News - Page 2208

NEW managing director of the Coventry-based Peugeot Motor Company is Tod Evans, who has been promoted from director of commercial operations.

JONATHAN Browning has been appointed managing director of Jaguar following several months of senior management changes. Earlier this year, Ford formed a new luxury car group, which resulted in a major management reshuffle with Dr Wolfgang Reitzle becoming chairman of Jaguar and group vice-president of Ford's Premier Automotive group.

MASTERDRIVE Leasing and Rental, the 8,000-vehicle contract hire and rental business owned by The Dutton-Forshaw Group, has been sold to debis Car Fleet Management, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler, for an undisclosed sum.

BREAKDOWN recovery companies are responding to fleet demands for a faster service but more than half of patrols are still failing to meet the half-hour benchmark, according to a JD Power survey published on Wednesday.

A MAJOR shake-up is taking place in the RAC's business-to-business division, designed to complete the transformation of the former mutual organisation into 'a lean and mean' commercial operation. A four-month review of the division by managing director Richard Glover is nearing completion and within the next 'two to three weeks', according to a spokesman, that review will be completed and a new structure in place.

FLEETS could soon be left with little option on whether to adopt driver training as insurance companies Zurich and its subsidiary Eagle Star crack down on fleets with poor accident records. The companies, whose corporate operations have been merged into Zurich Commercial, are presenting some fleets with a 'do or die' option - either they take driver training or they will be asked to find their insurance elsewhere.

VAUXHALL is developing a liquefied petroleum gas/petrol-powered version of the Zafira, its new seven-seat mini MPV. Although the car has barely reached the showrooms, Vauxhall has revealed that conversion work has started. Initial reports suggested a dual-fuel Zafira would be developed in time to debut at the London Motor Show in October but the manufacturer said this week it was unlikely to be seen before the end of the year.

RYLAND Multifleet has lost its partnership deal with the British Chambers of Commerce for the provision of the vehicle management operation, Chamber Fleet, which it helped to establish. The company has been ousted by Capital Bank Vehicle Management, which now has in excess of 48,000 vehicles consisting mainly of fleets of between one and 25. It will now work to promote Chamber Fleet.

A GROUP of seven local authorities in the West Midlands is considering whether to become among the first in the country to run a workplace parking charge scheme that could raise £100 million a year.

A LETTER condemning the push to introduce workplace parking charges has been sent to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott by the Institute of Directors. Tim Melville-Ross, director general of the IoD, has called for a fundamental re-think of what the Government is trying to achieve with its integrated transport policy.

PEUGEOT is undertaking a radical shake-up of its in-house daily rental service with the launch of a freephone central reservations and bookings service. This means that fleet operators will no longer have to make calls to local dealerships in an attempt to source a Peugeot rental car, but will instead go through a central service which will handle the whole process.

RENAULT'S next Laguna will pioneer a revolutionary new double-action airbag to shield its occupants from injury in high-speed crashes. And the mainstream fleet contender is also poised to feature pace-setting electronic gadgetry when it goes on sale next year.

FLEET managers must embrace technology and explore new methods of managing their vehicles if they are going to win the war against running costs, says Lease Plan. It is campaigning to win the support of fleets for its new Internet-based fleet management product Lease Plan On-line - launched to fleet managers this week - which it claims will revolutionise the industry.

VOLVO, in co-operation with Ford, is planning to almost double its car output in a move being led by a shift to the US for the production of the next generation of S40 and V40 models.

TOYOTA has clinched a solus 300-car deal with science and engineering business AEA Technology. The Toyotas replace an existing user-chooser list, with the vehicles now being supplied by Hartwell Motor Contracts on a three-year term with full maintenance. Terry Parker, AEA Technology's procurement manager, said: 'We decided to reduce the cost of our fleet by negotiating a deal with one manufacturer.'

FIAT is discussing a series of industrial agreements with Mitsubishi Motors which will see the Italian manufacturer join with the Japanese giant in producing a new four-wheel-drive sports utility car in Italy.

DAILY rental giant Avis Europe has established a licensee partnership with Japanese hire firm Japaren in a deal that will put Avis in a position from which to expand its rental operations into the Japanese market.

AUTOCLIMATE, the Shrewsbury-based air conditioning servicing specialist, is aiming to set an industry standard for the maintenance of air conditioning in vehicles through a network of bodyshop-based centres.

FLEET vehicle remarketing specialist T2 Logistics has joined with vehicle delivery and logistics group AutoLogic Holdings to create a new 'cradle-to-grave' service for fleets. The three-year joint venture includes an option for AutoLogic to acquire T2 Logistics to offer a permanent expansion of its service.

USED car values in May fell year-on-year by 4.6%, according to CAP Motor Research's car price index based on a basket of more than 100 vehicles at three years/45,000 miles.

VOLVO has launched a conversion of its V90, stretched and heightened to become an ambulance, which paramedics believe can cut up to six minutes off rescue times.

NISSAN has achieved a cost-effective technological breakthrough that enables it to recycle most of the plastic parts on its vehicles for use on future models. The environmental coup enables Nissan to recycle bumpers, instrument panels, ventilation ducts and even floor carpet from scrap vehicles for new production cars. Nissan UK says the first recycled parts are expected to find their way on to cars for the British market by autumn of this year.

FLEET buyers will have to make do with a proxy measure of the safety performance of Britain's best-selling large MPV in the next New Car Assessment Programme crash tests. The Ford Galaxy does not appear in the short-list of eight MPVs to have their safety characteristics tested by independent experts.

Peugeot is recalling all 8,000 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol 306 models built between March 1997 and June 1998 after complaints of a fuel smell, which was found to come from a leaking fuel line. A spokesman said: 'There have been no incidents as a result of a sub-standard hose fitted to some models, which could cause seepage into the engine bay. As a responsible manufacturer we are recalling all of the cars which could possibly be fitted with the hose, and it will be replaced.'

SAAB has launched a new high-performance 9-3 flagship model, the Viggen, which puts out 225bhp from its 2.3-litre turbocharged engine. With an upgraded sports chassis and extensive aerodynamics, which Saab claims has cut lift forces on the standard 9-3 by more than 50%, the new Viggen is on sale at £31,000 for the coupe, £31,500 for the five-door and £36,500 for the convertible (all on-the-road prices).

JOHN Laing Construction has signed a deal with Norton Way Honda dealership for the supply of Accords to its user-chooser fleet. A total of 45 has been delivered so far, with orders set to continue.

ALPHA Airports Group, the airport services company, is to strengthen its links with Bristol-based BCH Vehicle Management with a sole supply contract hire agreement and a full fleet management package for its fleet of 570 vehicles. BCH has been supplying its accident management service to ALPHA's fleet for two years.

NATIONAL Car Rental has signed a new contract with fleet management company CLM and has been appointed as a daily car rental supplier to meet the company's increasing vehicle rental requirements.

RADICAL hi-tech computerised changes to the MoT could send residual values tumbling for badly-maintained fleet vehicles.

LEASE Plan claims fleet management will be revolutionised with the launch today of an internet-based fleet management product designed to slash administration costs and allow fleet managers to be instantly updated on the operation of their fleets.