News - Page 2198

THE introduction of road charging and workplace parking charges has come a step closer after the Greater London Authority Bill, which would give the mayor-elect powers to introduce these measures, completed its committee stage in the House of Lords.

LEADED and diesel fuel prices have taken a slight downturn for the month of June while unleaded and super unleaded remain the same, according to the latest AA fuel price report.

EUROPCAR has become the first international car rental company to operate in China following the signing of an agreement with Shi Ji Tong Car Rental. The Shi Ji Tong group is a national car rental group in China and last year provided more than two million rental days.

THE National Tyres and Distributors Association has recruited 12 new companies following a membership drive. They join more than 2,000 members, most of whom are owned and operated as private businesses.

HONDA has announced it is to steer clear of the wave of mergers sweeping the motor industry in favour of focussing on the profitability of its own core product. Chief executive Hiroyuki Yoshino made the statement at Honda's UK plant in Swindon as work began on a second factory on the site to produce the five-door Accord.

PSA Peugeot Citroen is launching a massive restructuring of its manufacturing strategy to slash the number of platforms across its range from seven to three in five years. The French car maker will implement the strategy to achieve manufacturing cost savings as it strives to increase market share without falling prey to rival car makers.

A POWERFUL House of Commons committee has taken the Government to task for failing to tackle the urban pollution caused by diesel-fuelled vehicles. The Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs criticised the Government for relaxing targets for the volume of PM10 particulates in the air.

SAMSUNG has pulled the plug on the sale of its struggling car operation to Korean rival Daewoo, the nation's second biggest car manufacturer after Hyundai. After several weeks of negotiations, it is believed the two companies could not reach agreeable terms on a price for Samsung's car building operation.

A FREE car hire scheme launched in Zurich by Avis and Swissair could be widened to the UK by the end of the year. The integrated transport initiative will mean that Swissair customers who fly first class, business class or use an 'electronic' standard ticket - which removes the need for a paper ticket to be posted to the customer - are eligible for 24 hours of free car hire.

A DRIVE to stamp out the 'clocking' of used cars has been announced by the Government as part of a proposed overhaul of consumer rights - but it has already been attacked as a damp squib that will do nothing to combat fraud. A consultation document produced by the Department of Trade and Industry says mileage should be logged every time a vehicle is taxed or has an MoT test, with details being recorded by the DVLA to ensure that the odometer had not been wound back.

MOTORAIL has launched the second of its cars-on-train services, providing a link between London and the West Country. The company launched a London to Scotland service earlier this year, and claims the services provide companies with opportunities to make considerable savings in their fleet budgets and improve the working efficiency of their staff.

GOVERNMENT legislation to review its VAT policy on commercial vehicles has been postponed at the 11th hour and will now not come into force until at least next year. Many fleet operators saw potential savings of thousands of pounds in tax bills as a result of a proposed change to the VAT policy, which was due to come into effect next month but will not now be considered until December at the earliest.

BRITAIN'S largest airline caterer, Alpha Airports Group, has taken delivery of a fleet of Renault vehicles as part of a £250,000 deal with Guildford-based dealer Mann Egerton.

LDV has joined with Spear & Jackson and Builder Centre to offer independent tradesmen the chance to win a 2.2t Pilot van in signal red complete with builder's specification.

MOTORWAY Tyre and Autocentres is to more than double the size of its fleet during the next 12 months, and all the vehicles will carry a new livery. The first 10 Ford Transits have been delivered by Brooklyn Ford, and by September of next year the expansion plan will see the current 140-strong fleet of mobile service vehicles increase to about 300.

TLS, the vehicle rental and contract hire company, has clinched two local authority contracts together worth more than £2.5million. The first is a £1million three-year contract hire deal with Newham Council to supply 101 vans ranging from 3.5-tonne tippers and dropside vans to Ford Courier vans and pick-ups, all for use by the building services department.

