News - Page 2111

VOLKSWAGEN has launched a new bridging programme offering company car drivers short-term hire vehicles while their new car is on order.

ROCKETING growth at contract hire and fleet management firm Powermarque produced profits in the past six months that almost matched trading last year.

ATTEMPTS to kill off car clocking have taken a key step forward with new moves to launch a mandatory registration of mileage on vehicle licence documents.

A SPECIALIST division to serve the sub-100 fleet sector is to be launched by Arval PHH following a restructuring of its 'key' fleet business.

BRITISH fleets face the nightmare prospect of new car prices rising as motor manufacturers grapple with the issue of European price harmonisation.

THE Government has launched its annual Christmas anti-drink-drive campaign which will see a £1.9 million series of television commercials running until December 31.

PARAGON, the specialist lender which includes Paragon Car Finance, has announced pre-tax profits of £35.5 million for the year to September 30 on turnover of £186 million. The Solihull-based company operates a 3,000-strong contract hire fleet and was placed 48th in this year's Fleet News FN50.

INSURANCE companies have a massive role to play in reducing company car and van accidents according to junior transport minister Lord Whitty.

REVERSING could be more of a miss than hit affair for Nissan drivers with the manufacturer announcing that parking sensors are now a £310 option on the Micra - claimed to be the only car in its class available with the option of parking sensors.

OIL companies have been cleared of price fixing by the Office of Fair Trading after independent retailers had complained that the major oil companies had been selling wholesale fuel to them at prices higher than the companies' pump prices at their own branded and tied forecourts.

THE first 70 of the new liveried Green Flag recovery vehicles will be on the road by the end of December.

PEUGEOT is the latest manufacturer to slash car prices in the UK and has boosted specification across its range. Effective from Friday, the value of the reductions added to the specification enhancements means an average saving of £650 on a 206 up to £1,525 on a 406.

PRESSURE on fleet managers to show their value to their employers has reached boiling point after a damning new survey revealed two thirds of fleets are doing nothing to prepare for CO2-based company car tax.

COMPANIES can face harsh penalties for road accidents involving their staff now - before new laws on corporate manslaughter are introduced.

BCA is predicting a big rise in sales through its internet-based trading service BCA Direct over the next few months as the remarketing system rolls out across the UK and into Europe.

MG ROVER has presented an early Christmas present to its dealership

CONSULTATION will soon be taking place between HM Customs & Excise and operators of toll bridges and tunnels subject to VAT charges. The European Court of Justice ruled in September that only toll crossings operated by public authorities fall outside the scope of VAT.

AON Motor Accident Management has begun a review of its company car policy by awarding the funding and management of its entire 800-vehicle fleet to VELO.

VEHICLE management software is an essential tool in risk management, not a means of spying on staff according to Aon's director for technology projects John Gaynor.

THE Government has launched the first steps in a radical new environmental strategy that will force fleets to clean up their act - but it has refused a plea for more cash from a key partner in its campaign.

CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer Gordon Brown should stop tinkering with the tax strategy in a bid to encourage the uptake of alternatively fuelled vehicles and commit to building a comprehensive refuelling infrastructure.

COMPANY car drivers working in 30 local authorities could face charges for workplace parking or using congested roads as the Government gears up to make its Transport Bill law.

ORGANISERS of next year's motor show in London say major manufacturers pulling out will not affect the event, and its future is safe.

FLEET Show 2001 will be held from May 1-3 next year at a new venue - the historic surroundings of Alexandra Palace in London - and Renault has already backed the event by becoming the first manufacturer to sign up to attend.

FLEETS will be the focus of a ground-breaking internet-based buying service being developed by BMW to be launched next year as part of a pan-European trial of online services.

MOST public sector fleet managers could be wasting money through failing to introduce policies for cutting fuel use, according to a new survey. And nearly half say they would not consider alternative fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas, despite potential cost savings and environmental benefits.

A GOVERNMENT drive to clean up vehicle emissions with tax incentives launched in the pre-Budget Report has provoked renewed calls for scrappage schemes to get the oldest, most polluting cars off Britain's roads.

FUEL prices will rise despite Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's fuel duty reductions planned in the March 2001 Budget, Arval PHH Vehicle Solutions said this week.

THE Government must think 'clean' not 'small is clean', according to Mitsubishi which this week produced figures to show that its 1.8 litre Mitsubishi Carisma is more environmentally-friendly than some of Britain's favourite small fleet cars but is penalised under new Vehicle Excise Duty regulations.

SEAT is planning to steer clear of the traditional fleet car sector in a dramatic bid to win greater success with British business motorists. Bosses at the Volkswagen Group's Spanish offshoot have decided to make a U-turn from the highly-competitive upper-medium sales sector dominated by volume manufacturers like Ford and Vauxhall.