News - Page 2105

BRITAIN is to play an increasingly prominent part in the financial recovery of Chrysler, with corporate business playing a key role. Chrysler's European sales - including the UK, which is the manufacturer's second strongest European market after Germany - will rise substantially in the next few years and more right-hand drive models will be launched in Britain.

THE bid to introduce Cadillac into the UK and European markets has not been an overwhelming success, General Motors chief executive Rick Wagoner has admitted. Cadillac and Chevrolet were launched into the UK in 1998 and sales have struggled - 819 Chevrolets and 330 Cadillacs with sales of the latter dropping to 61 last year

CHRYSLER Jeep will launch its all-new Cherokee 4x4 in the UK in October. Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Jeep brand, the new vehicle retains the renowned rugged characteristics of past Jeep and Cherokee models, but for the first time is also designed to appeal to sports utility vehicle buyers who value on-road capability as well as off-road performance.

A new Suzuki designed for the North American market is set to be a smash hit on this side of the Atlantic, believes the firm's UK importer. 'Our only disappointment with the new XL-7 is that we're likely to have to wait until July for right-hand drive supplies to arrive,' a spokesman told Fleet NewsNet as the new seven-seat car was revealed at the Detroit Motor Show.

BRITAIN'S future role as a major European car manufacturing base for Nissan will be revealed next week. The long-awaited decision over whether the Sunderland factory has won the crucial contract to build the next-generation Micra will be announced at the end of the month, chief executive Carlos Ghosn said at the Detroit Motor Show.

THE rich heritage of the world's best-known automotive brand will be in safe hands when BMW produces the first of a new generation of Rolls-Royce models, it was claimed at the Detroit Motor Show. With planning approval for a £60 million factory in West Sussex expected to get the go-ahead this summer, work on the most controversial car in the history of the Rolls-Royce badge is at an advanced stage.

LAND Rover could soon be exploiting its all-drive expertise by driving into challenging new sales territories, US distributor company president Howard Mosher claimed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

HONDA is poised to unveil the sport utility vehicle it plans to help drive its British manufacturing operations to profitability. The company's next-generation CR-V is to be introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show in October and is expected to add 100,000 units to annual production.

VOLKSWAGEN went back to its roots again when it produced one of the big surprises at the Detroit Motor Show. Stylists at the German company's studio in California revisited a 1950s theme with a Microbus concept.

MITSUBISHI has revealed the car it claims will give it the widest range of go-anywhere vehicles in the world and which could go on sale in the UK in two years. Despite being described as a concept, the ASX multi-activity vehicle is the US-styled version of a model that will be launched in Japan in May.

SAAB is to reveal a series of new models within the next 12 months in a bid to boost global sales by 50%. GM has consistently said it wants to expand the Swedish manufacturer's product line-up but a year after taking full control of the company no new products have been exhibited or discussed.

LEXUS will complete its UK line-up when the range-topping SC 430 Coupe, IS 300 SportCross and IS 300 arrive later this year. The IS 300 will be launched in the summer in automatic form only, the IS 300 SportCross, which made its world debut in Detroit, will go on sale in September in automatic form only, while the SC 430 Coupe will cost £50,000-£60,000.

FAST-fit centres have been stung by claims made by the Consumers' Association that they carry out unnecessary work and fail to spot safety problems. The centres are widely used by fleets and the findings could be a blow to European Commission proposals to split car sales and servicing when Block Exemption rules are reviewed in 2002.

TOYOTA will use the petrol-electric hybrid engine technology launched in the Prius in other vehicles, the company has confirmed. And Toyota Motor Corporation president Fujio Cho has issued a challenge to the rest of the industry, saying manufacturers must invest to limit the car's impact on 'our earth' or else Toyota and other vehicle manufacturers will not survive the 21st century.

KIA will launch its all-new Rio in the UK this year. Arrival date and prices for the small five-door hatch/estate have yet to be announced, but in the USA it costs less than $9,000.

