News - Page 2192

RADICAL plans to base company car tax on an all-encompassing environmental measure would massively delay the introduction of the new benefit-in-kind tax system, it was claimed this week. Meanwhile, fleet bosses have criticised the Government for trying to do too much to satisfy the 'green' lobby too quickly in its attempts to create the new company car tax system.

VEHICLE leasing and fleet management company Godfrey Davis has launched a benefit-in-kind tax calculator to allow company car tax liability to be calculated at a glance. It details the formulas used, mileage breaks and the gross and net tax implications for both the car benefit charge and the fuel benefit charge.

FORD'S Explorer 4x4 has been face-lifted and now has new equipment. The £26,400 on-the-road 4.0-litre five-door automatic has a new front-end with new round driving lamps set into a chrome-free, platinum-effect front bumper, while new bodyside mouldings and platinum-effect applique at the rear complete the exterior changes.

LEASE Plan, which buys 15,000 new cars a year, reports that 27% of its V-registration orders are for blue vehicles, which psychologists say shows drivers to be 'conservative, deliberate and usually cautious and who tend to be conscientious workers'.

PRE-TAX profits at dealership and contract hire group William Jacks increased from £1.488million to £1.61million for the six months to July 31 compared to the same period last year on turn-over up from £68.462million to £82.063million. The company said the financial results at its year-old contract hire company, AutoMotive Strategy, were 'in-line with expectations'.

FUEL price rises and higher margins for suppliers with fewer oil companies selling more fuel through a reduced number of sites is the predicted future for the UK marketplace according to James Frost, chairman of Save Group, the UK's largest independent petrol retailer.

A NEW winged badge will debut on the Chrysler Neon when it arrives in the UK next month. The international symbol, which will be phased in to all Chrysler products, is intended to symbolise power and flight as the firm prepares for the next millennium.

SALES of V-reg cars this month are likely to top 400,000 units, making September the peak month for new car registrations following this year's introduction of the twice-a-year plate change. This follows a predictable massive fall both in private and corporate sales in August while buyers waited for the V-plate launch.

A FACE-LIFTED Ford Fiesta line-up, including a new sporty model, an all-new 1.6-litre engine and revised continuously variable transmission, is to be unveiled at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show. The face-lift marks the last change for the range prior to an all-new model due at the end of next year.

THE Frankfurt International Motor Show, the biggest event of its kind in the world, begins next week and 36 vehicles will be making world debuts. The unveilings come in all shapes and sizes, from the mini-MPV Audi A2 through to the new XS sport activity 4x4 from BMW and the space-age executive offering from Renault with its Avantime. The growth in the MPV market is set to continue with Kia, Mazda and Daewoo all unveiling new models for the UK.

A GROUNDSWELL of support for bi-fuel vehicles has been provoked by predictions that the technology could be made obsolete by ultra-clean petrol and diesel engines in future. Manufacturers and fuel suppliers have hit back, arguing that alternative fuels such as LPG and CNG will always be one step ahead in terms of emissions performance.

THE Campaign for the Protection of Rural England has voiced its opposition to road tolling, warning that it will contribute to a 'traumatic' increase in traffic in rural areas. The group is warning that the fate of the countryside as a place largely free from the traffic problems that have dominated towns and cities now hangs in the balance and the Government needs to re-focus its anti-congestion policies.

THE Budget may have left fleets confused about the long-term future of the company car, but at least the Chancellor has made it clear about the environmental desirability of the pedal cycle. Perhaps he envisages a repeat of the days in the Fifties and Sixties when motorised bicycles, most with two-stroke petrol engines, enjoyed something of a mini boom in the UK before interest waned.

FLEET managers must take action to stop company car drivers loading extras on to their vehicles, at massive expense to employers and which are practically worthless within months. Drivers who are given a basic allowance to spend on a vehicle without strict guidelines can be tempted to spend every last penny by adding extras, from leather steering wheel to CD players.

PAN-European fleet, rental and leasing will be under the spotlight at this year's Automotive Congress Europe to be held in Amsterdam on November 23/24. Organised by Emap Automotive, publisher of Fleet NewsNet, the congress is being supported by the European Car and Truck Rental Association and will be held at the Hotel Okura, Amsterdam. It is expected to attract more than 200 leading figures from vehicle manufacturers, rental and leasing companies and businesses associated with the automotive industry - in particular company cars - as well as fleet decision-makers.

BRITISH Car Auctions is to start a multi-million pound redevelopment of its Glasgow centre next spring. The work, to be completed by the end of next year, is on the site of the existing centre which will remain fully operational with no sale days lost.

