News - Page 2264

COMPANIES which were encouraged to relocate to green field sites are worried their moves will cost them dearly in taxes on private workplace parking. Large new office developments have grown hand in hand with large corporate car parks, which are now being blamed for commuter car congestion.

TOYOTA is to build a new £10 million car design centre in the south of France to enable future cars to be in tune with European styling tastes.

A FREE telephone advice helpline has been opened by Terence Barker Tanks - the UK market leader in storage tank provision.

YORKSHIRE-based independent motor retailer Nidd Vale has opened Harrogate's first multi-franchise sales and service centre at Pannel.

THE DuPont Five Star Program has been introduced into Northern Ireland by DuPont Automotive Finishes to help bodyshops provide an efficient accident repair service to fleet, lease and insurance sectors.

VAUXHALL Trade Club has dedicated a quarterly membership mailing to canvassing support for BEN, the motor and allied trades benevolent fund. It has asked its 62,000 members to sell tickets for BEN's national draw to win a Vauxhall Astra.

FLEET managers have been asked to help support rural petrol stations and recognise their role in keeping drivers on the road.

PUBLIC transport is not perceived as an alternative to the company car by fleet chiefs despite the Government's integrated transport white paper's bid to encourage people to travel by bus, rail, bike or walk. Although more than 90% of fleet chiefs agreed there should be more frequent and cheaper public transport, they unanimously agreed that company cars were more reliable, cheaper to operate and were significantly more convenient.

DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has been issued with an ultimatum by Humberside Police fleet chief Alan Hocking - 'do more to back green fleets'. Hocking has issued Prescott, also the MP for Hull East, with a personal invitation to give his seal of approval to the force's own 'green' scheme which sees it in the process of converting all 460 police vehicles to liquefied petroleum gas.

ARRIVA Automotive Solutions has won the fiercely fought tender to be the fifth supplier to the massive NHS Supplies leasing contract. This will give Arriva the opportunity to compete for a share of the NHS's 33,000 strong fleet with the four incumbent suppliers - Ford Credit, Renault Financial Services, Vauxhall Master Hire and Automotive Leasing.

ROVER'S decision to move away from fast-cycle fleet business and increase exports has backfired, with the manufacturer blaming the strength of Sterling for this week's decision to lay off 1,500 workers.

GENERAL Motors has joined the takeover battle for Kia, the bankrupt Korean car company. The American giant's interest is seen as a possible challenger to Ford - the favourite to take control of South Korea's third largest manufacturer.

A FLAGSHIP Ford fleet service is to go on to the Internet following the introduction of ground breaking new technology. Ford, through MSX International, the managing agent of Fleet Central Billing, has reached an agreement which allows invoicing over the Internet.

FAST-expanding dealership group D C Cook, which has doubled in size in the last 18 months, has reported a 30% fall in pre-tax profits to £3.53 million (1997: £5.04 million) despite a 22% rise in turnover to £226.8 million (1997: £185.8 million) for the year to April 30.

AUTO Windscreens has won an exclusive contract worth more than £1 million over three years to provide glazing support to every police authority in Britain.

ABBEY National is to continue to expand its vehicle leasing and fleet management business following last week's surprise acquisition of Fleet Management Services. The acquisition for an undisclosed sum, through its wholly-owned subsidiary First National Vehicle Holdings, more than doubled the company's fleet to 31,000 vehicles, the majority of which are funded, and took it to 12th place in the league table of the UK's top contract hire companies.

TRANSPORT Minister Gavin Strang was sacked in Prime Minister Tony Blair's first Cabinet reshuffle on Monday.

PHH Vehicle Management has launched a low sulphur diesel location hotline to help fleet operators and company car drivers identify sites.

FAST-expanding credit hire and credit repair services company Helphire Group has been forced to move its legal department to new offices closer to Bristol.

MITSUBISHI Motors Diplomatic and Export Sales Centre has celebrated its 10th anniversary with a move to new premises off Baker Street, London.

NATIONAL Car Rental has become the official car supplier to the PGA Seniors British Open - the largest seniors' golf event on the European tour - which starts on Thursday, August 6 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

AUDI AG has completed its purchase of Italian sports car manufacturer Lamborghini from Malaysian holding company Mycom Setdco and Indonesian company V'Power Corporation.

CENTENARY celebrations have gripped the contract hire division of John Wallwork Group following the handing over of a Volvo S70.

ULTRA low sulphur City Diesel has been launched by Bayford Thrust at its outlets across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, the Midlands and the north east. Costing the same as the bulk fuel supplier's ordinary diesel the fuel is being supplied to garages in Leeds - one of six 'Environment Cities' in the UK.

SAVINGS from running a fleet of 15 vehicles or more on gas can be enough to buy a new car or van, according to figures compiled by Calor Autogas.

BUDGET Rent a Car has added 10 liquefied petroleum gas Ford Transit vans to its WorldClass Fleet. And the rental giant claims that as its van fleet expands and vehicles are replaced, LPG-powered vehicles will be specified so that in a few years' time LPG will supersede diesel.

NISSAN'S new Terrano range available from Saturday, August 1 will have an automatic transmission option for the first time.

VAUXHALL'S new Frontera will go on sale in the UK in October with a revised engine line-up and improvements in fuel economy and noise reduction following a £100 million-plus investment to boost quality.

PALM-top power is set to make the lives of fleet managers a little easier as National Tyres and Autocare takes a technological leap.

A FLEET management nightmare has been overcome by a company which found its fleet had grown from 50 vehicles to more than 1,000.