News - Page 2182

THE slow emergence of personal contract motoring in favour of the provision of a company car as a employee perk is leading to dividends for Subaru and its expanding Impreza range. As the manufacturer unveiled its 276bhp Impreza P1 two-door saloon, which is aimed at fighting back against 'grey' imports, Harvey France, Subaru's national fleet sales manager, revealed the Impreza was winning ground in the company car park.

UK company car drivers had their first glimpse of the new Vauxhall Astra Coupe at the London Motor Show. The sporty lower medium car bears a striking resemblance to Vauxhall's Calibra, and will feature a 'hot' 2.0-litre, 190bhp turbocharged engine, as well as 147bhp, 2.2-litre and 1.8-litre, 115bhp units.

BMW will launch new 3-series Touring models next month, after their UK debut at the show. Two petrol models will be available initially - the 318i SE and the 328i SE - followed by the 320d SE, powered by BMW's 2.0-litre direct injection, 136bhp diesel engine, in January 2000.

A CROSS between a van and a moped is already creating interest in the fleet industry after debuting at the London Motor Show. The Piaggio Ape, imported by Reliant, has a 50cc engine, offers 85mpg, hits 25mph using four gears, takes up to 200kg payload and costs about £2,400.

SEAT is preparing to introduce an eight-model range of its Leon hatchback into the UK, spanning 1.4 litres and 75bhp up to a 180bhp turbocharged sports version. There will be a choice of two diesel engines as well as a 1.6-litre 100bhp version.

PRESTIGE car maker Lexus looks set for a record year in the UK with sales set to top 8,000 units by the end of the year, which would confirm the market as the brand's second biggest in the world after the United States. If Lexus achieves its 1999 target it would mean it more than doubles its 1998 sales (3,200 units).

SAAB is hoping to turn around its flagging fleet sales by targeting user-chooser drivers with its new 9-5 Aero model, priced from £27,995 on-the-road. Offering more power and performance per pound than any executive class rival, the saloon and estate Aero are fitted with a 2.3-litre turbocharged engine which produces 230bhp and 258lb-ft of torque.

FIAT will enter the UK mini-MPV market in January when it launches the Multipla, which received its UK debut at the London Motor Show. The distinctively-styled Multipla will compete head-to-head with the Renault Megane and Vauxhall Zafira and while prices have yet to be announced, Fleet NewsNet understands they are likely to be targeted directly at Scenic, which started the mini-MPV revolution.

PRICES for the new Fiat Punto start at £7,995 on-the-road for the 1.2-litre three-door rising to £13,495 for the range-topping 1.8 16v HGT three-door. Fiat announced prices at the London Motor Show, with the new varying little from the old model - entry price just £135 more than the outgoing vehicle.

THE Alfa Romeo 156 has put the Italian manufacturer on the fleet map and hopes are high that its penetration of the sector will increase with the June 2000 arrival of the 156 station wagon. The as yet unnamed estate marks a major departure for Alfa Romeo from its traditional routes and while it will not be a 'workhorse' estate, it will be capable of carrying large loads.

SUZUKI was displaying its Wagon RR town car at the show to gauge public reaction to see if it is worth importing the car into Britain. The 650cc, three-cylinder turbocharged car is one of the top sellers in Japan.

CORPORATE business is to become increasingly vital to Hyundai as it looks to increase UK sales from about 30,000 units annually to 40,000 over the next two to three years. And next year will be a crucial one for the Korean manufacturer as its launches five new vehicles into the UK market including its Trajet MPV which received its world premiere at the London Motor Show and facelifts to two further vehicles.

SURPRISE interest in Honda's hi-tech Insight petrol/electric hybrid model has prompted company officials to rethink sales targets for both Britain and Japan. Business motorists in both countries took the company by surprise when the 83mpg coupe went on display at Motor Show stands in Earls Court and Tokyo.

A PLEA for unity from the driver-training industry was backed by the Institute of Advanced Motorists at the London Motor Show. Last week, the Fleet Driver Training Association called for all driver-training firms to work towards the single aim of cutting accident rates on Britain's roads.

