News - Page 2249

EXPANDING healthcare computer systems company HBO has awarded a 125-vehicle sale and leaseback deal to fleet management company Dial. Dial already runs 75 vehicles under an agreement made in 1993, but HBO has seen its fleet grow in the past five years and used the sale and leaseback of vehicles worth about £1 million to free capital for further investment and remove costs from the balance sheet. Dial will also provide an accident management service.

TOTAL may be celebrating the growth of its pan-European fuel card, but throughout the continent its market share of fuel sales has dropped sharply. According to MarketLine's new report 'Western European Fuel Stations', Total is one of many smaller oil companies to lose out to the growth of supermarket service station fuel sales in Europe.

KWIK-FIT Fleet has passed an operational health check by Lloyds Quality Register and has been reaccredited with the BS-EN ISO 9002 standard. This is the second audit, which is held every three years, the operator has passed. At its second audit Kwik-Fit Fleet recorded a level of 'good compliance at all levels' of systems designed by the operator to provide the highest levels of service and convenience to customers.

BRITISH Telecom could be one of the biggest customers for its new vehicle tracking product - PinPoint Fleet Manager. The system, revealed at the Mobile Data Comms exhibition in Earls Courts, London, this week, shows the location of each vehicle in a company's fleet on an electronic map, tracking up to 1,000 units at a time.

ROVER has pledged to fight for business in the heartland of the UK fleet market, but faces a four-week deadline to save its giant Longbridge factory from closure. Bosses at both Rover and parent company BMW have been involved in intensive meetings with the Government and trade union bosses in a bid to improve productivity at the West Midlands factory, where the Rover 200 and 400 are built.

FUTURE Vauxhall investment in the UK depends upon the speed with which this country adopts the single European currency. In a clear warning to the Government, Nick Reilly, Vauxhall's chairman and managing director, said Vauxhall's American parent, General Motors, would reconsider investment in the UK if joining the European Monetary Union was postponed for many years.

DAEWOO has threatened to withdraw from daily rental business unless profitability returns to this sector of the market. The manufacturer claims rental companies are trying to negotiate new fleet deals for 1999 which leave it no profit margin.

MOBILE phone service One 2 One has outsourced its 500-strong car fleet to Avis Fleet Services in a major deal announced at the British International Motor Show. Avis, part of GE Capital Fleet Services, will take over the management of One 2 One's fleet with immediate effect, and replace cars on contract hire when they come to the end of their contracts with Dial.

A NEW central European fleet sourcing operation has been established by GE Capital Fleet Services in a bid to provide customers with increased value for money contracts. The 16-strong team with headquarters in Brussels is headed by Italian-born Nicoletta Giadrossi.

CONTRACT hire company Fleetlease has seen turnover increase 14% to £34 million for the six months to the end of September and gross profit rise by a third to £4.1 million. It helped parent company Hitatchi Credit (UK) achieve turnover up 26% to £44.7 million (1997: £35.6 million) with pre-tax profits up 36% to £4.4 million (1997: £3.2 million).

KOREAN motor company Hyundai is expected to become the new owner of its troubled national neighbour Kia after winning a third round of bids. The first two rounds were abandoned after the bidders, also including Ford, Daewoo and Samsung, asked for too much of the company's £6-7 billion debts to be written off.

GENERAL Motors has appointed Robert Hendry, the head of Saab, as chairman and managing director of Opel. He will take up the position on November 1.

PROTON has increased its car prices by an average of 2% throughout its network of 140 UK dealers. The price rise coincides with the launch of three years' free parts and labour servicing on the Compact three-door hatchback, Persona four- and five-door and 1.8 Coupe models.

A PREDICTED gridlock of Britain's road network last week failed to materialise, sparking debate over whether future traffic jams can be anticipated.

THE Government has praised two of the UK's largest fleets for their success in reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Environment minister Michael Meacher commended the Royal Mail and BT for their green achievements, and called on other companies to measure, reduce and report their environmental performance.

DEPUTY prime minister John Prescott has written to the UK's top 350 companies calling on them to develop green transport plans for their staff as part of a new 'Doing Your Bit' campaign. This aims to build environmental awareness among employers and employees, and consequently reduce the pollution and congestion caused by people driving to work alone in cars.

