News - Page 2279

NATIONWIDE Fleet Services has bought Payless Car Rental for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition gives Sussex-based Nationwide rental branch locations at Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airports.

VOLKSWAGEN is to appeal against the 102m ecu (c£67 million) fine imposed by the European Commission for the anti-competitive sales practices of its Italian dealers.

THE RAC has insisted that the increasingly bitter dispute between its board of management and former chairman Jeffrey Rose will not affect the delivery of its services to customers.

PHH Vehicle Management Services' managing director David Knight is taking up a new non-executive director role within PHH Vehicle Management from May 1.

FLEET managers and fleet decision makers have just two weeks to pre-register for the 1998 Fleet Motor Show which takes place at Donington Park from May 11-14.

DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott is to launch a 17-point greener driving action plan, drawn up by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

THE 700 members of the Association of Car Fleet Operators have been given a 'special deal' to enable them to visit the 1998 Fleet Motor Show.

A PROFITS warning from one of the UK's top contract hire companies has signalled the end to windfall disposal bonuses and sparked fears that the industry has become too competitive for its own good.

SENIOR executives in Vauxhall's fleet department will have their pay frozen for a year as part of a high profile initiative by the company's management to secure workers' support for a new pay and productivity deal.

FLEET chiefs will be given a major insight into fleet opportunities for alternatively-fuelled vehicles at the 1998 Fleet Motor Show.

THE failure of the Government to clarify its position on the future taxation of the company car has prompted some fleets to extend their vehicle holding periods.

BRITISH Car Auctions' Internet-based stock locator Auction View will be available free of charge to customers from June 1.

IAM Fleet Training has won a contract to teach defensive driving techniques to the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service.

FORD has announced a major realignment of its Fiesta range encompassing specification enhancements and a more distinctive model line-up with greater emphasis on the manufacturer's newer Zetec-engined models.

MOTOR group DC Cook is setting up its own in-house leasing division, called Yorkshire Leasing.

HEATHROW-based security specialist Aviation Defence International has signed a solus 100-vehicle deal with Ford.

PRIVATE hire company Addison Lee has been told it cannot buy 50 Avensis models because Toyota does not want to do business with the firm.

CARS built in the next decade should be cheaper to run because their bodywork will be made from sheet steel which is 25% lighter than at present.

THE Health and Safety Executive has launched a three-year crackdown on transport-related accidents at the workplace.

MPs have called for a review of new rules which ban insulin-dependent diabetics from driving minibuses unless they are involved in voluntary work.

KIA will not launch any new cars in the UK until future ownership of the troubled Korean manufacturer is resolved.

PEUGEOT is planning to launch up to 20 dealerships as joint ventures with individuals keen to run their own business.

NEXT-generation Volvo models are in line to boast the most advanced electronic systems on the road.

AT&T Automotive Services has launched a new CD-ROM to replace its disk-based self-quoting software.

BP, in association with Lucas and NewTech, is piloting a vehicle 'smart tag' system which aims to end credit and fuel card misuse for fleets.

ROVER is targeting the burgeoning pan-European and international corporate market with a division set up to meet the needs of customers with fleets in more than one country.

AUTO Windscreens has won a £1 million a year 'lifetime' agreement to handle the glazing and audio repair and replacement for Dial Contracts.

BROMLEY Council has taken delivery of its first gas-powered vehicles as part of its commitment to maintain and improve air quality, and called on local fleets to follow its lead.

INCREASED congestion on London's streets has resulted in a further decline in traffic speeds thereby underlining the need for a new approach to tackling the capital's transport problems, according to transport minister Gavin Strang.

FIRST National Vehicle Contracts has formed a specialist team to handle its expanding public sector client base.