News - Page 2179

TOYOTA is set to introduce a fast-fit operation next year to most of its 233 dealers following a successful pilot scheme. Fast-fit operations will be established within the existing workshops and will sell brakes, alternators, starter motors, exhausts and batteries with prices kept as low as possible through use of the Opti-fit range of Toyota-approved parts.

VAUXHALL's manager - alternative fuel vehicles, Malcolm Noyle, has resigned from the company. He said it was a personal decision, and that he was proud of what Vauxhall had achieved with its dual-fuel programme.

DEMAND for late low-mileage vans is continuing to hold up, according to latest figures from Glass's Commercial Vehicle Values. But amid the good news, Glass's warned that late models from the Citroen/Peugeot/Fiat stable were due to 'continue flooding back in numbers the market cannot swallow and with price expectations it cannot stomach'.

FLEETS renting light commercial vehicles face tough treatment on end-of-contract wear and tear charges, as van hire firms seek to stem rising losses on their buy-back vehicles. TLS is incurring refurbishment costs of about £400 per vehicle to comply with the conditions laid down by its buy-back agreements, and has warned that it will have to pass this expense on to customers.

TLS chief executive Peter Roberts has resigned after 20 years with the company.

NATIONAL vehicle rental chain Standish Self Drive has gone into administration, but insists it is 'business as usual' and that it will be back on its feet in a month's time. The Wigan-based firm has debts of about £3 million as a result of tumbling residual values and 'ridiculously low' rental rates from its competitors.

IMPROVED specifications have resulted in price increases on selected Renault models. The Clio 1.9 D three-door has gone up from £9,055 to £9,440, while the five-door increases from £9,505 to £9,890.

ATS Euromaster has launched a free vehicle servicing and maintenance scheduling service aimed at fleets of up to 100 vehicles on its internet site. Earlier this year the company launched its website at www.ats-euromaster.co.uk which allowed details of individual cars to be logged on the 'unique vehicle record' option, enabling the user to create a register of details, including tax renewal and service dates.

RENAULT has denied rumours that the Laguna name will be dropped when the new model is launched at the end of next year. A spokesman said: 'Laguna is a name that will only be six years old next year and we are sure it can continue.

THE 750,000th vehicle to be produced by Toyota in the UK has rolled of the production line at Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK).

FLEETLEASE has updated its internet site to enable customers to have on-line access to a wider range of vehicle management services. The site will eventually give fleet managers the chance to use a real-time quoting facility which can make cost comparisons between different vehicles.

RAC Trackstar, with 24-hour Guardian, will be fitted as standard to the new Subaru Impreza P1, making the company the first UK manufacturer or importer to install the device as standard. The system will also be offered as an approved option on new Subaru and Isuzu vehicles and an approved aftermarket accessory on used vehicles.

MITSUBISHI Motors UK has said there will be no further job cuts in the UK or in Europe as part of the company's global rationalisation plan. At the Tokyo Motor Show, Mitsubishi confirmed there would be 12,000 job losses by the time the ongoing rationalisation programme was completed at the end of 2003.

THE 100,000th Vauxhall Zafira has rolled off the production line six months after its launch.

VEHICLE maintenance and fleet management company Reelec Transport has won a contract worth an estimated £6 million with Yorkshire Water. Reelec Transport is part of the Freedom Group of companies which was formed from a management buy-out of Yorkshire Water in 1996.

DAEWOO has sold seven Matiz SEs and a Nubira estate to Liverpool-based Crime Prevention Ltd in a deal worth £78,000. The order was made following a two-week trial in which a Matiz completed 12,000 miles with Crime Prevention Ltd on its security car fleet.

CHELTENHAM-based Accident Management Services has taken on a fleet of 40 Nissan Micras under a two-year/10,000-mile contract hire agreement with c.2K Automotive Solutions.

MOTABILITY, which runs the UK's largest fleet of vehicles for the benefit of disabled drivers, has installed a Car Fleet Control system to manage its in-house fleet of 18 company vehicles.

AUTOMOTIVE information technology solution provider Concorde Informatics Ltd, has gained the Investors In People award for its service quality and commitment to staff training.

MOTORISTS will soon have to decide what kind of propulsion system they want in their new car, claims General Motors. In addition to choosing body style, colour, features and options, buyers will also face the prospect of selecting from electric, hybrid electric or internal combustion for the vehicle's power source.

NISSAN'S European assembly lines will build higher volumes of the Micra, Almera and Primera ranges over the next few years, pledged executive vice-president Patrick Pelata at the Tokyo Motor Show. 'Output will be a lot higher than it is today because all our research findings show no sign of a likely drop in demand for cars across the European market,' he said.

A NEW rotary-powered sports coupe concept designed for family use was the star of Mazda's stand at the Tokyo Motor Show. But another concept for a sports utility model will be first to reach the production line, said Mazda Motor Corporation director Fumiaki Inami.

A PACESETTING new supermini is poised to make 100mpg motoring available in Britain at a budget price. Hailed as the world's most economical production car, the Japanese model will cost less than £10,000 when it reaches the showrooms next year.

LEXUS gave notice of stepping up its effort to win a bigger share of business in Europe's luxury car market by revealing a sleek new coupe model at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Toyota brand's European-designed Sport Coupe is a smoothly-styled 2+2 which blends opulence with the practicality of a Mercedes-Benz SLK-type folding metal hood.

DAIHATSU had European markets firmly in mind when it designed a stunning new kind of compact multi-purpose vehicle. And the YRV concept, shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, is likely to be on sale here in 12 months' time.

MITSUBISHI'S next-generation Shogun will be a higher-value package for user-choosers when it is launched next year. The Japanese company's UK importer is aiming to market the restyled and technically advanced range at no increase in prices.

A DRAMATIC rise in sales of smaller cars reflects growing pressure on British motorists to make the switch to more fuel-efficient transport, claims Suzuki GB. David Seaward, sales and marketing director, said at the Tokyo Motor Show: 'After an 18% increase in registrations for the year to the end of September, it's clear that the pressure to downsize is gathering momentum.

THE UK could lose its position as the leading used car market in Europe to Germany in the next few years. In 1998 7.47 million used cars were sold in this country, marginally ahead of Germany, which recorded just 2,000 less in the same period.

LONG established commercial vehicle support company, DKV Euro Service, is aiming to bring its money-saving expertise gained in the truck and coach industry to car fleet managers. The Kent-based company supplies a cross-border credit card service to truck, coach and light commercial fleets which travel on the continent.

VEHICLE marketing specialist Keddy Services has purchased the vehicle preparation activities of Public Warehouse Europe from Chrysler Netherlands.