News - Page 2291

TARMAC has implemented a wholesale shake-up of its fleet suppliers, with the inclusion of Toyota on the list for the first time. The building giant retains its three-badge policy, but has dropped Ford and Peugeot in favour of Rover and Toyota while keeping Vauxhall on the list.

DIESEL sales continued their decline of recent months with the fall in fleet diesel sales outstripping the decline in the total new car diesel market. Fleet diesel sales last month were 20,292 (January 1997: 22,214) - down 8.7% in a total diesel market down 3.5% at 37,101 (38,458).

FLEET sales last month were at an all-time January high, smashing through the 100,000 barrier for the first time, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders sales figures released this week. Fleets bought 103,533 cars last month - 5.4% up on January 1997's total of 98,235.

RENAULT is the latest manufacturer to announce a price rise which averages 0.8% across the range. The changes see Clio prices increase 0.18% ahead of the new model's introduction in June, Megane hatch prices increase by 1.23%, Scenic by 1.1% and Laguna by 1.08%. Espace prices remained unchanged.

ROYAL MAIL is to purchase a further 7,000 light vans from Ford in a new contract which will extend into the next century. Worth £64 million at showroom prices, the deal comprises 6,300 Escort vans and 1,000 Courier Kombis for delivery over the next three years.

BSM Fleet Training has teamed up with fleet motor insurance company Iron Trades to offer discounted rates and premium rebates for policyholders. The move is the first of a range of insurance company tie-ups due to be announced by BSM Fleet Training over the next few months, as the company seeks to win a wider commitment for driver training from the insurance industry.

VAUXHALL, BMW and Ford have scooped the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association's 1998 Vehicle Security Awards. Vauxhall took top honours in the volume car category of up to £25,000, for the sixth time in 11 years, BMW won the award in the luxury car category, and Ford won the light commercial vehicle category for the second year running.

THE Government has confirmed for the first time that it is examining the possibility of a tax on car parking spaces at work. Following months of widespread speculation Glenda Jackson, minister for transport in London, said the taxation of workplace parking was being considered as part of the Government's integrated transport policy.

DRIVERS must be forced to pay higher fuel prices in order to meet the £11 billion cost of illness and premature death caused by traffic-related air pollution, according to the British Lung Foundation. It says a substantial increase in duty on petrol and diesel would be the most effective immediate way of dealing with the problem.

FLEET manager support for the 'Driving Business Forward - the future of the company car and business transport' report has continued to pour into the Fleet NewsNet office this week. The report dispels the myths surrounding business cars, and defends the business car in the face of stiff and unfounded criticism from environmental lobby groups.

AUDI is pioneering a centralised ordering system for business sales designed to protect it from widely predicted changes in the company car tax system. A pilot scheme involving four leasing companies and a dozen dealers has already proved successful and Audi is considering a wider application of the new structure over the coming year.

LEADING fleet manufacturers have asked Lex Vehicle Leasing to provide more details on its 1998 Reliability Survey after the UK's largest contract hire business showed that company car reliability had declined during the past year. Nissan and Toyota are just two of the car makers investigating the survey further, amid Lex's contention that the average company car driver now faces a one in four chance of suffering a mechanical breakdown.

THE Jaguar XK8 V8 has made its auction debut at BCA Blackbushe at a special closed sale for Jaguar dealers. This was the Coventry manufacturer's first auction in the UK since 1996, and more than 80% of Jaguar's dealer network attended.

VOLKSWAGEN is claiming residual values 'among the best in the industry' across its range of cars following latest analysis from CAP Monitor. The latest edition of the residual value guide sees Polo, Golf, Passat and Sharan dominating their respective segments over three years/36,000 miles and 94M 2.0 Golf GTi three-door commanding a 9% advantage over its nearest rival with 60,000 miles on the clock.

FLEET operators should be on the lookout for inflated end of contract recharges as contract hire companies seek to claw back cash lost on over-optimistic residual value forecasts. AT&T Automotive Services has warned fleets to beware of a sting in the tail at the end of a contract which could leave them facing unexpected bills.

THE Government must introduce tax incentives to encourage use of greener fuels, experts told an environmental forum last week. Calls for a review of the tax regime came from the AA, Sainsbury's and the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA) the launch of the NSCA Cleaner Fuels Forum report 'Cleaner Air: the Role for Cleaner Fuels'.

PSA Peugeot-Citroen has unveiled its next generation diesel engine - a high pressure direct injection (HDI) unit using common rail technology.

FIAT is replacing its top line 2.5-litre turbodiesel with a 2.8 engine for the Ducato van range. The new direct injection unit produces greater power and torque with improved fuel consumption, but will cost £145, plus VAT, more than the old engine in the Ducato 14 and Maxi.

AUTOMOTIVE Leasing has won a five-year contract to supply 144 vehicles on contract hire to the Scottish Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The service - which employs 3,000 staff and is the largest ambulance trust in the UK - switched from outright purchase to contract hire to increase efficiency.

PRODUCTION of the first Honda Civic Aero decks began at the company's Swindon manufacturing plant last week. The model, which goes on sale on April 1, will be available with 1.5-litre VTEC and 1.6-litre petrol engines, as well as a range-topping 1.8 VTi model.

THE UK was at the forefront of a 14% hike in Toyota sales across Europe last year. Led by a sustained attack on the fleet market, UK sales rose 17% compared with a 9% rise in Germany and a 13% increase in France. And sales during January across the continent soared by 26%, to 43,600 units, as the new Avensis hit showrooms.

GLASS'S Guide has launched a controversial service to offer used car valuations to retail customers. Fears have been expressed that making its information available to the public will create confusion and ill-will.

BSM Fleet Training has launched a series of offers to encourage both lapsed and potential customers to try defensive driver training. The company is offering discounts of up to 25%, and two tickets to the British Grand Prix for every 10 courses taken by the end of April.

TOYOTA has announced plans to double output of the Prius - the first mass production car to be powered by a hybrid petrol and electric engine - just a month after launching the car in Japan. Production will rise to 2000 units a month due to unexpectedly high demand in Toyota's home market.

ROVER is to start trading in Euros at the beginning of next year - although showroom prices will continue to be quoted in Sterling. The manufacturer has told all its major suppliers - more than 80% of whom are British - that it expects them to be capable of handling their business in Euros by the start of 1999.

A NEW Internet car buying system launched in the UK aims to revolutionise the relationship between franchised dealers and customers. Auto-By-Tel is already one of the fastest growing Internet car sale brokerages in the United States, displaying information and advertisements on new and used vehicles for sale.

A PROJECT by the fleet industry's electronic commerce consortium Fleetnet to create a universal code for every type of car on the road has been expanded to include vans. Over the last five years more than 23,000 23-digit codes have been given to models and derivatives of cars, with the aim of making electronic communication and transactions between companies as simple and risk-free as possible.

HYUNDAI has signed a daily rental deal for 2,500 cars with Avis Rent a Car. The contract, worth £25 million at showroom prices, is the largest deal of its kind since Hyundai Car (UK) began operating the franchise in this country four years ago. The 1998 order includes models from the entire Hyundai range.

JOHN Lewis, former executive director and deputy chairman of Dial Contracts, has joined debis Financial Services, part of Daimler-Benz InterServices. It is understood that Lewis will head the expansion of debis' UK contract hire arm. He will take up his role on March 1.

JAGUAR is recalling 11,221 XK8 and XJ8 cars built between July and October 1997 after finding a fault with the accelerator cable. Owners are being asked to take their cars to dealers where a small modification will be carried free of charge.