CITROEN has won a contract to supply Merloni Domestic Appliances with 137 Berlingos, replacing the existing fleet of Ford Transits. Operated on a three-year contract with full maintenance, they are fitted with special racking to carry tools and parts for washing machines, tumble driers, dishwashers, cookers, fridges and other domestic white goods.

THE rental and leasing industry is unsure over the benefits of 'super-sites' in meeting customer needs, with Lex Transfleet and TLS moving in opposite directions in their attempts to cater to commercial fleets. Lex says fleet rental requirements are being alienated by the effects of down-sizing and rationalisation whereas TLS has this month closed two branches to form its third 'super-site'.

LDV main dealer Lex Commercials in Wrexham has scooped a contract by email. The sales inquiry came from Illinois-based Northrop Gumman Corporation which wanted a Convoy van for its UK subsidiary NESSI UK.

RESIDUAL value forecasters face a difficult time ahead as a host of new European issues come to bear on the new car market. Pressure for price harmonisation, the review of the Block Exemption and European Union environmental issues could all have a knock-on effect on used car prices and forecasters will have to assess the impact of these factors alongside traditional projection components such as vehicle supply, GDP and interest rates.

A QUARTER of a century of European environmental policy has failed to stem the rise of car use throughout the Continent - and it will continue to rocket by a third in the next decade even if Government schemes such as road pricing are introduced, a report has revealed. The report, 'Environment in the European Union at the Turn of the Century', warns that only massive investment in alternative transport is likely to hold back the growth in car use.

CONSOLIDATION will continue to grip the contract hire market in the UK as companies gear up to compete for pan-European business. A new report by Datamonitor - 'European Car Leasing Company Profiles: Benchmarking 75 Leading Lessors' - reveals the market is changing rapidly as potential new markets emerge.

GLOBAL procurement is as much about internal communication as it is negotiation with external suppliers, says Jim Hunt, Royal & SunAlliance's director - international procurement. He is responsible for identifying and exploiting procurement opportunities covering products and services as diverse as office equipment, computers and its 500-strong company car fleet.

GENERAL Motors Global fleet Strategy Board is beginning to see its labours bear fruit 18 months after being established. Set up to meet the demands of global companies that were turning their attention to their company car fleets, GM's Global Fleet Strategy Board already has a couple of notable successes under its belt with the likes of Honeywell Control Systems and Royal & SunAlliance.

A RADICAL plan to force car manufacturers to take back and recycle end-of life-cars - which could send new car prices rocketing - has come a step closer to reality. Members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives in Brussels met at the end of last month and agreed on plans which would see manufacturers ordered to introduce free take-back schemes for new cars produced after 2001.

DAIMLER-BENZ scientists are carrying out a study on the autobahn near Frankfurt to investigate the dynamics of traffic flow and congestion. Their goal is to develop a system that can generate reliable predictions of traffic conditions so that on-board computers in cars can choose the fastest route between two points, even if this is not the shortest route.

GERMANY is becoming an increasingly lucrative market for companies offering pan-European fleet services, with its company car market set to break the four million barrier this year. An anticipated improvement in economic conditions will provide a boost for the massive company car fleet in Germany, which is the largest in Europe at about 3.9 million vehicles, according to a report from Datamonitor.

THE Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association has written to the chief executives of Britain's insurance companies demanding action to cut red tape and get damaged vehicles back on the road more quickly. It says members are repairing damage as quickly and cheaply as possible but savings are lost because insurers waste time giving the go-ahead for repairs to be carried out, meaning that cars awaiting repair tie up workshop space and courtesy vehicles have to be provided for longer than necessary.

A NEW hotline service has been set up by alternative fuel conversion company LPG Systems to provide instant answers on how much fleets can save by going green. The firm's SIZZLE computer program compared the cost of running a petrol or diesel fleet over a set mileage with the cost of running a fleet using liquefied petroleum gas.

THE Internet is fast becoming the tool of choice for body repairers, and those who fail to grasp its importance could find themselves out in the cold. Bob Hood, senior manager of the RMI's Bodyshop Services Division, has warned that the motor industry must embrace new technology to combat continuing pressure on running costs.