News - Page 2239

FLEET sales reached record levels in 1998, a year which saw the end of the traditional 'Big Three' manufacturers dominating the market. Both Peugeot and Renault overtook Rover in the manufacturers' fleet sales league table as Rover's registrations fell by almost one fifth compared to 1997.

THE underlying strength of the UK's economy was reflected in a 6% rise in light commercial vehicle registrations during 1998. The strongest growth was in the mid-size van range of 1.8-3.5 tonnes, where sales rose 9.9% to 143,250 units, while in the sub-1,800kg sector sales nudged ahead by 1.3% to 81,584 units.

THE 1998 fleet diesel market ended 3% down on 1997 at 197,579 registrations (203,627), but there are signs of a resurgence. Product availability for the new Vauxhall Astra diesel saw its sales fall 26.9% compared to its predecessor in 1997, and Vectra diesel sales were 16.1% down.

FLEET sales ended 1998 on a high as availability improved on cars which had been in short supply and manufacturers pushed to meet year end targets. A total of 51,726 new fleet cars were registered in December, representing 53.7% of the month's 96,346-strong new car market, and 13.8% up on 1997's figure of 45,543.

THE Ministry of Defence has this week invited some of the UK's biggest leasing and fleet management companies to tender for a 10-year outsourcing contract for its 10,000-strong 'white fleet'. The tender document for the business has just been published, and calls for the supply and management of vehicles to meet the MoD's needs, with the competing parties fighting to take responsibility for the sourcing, maintenance and disposal of vehicles.

FORD is expected to announce an extension of production cuts at its Dagenham plant following a continuing slowdown in exports as Rover announces a 10% cut in production. The Ford plant, which makes Fiesta cars and vans, Courier vans and Mazda 121 saloons, plans to continue for up to a month the cancellation of Thursday night and Friday day shifts announced last year.

ROVER has won an order for cars worth more than £6 million at showroom prices from Courts, one of the UK's leading furniture suppliers. The order includes 500 Rover 200 models and 20 Land Rover Freelanders as well as a number of 400s, 800s and a Sterling for the company chauffeur.

FLEETS are reaping the benefits of dramatic cuts in New Year fuel prices as oil companies promote special offers to attract motorists to their forecourts. The latest PHH AllStar monthly fuel report claims pump prices have dropped by up to more than 6p a gallon across the UK, with the average price of unleaded petrol now below August 1997 levels.

VOLKSWAGEN has named its fleet sales executive of the year as Leanne Bennett, corporate sales executive at Whitehouse Volkswagen.

CHEVIN Computer Systems, which markets the RoadBASE fleet management software system, has won three new contracts to install the system.

MITSUBISHI Motors is to open 13 new dealerships in the UK in the first six months of this year and three sites - in Workington, Croydon and York - have already opened.

AVON Fire Brigade has bought a Peugeot 106 Electric for use by its events and promotions team in Bristol. £5,000 of its £11,500 cost was granted by the Energy Saving Trust.

SPECULATION continues to mount that Ford is set to buy a rival motor manufacturer with at least six companies rumoured to be in the frame and BMW denying Rover is for sale. Car company bosses at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit were playing games of bluff and counter bluff with each other amid the increasing speculation that by the end of March one European manufacturer will have been acquired by Ford.

NORTHGATE Motor Holdings parent company Goode Durrant has revealed a slump in half-year profits caused by the falling value of second-hand vehicles. Despite a £28 million increase in turnover, Northgate was unable to totally absorb the dramatic fall in residual values across the industry leaving the company with a half-year losses year-on-year amounting to £900,000 for six months to the end of October.

SILICONE product supplier Dow Corning Corporation has awarded the contract to supply its pan-European fleet of 400 company cars to Lease Plan. The deal will initially affect Dow Corning's fleet in Austria, Germany, France, Belgium and the UK, but will expand further afield - the company employs 9,000 people worldwide.

SHREWSBURY-based environmental management consultant Aspinwall & Company is practising what it preaches by replacing its petrol and diesel-powered cars with a bi-fuel liquefied petroleum gas/petrol fleet. In a solus badge Toyota deal, Aspinwall has begun a year-long phased replacement of about 80% of its 80-strong fleet of its Avensis and Corolla models.

