News - Page 2286

FORD is pulling the plug on the struggling Scorpio and looks likely to replace it with a right-hand-drive version of the new baby Lincoln in a bid to revive flagging executive sector sales.

CONCLUSIVE information on the economic and environmental impact of the company car is needed before the Government changes the way it is taxed according to the Confederation of British Industry.

FLEETS have been warned to keep a close eye on service and maintenance bills amid claims of persistent overcharging by franchised dealerships.

NINE fleet managers are now in the running for places on the RAC Scholarship Awards Scheme run in conjunction with the Institute of Car Fleet Management.

GARAGE operator Kerr & Smith has been appointed sales, service and repair outlet for Iveco Ford trucks and vans in the West of Scotland.

KIA'S new upper medium sector contender - the Clarus which will come to the UK as Credos in the autumn - received it world premiere at the show.

DAIHATSU will spend £1,000 in marketing costs for every car it sells in Britain during 1998.

SMART, the innovative city car which has captured the imagination of environmentalists across Europe, may not be put on sale in Britain.

MITSUBISHI has hit back at criticism that its revolutionary GDI engine installed in the Carisma is not as fuel efficient as it claims.

MAZDA'S Demio multi-functional small car which has already proved a hit in Japan could be coming to the UK if customers give their thumbs-up to a concept model on display at the show.

MITSUBISHI will strengthen its fleet range in the autumn with the launch of the Renault Scenic competitor, the Spacestar.

AUDI is planning to ditch the industry standard CSI (customer satisfaction index) and replace it with a new programme of dealer service assessment.

THIS year is the biggest in the 91-year history of Skoda selling cars in the UK, according to director Dermot Kelly.

DRIVERS of leased Audis are being targeted by the German manufacturer in a radical plan to improve service to fleet motorists.

HONDA will enter the burgeoning UK small car sector in April next year with the J-BX which could become the fourth model to be built at the company's Swindon plant.

VAUXHALL has announced that it will repair free of charge engines with 'sticking valve syndrome'.

PEUGEOT is confident that its next small model will secure a 2% share of all new car sales in Britain.

ROVER Group has merged its two corporate sales teams to form a single operation covering all cars and 4x4 vehicles.

MERCEDES-Benz customers deserve a higher standard of service than they have received in the past - and sweeping changes are being made to make sure they get it.

THE Citroen Xsara estate scheduled to go on sale in Britain in June had its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

POTENTIAL customers have already assured Aston Martin that the company's dramatic Vantage Project concept looks every inch a winner - from the outside.

VOLKSWAGEN Group's four brands are gearing up for further expansion into new market segments in a move which could see VAG challenging Ford and Vauxhall at the top of the sales chart in Britain.

THE boss of a leading contract hire and leasing company has hit back at Friends of the Earth calls for a graduated road fund licence to penalise drivers of gas-guzzlers.

CASH collected from motoring taxes should be reallocated to improving the UK's under-resourced road network and transport infrastructure, according to Bob Rider, managing director of Masterdrive Leasing & Rental.

A TAX on company-provided car parking spaces would not significantly reduce car usage and 25% of motorists surveyed said they would consider changing their job rather than pay the tax.

NEW research using official Government statistics reveals that 'significant levels of unnecessary journeys' are not made by company car drivers in pursuit of lower tax bills.

THE Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has awarded a valuable concession to members of the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association and their responsibility to record vehicle mileages on V5 registration documents.

THE British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association has upped the ante in its fight against clocking by making its mileage database more widely available.

THE Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has told the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders that VAT will not be charged on the controversial £25 registration fee for new vehicles.

MOVES to cut traffic volumes must be accompanied by far-reaching measures to reduce road deaths, safety campaigners have told Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.