News - Page 2046

It's not unusual to see upwards of 20 concept cars at major European shows like Frankfurt or Geneva - but it is rare to see a Saab among them.

Every few years a motor show is dominated by several new car debuts in one sector of the market.

Peugeot will preview a future 307 estate at Frankfurt with a concept car that is reputed to seat seven.

General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) will use its new presence in Poland as a 'footprint' for further expansion into central and Eastern Europe.

Visitors to this month's Frankfurt motor show will be treated to a series of launches that look set to rewrite the rules in Europe's supermini segment.

Dutch car-leasing association VNA has appointed Ferdinand Clevers as its new chairman.

A NEW research project aims to build an all-encompassing perspective of the car distribution chain from factory to final customer.

SHELL has relaunched its pan-European fuel card business, euroShell, as fleet demand for the fuel purchasing and management system grows at 10% per month.

A NEW EU directive will give European fleets greater insurance protection when their vehicles operate abroad in countries that recognise the Green Card system.

THE European Commission is urging fleets across Europe to support the European Car Free Day, and use alternatives to cars and vans on Friday, September 22.

FUEL cell-powered vehicles could become the ideal solution for transforming the company car into a mobile office.

ONE of the Netherlands' largest fleets will save huge sums by restricting its company car choice list from this spring. Randstad runs 4,500 cars and has an annual budget of 70 million guilders (€32 million).

DEBIS Fleet Management - a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler Services - has signed a $773 million outsourcing deal with South Africa's state-controlled telephone monopoly, Telkom.

TUPPERWARE has consolidated its pan-European fleet to a solus General Motors policy by switching its UK fleet from Fiat to Vauxhall.

BUSINESS travellers will soon be able to hire a Mercedes A-class for as little as £9–£39 (€14.4 –€62.4) per day from new car hire firm easyRentacar.

INTERNATIONAL power tool manufacturer Black & Decker has appointed Arval and PHH Vehicle Management to fund and manage its 650-strong pan-European fleet.

LARGE French fleets will be the first customers of Citroen's Xsara Windows CE, a limited edition range of cars that include voice-activated information systems.

WORLDWIDE textiles and clothing manufacturer Coats Viyella has started to adopt a pan-European approach to its fleet policy.

VEHICLE depreciation forecasts differ sharply among leasing companies in France, Germany, Italy and the UK, according to an independent industry survey.

THE European motor industry faces a clean-up bill of about €15 billion under the new End of Life Vehicles Directive, adopted by the European Parliament.

VOLVO is investigating new opportunities in European corporate sales following its acquisition by Ford.

This year trade buying got off to a slow start, but by mid January things were back into full swing. Most auctions were reporting good business with reasonable conversion rates at the majority of sites, although there are of course exceptions and the word 'patchy' has been used by some in the trade.

THE efficiency of centrally negotiated contracts will see the fleet sector boom across Europe, according to Jean-Martin Folz, chairman of PSA Peugeot Citroen.

VOLKSWAGEN is offering a special service for its major fleet customers via the internet at http://www.vw-fuhrpark.de.

ALMOST a quarter (20–23%) of the 4,500 'mobile' employees of Origin Nederland have welcomed a new mobility option which provides them with a fixed cash allowance rather than a lease car with fuel card.

DAIMLERCHRYSLER has announced plans to increase the number of Smart dealers in Europe to 280 by the end of the year, from 122 at present.

VOLVO Car International has developed a website to make life easier for expatriates, diplomats and military personnel entitled to buy a new Volvo on special terms.

GIANT U.S. fleet Ryder has signed an order for 10,000 OmniTRACS Mobile Systems that include two-way mobile communication, satellite tracking and fleet management software for real time messaging and vehicle locating.

GE CAPITAL Fleet Services has bought the corporate and utility fleet leasing portfolio of Bank of America Leasing and Capital Group for an undisclosed sum.

DEUTSCHE Bank has expanded its pan-European leasing and fleet management operation with the launch of DFS Automotive Portugal.