News - Page 2244

FLEET sales have broken through the one million barrier and with just this month's sales figures to go the 1998 fleet market will top last year's record 1,018,491. November fleet sales of 79,953 were 0.97% up on November 1997 sales of 79,183 taking fleet sales for 1998 to date to 1,004,090 - 3.2% ahead of 1997's 11-month total of 972,948.

YORKSHIRE Electricity has scrapped its in-house fleet management, resulting in several redundancies, in favour of outsourcing all fleet control. The electricity and gas supplier has placed the management of its 1,500-strong vehicle fleet with Lex Transfleet, which is using sister company Lex Vehicle Leasing to handle more than 1,000 cars on the fleet.

SPECULATION is mounting that the ban on the sale of four-star leaded petrol from January 1, 2000 could result in significant increases in the price of unleaded petrol. While few, if any, company cars now run on four-star petrol, fleets could bear the cost of the banning of the fuel and its replacement by lead replacement petrol (LRG as it is called in the industry).

FORD is to continue its partnership with Rover in supplying Dun and Bradstreet's 1,000-strong car fleet for a further four years in a dual-badge deal worth a total of £16 million. Rover will supply half of the fleet and Ford has confirmed it will be supplying the other half.

POWERS for the new Mayor of London to introduce road user charging and workplace parking levies with the money raised to be spent on improving public transport were contained in the newly-published Greater London Authority Bill. As outlined in November's Queen's Speech the Bill blueprints powers for the election of a 25-member assembly headed by an elected Mayor of London.

NATIONAL Car Rental has won what is believed to be the first ever UK negotiated global car hire deal - worth a minimum of £1.5 million and around 1,000 rentals a month. The three-year contract with pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Wellcome will see the car hire firm manage the organisation's car rental requirements throughout Europe, the USA and Canada.

PRESSURE is mounting on volume manufacturers to introduce standard three-year/60,000 mile warranties following the launch of a new package by the country's largest provider of direct breakdown warranties. Motor Warranty Direct's FleetCover offers savings in excess of £150 in some cases on the price of manufacturers' extended warranties.

KWIK-Fit has launched a new service called Tyresource to satisfy a replacement tyre market for high performance and off-road vehicles that has exploded in value by 30% to £400 million during the past five years. Tyresource will enable Kwik-Fit centres and Kwik-Fit mobile vans to access more than 700 types of specialist, large diameter tyres for high performance and 4x4 vehicles with next-day delivery.

MONTINEX, the parent company of FTM Tyrefit, has launched an attack on all its major competitors in the tyre supply industry. It also left the National Tyre Distributors Association in disarray after threatening to withdraw its membership.

VOLKSWAGEN has enhanced its service to fleet customers after creating a new service in association with Mondial Assistance. The administrative support service allows VW's fleet managers to spend more time on the road through a number of packages supplied by Mondial.

AUTOMOTIVE logistics group AutoLogic has secured five new customers - Jaguar, Avis Rent-a-Car, Volkswagen's Dutch importer Pon, Mercedes-Benz Trucks and Smart, the Mercedes-Benz subsidiary producing a two-seat city car. The contracts will see AutoLogic distribute the new Jaguar S-type saloon with the company expecting to distribute more than 40,000 cars a year to franchised dealers and UK ports for exports.

PEUGEOT has upgraded its lead-in 406 models - and reduced on-the-road prices by £235. The move sees entry L badging dropped in favour of the new LS, which has air-conditioning, CD autochanger and ABS with electronic braking limiter as standard equipment.

APPLES Limited, a specialist in car servicing and mechanical repairs for both the retail and fleet motorist, is now 100% owned by Kwik-Fit. The tyre specialist has also bought a 50% share of Kwik-Fit Northern Ireland. Apples operates 70 Car Clinics in England and in the last full financial year generated sales of £22 million.

MASTERDRIVE Leasing and Rental is contacting all of its customers, potential customers and suppliers to make sure their software systems are millennium compliant. The company says it is now certain its own IT systems are fully year 2000 compliant, but wants to make sure customers and suppliers are doing the same.

THE Government has launched a new campaign to try to raise awareness of the dangers of the millennium bug. A new £1 million advertising initiative comes in the wake of the Government's attempt to train 20,000 staff from small and medium-sized business as an 'army of bugbusters'.

