News - Page 2261

JOBS cuts could be facing Ford's senior white collar workers in Britain as the company looks to slash 10% of its managers across the globe. Discussions are still continuing about where the axe will fall in the manufacturer's operations, but it is not yet ruling out the possibility of jobs being lost in the UK.

TUESDAY is the most dangerous day to be out on the roads, but accidents are most likely to occur on a Friday, according to the latest Fleet Insurance Report from VELO. The accident management specialist analysed over 30,000 fleet insurance claims during 1997, and found the average cost of accidents was disproportionately high on Tuesday at £811.43.

DRIVER and passenger safety in the Peugeot 406 is to be boosted with the addition of an electronic brake force distributor (EBFD) - a device which makes stopping safer by giving the driver more control of the car. The EBFD takes advantage of the sensors and electronic valves present on the ABS anti-lock brakes which are fitted as standard or are optional on all 406 saloons, estates and coupes.

SILVER Shield has announced a £5 million development programme to boost its presence in the windscreen repair industry. The company, which also owns Swansea City Football Club, has spent £800,000 buying eight franchises - six in London, plus Chester and Telford.

A FUEL-saving device designed to benefit the environment has proved successful in the early stages of trials with a Government department. But the results from the Department of Social Security are being disregarded by fellow Government departments who are taking a lot more time in their tests.

A PAN-European explosion in the use of fuel cards has been predicted as company car drivers travel more widely and fleet managers increasingly realise their cost-saving and efficiency benefits. The prediction, from MarketLine International in a new report 'EU Fuel Cards', comes as Esso plans to launch its pan-European fuel card - the European Esso Card on September 1.

THE £450 million sale of RAC Motoring Services to the American-owned Cendant Corporation looks set to be completed in September. RAC members have voted overwhelmingly - 97.7% on a turnout of 84% - to approve the final stage of the arrangements which will lead to the sale of RAC Motoring Services to Cendant Corporation. A total of 10,060 members voted for the share disposal and 32 against.

MOTORWAY traffic jams cost British business £1.7 billion and 36 million man hours during the second quarter of this year, according to new figures from Milton Keynes-based Trafficmaster. And if action is not taken to defeat the jams the annual cost could hit £7.7 billion within the next 10 years as the average number of cars delayed by congestion reaches 623,000 a year by 2008.

AUDI is to introduce the 150bhp 2.5-litre V6 TDI engine, which debuted in the A6, to its A4 line-up from September. It has also announced a series of model changes, specification enhancements and price increases across its entire range.

PHH Vehicle Management has bought the global rights to a new device which helps company car drivers record their business and private mileages. The fuel and fleet management giant has invested more than £200,000 in Miledger, an in-car micro-computer which automatically notes the date, time and length of every journey.

AUTOMOTIVE data supplier Glass's Information Services has been bought by an American-owned private investment firm for £126 million. Fleet NewsNet revealed that the Weybridge-based company, publisher of 'Glass's Guide to Car Values' was up for sale 10 weeks ago

THE UK contract hire market is bracing itself for a massive shake-up as takeover fever grips the industry. The prospect of a leasing superleague of around half a dozen companies has re-emerged with major players looking to snap up smaller rivals as declining residual values reduce acquisition costs.

FLEETS have been warned that 'going for gas' does not automatically mean going 'green' unless they pick the right conversion equipment. Experts insist that emissions from vehicles running on liquefied petroleum gas will produce no benefits over traditional fuels if a sub-standard conversion is chosen.

FEARS are mounting that manufacturers will force the August market to meet their bullish forecasts - as nearly-new S-plate cars are discovered. Early indications from both car makers and dealers suggest forecourts have been much quieter than expected in the first half of the month.

MAJOR UK fleets are refusing to turn their back on diesel despite their enthusiasm for gas-powered vehicles. Urban pollution, the threat of closing city centres to traffic, and the rising pump price of diesel are all leading traditional diesel-enthusiasts such as DHL and the Royal Mail to examine the gas option.