RECORD half-year results have been announced by dealer and contract hire group Reg Vardy, boosted by a series of acquisitions throughout the year and careful handling of falling residual values. Turnover has soared 38% to £567.1 million for the six months to the end of October last year, compared to £409.9 million for the same period in 1997, while pre-tax profit jumped 46% to £12.3 million from £8.4 million.

THE Royal Mail, operator of one of Britain's largest fleets, has awarded a one-year, £250,000 contract to the AA Driving School, in a bid to further guarantee the safety of its employees. The AA beat competition from other major driving training organisations to win its largest yet training contract to provide about 6,000 Royal Mail van and car drivers with assessments throughout 1999, as well as a small element of learner-driver tuition.

A FOUR-month trial is to be carried out by the Royal Mail into the use of ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) on its truck and van fleet. The aim of the trial is to enable the company to monitor the effects on engine performance and fuel consumption and to compare those obtained by using ordinary diesel as part of continuing efforts to become more environmentally friendly.

TO celebrate the Avensis's first anniversary, Toyota has brought out special editions based on the S 1.6-litre saloon and 1.8-litre liftback models. The Corolla has also been enhanced with its own special edition.

SEAT has simplified its range for the New Year and included price changes to some models. The base Estilo model is renamed the S, as is the 1.9TDi Salsa in the Ibiza range. Non-turbodiesels are dropped from the line-up and the GTi 2.0 eight-valve Ibiza Cupra Sport is reduced in price from £12,395 to £11,995.

AUDI has finalised pricing and specification for the 1999 A8 range. Scheduled for introduction in March, the line-up will feature more powerful and efficient five-valve V8 engines, suspension revisions for improved ride and handling, cosmetic enhancements and specification enhancements.

PHH Vehicle Management has secured a contract to supply, manage and maintain Basingstoke company Dolphin Telecommunications' fleet. The contract was won after a competitive tender process involving 11 companies. Eighty vehicles from Dolphin's original multi-badged fleet are included in the agreement and all future vehicles will be leased directly from PHH.

RESIDUAL values of end-of-term fleet cars look set to be given a boost by a new quality assurance initiative launched by British Car Auctions. The initiative called BCA Approved is a nationwide sale programme whereby the company approves the history and description of every car sold through a special sales programme.

CONTRACT hire company Ryland Multifleet has rebranded its disposals division. The renaming of The Car Company to Multifleet Direct is intended to reflect the retail sales division's role in selling direct to the public and has coincided with the expansion of its Leamington Spa site.

PEUGEOT has confirmed the possibility of Citroens being built at its Ryton factory, although demand for the new 206 means it will not happen in the foreseeable future. Confirmation this week of the possible closer links between Citroen and Peugeot reinforces statements made by the president of their parent company PSA, Jean-Martin Folz early in 1998 when he announced a new production strategy based on the radical reduction of platforms.

A MANAGEMENT buyout at West Bromwich-based Salter Weigh-Tronix has been followed by the firm outsourcing its fleet management to the Fleet Management Group. The deal covers more than 150 vehicles, mainly Vauxhalls, which are contract hired from a range of companies, which will now liaise with the Fleet Management Group.

FORD will launch the Lincoln LS in Britain late this year or early in 2000, the manufacturer's president and chief executive officer Jac Nasser revealed at the North American International Auto Show. Speculation has been mounting in the UK that Ford's long-time reluctance to name any timescale other than '1999' was due to concern in Ford of Britain as to how to market the American model following the failure in the luxury car sector of the recently axed Ford Scorpio.

CADILLAC is poised to dramatically increase UK sales with the introduction of up to four new models by 2006. For Cadillac to compete competitively with chief rivals Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz the General Motors-owned manufacturer must expand its product portfolio particularly in western Europe - the world's biggest market for luxury cars - according to Cadillac general manager John Smith.

FORD looks set to bring back its famed range-topping performance derivatives with the unveiling of the rally-inspired Cosworth Focus. In the UK Ford ultimately dropped its sporting line-up of RS, XR and Cosworth models due to pressure from insurance companies which made the cars almost uninsurable in the late 1980s and early 1990s.