News - Page 2297

THE increasing use of alternative fuels by fleets will soon force fuel card companies to expand their networks to cater for demand, according to Fleet Cost Management. Speaking following news that parcel delivery giant DHL was planning to convert its 900-strong diesel van fleet to run on liquefied petroleum gas executive director John Britcliffe said networks would have to grow in order to include gas stations.

MOTOR retail group D C Cook saw pre-tax profits drop to £1.85 million (1996: £2.2 million) for the six months to October 31, 1997. The fall has been attributed to the costs of the company's £2.5 million investment in an expansion programme. This has included the opening of seven new sites, expansion of the company's used car operation, the acquisition of a major Renault dealership in Slough and the award of the St Albans Honda territory.

FLEETS have been warned to avoid selling vehicles during the autumn of 1999. Glass's Guide predicts that the arrival of the twice-yearly registration plate changes in March 1999 will bring new car sales booms in March and September, but the downside will be a fall in residual values - especially in the autumn.

MPVs and four-wheel drive vehicles are taking an ever-increasing share of the fleet market, according to Godfrey Davis (Contract Hire). The leasing company says that fleet operators are taking a more liberal view when formulating choice lists and this, coupled with new launches such as the Land Rover Freelander and drivers' desire for something different, is giving such vehicles a much wider fleet presence.

UNIVERSAL Salvage saw pre-tax profits fall 56% to £1 million (1996: £2.3 million) for the six months to October 31, 1997. Turnover rose 43% to £37.4 million (1996: £26.1 million) and the number of vehicles handled increased 24% to 50,400 (1996: 40,600), but the company was hampered by lower than expected profit per unit and escalating operating costs.

DEALER and new contract hire group Reg Vardy saw new and used cars sales top a record 50,000 units in the six months to October 31, 1997 as pre-tax profits reached record levels. A total of 50,665 new and used vehicles were sold putting the 51-strong dealership group on target to sell more than 100,000 vehicles in the full year.

AWARD-winning British Gas Services fleet manager Paul Holmes has been promoted after competing for a more senior position with colleague Alan Gorfin, who has now left the company. The duo scooped this year's Fleet News Security Award for the spectacular progress they made in reducing the huge British Gas Services fleet's insurance bill with a range of measures.

THE revolutionary Smart city car project has been put back six months after it failed the same handling test as the A-class - dealing a double blow to troubled Mercedes-Benz. The joint venture between Daimler-Benz and watchmaker SMH will now be launched in continental Europe in October after the car rolled over in the now infamous 'elk test'.

THE first of a planned chain of 20 indoor used car 'supermarkets' - selling mainly ex-fleet, leasing and rental vehicles - opened this week at Thurrock in Essex. The CarLand venture is being led by former Henly's motor division managing director John Tuke and looks set to compete with Car Group's Car Supermarket chain.

DEALERS have started the New Year nervous about the future and with margins under the severest pressure for several years. However, franchised dealers are more confident about their future business prospects than non-franchised dealers, according to a New Year motor trade business survey by the Retail Motor Industry Federation.

NEW car sales in 1997 are expected to top last year's 2.03 million total with fleet sales hitting new heights. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders is predicting overall sales in the region of 2.16 million units, but is warning that the outlook is bleaker as the economy slows in 1998.

HIGH mileage fleets could be forced to cut replacement cycles as the industry clamps down on clocking, experts have warned. They say the residual values of high mileage fleet cars have for years been kept healthy by the number of traders willing to buy them in order to clock them before selling them to private buyers.

HERTZ International president Antoine Cau has left the company to take up the position of chief executive with Forte Hotels. He had been president of Hertz International since 1990, and prior to that worked with Hertz in France, Italy and the UK.

INCHCAPE has appointed two new executive directors - Trevor Taylor chief executive of Inchcape Toyota Division, and Peter Johnson, chief executive of Inchcape Motors International. Both joined the group's main board on January 1.

TEA company Tetley is sending all its 171 company car drivers - from managing director to junior sales executive - on a one-to-one training programme run by driver training company NDI in partnership with PHH.