THE first results of last year's General Motors alliance with Fiat will come in 2002/03 with the Italian manufacturer's diesel engine technology being used in GM vehicles. Fiat will produce models powered by its partner's petrol engines, according to GM Europe president Mike Burns.

A rotary-engined Mazda sports car is on its way back to British roads, company executives revealed when they previewed their long-awaited RX-8 model at the Detroit Motor Show. Officially billed as a design engineering prototype, the RX-8 is due to be signed off in the next few months and will go into production next year, Fleet NewsNet understands.

THE Conservative Party is preparing a last ditch battle-plan to force a rewrite of carbon dioxide-based company car tax before it is introduced in 2002.

THE seismic effect of falling residual values on the rental and leasing industry played havoc with company profits and plunged some into losses of millions of pounds, a major new survey has revealed.

FLEETS have called on the Office of Fair Trading to name and shame oil companies and expose the 'staggering' profits it is claimed they are making at the expense of motorists. In recent weeks crude oil prices have fallen by about 30%, while pump prices have only reduced in the last few days by 'a few pence', although there was a small pump price reduction by some fuel companies before Christmas.

FLEETS disposing of gas-powered vehicles are cashing in on what might be a turning point for alternative fuels, as auction bidders seem to be warming to liquefied petroleum gas.

A HUGE new area of fleet business could be created with the launch of proposals to regulate the minicab industry in London. The potential new market of 160,000-200,000 vehicles would result from the initiative aimed at regulating the minicab industry in the capital, and the proposals are set to have far-reaching consequences throughout the country.

THE new millennium brought a halt to the long-term rise of the fleet market caused by a year of uncertainty for fleet buyers - and the confusion will continue for the next year, according to Chris Macgowan, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

PROTON has become the first manufacturer in the UK to introduce a free five-year manufacturer warranty for cars. The new warranty (five years/80,000 miles) applies to all models sold through UK Proton dealers since January 1 and is backed by six-year powertrain and bodywork warranties and three years' RAC membership.

PEUGEOT is still expecting fleet diesel sales to grow this year, despite predictions of a surge in demand last year falling flat. The 2000 fleet diesel market fell by 0.9% from 175,498 sales to 173,911, although the overall market for diesel grew by 3%. Sales to the fleet market have dropped from 197,579 since 1998 and fleet diesel sales accounted for 55.5% of the total fleet market, compared to 57.6% for 1999.

MANUFACTURERS pre-registered thousands of cars last month as it became illegal to sell new vehicles which were not compliant with Euro III emissions legislation. With the December new car sales market up 27.5% and fleet sales last month up 18.1% manufacturers pre-registered stockpiled Euro II compliant vehicles which will now appear on dealer forecourts nationwide as nearly new vehicles.

A HIGH-profile bid to save drivers and fleets up to £200 million a year by stamping out the problem of motorists putting the wrong fuel in their vehicles could be launched nationwide. Hampshire police is offering other forces and corporate fleets throughout the country the chance to use a hard-hitting poster campaign designed to educate drivers on its own 800-vehicle fleet.

VAN sales were up in 2000 as the LCV market produced its best performance for 11 years. Total sales were 239,482 while light vans (up to 1,800kg) showed a huge rise in December, up 20.6% year on year to 4,203. Sales of vans between 1,801kg and 3,500kg were also up from 143,027 to 152,935.

METROCAB UK has suspended trading at all of its premises and filed for administration at the High Court. The company produced rivals to the traditional Manganese Bronze London cab, and is thought to employ around 200 people building the cabs from scratch, and producing up to 700 vehicles a year.

ASSOCIATES Fleet Services is providing vehicle leasing with full maintenance for Preston-based Goss Graphic Systems, a leading manufacturer of newspaper and printing presses, made up mainly of Vauxhall, Volvo, Peugeot and Alfa Romeo vehicles.