News - Page 2153

BMW insists it is not guilty for the demise of Rover as a volume car maker, but instead has laid the blame for its on poor sales, pressure to cut prices in the UK, the Government's confused signals about whether it would adopt the Euro and 'squabbles' in Brussels.

A SAVAGE attack on BMW has been launched by one of Britain's leading motor industry academics, who believes the manufacturer will be bought by General Motors. Professor Garel Rhys, head of the economic section at Cardiff University Business School, said: 'BMW has completely lost the plot. I don't think they can run a bath, let alone a car company. BMW has fouled up.

A LIBERAL Democrat government would scrap vehicle excise duty for the most fuel efficient cars, party leader Charles Kennedy told members at a conference in Plymouth.

NO decision on the future of Ford's Dagenham plant will be made until 'mid-May', a spokesman said on Monday.

VAUXHALL has won a deal to supply Tupperware with new cars for its party sales force. Tupperware takes delivery of 30 new models, mainly Corsa and Astras, on April 1 and over the next two years Vauxhall will be supplying in the region of 400 vehicles to the company.

LDV has secured a deal worth more than £7 million from the Royal Mail for 484 Pilot and Convoy vans, multi-purpose and personnel carrier vehicles built to specific requirements.

VAUXHALL is to supply lift manufacturer Otis with 500 vehicles over three years in a deal by Rover.

Ford is recalling 100,000 Focus models to replace oil filler caps, carry out engine compartment checks and re-programme the powertrain control module.

CONTROVERSY is raging as to whether fleets should reduce replacement cycles in a bid to boost residual values.

BUSINESS opportunities provided by Fleet Show 2000 have been endorsed by company bosses and fleet organisations.

FLEETS look set to be offered stockpiled Rover 25, 45 and 75 models at cut-price as Rover's new owner, Alchemy Partners, begins to radically transform the company. Five months' worth of stock will be offered to fleets - probably at knockdown prices.

PETROL and diesel increased by 2p a litre/9.09p a gallon from 6pm on Tuesday, although the Chancellor of the Exchequer introduced a 1p a litre incentive for ultra low sulphur petrol from October 1, 2001 and froze duty on road fuel gas for another year.

THE Government says it is not anti-diesel and has pledged to review company car tax and Vehicle Excise Duty penalties for the fuel.

CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has postponed the launch of the four-band graduated Vehicle Excise Duty until March 1, 2001.

FLEETS have been told to follow the 'green' road by Chancellor Gordon Brown, with reforms to company car tax and Vehicle Excise Duty favouring cleaner and more fuel efficient cars. Tax changes will be introduced from April 6, 2002, based on a percentage of list price according to carbon dioxide emissions, but diesel drivers will pay a 3% penalty because of higher emissions.

THE 2000 Budget may be described as radical for the company car, but few fleet managers can say they were surprised. Since the 1999 Budget, speculation has come from many sources, but the main predictions were not far from reality.

A SPATE of consolidation has reshaped the daily rental market as firms join forces to increase buying power and remain competitive in a cut-throat industry. National and international daily rental firms have been picking off smaller rivals in the industry as they struggle in a market hit by falling residual values which has seen a number of firms disappear.

IMPORTS of cut-price new cars will cease once pricing differences are resolved, claimed Sanderson Bramall Motor Group chairman Tony Bramall, who says the volume of vehicles being brought in the UK are being exaggerated. Bramall launched an attack on 'media hype' surrounding cut-price imports of cars in publishing the Group's 1999 trend-breaking results.

DIXON Motors has joined forces with Direct Line to launch a new car buying and selling website, which will target fleets as key customers. Direct Line Group became the latest company to announce the launch of its own car buying website last month with a project in which it is investing £50 million.

WEAK demand for new cars and tumbling residual values saw Dixon Motors report 'satisfactory' results for the year to December 31, 1999 of pre-tax profits down 20.8% at £8.4m (1998: £10.6m) on turnover up 3.5% at £660m (1998: £637.7m). Chief executive Paul Dixon said: 'These results reflect a robust performance when viewed against the poor 1999 marketplace affected by new car pricing issues.'

THE new quadra-headlamped face of Mercedes-Benz's C-class - to be launched in September in saloon format and promising a host of class-leading technological features - has been revealed. Pictures released by the German manufacturer show styling cues from S and E-class and a sporty, wedge-shaped body for the new rival to Rover 75, BMW 3-series and Saab 9-3. An estate version will follow.

STRONG fleet sales coupled with improved profit margins on the business helped dealership, leasing and rental group Sanderson Bramall buck the downward profitability of the sector. The Sanderson Bramall Motor Group reported pre-tax profits of £17.24m (1998: £17.05m) on turnover up to £844m (1998: £832m) for the year to December 31, 1999.

BUDGET Car and Van Rental's ground-breaking City Car Club in Edinburgh is one-year-old on Sunday and its success has prompted rocketing national interest in launching similar schemes. Since launch, the rental company has signed up 100 members for the scheme and was the key factor in Budget winning the coveted Fleet News Environmental Initiative of the Year Award, sponsored by Continental.

HUNTINGDON-based contract hire and fleet management company Powermarque has launched a car and van rental franchising operation tailored to local businesses. The company says it has identified a gap in the short-term rental market between the major companies offering a uniform package and the diverse needs of smaller local businesses.

THE former chairman of Standish Self Drive has launched a new daily rental company called Easi-Rent with a vow to shun businesses demanding the cut-throat daily rental rates that plunged his old firm into crisis. Nick Hanley has launched Wigan-based Easi-Rent to former clients of Standish with a 500-strong fleet saying he has learnt harsh lessons from the collapse of his former business, which went into receivership with debts estimated at more than £10 million.

STATE-of-the-art satellite tracking technology will revolutionise the service TLS can offer to fleets next year. The van and truck rental firm is already trialling a system which can record mileage, speed, location and journeys using global satellite positioning technology and GSM mobile communication links.

A YEAR of expansion is being planned by Thrifty Car Rental which will boost its entire fleet, including the luxury and commercial vehicle sector. Since the start of this year, the firm has already agreed major supply deals with Renault for 400 Kangoo vans worth £4.2 million and 2,000 Vauxhall Corsas, Astras and Vectras which will make up a quarter of its fleet.

A NEW daily rental package has been unveiled by Associates Fleet Services following the signing of a renewed partnership agreement with National Car Rental for two years. The rental product offers an all inclusive rate, covering delivery and collection throughout the UK, one-way hire, unlimited mileage and 24-hour cover.

SEVEN new product lines are to be introduced over the next two years in a dramatic bid to double Suzuki's sales volumes in Britain. The Japanese company's UK subsidiary has been set a target of 40,000 annual registrations as part of plans to achieve a 2% share of the total European new car market.

BMW is adamant it will be building Rolls-Royce cars in Britain from January, 2003. Confirming that the luxury brand name was not to be sold off with Rover, MG, old Mini, Land Rover and Longbridge, BMW chairman Joachim Milberg said that a production location for Rolls-Royce would be announced before the end of the year.