neither country has implemented Directive 98/4/CE.

Volkswagen claimed to have set a new benchmark in supermini values when it unveiled the next-generation Polo range at Frankfurt.

VOLKSWAGEN has received European Commission approval for its acquisition of sole control of Europcar International.

THE European Commission has approved a four-year, €240.4 million research and development aid package for motor vehicle equipment and component supply firms in Spain.

FIAT has had a regional aid grant of €24 million for its Rivalta plant near Turin blocked by the European Commission.

A novel range of options is poised to help the new Mercedes-Benz Vaneo claim a substantial share of booming mini-MPV sales, it was claimed at the Frankfurt motor show.

THE European Transport Safety Council, an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to the reduction of the number and severity of transport crash injuries in Europe, has criticised European Union transport commissioner Loyola de Palacio for saying that setting drink-drive (blood alcohol limits) for road safety was a matter for Member States.

SUZUKI Motor Corporation is taking greater control of its European distribution network with a series of acquisitions in Germany. The moves will vertically integrate the Japanese manufacturer's wholesale distribution for passenger cars and parts in Germany.

Long-awaited versions of the Ford Mondeo powered by second-generation common rail diesel technology will enter European showrooms early next year.

CAR manufacturers were left in no doubt of the holes in their global fleet strategies two years ago at the Automotive Congress Europe.

THE provision of web-enabled solutions is rapidly becoming a pre-requisite for winning major contracts in the leasing and daily rental markets.

If you believe the propaganda and publicity, we now live in a European Union where the barriers to trade have been swept away, the Euro has been firmly established, and vehicle manufacturers are anxious to deliver pan-European supply to major fleets, including daily rental firms.

BUDGET International has ambitious plans to be invited to tender for every major daily rental account in Europe.

THE pan-European leasing and fleet management industry faces unprecedented challenges and opportunities from the rapid development of new technologies, says Daniel Farrar, president and chief executive officer of GE Capital Fleet Services Europe.

THE operating lease market is less developed in Sweden than in many other European countries, and the international fleet manager has only a couple of international operational leasing companies from which to choose.

THE UK fleet industry has been grappling with the fallout of BMW's decision to sell Rover and Land Rover.

FUEL has become a burning issue in Portugal now that the government owes the oil companies a credit of about €60 million.

COMPETITION is intensifying in the Dutch leasing market as demand for car and van leasing increases.

THE leasing sector has got off to a flying start in Belgium in 2000, following a very successful 1999.

Visitors to the press conference given by Opel boss Carl Peter-Foster at Frankfurt were rewarded with a quick look at the vital new Vectra — even though the car is not due to make its show debut until next spring at the Geneva event.

FRANCHISED dealers find themselves in uncertain times, with almost every car manufacturer or importer updating or revising its dealer network.

FOR the first time ever, the number of diesel cars on Italian fleets outnumbers those which use petrol.

Following the terrorist attacks on America, there has been a great deal of attention focused on the dire consequences that this terrible atrocity will have on air travel.

THE Spanish fleet market can only move in one direction - growth. At the end of 1999, only 5% of the cars (passenger car and MPV) registered were part of a fleet.

Production has started on the new Opel Corsa Combo in Portugal.