News - Page 2230

JAGUAR is investigating the corrosive effects of certain high-sulphur petrols after it discovered it uses the same engine cylinder coating as BMW, which has already had to replace more than 1,000 engines. BMW revealed a problem with the Nikosil coating on all of its 2.0-litre, 2.3-litre and 2.8-litre six-cylinder engines.

VAUXHALL'S chairman and chief executive has joined the country's biggest engineering union in calling on the Government to join the European single currency as soon as possible. In an interview on Radio 4's Today programme Nick Reilly said: 'Being outside the Euro is costing us a lot of money in terms of transaction costs, hedging costs and the uncertainty about where the exchange rate is going. That's a penalty we in Britain are having to face and our European counterparts are not and that's putting us at a disadvantage.'

CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has been warned that overall levels of transport taxation is 'a major concern' and warned against imposing new charges as he puts the finishing touches to his March 9 Budget. The warning comes from Retail Motor Industry Federation chief executive Christopher Macgowan in the organisation's Budget submission letter to the Chancellor.

NISSAN has defended its decision to pre-register a Micra Inspiration for every one of its UK dealerships. The initiative is designed to ensure every Nissan dealer has a Micra Inspiration demonstrator vehicle in the run-up to the new T-plate on March 1.

INSURANCE giant Royal & SunAlliance is recruiting a high-flying fleet project manager to help with the roll-out of the Whitechapel scheme across its 5,000-strong fleet. The calibre of the individual sought reflects the changing profile of fleet managers as they contend with the financial and human resource challenges of running a fleet.

MULTINATIONAL computer company ICL has outsourced the management of its 4,800-strong fleet to Dial, but will maintain an in-house fleet team. Six employees in ICL's fleet department will become Dial personnel, but will continue to work from ICL's offices.

THE Home Office has called on the fleet industry to continue to work with the police and public to help the Government achieve a 30% reduction in vehicle crime over the next five years. Speaking at the presentation of the 1999 British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association Security Awards, Home Office minister Paul Boateng commended the association for playing a major part in cutting car crime by 26% in the five years to April 1998.

AIR-conditioning and a six-CD autochanger will be fitted as standard in the new Peugeot 406 range of saloon and estate cars which will make its official debut at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show on March 11-21. Fleet operators will be able to see the car, which has been restyled by Pininfarina, at the 1999 Fleet Show at the NEC, Birmingham, on April 27-29.

THE Conservative Party has expressed fears about the Government's intention to charge motorists to drive into the centre of London, claiming revenue-raising fees could be too low to reduce traffic congestion. Tories who staged a protest on Waterloo Bridge also warned that a clause in the Greater London Authority Bill provides the Government with the opportunity to raise a motoring tax 'through the back door'.

BOOTS is calling on Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to use the Budget to exclude 'green transport plans' from benefit-in-kind tax after the high street giant was left facing a £500,000 tax bill for supporting a bus service for staff. The Inland Revenue says the service counts as a benefit-in-kind and following a recent audit has demanded the huge payment of back taxes.

RAPID new car price harmonisation between the UK and Europe would drive down used car prices, spelling bad news for fleets and private motorists. Paul Jarvis, Glass's director of valuation products, has warned that there is a direct correlation between new and used car prices.

CAR makers' UK profits will come under serious threat in 1999 as new car price harmonisation spreads across Europe. Global equity research company Salomon Smith Barney has analysed the latest European Commission overview of new car pricing and predicted a massive decline in the UK's retail car prices.

GROWING numbers of companies are switching their fleets to contract hire or contract purchase schemes as they attempt to ease administration and fix costs. Although outright purchase is still the most popular acquisition method among fleets of more than 1,000 vehicles, the new Monks Partnership report found that the move away from buying vehicles by large companies continues to grow.

DETAILS of ways to give more companies access to the fleet and leasing industry's universal business language system are to be revealed at a FleetNet open day next week. The aim is to enable a massive expansion of the system's capabilities to allow input from companies not currently involved.

FLEETS looking to take on alternative-fuelled vehicles still have a limited choice of refuelling sites despite promises of millions of pounds of investment by fuel companies. Multinational oil companies Shell, BP and Jet have 32 sites between them for refilling vehicles powered by liquefied petroleum gas and rival oil companies have so far shunned the alternative fuel market with no current plans to convert sites

SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury is considering trialling liquefied petroleum gas at one of its 199 filling stations as part of an investigation into growing demand for the fuel. The firm has been in talks with fuel suppliers as part of a feasibility study into the fuel which has rejected the viability of supplying compressed natural gas through its forecourts.

