News - Page 2206

RENAULT, in the week it launches its heavily facelifted Laguna, has revealed plans for a similar makeover for its Scenic mini-MPV. On sale this autumn, the new compact MPV will feature a facelift to the exterior, including larger headlights, body-coloured moulded bumpers and redesigned tailgate and will have a new 95bhp 1.4-litre engine, a 110bhp 1.6 and a sporty 140bhp 2.0-litre.

FLEET Management Services has completed a major 218-vehicle sale and leaseback contract with long-standing client P&O Nedlloyd. In addition to providing an 'extremely innovative and competitive' funding solution, FMS offers P&O Nedlloyd a range of value-added services, driver contact and support, as well as consultancy advice on the establishment of a new company car policy.

FLEET managers say they are responding to the growing pressure to improve their safety records. During the last few months calls for greater awareness in the corporate sector have been growing progressively louder with the Government, police and voluntary bodies, such as Brake, calling for increased awareness and action.

FLEET operators are turning to black box technology to encourage good driving standards, according to on-board management system manufacturer Leafield AVM. It has produced VeMIS, an on-board computer which as well as its safety consideration offers control of day-to-day running costs and fuel consumption.

THE biggest organisations in the UK's fleet training industry have begun work on a Driving Standards Agency initiative to find ways of promoting driver training more effectively to the fleet sector. In April the DSA called together representatives from across the driver training world, ranging from training providers through to road safety organisations and the police, to win their support in tightening up standards.

THE European Commission has threatened to challenge the Government's £152 million aid package for Longbridge, once again casting doubt over the future of the Midlands car plant. Barely hours after the agreement was announced by the Department of Trade and Industry, alongside BMW promises to transform Rover's Longbridge plant into one of the best in the world, officials in Brussels were questioning the legality of the deal.

DEBT-ridden Rover will not break even until 2002 - two years later than originally planned - with BMW admitting its own future as an independent car maker rests on the success of its attempts to revitalise the Midlands-based manufacturer. BMW executives have blamed the failure to meet the initial 2000 break-even target on the strength of the Pound and increasing Rover losses.

FLEETS have gained a vital ally in the European Parliament who has vowed to create a 'better level of understanding' of the industry. Malcolm Harbour, one of the founding directors of the Independent Car Distribution Programme, a leading co-operative research programme in car distribution and after-sales became an MEP in last month's elections.

CW Lease has come to a preferred supplier agreement with Continental Tyre Group in what could be the first pan-European deal of its kind. Continental will supply tyres to CW Lease fleets in the UK, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands with the possibility of expanding into France and Spain later.

A SAFEWAY Stores company car driver has clocked up 174,000 miles in three years in his BMW 3-series, and in the process has demonstrated how adhering to manufacturers' servicing and repair guidelines can almost halve a car's running costs.

COMPANIES are throwing away hundreds of pounds when selling vehicles at auction by setting 'unrealistic and unachievable' reserve prices for their cars. Fleet managers are failing to learn harsh lessons from more than a year of dropping used car prices - with members of the industry blaming a lack of investment in proper training.

LEX Vehicle Leasing has been appointed to manage the 650-company car fleet of UK and France catering food supply specialist Brake Brothers. Operating through a dedicated help desk based at its headquarters in Marlow, Lex will provide all servicing, maintenance, accident recovery, administration and vehicle reporting for the cars and will offer drivers a direct link to the Brake Brothers' account management team.

LLOYDS UDT Motor Finance is about to launch a new company brand symbol. The image - a black horse on a green and blue background - will signal the completion of the final stage of changes resulting from the merger of Lloyds Bowmaker and United Dominions Trust.

A NORTH-East company has appointed GE Capital Fleet Services to provide maintenance management for its fleet of 40 commercials and 130 cars and also be responsible for the leasing of all new and replacement vehicles. The contract has been awarded by VA TECH Reyrolle, a manufacturer of high-voltage power transmission and distribution equipment based at Hebburn, Tyne and Wear.

DERBYSHIRE Police has boosted its fleet of Toyota RAV4 response vehicles used for rural duties in the Peak District - and on the strength of its experience with the manufacturer it is now evaluating Land Cruisers for motorway patrol work and Corollas for general response purposes. Four RAV4 GX five-door models have joined the two already on the 350-strong fleet as the present vehicles come up for their two-year replacement.

FIFTEEN taxis are taking the 'green' message on to the streets of London. They are running on BP Greener Diesel as part of the fuel company's Greener Fuels campaign. The ultra-low sulphur diesel is claimed to emit 90% less sulphur dioxide and nearly a third less particulates and black smoke than standard diesel.

