News - Page 2262

INCHCAPE, which is selling off its non-motors businesses and has reduced its stake in Toyota (GB) from 75% to 49%, has announced pre-tax profits for the first six months of this year of £60 million (1997: £78.8 million). Turnover for the company in the first half of the year was £2,844 million (1997: £3,279.7 million) with the former figure reflecting Inchcape's reduced shareholding in Toyota (GB).

NATIONAL paper merchant Alliance Paper Group has awarded a solus supply contract for its 120-strong fleet to Lex Vehicle Leasing. In doing so the company has turned its back on Axus and Dial, which both supplied cars to the company in the past.

FUEL card companies are unveiling a host of value added services to woo the small fleet sector. Success in this market is essential if the companies are to win their share of the extra 300,000 new cards forecast for UK fleets over the next four years, according to MarketLine International's new report, 'UK Fleet Fuel Cards'.

BRITAIN'S first hydrogen car has taken to the streets of London amid claims that commercial vehicle fleets are set to spearhead the future of the ultimate clean fuel. With efficiency costs at almost a third of those for diesel engines and half of liquefied petroleum gas, Zevco, developer of the new vehicle, claims van fleet operators will be queuing up to convert.

GOVERNMENT tax incentives are the only way to guarantee the success of hydrogen power as a fuel of the future, according to the head of Shell UK. Dr Chris Fay, chairman and chief executive of Shell UK, said more had to be done to close the gap between technological developments and consumer preference.

PRODUCTION of the new Ford Focus - the company's all-new lower medium sector contender - is expected to start next week when the manufacturer's factories resume work after the summer shut-down. The Focus was first revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March and goes on sale in mid-October with a choice of 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol engines, with an all-new 1.8 direct injection turbodiesel to follow.

THE Highways Agency is to conduct a pilot telematics study of two-way communication between vehicles and control centres along the M4, M25 and M23 corridors. The Road Traffic Advisor Project will see short range digital microwave communications systems installed along 350km of motorway.

THE days of fleets providing company car drivers with free fuel for private motoring look seriously numbered, according to two new surveys. These have found that the double whammy of rising pump prices and benefit-in-kind tax changes is convincing companies that it is no longer a cost-effective benefit to give drivers free fuel for private mileage.

BRITISH Gas's natural gas vehicles sales and engineering staff are to start driving cars running on compressed natural gas. The flagship deal was revealed just months after plans were scrapped to convert the huge British Gas Services fleet to gas power.

A FLEET of 130 cars has been taken on by Axus UK in its latest sale and leaseback deal. Stevenage-based IFR, a global designer and manufacturer of test and measurement equipment for the cellular radio and telecommunications markets, has sold its 130-strong car fleet to Axus and will now lease back the vehicles.

GOVERNMENT plans to introduce workplace car park charges could result in some employees being exempted from the charge, including Government departments and NHS health authorities and trusts. Plans to give local authorities powers to introduce the charge were outlined in last month's integrated transport white paper and immediately proved controversial.

PAN-European fleets will be among the first beneficiaries of the Austrian government's determination to make tax harmonisation a key goal of its presidency of the European Union. Different VAT and vehicle registration fees in EU member states have threatened to hinder any cross-border fleet deals, even after the advent of the single European currency.

DROPPING residual values and cut-throat new car prices to tempt buyers back from the used market held back profits at motor retailer and accident repairer Perry Group. Profits before tax for the six months to June were virtually unchanged from 1997 at £4.9 million (1997: £4.85 million), blamed on the weak used car market.

STRATHCLYDE Police is to turn to pedal power in a bid to beat city and town centre traffic-clogged streets. The Scottish officers are to become the first in Britain to use mountain bikes rather than cars for rapid response units.

THE future of up-for-sale contract hire and leasing company Arriva Automotive Solutions is expected to be resolved by the end of the year with a sale to a bank or finance house the most likely. The revelation came with the announcement that pre-tax profits were down £2.4 million year-on-year following a residual value hit.

TRANSPORT solutions group Arriva plc is to continue to expand its dealer network, while its rental operation is to go through a period of consolidation. The north east-based company announced pre-tax profits of £47.6 million for the first six months of 1998 - in line with the same period last year - on turnover up 17% to £822 million (1997: £702 million) and operating profit improving to £69 million (1997: £66.2 million).

