News - Page 2184

KWIK-FIT has underlined its commitment to mobile servicing for fleets by acquiring the remaining two thirds of Hometune for an undisclosed sum. Fleet customers have been able to have vehicles serviced anywhere they choose and save money after the fast-fit group bought a 33% stake in the mobile tuning company at the end of 1996.

RENAULT has launched a new range-topping Clio Initiale which offers increased levels of equipment for £1,645 less than the outgoing model. The Initiale, costing £13,995 on-the-road, comes with driver, passenger and front lateral airbags, ABS brakes, air conditioning, power steering, wood trim, CD player and a trip computer.

MERCEDES-Benz is preparing a new programme to capture police fleet business, following positive reaction from a number of forces about its saloon and niche sector vehicles. Factory-prepared Mercedes models are already available to police forces in Europe and the Middle East, but by January the manufacturer expects to be able to offer a full range of vehicles to UK constabularies.

Citroen has defended its move to introduce only one liquefied petroleum gas vehicle to its UK line-up of Xantia models. Even though one of the widest choices in LPG vehicles rolls from its parent company's production lines in France and Spain, Citroen UK national fleet sales manager David Coop revealed that a softly, softly approach had been decided for Britain.

AS Citroen introduces common rail diesel technology into more of its vehicles, fleet managers from the north-east have given a largely positive response to the latest common rail diesel technology. The French manufacturer took a Xantia 2.0-litre 110bhp HDI saloon and a Xsara hatchback powered by a 90bhp variant of the engine to a meeting of the Association of Car Fleet Operators' north-east branch in Bradford.

THE Metropolitan Police is giving official backing to a revolutionary tyre pressure monitoring system by fitting it to its fleet of rapid response vehicles. An order for 150 of the £249.95 systems from SmartTire Europe is part of a radical safe driving programme at the force in a bid to cut accidents when responding to emergencies on the city's overcrowded roads.

FLEETS investing in driver training could make four times their investment in reduced accident costs, according to Driving Services. A computer-based cost benefit analysis launched by the firm shows in hard figures the possible savings, which have been proved in the field with customers.

A GROUND-breaking self-audit produced for fleet managers aims to slash accidents by targeting key danger areas within company car fleets. The four-page audit, produced by road safety organisation Brake, was prepared in consultation with the University of Huddersfield and other experts to cover topics ranging from management culture to driver and vehicle safety practices.

VELO Motor Accident Management has announced support for Brake by encouraging its clients to join the organisation's Road Risk Forum. The Forum is a professional membership division of Brake which aims to promote best practice road safety initiatives through literature, seminars and the its magazine, Target Zero.

ROAD safety organisation Brake this week urged fleets to take part in the establishment of a benchmarking system which would allow companies to make comparative assessments of their accident records. The system is one of the key areas to improving fleet safety records being considered by the Driving Standards Agency, which for the last few months has been meeting with road safety and fleet driver training organisations.

BAD habits among car drivers are constantly putting motorcyclists in danger and risking fatal accidents, according to wet weather tyre specialist Uniroyal.

FLEET driver training organisations are being invited to the second annual 'Safe Driving for Life' conference organised by the Driving Standards Agency.

BETTER emergency roadside telephones that are safer and easier to use will be introduced on English motorways.

Vauxhall Motors announced today that from 1 November, it would become the first manufacturer in the automotive industry to enable customers to buy a new range of its most popular models directly using the internet.

SATELLITE technology will revolutionise the way GE Capital Fleet Services monitors and manages its leased fleet from November 1. From then, GECFS, which incorporates Avis Fleet Services, Cochranes Fleet Services and Leasecontracts, will equip all new cars that it funds with a Data Collection Unit (DCU).

RENAULT and Citroen are undermining industry efforts to stablise new car prices by slashing the cost of some of their models by up to £5,000. In some cases the deals represent more than 25% discount on new prices.

MANUFACTURERS have been challenged to publish 'true' sales figures amid allegations that September's new car statistics are a 'sham' and that false registrations are running at 30%. With publication of September's sales figures coinciding with the Competition Commission's 'statement of possible remedies' as it nears the conclusion of its New Cars Inquiry, the allegations have reached fever pitch.

GREEN Flag, the UK's third largest roadside recovery service, after the Automobile Association and the RAC, has been bought from Cendant by Direct Line for £220 million. The acquisition is considered to be an ideal fit for Direct Line, which launched its own vehicle breakdown recovery business last year and like Green Flag, covers the UK and Europe through a network of independent garages.

FORD has defied calls for car manufacturers to reduce the price of new vehicles in the UK and bring them into line with European markets by launching the latest Fiesta at a higher price than the outgoing variant. Across the 13-model new Fiesta range, the price has been increased by £50 compared to its predecessor.

THE UK's VAT treatment of company cars is 'unfair' according to one of the accountants leading the fleet industry's campaign to recover £15 billion in back-paid VAT. Three companies, TC Harrison, Allied Domecq and Royscot Leasing, had spearheaded the campaign.

MOTOR industry claims that new car prices are falling mask significant discrepancies in certain areas of the market. While prices among certain classes of vehicle are undoubtedly lower than this time last year, independent experts have shown that the transaction price of some new cars has risen by as much as 4.2%, well above the rate of inflation.

THE Competition Commission's New Cars Inquiry holds the possibility of both threats and opportunities to the UK leasing industry. On the one hand, the remedies statement letter seems to back the concept of personal contract motoring schemes by asking for views on whether manufacturers: 'should be prohibited from discriminating in the terms offered to contract hire companies according to whether the latter's customers are businesses or private hirers.'

THE Competition Commission has signalled that the relationship between manufacturers and their franchised dealers will lie at the heart of its New Cars Inquiry report. This will be published in December, but seven and a half pages of an eight-page remedies statement issued by the Commission last week concerned the selective and exclusive distribution system.

PRESSURE for Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to rethink Britain's anti-diesel taxation policy has increased after Ford president and chief executive Jac Nasser backed diesel as the clean fuel of the future. He announced Ford's total commitment to diesel as he estimated that by 2005, 40% of vehicles sold in Europe would be powered by the fuel, setting the firm on a collision course with British Government's attitude.

FORD has extended a joint development agreement with PSA Peugeot/Citroen to develop a range of new common-rail diesel engines for the millennium. The agreement builds on a joint development programme begun last year, which will culminate in the launch of a 1.6-litre common-rail unit in the year 2001, the two firms have revealed.

SERVICE companies have voiced their support for Fleet Show 2000 as a forum for establishing contacts and winning new business. As the build-up starts to next year's show, the UK's leading fleet service companies are gearing up to take part in the event which has been refined to take account of the needs of both exhibitors and visiting fleet decision makers.

VOLKSWAGEN has introduced new technology diesel engines to replace the well-established 110bhp TDI engine across all models except the Sharan. The new 1.9 TDI 'PD' 115bhp unit is introduced to 22 models offering 20% more torque plus traction control and a six-speed manual gearbox on most models, but with no price increase.

ASSOCIATES Fleet Services has launched the latest version of its CD-ROM, 'Car Selection Program', for fleet managers featuring the addition of wholelife costs and vehicle CO2 emission figures.

BRISTOL-based fleet management software company Tranman Solutions has signed agreements with Walker Environmental Technology of Hong Kong, and Quality Distribution Systems of Victoria, Australia, to become the company's agent in the two countries.

HIGH demand has led Citroen to rush its facelifted Saxo into showrooms ahead of schedule.