MANCHESTER-based Independent Insurance has adopted a personal contract motoring plan for its 1,200 employees. The insurer has nominated contract hire specialist Evans Halshaw Fleetcare as its preferred supplier of the scheme which is part of a programme to increase employees' choice of benefits.

VOLKSWAGEN Financial Services (UK) has dismissed pessimistic forecasts surrounding the future of personal contract purchase schemes as 'little more than scare-mongering'. Fears have been mounting that this year's sharp decline in residual values will see thousands of PCPs end in negative equity with cars being worth less than their guaranteed minimum future value.

FLEETS can cut incident bills by almost 20% by outsourcing accident management, according to a new report by MarketLine International. A new survey by the company reveals that last year the average fleet incident cost £789, but the average cost per incident for fleets which had outsourced their accident management was £652 - a saving of 17.4%.

FLEETS could soon be cashing in on the launch of the Institute of Advanced Motorists' car buying club. The IAM Car Purchase Plan is promising discounts on new and used car prices for all 110,000 IAM members, through a partnership with five dealership groups

DOCUMENT company Xerox has renewed its solus contract with Lease Plan for the supply and management of its 3,000 strong company car fleet. Lease Plan retained the business of the photocopier, scanner, digital image processing and printer specialist in a competitive tender, having supplied Xerox for the past five years.

GE CAPITAL Fleet Services is on the brink of launching a new vehicle data collection system, after buying 500,000 shares in hi-tech vehicle tracking company Minorplanet. The investment will enable Minorplanet to develop a product specifically for the car fleet market, and an autumn launch date has been pencilled in.

FORD is increasing the price of its cars and commercial vehicles by an average 0.9% from Monday, August 17. The manufacturer blamed the rise on increased costs across the board, but stressed that its average prices had increased in the last 12 months by 2.0% compared with an inflation rate over the last year of 3.7%.

FINANCE house HSBC Private Equity has won the battle to buy Auto Windscreens with a bid of £77.2 million. Auto Windscreen's parent Heywood Williams will now seek its shareholders' approval for the sale at an extraordinary general meeting on Monday, August 24.

ARRIVA Automotive Solutions has announced a £1.6 million investment in a new software system. The leasing and fleet management giant is installing the Oracle-based Willow 2000 system, developed by Tangram Computer Systems, after researching the fleet software market for two years.

FLEET drivers are set to be the main beneficiaries of the AA's decision to close its 142 high street shops and focus on its roadside breakdown and recovery service. The announcement coincided with a pledge by the AA to invest an additional £20 million in roadside assistance.

SANDERSON Bramall Motor Group is hoping to axe by half the number of accidents in which its parts delivery drivers are involved. The company is turning to a computer-age technology defensive driver package to train every one of its 240 parts drivers.

VEHICLE component manufacturer Automotive Products has outsourced the management of its 150-strong company car fleet to PHH Vehicle Management. The move follows the retirement of Automotive Products' fleet manager Mike Wade, and will see PHH provide maintenance management, accident management, P11D reporting and a 24 hour a day driver support line.

NEW fleet registrations rose in the phony sales month of July, compared to July 1997, but failed to reach the record heights of the previous year. In the run-up to the final August plate change madness, fleet sales were 3.2% up on July 1997 at 21,673 (21,001), in a 1998 fleet market 6.6% higher than last year - 579,032 (1997: 543,323).

FLEET diesel sales bucked the downward trend of 1998 with an 11.3% increase in July compared to the same month in 1997. Official Society of Motor Manufacturer and Trader figures show the total 1998 diesel market is up a negligible 0.9% on the first seven months of 1997 at 185,046 (183,418), although fleet diesel sales are down 1.5% over the same period at 109,407 (111,125).

NATIONAL Car Rental is adding a mobile phone rental service as an option for UK customers. The country's biggest car rental company decided mobile phones and cars were an essential partnership and has set up a deal with Cellhire.