News - Page 2268

MAZDA has announced a host of price and specification changes to its 323 and 626 ranges, and is offering small business customers a £500 privilege purchase award on 626 models.

MAZDA is in the late stages of delicate negotiations with Ford about the future of the two companies.

RAC chief executive Neil Johnson used satellite conferencing to give his annual briefing to more than 1,600 motoring organisation staff thereby avoiding traffic jams, saving thousands of miles of driving and cutting a week-long event down to one day.

A SIGNIFICANT rise in sales of light vans - reversing the trend of recent months - coupled with a continuing rise in 1.8-3.5 tonne vehicles has sent van sales soaring.

A FALL in fleet diesel sales last month was offset by a surprising rise in retail diesel sales to take half-year sales for the sector above equivalent sales for last year.

FLEET sales continued their inexorable rise last month, setting a new June record and meaning fleet registrations have been at record levels for 18 of the last 21 months.

FLEET managers are being given the chance to try out a new software package which has been designed to find their best acquisition route.

MAJOR growth at Sixt Rent A Car has prompted the company to seek a new head office, while simultaneously two senior members of staff have departed.

A RESTRUCTURE within the car audio and security distribution specialist Toad has seen it double its turnover from £4.7 million in 1997 to £9.6 million this year.

FLEET driver Steve Waddilove showed he was a safe bet on the road when he took first place in the annual Times-Lease Plan Company Car Driver of the Year awards.

THE RAC is attempting to overcome legal obstacles in order to complete the £450 million sale of its rescue service to the American-owned Cendant Corporation.

FLEET managers risk being hit by poor residual values after taking on alternatively-fuelled vehicles, according to the Association of Car Fleet Operators.

VOLKSWAGEN has taken the wraps off its new saloon, the Bora, which will fit in its range between the Golf and Passat.

ALFA Romeo's new flagship - the 166 - goes on sale in the UK in January next year when it will take on the likes of the BMW 5-series, Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-class and Lexus GS300.

FLEET management specialist PHH Vehicle Management has been chosen to supply its services to thousands of members of the cleaning industry.

NEW calls for a motorists' charter have been made by the AA and RAC in return for the higher taxes they are paying to use the country's roads.

VAUXHALL is chasing after new fleet customers after signing up Michelin, ATS and WS Tyremaster to create a new national tyres programme throughout its dealership network.

FLEET driver training group NDI/Drive & Survive has appointed David Knight, former managing director of PHH Vehicle Management Services, as a non-executive director.

FLEETS have been urged to drop their claims to recover billions of pounds of VAT paid on company cars.

COMPANY cars could still be a target of the Government's forthcoming integrated transport white paper, according to PHH Vehicle Management.

PUBLICATION of a white paper on an integrated transport policy may not end the waiting game for fleet managers wanting guidance for their fleet buying policy.

MIXED signals coming from the Government as ministers wrangle over the forthcoming integrated transport white paper are 'grossly unfair' to the fleet industry.

A FIVE-year deal to run a pan-European fuel card for a consortium of oil companies has been won by International Card Enterprises.

VEHICLE management company Lease Plan has extended supply deals with two companies to supply nearly 300 vehicles in the UK.

SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury has signed a contract for 400 Rover cars in a deal worth more than £4 million over the next year.

FLEET drivers at motor industry supplier Durr will own their company cars after the business adopted the Structured Employee Car Ownership Plan (SECOP) developed by accountancy firm Arthur Andersen.

DIESEL car residual values are being hit by their declining popularity among fleets and uncertainty over future Government policy on which fuels companies should favour.

BRITISH business has challenged Prime Minister Tony Blair to publish a radical integrated transport white paper later this month - including congestion charging - amid concern that the long-awaited document will be a damp squib.

FLEETS face a daily surcharge of almost £1 per day to hire a car, as a result of measures taken by the UK's leading daily rental companies to offset the burden of new taxes.

EUROPE'S largest fleet - BT - is launching a massive driver training campaign to halve its annual £27 million vehicle accident repair bill.