FUEL management system manufacturer JMW made a royal appointment when it installed a new fuel island terminal at Windsor Castle. The JMW Aduitta Plus system records and reports on fuel dispensed from pumps used by the fleet of 10 royal vehicles, which includes Rolls-Royces and people-carriers.

FLEETS disposing of vehicles direct through forecourts have been warned to make sure their cars have a valid MoT certificate and are ready for the road or they could be seized and even crushed by Trading Standards officers. European legislation has allowed officers to visit forecourts and carry out safety audits on vehicles and either take cars off sale or order them to be confiscated or destroyed.

TOYOTA'S Avensis is giving German rivals a run for their money in the residual value stakes after a year-and-a-half on sale, according to CAP Black Book. However, the firm's contender for the territory dominated by the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra is expected to lose the fight to retain the highest proportion of its new value over three years/60,000 miles.

BARCLAYS Bank has enhanced its fleet choice list to offer its drivers a more motivational selection of company cars in a move that clashes with NatWest's radical decision to axe its 5,000-strong 'perk' fleet. Under the terms of Barclays' new two-year agreement, its 6,000 company car drivers can choose from BMW/Rover, Ford/Jaguar, Lexus/Toyota and Mercedes-Benz, replacing the bank's previous Rover/Nissan arrangement. Group benefits director Paul Fretten said: 'Drivers wanted more choice. We talked to as many manufacturers as we could to get the best deal for our employees and for the bank.'

THE fourth largest fleet leasing company in the United States has bought Newcourt Automotive Services in a move that gives it a 'beachhead' for European expansion. Associates First Capital Corporation has acquired Newcourt's Canadian and British fleet operations for an undisclosed sum - the industry's third major deal this month that had European expansion at its heart, following the acquisitions of Arriva Automotive Solutions and Masterdrive. This latest deal covers 30,000 vehicles in Canada and 11,000 in the UK, all on full service leases.

FLEETS will not have to contend with multiple tolling systems when local authorities gain the right to impose congestion charges on road users. Confirmation that the windscreens of fleet vehicles will not be peppered with different tolling tags to enter different city centres coincided with the news that Edinburgh and Leeds will host the Government's next road tolling trials.

A GROUND-breaking scheme has been launched for up to 40 companies to qualify for a free consultation which will help them develop a green transport plan. The scheme, which has already accepted 15 firms and will run until March next year, gives companies reports on the changes they could make to cut down on car use.

FORD has denied speculation that it is planning a massive mid-summer price cut to bring its UK range into line with continental prices. Rumours have been rife that dealers are under pressure to clear their new and used stock in preparation for a major price realignment.

ROVER claims its revival in the fleet market has begun with the official launch of the new Rover 75 sparking thousands of enquiries and early indications of fleet deals worth millions of pounds. The manufacturer says its target to sell 30,000 units in the 75's first full year of sales should be met easily after more than 13,000 enquiries were taken by the time the vehicle was launched on June 17.

MORE manufacturers have backed the 'CO2 Confusion: Clear Up Clean Up' campaign being run by sister title Fleet News aimed at helping fleet managers as they prepare for the carbon dioxide emission-based company car tax to be introduced in 2002. Mitsubishi, Citroen and Volvo are the latest to have given assurances that they will include CO2 figures next to list prices in all publicity and in dealer fleet invoices. They join Ford, Vauxhall, Audi, Subaru/Isuzu, Peugeot and Honda, who have already made this commitment by supporting the campaign.

TOYOTA has secured the biggest UK deal in its history with a multi-million pound agreement to supply all cars for electricity, water and telecommunications giant Scottish Power. Neither Toyota nor Scottish Power - which includes Manweb, Southern Water and Scottish Telecom, among its divisions - would give a figure on the utility's fleet size but 9,500 vehicles, including 3,000 cars, was declared in a deal earlier this year between the utility and National Tyres and Autocare.

ROVER Group, in the week of the Rover 75 launch, is again suffering internal turmoil after a management shake-up at Land Rover has seen managing director Peter Kinnaird and marketing director Jim Campbell leave the company. A Land Rover spokesman said the departures were part of a management restructure and that both the posts had already been filled from within the Rover Group.

A NATIONAL campaign to cut the number of deaths and major injuries in accidents involving all-terrain vehicles has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive. Seventeen people have died in accidents involving ATVs at work in the last decade.

FLEET drivers are failing to hit Government listed fuel consumption figures for their vehicles in 'real-life' driving conditions, creating large holes in company budgets. The AA and CAP Motor Research say drivers are damaging consumption via a host of actions, creating a significant shortfall between official mpg figures provided by the Vehicle Certification Agency and the actual fuel economy achieved.