DAIMLER-BENZ has given the all-clear for production of its new super S-class luxury limousine. The first Mercedes-Benz Maybach, estimated to cost between £140,000 and £150,000, will not be seen on UK roads until at least 2002, when the car goes into general production.

MAZDA has launched a 2.0-litre 16v direct injection turbodiesel version of the 626 - just a week after Japanese rival Honda revealed it would not have a diesel version of its all-new Accord. It is the first time since 1996 a diesel option has been available in the 626 range and Mazda says more diesel engine developments will follow.

A REMARKABLE deal has seen BMW acquire Rolls-Royce, the most prestigious name in motoring, for just £40 million - less than a month after Volkswagen bought Rolls-Royce from Vickers for £479 million. Volkswagen and BMW - Volkswagen's chief rival in the battle to buy Crewe-based Rolls-Royce Motor Cars - have signed a 'memorandum of understanding' which sees Rolls-Royce and Bentley - bought by Volkswagen - broken up.

INDEPENDENT garages are being helped to launch a drive for fleet business with a new initiative from the Independent Garage Association, part of the Retail Motor Industry Federation. The association has launched Independent Plus, which will partly act as a buying group, offering members lower prices and a better range of products to attract fleet customers.

PROFITS at Lex Vehicle Leasing have increased year-on-year despite the much-publicised slump in residual values. Lex Service announced pre-tax profits of £36.1 million for the first half of 1998 compared to £30.5 million for the same period last year with Lex Vehicle Leasing contributing £9.9 million (1997: £9.8 million) - half of total pre-tax profits as the business is jointly owned with Lombard North Central.

PRACTICAL Car & Van Rental is looking at launching its own contract hire operation in the light of the slump in residual values and a potential end to 'rate price wars'. Following the recent well-documented drop in residual values which led to profits warnings from Arriva plc and Car Group, Practical Car & Van Rental managing director Bolton Agnew believes the time is right to launch into the contract hire and leasing sector.

LEX Vehicle Leasing has signed the largest vehicle management contract in its 39-year history - a sole supply deal with Avis Rent a Car to manage the maintenance on its average fleet of 22,000 short-term rental vehicles. The contract takes the number of vehicles on Lex Vehicle Leasing's fleet to almost 120,000 and involves Lex servicing Avis rental cars from 19 different manufacturers.

LOMBARD North Central is to sell its controlling interest in Lex Vehicle Leasing to Lex Service to allow the finance house subsidiary of National Westminster Bank to concentrate on expanding the fleet of British Car Contracts.

FLEET drivers face being trapped in a paralysed road network unable to do their jobs after the Government slashed billions from investment in major routes. Motoring organisations have warned of impending traffic chaos after 99 schemes were ditched in the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions' review of road spending 'A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England'.

A LEADING firm of accountants has hit out at companies' failure to offer staff remuneration alternatives to the company car. KPMG questioned senior fleet decision-makers at more than 250 companies on the eve of the publication of the transport white paper, and found that 81% of employers offered some members of staff a company car.

INSURANCE premiums could be coming down for fleets involved with new risk management partnerships. Cornhill Insurance Group and Guardian Insurance have teamed up with fleet training companies in an attempt to reduce claims and contain insurance costs.

MOTORWAY, trunk road and local road charging schemes are set to be introduced in Scotland. Although transport policy for Scotland will be determined by the new Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive, the transport white paper for Scotland was issued by Secretary of State for Scotland Donald Dewar separately to the white paper for the UK. Separate documents for Wales and Northern Ireland are to follow.

ROVER Group has taken Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's integrated transport policy to heart with the opening of a £10 million logistics centre and railhead at its Oxford plant. The centre, jointly developed with Exel Logistics, supports the launch of Rover's replacement for its 600 and 800 ranges.

VEHICLE manufacturers, the Government and the police need to forge closer ties to combat car crime, the annual Association of Chief Police Officers summer conference has heard. Britain is classed as the car crime capital of Europe, with 500,000 cars stolen every year and ACPO is campaigning for more to be done to cut vehicle-related crime.