THE new managing director of Audi UK believes the marque's role for the next 12 months must be to improve customer loyalty and develop a distinct image in order to capitalise on forthcoming launches. Kevin Rose started with Audi in July and recognises he is joining the company after a highly successful three years in terms of selling products - but the focus is now on the human strengths.

CITROEN is expecting demand for its car to follow in the footsteps of rising sales for its light commercial vehicle range as it launches a series of new models. Fleet sales of cars for the French firm have been flagging past year and currently down 33.5% year-on-year at 20,440.

VOLVO'S revitalised image and the backing of parent company Ford is helping it to win more and more new fleet business while other manufacturers' sales are stagnating. The introduction of the S80 executive challenger and the growing popularity of the S and V40 ranges has spearheaded Volvo's fleet business this year.

BENTLEY will be offering bespoke contract hire and lease hire options for business customers from November 1. Bentley Financial Services will start under the support of Volkswagen Financial Services UK to offer finance packages for buyers.

THREE new Aston Martin models made their UK debuts at the London Motor Show. The DB7 Vantage and its open-topped Volante sister are powered by a new 6.0-litre V12 engine.

A DUAL stage airbag which alters the rate of inflation to suit the force of a crash will make its debut on Volvo's new large estate model due to be revealed in January. The system uses a sensor that registers the force of an impact and adjusts the degree of inflation to suit, as well a co-ordinating it with the seatbelt restraint.

A THIRD year of record sales for Daihatsu was helped by a record order for its liquefied petroleum gas Hijet van. Hammersmith and Fulham Council formalised a contract for 54 of the LPG microvans and one Hijet pick-up at the London Motor Show.

PETROL and diesel-based vehicles will be the key to cleaning up the environment for at least the next two decades until new technology becomes more viable, according to Honda managing director Ken Keir. While the manufacturer is investigating new technology, such as fuel cells, the reliance on petrol and diesel means that traditional fuels will be the starting point for cleaning up the environment.

THE success of the Jaguar S-type has given the Coventry-based marque increased impetus for its new 'baby Jag', codenamed the X400. Ford is already cutting production of the Escort at its Halewood plant, which will build the X400, to train 3,000 assembly line workers in the prestige manufacturer's different working processes.

JAGUAR has launched an Adaptive Cruise Control system that adjusts a car's speed according to the speed of vehicles in front. ACC uses radar technology to keep a constant time gap between the car and the vehicle ahead, eliminating the need to adjust manually the set cruise control speed or disengage the system.

VAUXHALL has signed the single largest supply contract for liquefied petroleum gas vehicles in the world, worth about £52 million at showroom prices. The deal, announced by Vauxhall chairman and managing director Nick Reilly at the London Motor Show on Tuesday, sees 3,200 dual fuel Astras, Vectras and Omegas supplied to credit hire company Drive Assist for use as replacement vehicles for non-fault accident victims.

BRITAIN is set to become Nissan's fleet car production capital of the world under dramatic plans aimed at breathing fresh life into the ailing Japanese company. For the award-winning Sunderland factory will be the sole source of Primera supply when the next version of the family and business car is unveiled early in 2002, chief operating officer Carlos Ghosn revealed in Tokyo.

A GOVERNMENT and police drive to slash company car accident rates could be destroyed unless driver training firms put their differences aside and focus on helping fleets improve their records. The Fleet Driver Training Association this week appealed for the entire industry, whether FDTA members or not, to work together to promote driver training to fleets and not become side-tracked by internal squabbles.

CONTRACT hire, leasing and fleet management company, Powermarque, is the first business to book stand space at Fleet Show 2000. The show will be held at the NEC, Birmingham, from April 4-6.

A NEW website is promising to save new car buyers up to 40% on cars imported from Europe. Totalise Carsave will act as an intermediary between customers and dealers, offering the 'best prices in Europe'.

A SINGLE currency and tax harmonisation across Europe are more likely to lead to a convergence of new prices between the UK and the continent than manufacturers cutting list prices, according to Ford of Britain's new marketing director. After just a month in the UK and reflecting on his previous 24 years working for Ford in the US, John Mendel said it was highly unlikely the company would be slashing prices in order to satisfy the demands of the Consumers' Association.