News - Page 2210

GOVERNMENT proposals to amend its VAT policy on commercial vehicles, potentially saving fleet operators thousands of pounds in tax bills, could see the pick-up market rocket. In September of this year, the UK Government is proposing to move in line with a European Commission directive to alter the definition on what makes a pick-up a commercial vehicle and not a car.

CENTRAL Tyre is undergoing a transformation at its depots as it focuses on winning more fleet business. In a two-year programme, managing director Carlo Costa has steered the wholly-owned subsidiary of Pirelli away from a business focused on the truck industry to concentrate more on winning a share of the car repair and servicing market.

REPAIRERS are leading the motor industry in technological advancement in order to remain competitive. This is the view of Christopher Macgowan, who was addressing the Audatex annual conference in Birmingham in one of his last duties as chief executive of the Retail Motor Industry Federation prior to his appointment on June 1 as chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

INSURERS and repairers should be working together to reduce claims costs, improve service standards and raise the way the two industries perceive each other. David Wallace, managing director of bodyshop network ABS, says better communication and a closer working relationship would bring benefits for both the insurers and repairers.

ROADSIDE rescue organisations are in talks with fleet operators over guidelines issued to police forces around the country this week, setting tight time limits for removing vehicles from the motorway. The new guidelines, agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers, recommend a standard half-hour time limit for stranded vehicles to be taken off the hard shoulder. If the breakdown service takes too long, private contractors will be called out and the driver charged a standard removal cost despite being covered by a motoring organisation.

A NEW breakdown organisation for car fleets and private motorists has been launched, and it claims a guaranteed response time of 30 minutes. Essex-based Call Assist has been founded by former Hambro director Richard Stevens and uses a network of more than 1,000 recovery operators nationwide. It offers to move passengers to the safety of their operator's premises while a roadside repair is being carried out, avoiding dangers posed by other vehicles straying on to the hard shoulder.

EUROPCAR is axing all but one of its disposal sites following a switch in fleet disposal policy away from the sales halls and towards manufacturer buy-backs.

USED car supermarket, Maxcar, has called in the receivers just 16 months after its launch and is now seeking a buyer. It is believed about 12 companies have contacted receivers Ernst and Young showing an interest in the company, which had a turn-over to the year ending December 31 of £11.2million.

ONE of Britain's most environmentally-conscious fleet managers has devised a system which enables him to calculate the damage caused to the environment by every one of the 500 company cars he controls. Simon Boggis, national fleet manager of TNT International, has compiled a unique computerised system which tells him how much carbon dioxide each car emits into the atmosphere on almost a daily basis throughout the three-year/90,000-mile lifecycles.

A FLEET manager has attacked the 'confused' message the Government is sending to fleets after discovering that diesel-engined cars have lower carbon dioxide emissions than liquefied petroleum gas vehicles, and will therefore be liable for lower company car tax bills under the proposed new benefit-in-kind system. Under the proposed system, as from April 2002, company car tax will be based on a combination of list price and CO2 emissions. LPG-fuelled cars, however, have a higher CO2 figure than diesel so, for drivers, the more efficient diesel will remain a favourite, the only exception being the Vauxhall Astra which emits 145g/km of CO2 in the 1.6-litre petrol and 153g/km for the larger engined 2.0-litre diesel.

FLEETS are facing a Catch 22 dilemma over EC plans to outlaw the 'pay and reclaim' system often used for providing drivers with business travel fuel. Many drivers use their personal cash or credit cards to buy fuel for business journeys and then claim back the cost from the company, with the firm claiming back VAT on the fuel cost. Now, companies fear they will soon be hit by massive tax bills because most European legislation demands that deductions of VAT are only possible on goods supplied directly to the employer, where the invoice is made out in the company's name.

THE RAC has postponed the second phase of its fleet manager training scholarship programme after just one UK fleet chief completed and returned the formal application form. About 30 fleet managers had expressed interest in the 1999/2000 RAC Scholarship Awards Scheme run in conjunction with the Institute of Car Fleet Management. Of those, 10 who registered in advanced qualified as members of the ICFM at the prerequisite 'Member' level status.

VAUXHALL has clinched a deal to supply commercial rental and contract hire company TLS with 500 Movano vans worth £9million at showroom prices. The 12-month contract builds on an existing deal with the company to supply it with 1,200 vans, and Vauxhall says it marks its return to the most competitive sector of the van market.

