News - Page 2121

VOLUME fleet car manufacturers are resisting pressure to cut list prices after luxury marques rushed to slash their prices in time for the launch of X-registration vehicles .

KWIK-Fit has acquired a number of sites from the receiver of fast-fit and tyre firm Montinex, including Charlie Browns, along with its FTM Tyrefit brand. Montinex and its subsidiaries Chessington Tyres, Imaco International trading as Northway Tyres, Exhaust Despatch trading as Malvern Tyres and Charlie Browns, were put up for sale last month by receiver Ernst & Young.

DAVID Henley Systems has been sold to CFS Group in a deal worth more than £7 million, which could spark development of a range of new services for fleets. Under the deal, CFS will acquire 100% of the share capital of David Henley Systems and pay an initial £4 million consideration in cash and CFS shares, which could rise to £7.5 million depending on future results.

CHEAP fuel for fleets over the internet could be a reality in Britain by 2002, according to market analyst Datamonitor. Online sales of petrol are rocketing in the USA, where more than two million gallons were sold to 100,000 customers in July alone, and five million people are expected to have signed up to e-commerce purchasing schemes by the end of the year.

CONTROVERSIAL claims that increasing fuel prices could be driving smaller companies to bankruptcy have been dismissed by fleet experts. Research carried out by Minorplanet, the Leeds-based supplier of vehicle management information systems, found that 73% of clients surveyed were worried about the effects of higher fuel prices on their businesses.

FLEET managers expect the introduction of carbon dioxide-based company car tax to radically alter the fleet industry, an internet-based survey of fleet managers' opinions has revealed. Nearly 90% expected at least some effect on the industry from the launch of the new tax system in 2002, with 70% saying the changes would be 'significant or very significant'.

A LEADING figure in the Government-supported Energy Saving Trust has spoken out to defend alternative fuels following claims some 'cleaner' fuel emissions are more of a health risk than diesel. Jonathan Murray, head of transport at the Energy Saving Trust, said fleets must concentrate on the benefits of alternative fuels, rather than be sidetracked by unproved claims about fuels like LPG.

A THIRD of fleet managers are still unaware of changes in vehicle excise duty with just six months to go before the new rules are introduced, according to a survey of UK fleet managers. The survey, carried out for Paragon Car Finance, revealed 380 fleet bosses out of 1,000 questioned did not know of VED changes, which come into play in March.

TWO major dealer groups that reported a fall in profits in the past half-year have blamed the long-running row over car pricing. Ryland Group and Pendragon said the continuing focus on car pricing discouraged car buyers, but added they expected the market to recover now the Supply of New Cars Order 2000 has been published.

VOLKSWAGEN says it has run out of diesel Passats in the UK four months before the first new models are delivered and other variants are could run out by mid November. Renault has also reported a shortage of Lagunas, with a few weeks of production still to run.

THE Co-op Bank has introduced a cash for car scheme which will reduce its company car fleet by more than 100 vehicles. About 130 staff will be provided with cash instead of a car, with a choice of sourcing a vehicle on their own or obtaining a personal contract purchase plan from PHH Vehicle Management.

ROB Whalley, managing director of Fleetlease, has announced he is to leave the firm for another position within the automotive industry.

THE multi-marque vehicle management division of Lombard North Central, British Car Contracts, has been renamed as Lombard, with a new logo.

TWENTY teams from the fleet and motor manufacturing industries have signed up for this year's RAC 5-a-side Charity Challenge due to be held on September 30 at the JJB Soccer Dome in Manchester.

AA Business Services is the new provider of a comprehensive warranty programme for Daewoo Cars. The standard warranty on a new Daewoo is three years/60,000 miles, but the new programme will allow drivers to extend it for up to an additional three years with unlimited mileage, as long as the car is within the original warranty or no more than five years old and/or has covered less than 120,000 miles.

NISSAN will introduce 24-hour production at its Sunderland plant if it secures the contract for the new Micra. Production would increase by 50% and would turn Sunderland into Britain's first 24-hour car factory.

THE RAC has retained the contract to provide breakdown cover for the Motability scheme for the next three years. Since first winning the contract in 1997 the RAC has supplied breakdown and recovery services for 385,000 Motability customers, with a dedicated team based at Stockport.

THREE people, including EMAP Automotive's Nicola Appleton, are planning to make a sponsored 12,000-ft freefall parachute jump to raise funds for BEN - the motor industry's benevolent fund. Mike Smith, of HSBC Vehicle Finance, and Fiona Morfitt, of SEAT UK, will be joining Appleton and the Red Devils at Airfield Camp, Netheravon, Wiltshire, on September 19.

SEAT has unveiled its new-look Arosa in time for the car's launch at the Paris Motor Show at the end of this month. The UK range is likely to include 1.0 S, 1.4 S automatic, 1.4 TDI 75bhp diesel, 1.4 60bhp S and 100bhp 1.4 16V Sport.

VOLKSWAGEN is replacing its eight-valve 1.6-litre 100bhp petrol engines with new, more powerful 16-valve units in Golf, Golf estate and Bora models. Vehicles with a manual gearbox are uprated to 105bhp, while the automatics are up to 102bhp.

SEAT is to launch the UK's most powerful sub-£14,000 hatchback in October. The new Ibiza Cupra, which has a 156bhp 1.8-litre petrol turbo engine, will cost £1,000 less than its Cupra Sport predecessor at £13,995 on-the-road.

FLEET operators could be heading for a winter of damaged vehicles and higher insurance premiums after the House of Lords ruled that local authorities weren't legally obliged to grit icy roads.

DOTCOM car sites are failing to win over company car drivers and fleet managers because of poor service, according to a new survey. Research for national car dealer Perrys shows fewer than 1% of buyers would consider making a purchase over the internet, although one in four use the web to track down deals and information on new models.

A GROUND-breaking campaign targeted at fleet managers to help them cut vehicle accident levels and reduce the risks drivers face on the road has been launched by Zurich Commercial.

MORE powerful diesel and petrol engines are to be introduced in the Vauxhall car and van range over the next year. Timings have yet to be announced, but the 2.2-litre 16-valve petrol unit, first seen in the Astra Coupe and now powering the VX200, is likely to become available in the Astra, Zafira and Vectra by the autumn.

A CRUNCH meeting was planned this week between Toyota and the Government-funded Powershift programme to finalise vital grant payments for the manufacturer's hybrid Prius model. Fleets are expected to be the key market for the petrol/electric- powered vehicle, to be launched in October at the Birmingham Motor Show. But with a price tag expected to be as high as £18,000, grants to entice corporate buyers are vital.

WIRELESS application protocol (WAP) phones' impact on fleet e-commerce is the topic at one of three workshops at the FleetNet open day on September 27. Auto Windscreens' IT director Roger Kendrick will lead WAP technology discussions, Bryan Gale, PHH Vehicle Management Service's business solutions manager, will be speaking on model codes, and Rod Mountney, of EDS, is to give an electronic data exchange update.

FLEET drivers must follow a 60-second checklist before leaving their cars to help cut rocketing costs from break-ins and vandals. Autoglass has supported the findings of the Lex Vehicle Leasing report, which claimed theft and vandalism could be reduced if fleet drivers did not park in places where they were exposed to criminals.

THE Kia Carens is knocking established names off the top of cost of ownership charts thanks to its low retail price - joining its larger stablemate, the Sedona, as the cheapest MPV to operate in the market.