THE pressure on fleet managers to keep tight control on fuel expenditure has dramatically increased in the light of fresh price rises by fuel companies and continuing pressure from Government, which has warned firms they face having to find an extra £465 million this year to stay 'on the move'. Increases due to taxation and the rising cost of crude oil have made prices in the UK the highest in Europe.

A FIGHTING fund of more than £1million will be invested in a drive to try to persuade the Government to back down over its fuel duty escalator. Backed by BP and Marks & Spencer, the Freight Transport Association campaign is committed to reversing the annual 6% increase in fuel duty above the rate of inflation. Money will be ploughed into advertisements and lobbying, but the FTA is steering clear of demonstrations

VAUXHALL is rolling out details of its approach to creating cleaner cars with a new fact-finder wheel for fleet managers. The double-sided wheel contains information about Vauxhall's cleaner engines, including its LPG-powered range, its efforts to cut down emissions and waste in its factories and improvements in fuel efficiency.

A GUIDE to computerised vehicle routing systems for lorries being published by the Government-funded Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme could lead to a similar publication being aimed at car and van fleets. Junior transport minister Glenda Jackson revealed in the Commons the development of the guide that shows how fleets can save time and fuel by using routing software.

A DRIVE against diesel aims to wipe out the fuel from Tokyo, blaming it for the city's high pollution levels and poor air quality. The move, in a high profile 'Say No to Diesel Vehicles' campaign organised by the city's new governor, has annoyed manufacturers and concerned national government but the governor claims he is justified, blaming diesels for being the 'single biggest polluter in the skies'.

VEHICLE manufacturers are ploughing millions of pounds into the development of fuel cell technology as an economical zero-emission option for the future. Many have made a commitment to have a fuel cell car on the road within the next five years and this has sparked claims that the fuel cell could ring the death knell for alternative fuels such as LPG and CNG.

FLEET drivers can see for themselves just how their cars compare to older, dirtier models during a free emissions testing week. The event, called 'Stop Fuming', will be launched by Transport Minister Helen Liddell a week on September 20 and run until September 25. Fiat, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Peugeot, Vauxhall and VW are all helping with emissions testing - which takes about five minutes and is supported by all members of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

LEADING figures in the vehicle management and recruitment industry are disputing claims that the company car is losing its place as the ultimate job perk to pensions, extra holidays and insurance schemes. Benefits adviser Gissings has revealed that, from analysis of the choices of benefits by 1,500 staff at three major UK corporations with offices throughout the country, the company car was sixth on employee wish-lists.

AN acknowledgement of the move away from the traditional company car towards individually-packaged finance deals for employees is proving the foundation of plans by BCH Vehicle Management to double its 18,000-vehicle fleet by 2002. It has launched a recruitment drive for 10 sales executives who will help the expansion through accessing the small business and retail markets for new and used vehicles with finance lease, personal contract purchase and HP funding products to complement its core contract hire business.

TOYOTA'S new Yaris city car is the second most economical car to run, behind the Perodua Nippa, according to CAP Motor Research's Top 40 value-for-money chart. In No.1 spot is the five-door Nippa EX on 13.5 pence per mile to run over three years/ 60,000 miles, followed by the three-door Yaris 1.0 16v VVTi S (13.6ppm) and the three-door SEAT Arosa 1.0 MPi (14.1ppm). The Nippa, despite large depreciation, has the lowest ownership costs due to its £4,999 list price compared to the Yaris's £7,320.

VOLKSWAGEN has introduced its most powerful diesel engine yet into the UK market in Passat saloon and estate models. The 2.5-litre 150bhp V6 TDI has gone on sale with a five-speed Tiptronic transmission, combining an automatic with manual gear change control, priced at £25,350 on the road for the saloon and £26,300 for the estate. A six-speed manual gearbox version goes on sale next month at £23,950 and £24,900 for the saloon and estate respectively.

COSTS associated with a major restructuring by vehicle distribution company Quicks Group has resulted in half-year pre-tax profits slumping £3.2million to £1.8million for the six months to June 30 from £5million for the same period last year. Turn-over fell from £332.4million to £317.8million. New and used car sales were up year-on-year excluding dealership disposals, but a drop in sales of new commercial vehicles was attributed to the company's withdrawal from low-margin daily rental.

A FRESH wave of confusion is set to hit the fleet industry with a Government admission that it is considering a radical new approach to company car tax for 2002 which would replace plans for a carbon dioxide-based tax regime. Government officials have so far referred specifically to a CO2-based tax, which includes a controversial 3% penalty for diesel vehicles.

THE Government has been warned against intervening in the long-running new car pricing controversy with the consequences being 'too painful to contemplate'. Following a severe devaluation in used car prices in the last 18 months the Government has been issued with a 'hands-off' message as the Competition Commission moves into the final stages of its car pricing investigation.