FORD is recalling just under half the Pumas sold in the UK because of a braking malfunction. Owners are being asked to take their cars to a Ford dealer to have a brake master cylinder replaced.

FORD has announced further cuts to production at its Dagenham plant following a decline in vehicle demand in European and world markets. The factory makes Ford Fiesta cars and vans, Courier vans and Mazda 121 saloons and exports about 45% of its production. The cancellation of five shifts in November and December will take 3,000 cars out of its production cycle.

THE number of employees paying tax on their company cars in 1996/97 remained static at 1.65 million, according to new figures from the Inland Revenue. The 1998 volume of Inland Revenue statistics contains data for the financial year 1996/97 and shows that the 1.65 million tax-paying company car drivers - the same figure as for 1995/96 - paid a total of £1.43 billion in company car tax - also the same as for 1995/96.

PEUGEOT has announced the first major fleet order for its new 206, the UK-built supermini. Kunick Leisure, a supplier of amusement machines for pubs and clubs, has ordered 100 diesel 206s and extended its solus Peugeot fleet policy until 2002.

THE world launch of the all-new Rover 75 at the British International Motor Show signalled the 'rebirth of Rover', according to Bernd Pischetsrieder, chairman of parent company BMW. His claim came five hours after the official launch of Rover's new £19,000-£25,000 executive contender which goes on sale in the UK next March and replaces the Rover 600 and 800.

BMW has still to reach a final decision over where it will build one of Britain's most famous car ranges in future. Even though the German group is planning to set up a new English base for Rolls-Royce in 2003, production of the Silver Seraph range could still continue at the Crewe factory now owned by Volkswagen, it was announced at the Motor Show.

UNCERTAINTY over the profitability of Rover Group operations will not prevent the company from launching its next-generation Mini in two years' time. But the car will not go on the tracks at its traditional Birmingham production base if crucial negotiations aimed at countering the twin problems of the high pound and low productivity are not resolved by the end of next month, BMW chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder said at the British International Motor Show.

BMW'S £800 million acquisition of Rover in February 1994 was part of a long-term strategic move by the German manufacturer to face up to the challenges of increasing globalisation of the motor industry. BMW chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder said at the Motor Show: 'We knew we had to expand two-dimensionally.'

BMW has spent more than £1.27 billion to put Rover on the right road for the new millennium, it was revealed at the British International Motor Show. The unprecedented investment programme started as soon as Rover was taken over in 1994, said chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder.

TWO Japanese manufacturers have urged the Government not to relax the limits on grey imports, without considering the impact on the industry and environment and safety considerations. Subaru UK's managing director Ed Swatman and Stephen Dixon, managing director of the Colt Car Company, importer of Mitsubishi cars to the UK, took advantage of the glare of publicity surrounding the British International Motor Show to speak out.

ROADS minister Lord Whitty has thrown the Government's weight behind calls for fleet managers to take a much more active approach to the safety of their drivers. Speaking at the launch of National Road Safety Week at the British International Motor Show, Lord Whitty said companies must make sure drivers are not pressured into mistakes because of punishing schedules or forced to drive when too tired.

THE Metropolitan Police Force is to test black box equipment in its patrol car fleet following successful trials by forces in Germany. The move, announced at the British International Motor Show has led to renewed calls for black boxes to be fitted to company cars.

CHRYSLER Jeep is to boost its Jeep Cherokee 4x4 line-up in January with the launch of the Orvis and the importer also revealed two new models to complete its Voyager MPV line-up. Revealed at the British International Motor Show the new Jeep Cherokee model will become the range-topper in the existing line-up and will slot in just below the Grand Cherokee range, which is also headed by an Orvis version.

AGGRESSIVE pricing will see Saab's new 9-5 estate play a large part in increasing the manufacturer's total sales next year. The arrival of the estate - Saab predicts it will sell about 3,500 next year following its February launch - will push the Swedish manufacturer's total sales over the 20,000 mark, UK corporate sales manager Maggie Small said at the British International Motor Show.