VEHICLE funding and fleet management company Axus UK has become the latest contract hire operation to launch a specialist commercial vehicle arm. Following in the wake of first Lex Vehicle Leasing and then GE Capital Fleet Services - both of which have launched specialist van operations in the past year - Axus UK has formed a light commercial department offering potential and existing customers advice on leasing vans.

NISSAN has clinched a three-year deal with the Environment Agency to supply 90 of its new Terrano II vans. The new van, which went on sale on September 1, is available as a three-door model without rear seats, panelled rear windows and is powered by the 2.7 TDi engine found in the Terrano II passenger vehicle.

MERCEDES-BENZ has denied it is planning to give its new M-class off-roader - launched on September 4 - a more upmarket cabin in a bid to outclass BMW's X5 Sports Activity Vehicle before it goes on sale at the end of next year. There is European press speculation that Mercedes bosses ordered an upgrade after the American-built M-class came in for criticism for the quality of the plastics used in the interior.

AUDI is piloting a scheme to buy back vehicles from leasing companies at pre-agreed residual values in an attempt to keep used car prices at a premium. The cars will then go on to the Audi 'Stock Exchange', a software system - developed by ITS Solutions - which dealers can access to check on the availability of used cars.

THREE major motor manufacturers are on the brink of withdrawing from Motability, and a fourth is considering leaving the disabled motoring scheme. Talk of a pull-out is due to widespread concerns with the charity's plans for a radical shake-up of its 370,000-strong fleet.

FLEET managers are being urged to become pro-active and stop gambling on having no risk management policies in the face of likely massive increases in insurance premiums. The insurance industry is warning premiums could rise by as much as 20% as a result of the Government's decision to introduce the Road Traffic Act (NHS charges) Bill.

FLEETS have gained a powerful lobbying voice in Parliament after a cross-party group of MPs backed their demands for the Government to end its confusing policy on clean vehicles and fuels. The support gives valuable momentum to fleets campaigning for the recognition of their vital role in encouraging the use of cleaner technology in vehicles to cut down on pollution.

FLEET managers have welcomed the Government's U-turn over plans to introduce a company car tax system based on private mileage, branding the initiative unworkable and ill-thought-out - but 'green' groups have attacked the move. Nevertheless, fleets say work needs to be done to discourage fleet car users from clocking up so-called 'wasted miles' to qualify for larger tax breaks to counter abuse of the current business miles-based system, which offers cuts in tax once a driver covers 2,500 and 18,000 miles.

UNION agreement on sweeping changes in working practices at Rover's threatened Longbridge car plant paves the way for the manufacturer to build vital new small fleet models, it was claimed this week. In return for operating cost savings of £150 million a year, parent company BMW's £1.5 billion investment in the ailing Midlands factory means an all-new range is now likely to replace the existing 200 and 400 series from 2003.

BRISTOL-based leasing and fleet management company BCH Vehicle Management is in talks following an approach that may or may not lead to an offer being made for the company. The company floated on the Stock Exchange a year ago but has been concerned that its falling share price in recent months - which dipped to 129p - left it vulnerable to a predatory takeover following a spate of takeovers in the sector.

CONTRACT hire and leasing internet innovator Calleva Contracts has launched a new online service offering nearly new and used VAT qualifying cars.

FURNITURE retailer MFI has banned grey imports from its fleet - and motor industry bosses have praised the company's action. MFI made the decision in the light of harsh criticism of grey imports by leading figures in the industry and consideration of the financial implications of accepting these cars on the company fleet.

CONSULTATION documents on nationwide congestion charging and non-residential car park charging are due to be published this month, Fleet NewsNet has been told. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' confirmation of the publication of the two documents, along with a number of other transport-related consultation papers, follows the Queen's Speech where no specific transport measures were among the 22 bills planned for the new Parliamentary year.

ALMOST a third of 1,684 light and hazardous goods-carrying vehicles stopped by the Vehicle Inspectorate during a one-day nationwide spot-check had serious mechanical defects. Customs and Excise and other enforcement agencies issued 486 prohibition orders on Operation Mermaid day - 7am to 3pm on November 18 - and 261 of the orders were for vehicles to be taken off the road immediately.

EVIDENCE is emerging that the near year-long collapse in residual values is coming to an end, according to CAP Motor Research and Glass's Information Services. Both organisations in the December issues of their respective used car value price guides - CAP Black Book and Glass's Guide Car Values - claim sections of the second hand market are recovering.