News - Page 2207

SUBARU and Isuzu importer International Motors Group could launch its own grey imports operation in a bid to take on the unofficial importers. The firm has thrown down the gauntlet to the Government, demanding that grey imports are subject to the same emissions and safety tests as official imports to 'level the playing field', or it will be forced to act. Grey imports are vehicles which are brought into the UK, but were not originally intended for sale in the EU and by-pass the appointed 'official' import and distribution network.

DIRECT Line Accident Management has blamed a shortage of skilled workers for the closure of two bodyshops with the loss of 180 jobs. The firm blamed the closure of the two sites in Middlesex and south London on the lack of skilled staff to take on enough work to make the operations profitable. 'There are simply too many bodyshops in the South,' said a spoksman.

THE fleet industry's top manufacturers have said that they will not be changing warranties in the foreseeable future following Rover's decision to offer three-year/60,000-mile warranty cover for its new 75 flagship model. Mercedes also unveiled a three-year unlimited mileage warranty, replacing its former 12-month cover package.

WARNINGS from the World Health Organisation that traffic pollution is killing more motorists than road accidents could be the catalyst that leads fleet managers to seriously consider investment in gas-powered vehicles. The Energy Saving Trust - which offers substantial grants towards conversion of vehicles to alternative fuels through its Powershift scheme - believes the findings could prove a major influence in changing attitudes.

VAUXHALL is joining prestige brands such as Saab and Volvo in fitting new technology to its seats to prevent whiplash injuries. The Vauxhall Active Head Restraints, almost identical to those fitted to Saab models, will be fitted as standard in Omega and Vectra models and be available as an option on Astra and Zafira. Vauxhall says the technology makes it the first volume manufacturer to attempt to cut the number of neck and spinal injuries by offering whiplash protection.

TRAFFICMASTER has teamed up with Motorola to create a low-cost device that will feed live traffic information to satellite navigation systems. The initiative aims to overcome navigation systems' failure to take congestion into account when plotting the best route to a destination. The venture will not include an automatic re-routing facility but it will enable drivers to identify hold-ups ahead on their programmed route and give the option of using different roads.

FOR just one day of the year, a group of 50 MPs left their air-conditioned cars and took to the roads of central London on bikes to demonstrate their support for Bike To Work Day. They cycled from Covent Garden to the Houses of Parliament but, even in this demonstration of solidarity to commuters who regularly tackle the melee of irate drivers and traffic fumes, they did not manage it without a little cosseting. The police held back the worst of the traffic.

FLEETS are being told to stop complaining about the annual fuel tax escalator while, at the same time, they go on wasting millions of pounds each year through inefficient fuel use. The Government is said to be 'fed up' at being on the receiving end of criticism of its fuel tax policy while its accusers fail to put their own houses in order.

MERCEDES-Benz is to introduce its Active Body Control system in the UK later this year with the launch of the new CL coupe. ABC is designed to reduce rolling, pitching and other body movements as a result of poor road surfaces, hard cornering, braking or acceleration and Mercedes says the new system - which will be introduced on other models in the future - can reduce body movement by up to 68%.

A 'hit squad' of accident assessment engineers has been launched by RAC Accident Services in a bid to slash vehicle repair times for fleets by up to two thirds. The nationwide network of Thatcham-tested RAC authorised assessor engineers will standardise service levels and speed up accident damage assessment by cutting out unnecessary paperwork.

A BILL to modernise the MoT testing regime is almost certain to become law after it successfully completed its second reading in the Lords. The Road Traffic (Vehicle Testing) Bill aims to make maximum use of the future computerisation of the system by allowing the police easier access to testing records in order to stamp out certificate fraud, and also give the Vehicle Inspectorate better control of testing standards across the country's 19,000 testing stations.

BY the end of 2001, new cars could be labelled in showrooms with an 'eco-friendly' rating based on how much damage their production, use and disposal causes to the environment. In a scheme jointly funded by the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, research is being carried out at universities in Edinburgh and Oxford to find the most effective way of labelling cars. The aim is to make a car's impact on the environment as easy to see as its colour.

A POOR start to the year for Mazda in the fleet market - with corporate sales plunging by half - has been blamed on the absence of a fleet sales director and limited product availability at the start of the year. However, the importer is looking to hit back with an enhanced model line-up which will be added to throughout this year, starting with the Premacy MPV on July 31 and the soon-to-be announced appointment of a new fleet chief.

SWAN National is to change its name later this year as part of a global re-branding exercise. The contract hire specialist will adopt the HSBC name and brand image of its parent company, which has already subtly appeared on Midland Bank branches across the country. The changes will go deeper, however, bringing HSBC and its contract hire operation closer and giving Swan National greater access to the bank's customer base.

THE boom in Honda fleet sales looks set to continue with an all-new Accord hatchback which has started to come off the Swindon production line. Fleet sales are 28.09% up year on year at 10,701 out of total new car sales up 12.64% at 28,655, and Honda believes the September launch of the five-door model - a hatchback version of the second European Honda Accord - will continue its advance.