FLEETS which use enclosed car parks, vehicle repair centres and auctioneers are being warned of the health risks associated with diesel engine exhaust emissions. The Health and Safety Executive has issued new guidance to employers on how to control staff exposure to diesel pollution and recognise the symptoms of over-exposure.

VAUXHALL is offering fleets a registration allowance of up to £1,000 on 1998 model year Astras and Vectras to clear its stock for 1999 models and the new Vectra. All pre-1999 model year Astra estates qualify for a £1,000 registration allowance, while fleet buyers of pre-1999 model year hatchbacks are entitled to £750.

A FURIOUS row has erupted over calls for a 14% rise in fuel prices in the March 9 Budget which could send fleet operating costs soaring. Calls from the Environmental Transport Association for the annual 6% above inflation fuel duty escalator to be more than doubled have been condemned by the AA and RAC as 'motorist bashing' and 'absurd'.

THE change of emphasis at the Fleet Show to concentrate on the business-making potential rather than an opportunity to drive new cars has led Peugeot to put its name firmly behind this year's event. Peugeot is just the latest in a number of big name companies to sign up in the last seven days for the show, which is being held at the Birmingham NEC from Tuesday, April 27 to Thursday, April 29.

JAGUAR chairman Nick Scheele is claiming victory in the first round of his campaign to woo motorists from German-built rivals which dominate the executive sector of the corporate car market. Intensive work to position the luxury car brand as more accessible business transport is paying spectacular results in the run-up to next month's launch of the S-type - the first of the Coventry company's new generation of more affordable executive models.

JAGUAR has pledged that servicing costs for the new £33,150 Jaguar S-type will come to no more than £900 plus VAT over a three-year/60,000-mile operating cycle. The claim, based on six services at 10,000-mile intervals, was made by Jaguar's UK operations director, Andrew Lester, at the car's press launch in south-west France and will spearhead a drive for class-leading wholelife costs on the new range when it goes on sale on March 24.

FOR the first time since 1989 industry consultant Fleet Audits is set to increase the cost of its training courses, but has put a freeze on prices for its March 23-24 two-day residential basic fleet management training course.

JAGUAR looks likely to sell out of its first 12 months' supply of the new S-type to the UK market before the car reaches the showrooms on March 24. Orders for more than seven months' sales have already been processed and around a further 27,000 potential customers have declared an interest in the Coventry company's rival to the Mercedes-Benz C-class and BMW's 5-series.

FORD and Jaguar are forging closer links in the fleet sector in a bid to win new business. Ford is taking advantage of its widespread contacts with fleet managers to introduce them to the Jaguar brand, often for the first time.

VEHICLE repair network ABS is investigating the feasibility of establishing a specialist body repair network for heavy vans and trucks. The move follows demand from insurers and major fleets for national coverage with common standards, and ABS has formed a working group to study the issue.

COMPANIES are queuing up to express interest in buying RAC Motoring Services following the collapse of a takeover bid by Cendant Corporation, owner of Green Flag. The latest speculation surrounds Centrica, owner of the British Gas and Goldfish financial services, which has not ruled out suggestions it is looking to buy RAC Motoring Services.

BOX van, Luton van, tipper and dropside variants of the 3.5-tonne Movano have been launched by Vauxhall. Prices are from £17,665, excluding VAT, for the medium wheelbase steel bodied tipper, rising to £19,365 for the long wheelbase glass reinforced plastic standard body Luton.

THE Metropolitan Police Service has taken the final step in fully outsourcing its fleet operation by awarding an £11 million contract to equip all of the non-covert vehicles to S MacNeillie and Son. The Walsall-based company will annually fit about 700 police cars, vans and motorcycles with police radios, video equipment, sirens, light bars, tracking systems, dog kennels and prisoner retention cages.

VOLKSWAGEN has announced the pricing and specification details for its new Lupo supermini which goes on sale in the UK in April. It has three engine options - 1.0-litre, 1.4-litre 16-valve and a 1.7-litre direct injection diesel.