BMW is recalling 280,000 of its new 3-series range after problems were discovered with both the airbags and the braking system. Every 3-series produced between its launch last September and April 17 is being recalled at an estimated cost to the German manufacturer of £5million. Fleets should take cars to dealers where the airbag software will be modified and the brakes checked free.

PRIVATE and industry submissions to the Inland Revenue on the future shape of company car tax have called for diesel cars to incur a tax penalty. Such a premium would offset diesel's strong advantage over petrol under the proposed new system that will be based on a percentage of a car's list price, determined by carbon dioxide emissions.

ROVER'S long-term survival is in the hands of fleet managers and the troubled manufacturer is claiming that it is signing 'significant' fleet deals in the run up to the launch of its executive 'make or break' 75 model in 13 days time. The German-owned manufacturer aims to sell 25,000 75s in a full year and Rover has also made it clear that three quarters of sales are expected to come from fleet customers.

PEUGEOT has freshened the face of the 306, slashed the price of several models, improved specification across the range, and axed the saloon Sedan. The range's new look adopts the styling of the old 306 GTi-6, including full body colour-coded side rubbing strips, bumpers, door handles and door mirrors. All-new 306s have clear glass headlights and fog lamps while, inside, a new metal-look facia and aluminium gear knob, hand brake button and air vent switches enhance the lower medium contender's sports theme.

THE RAC Foundation claims that 'drug driving' should receive the same focus as drink driving. It has cited evidence that shows a sixfold increase in the number of drivers with drugs in their bloodstream who are involved in accidents - up to 18% from 3% in 1989 - and wants police to be better trained to detect drug drivers.

GLOBAL leasing and fleet management firm Axus International has unveiled a series of acquisitions around the world. The multi-marque subsidiary of Ford Financial Services has bought New Zealand's largest vehicle leasing firm along with fleet companies in Portugal and Denmark while, in Sweden, it has formed a new corporate subsidiary.

GENERAL Motors has become the latest target of a European Commission investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices within the motor industry. The EC has issued a statement of objection against GM Netherlands and Opel Netherlands, accusing them of preventing their dealers from selling new cars to foreign customers, particularly British and German buyers.

CAP Motor Research has challenged the view that UK new car prices are coming into line with European prices. The latest edition of CAP Black Book argues that the assumption that one-off discounts - such as those recently offered by Ford on Mondeo - and the launch of special editions at no extra cost do not represent a move towards price harmonisation.

FLEETS face massively increased repair bills if the European parliament accepts proposals to significantly increase the proportion of car components which must be recycled. The proposals call for 85% of a car to be recycled by 2005 and 95% by 2015 - a huge increases on the current 75% imposed by a European Commission directive. They demand that: 'Vehicle manufacturers and material and equipment manufacturers must endeavour to reduce the use of hazardous substances when designing vehicles and increase the use of recycled materials in vehicle manufacture.'

DECISION-makers are demanding that the Government gives them clear guidance on how it views CO2 emissions and how it will impact on company car tax in the future.

INDUSTRY-wide support is growing for the 'CO2 Confusion: Clear Up Clean Up' campaign launched by sister title Fleet News to help fleet managers prepare for CO2-based company car tax in 2002.

THE Government has been attacked for ignoring the plight of essential company car users both in changes to company car tax imposed in the Budget and in the new CO2-based company car tax proposed for 2002. Opposition MPs have attacked the Government for not thinking through its approach to company car tax.

ECONOMIC Secretary to the Treasury Patricia Hewitt has revealed why MPs can consider home to work journeys as business mileage when millions of company car drivers are banned from doing so - the ministerial red box. She told MPs: 'I enjoy the benefit of being driven in a ministerial car, but it is not provided for my private use. No taxable benefit therefore arises.

FLEET managers, desperate for more information on their fleet's carbon dioxide emission performance, have had yet another hurdle thrown in their path with the Government saying it has run out of the booklets which contain all the essential information.

FORD bosses have met with the Prime Minister to discuss the level of Government grant needed to guarantee the future of the manufacturer's Bridgend plant.

LEX Vehicle Leasing has re-appointed Jon Walden as managing director, four years after he left the company. He succeeds Roy Fewster, who has left the Lex Service group to pursue 'new opportunities outside the group', according to a company statement.

DAIMLERBENZ looks set to begin official imports of the Smart city car to Britain this summer. The company revealed it is poised to launch a special sales operation for its radical two-seater model after unofficial importers began retailing it in London from £5,999.