EVERY cloud has a silver lining - but not in the used car market where silver overkill is threatening to reduce the future values of cars chosen in today's most fashionable colour by up to £500. CAP Motor Research says this week that an analysis of colours of manufacturer models sold showed that up to 40% of some lines were being bought new in silver. While silver is particularly popular with prestige brands, it is also now proving a favourite with buyers of the 'bread and butter' family car.

FLEETS are being targeted as a key market for a new tyre pressure monitoring system originally developed to enhance safety in motor racing. The SmarTire Pressure Monitoring System uses sensors located inside each tyre to warn drivers when pressures are dropping and before damage can be caused to the tyre rim or before the driver loses control. The maker says the safety aspect could prove a potential life-saver and fleets would also benefit from cost savings achieved through taking action early when the tyre starts to become flat.

THE first meeting of the Nissan/Renault Global Alliance Committee has taken place, resulting in a senior Nissan executive officially appointed to the board of Renault and the setting up of 11 cross-company teams. Both Renault and Nissan have stated that the global partnership, which creates the fourth biggest vehicle manufacturer in the world, will have little effect on fleet business for several years in the UK.

ROAD accident casualties decreased by more than 2,500 last year compared to 1997 despite a rise in road traffic levels, according to figures from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Fatalities on Britain's roads in 1998 were 5% lower than in 1997 at 3,421, taking road deaths to their lowest level since 1926, while serious injuries dropped 5% over the same period to 40,834 and the number of slight injuries dropped fractionally to 280,957.

PRACTICAL Car & Van Rental is pushing for growth in its fleet business as it launches a new corporate-owned rental division. The move will be targeted at major cities and aims to increase the current level of corporate business from 40% to 60% of total rentals. The firm - which has a fleet of 3,000 vehicles - already has a network of 175 franchise sites and Bolton Agnew, co-founder and managing director, said it will be looking to open new sites in fresh locations rather than taking over already successful franchised sites in cities.

SAAB is launching ambitious expansion plans to both increase its model line-up and boost its global sales. The Swedish manufacturer says that its 9-3 and 9-5 models will take worldwide sales up from a predicted 130,000 units this year to more than 150,000 next year, but Saab says this is as far as the range can go with its existing models.

A MORE stable new car pricing structure will result in dealership groups increasing sales and end uncertainty in the used car market, says Lookers chairman Craig McKinney. Announcing half-year pre-tax profits of £3.22million - up from £1.8million in the six months to March 31, 1998, and on turn-over down to £263.5million from £276.98million - McKinney said new and used car sales volumes were strong.

THE new Nissan Primera will have a built-in emissions self-check system that will allow fleets to continually monitor the vehicles' 'green' credentials. An on-board diagnostics system will warn drivers if emissions are exceeding set European standards with the technology detecting any components or system deterioration which might impact on emission levels.

NEWCOURT Automotive Services has awarded the contract to provide breakdown cover for its entire fleet to AA Business Services. Starting from July 1, all its 11,000 customer vehicles will be covered by the AA instead of using breakdown suppliers provided through manufacturers' cover with new vehicles. The move gives drivers a single emergency number in case of breakdown and allows for more extensive breakdown cover than might otherwise be provided.

A NEW broom at Vardy Contract Motoring has introduced sweeping changes which are set to create a solid base for expansion. Mike Roe joined VCM after leaving his position as managing director of Pendragon Contracts at the end of last year and has been making fundamental changes to prepare for further expansion. Parent company, dealer group Reg Vardy, is itself experiencing major expansion as it chases a goal of owning 100 dealerships by the end of the millennium. It currently has 80.

CONTRACT hire firms' access to cheap funds has come under the spotlight with the acquisition of two more companies that were formerly independent of both manufacturers and finance houses. The difference in borrowing terms may differ by only fractions of a percentage but, in an industry where deals are won and lost on the basis of pennies per month, cheap finance is still a strong advantage.

PARAGON Group expects to double the size of its contract hire business this year following the merger of Paragon Car Finance with Paragon Contract Hire. It's a move that will result in a much wider service being offered to fleets, says new managing director Pawan Pandya. His role has been expanded to take control of the operations of Paragon Vehicle Contracts whose managing director, Richard Koster, has become marketing director for parent company Paragon Group.

MITSUBISHI was this week launching its new used car programme, Red Zebra, which it says will further strengthen residual values and so reduce wholelife costs for fleet customers. New fleet boss Matthew Cheyne, general manager - fleet and used cars - said: ''The launch of the scheme will see customers buying second-hand cars from our franchises - which do not even need to be Mitsubishi vehicles - receiving the same level of service and after-service as our new car buyers.

GLOBAL finance house General Motors Acceptance Corporation has bought Arriva Automotive Solutions in a deal worth £513 million as part of a major drive to become one of the world's top four fleet leasing companies.

FLEETS have come a step closer to being offered standard three-year/60,000-mile warranties by all car manufacturers after Rover and Mercedes-Benz this week introduced three-year cover packages.