ACCIDENT management specialist AutoManagement has condemned as 'hopelessly inaccurate' recently published tables of average car repair costs, and renewed its call for the introduction of an industry standard test on which a comparison of repair costs could be based. David Thacker, AutoManagement's operations director, argued that reports released by VELO and the Fleet Accident Repair Group reveal more about drivers than an actual like-for-like comparison of repair costs.

ROVER Group has joined the flood of manufacturers returning to exhibit at the 1998 Fleet Motor Show. The company - which will have both Land Rover and Rover products on its stand with the emphasis on the recently launched Freelander - returns to the event after missing last year.

THE British Medical Association has outsourced management of its 75-vehicle fleet to PHH Vehicle Management Services. The BMA previously managed the fleet, but chose PHH for its ability to deliver quality support across all areas of fleet management including vehicle purchase and disposal, maintenance management, driver liaison and accident management.

MOTOR trade Internet specialist AutoNetica is creating an on-line automotive community enabling all sectors of the trade to buy, sell, service and finance vehicles via the Internet. The move is backed by an £8m investment package, which also includes promotion of its AutoLocate on-line car stock locator, jointly owned with Microsoft, and the launch of AutoLocate on to digital television during 1998.

FIRST Mutual Contracts has been chosen to supply and service Peacock Group's fleet of almost 100 cars. The Cardiff-based leasing firm was chosen after retailer Peacock Group, which is also based in the city, decided to outsource management of its mixed badge fleet.

SSANGYONG has bolted on a big blower to pep up the performance of its Mercedes-powered Musso diesel off-roader. The new turbocharged 2.9 unit, which develops 26% more power and 28% more torque but is more economical than the naturally aspirated unit - becomes standard this month.

VAUXHALL has released further details of the all-new Vauxhall Astra Estate, which will go on sale in the UK in the spring. The car's launch coincides with the official launch of three- and five-door hatchback versions of the new Astra, which will be followed by a four-door saloon version.

BRITAIN must use the UK presidency of the European Union to take a lead on road safety and environmental measures, according to the RAC. As the UK Government takes over the presidency of the European Union, the RAC has presented ministers and MEPs with an 'Agenda for Europe'.

FORD'S new Cougar sports coupe has finally been revealed by the manufacturer six months ahead of its UK launch in the summer. The most radical example yet of Ford's 'New Edge' design theme, the Cougar is designed to succeed where its predecessor - the Probe - struggled.

ZURICH Insurance has appointed FCM to provide maintenance management and fuel cards for its fleet of 900 cars. Purchasing manager Melvin Pugh identified the need for maintenance management some time ago and a series of criteria was drawn up to measure the capabilities of different suppliers.

FUEL prices could increase shortly if the value of Sterling weakens against the US Dollar - the currency in which oil is internationally purchased. The strength of the Pound has meant that fuel prices have remained more or less static in the last quarter of 1997 but PHH AllStar believes price rises could be on the way.

FORD has confirmed Halewood as the home of the new baby Jaguar in an announcement at the Detroit Motor Show. The Merseyside manufacturing plant beat off competition from a German factory and two US sites following a protracted evaluation process.

ABBEY National has outsourced the management of its 2,500 car fleet to First National Vehicle Contracts, the contract hire division of First National Bank which is part of the Abbey National Group. This is the biggest single deal in the 12-year history of FNVC, previously Elton Vehicle Contracts, which is also celebrating its funded fleet size passing the 10,000-mark prior to the Abbey announcement.

THE prospect of changes to the company car tax system in the spring Budget is the most pressing concern for fleet managers in 1998. According to the annual Fleet News/Lex Vehicle Leasing Survey of fleet managers, cost control and company car taxation will be joint first in their concerns this year - closely followed by the Chancellor's spring Budget.

EUROPEAN Telecom and Racal have joined forces to launch a new all-in-one vehicle tracking, navigation and information service. The Orchid system, which uses the Vodafone network, combines mobile telephony, vehicle positioning, navigation, vehicle security, on-line information services and emergency assistance in a single product.