News - Page 2108

HALIFAX bank has pledged its commitment to its investment in Lex Vehicle Leasing despite the contract hire firm revealing it expects to lose an average of £1,000 on every car it sells for the next three years because of tumbling residual values.

PEUGEOT-OWNED Robins and Day Leasing, the multi-marque leasing firm, has closed to new business as its operations are merged with Coventry-based Peugeot Contract Hire in the latest upheaval for the contract hire market.

A £30 million spending programme to clean up some of the dirtiest vehicles on the roads has been unveiled by the Government in a move that could boost demand for alternative fuels.

DATA communications expert Oasis has launched an online vehicle information database aimed at fleet managers. The new Vehicle Terms and Conditions (V-TAC) system offers a database of more than 500,000 vehicles through partnerships with firms including LeasePlan, HSBC, Interleasing, GE Capital Fleet Services, First National Vehicle Holdings, Powermarque and VELO.

VOLVO will cut the size of its dealer network as part of a reorganisation that prepares for changes to block exemption in 2002, and Mercedes-Benz is also considering changes to its dealer network.

FLEET managers will come under immense pressure to implement new safety measures after the Government launched proposals to heavily punish dangerous drivers.

MANUFACTURERS and service companies are gearing up to make next year's Fleet Show an event to remember. With five months to go before the show opens at its new venue, Alexandra Palace in London, Jaguar, Audi, Nissan and Renault have all signed up to the event.

FLEET managers turning to alternative fuel could be making their drivers victims of a punitive tax loophole. Vehicle management specialist Arval PHH is predicting that drivers who receive free fuel for private mileage from their employers face having to drive twice as many miles to take advantage of the perk.

AUDI'S head of corporate sales, Ian Holmes, has decided to leave after 15 years with the Volkswagen Group. Holmes will initially take a three-month break before pursuing other interests which could include consultancy work in various sectors of the industry.

DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has announced a string of controversial new bypasses and relief roads as part of an £8.4 billion bid to get Britain moving. The package, which also includes investment in new light rail schemes and advanced bus systems, is the first instalment of a £180 billion public private partnership plan for the transport network, unveiled in the 10-year transport plan in July.

WELL-known industry figure Godfrey Larque, a former director of PHH and employee of the company for nearly 16 years, has died suddenly from a heart attack.

Citigroup has successfully completed its acquisition of Associates First Capital Corporation, including its UK leasing subsidiary Associates Fleet Services, in a deal that is likely to herald a change of name.

KWIK-FIT Fleet's sales and marketing director Penny Hadfield is to leave the company almost a year after she joined. She joined the company to replace Simon Roper, who became managing director.

EUROPCAR has promoted Michael McInerney to the position of fleet director after announcing that current fleet and operations director Steve Maltby will be leaving the company.

The Mercedes-Benz C-class estate will make its world debut at the International Automobile Show in Detroit in January. It will go head-to head with the BMW 3-series Touring, Audi A4 Avant and Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon.

BMW will unveil a high performance version of its X5 sports activity vehicle at the International Automobile Show, Detroit, in January. The new car will be powered by a 347bhp 4.6-litre engine, with 354lb-ft of torque, accelerating from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and on to a maximum of 149mph.

The new five-door Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin will go on sale from January 1 ranging from £15,995–£18,495 - up to £1,005 less than expected.

UP to 100 Vauxhall fleet customers have complained that company car transaction prices have increased following price and dealer margin realignments as a consequence of the Government's Supply of New Cars order.

FEARS are growing over the future of the London Motor Show with further manufacturers expected to announce their withdrawal in the coming weeks.

RYDER Ground Fleet Services (GFS) has taken over responsibility for British Airways' (BA) support fleet vehicles at Manchester Airport. Under the new fleet management contract, Ryder GFS will operate and maintain at least 300 pieces of equipment on a 24-hour, 365-days a year basis.

VAUXHALL expects to triple dual-fuel vehicle sales this year - up from 800 to 2,400 units and rising to 4,000 - 5,000 units next year.

VELO Motor Accident Management has changed its name to Aon Motor Accident Management and announced a three-year deal to handle the fleet accident management for BT's 55,000 vehicles - one of Britain's biggest fleets.

NISSAN owned up to playing a waiting game over the cost of new cars in Britain when it finally announced wide-ranging reductions of up to 13.2% this week.

SEAT has cut list prices effective from January 1, completing its range of cuts announced on various models throughout 2000. The move also follows a recent offer for retail buyers and small fleets and includes boosted specification levels as well as price cuts on many models.

MITSUBISHI'S latest round of price cuts ensures its upper-medium car, the Carisma, remains competitive against cars like the new Ford Mondeo and lower-priced Vauxhall Vectra.

AUDI has revealed aggressive prices for the new A4 range which will go on sale in the UK from March. New engines, more powerful diesels and improved equipment levels will be available across the range.

VAUXHALL dealt a hammer blow to the UK fleet industry by announcing the end of car production at its Luton plant. The news took the motor industry by surprise when it was announced at a press conference in Detroit.

THE residual value slump that has wiped millions of pounds from the value of the company car parc has transformed traditional 'repmobiles' into star performers for fleets.

A TRADE war between supermarket forecourts and oil companies could slash fleet managers' fuel costs by millions of pounds a year. A fall in the price of crude oil prompted supermarket chains Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Safeway to slash prices by an average of 2p a litre/9p a gallon.

FLEET industry leaders have called for the Government to take steps to stamp out major areas of car crime after it published its Cutting Vehicle Crime Bill.