News - Page 2307

ROVER'S new Mini for the next decade is distinctive, stylish - and very British. And though it was not on display at Tokyo, it still showed the way the company was heading for the future, declared chief executive Walter Hasselkus. Rover Group's strength lay in the diversity of its products and 'Britishness' would be increasingly evident in all future models, he said.

COMPETITION in the burgeoning off-road sector will intensify next year when Mitsubishi widens its 4x4 range for the UK market. Challenger, a beefy sports utility with the latest three-litre version of the high-economy GDI motor under its bonnet, is to be introduced as a less-costly alternative to the top-selling Shogun range.

MERCEDES-BENZ gave notice of a fierce new battle for supremacy in top-level motoring when it unveiled a shock prestige luxury car concept at Tokyo. The company made it clear a stunning revival of its upmarket Maybach brand could soon be given the go-ahead - but the exercise was rapidly eclipsed by Vickers' announcement of the sale of its biggest potential competitor - Rolls-Royce.

WHAT'S in a name? Everything and nothing if you look at some of the UK's leading companies. Take Marks & Spencer, for example. The name contains no hint that its business is high street retailing, but the name as a brand conjures consumer perceptions of quality and value for money.

BLACK Horse Vehicle Management Services has relocated to a new head office in a move which forms the foundation for a complete reorganisation and restructuring of the business. The new headquarters bring together Lloyds Bowmaker's Black Horse VMS and UDT's First Service Management under one roof in Harrogate, following the merger between Lloyds and TSB.

SALE and leaseback deals have surged ahead in recent months with a number of major fleets deciding to sell their vehicles to a leasing company and lease them back. Three weeks ago GE Capital Fleet Services announced what is believed to be the largest private sector sale and leaseback arrangement with General Accident for 3,000 cars.

BCH Group plc has published a pathfinder document in preparation for its stock market flotation in November which is estimated to value the company at £35-£40 million. The document forecasts growth for the Bristol-based leasing and fleet management company, and predicts an operating profit of £3.5 million on a turnover of £54.5 million for the year ending December 31, 1997.

EDINBURGH-based John Menzies plc has signed a contract hire deal for its 700-strong solus Rover fleet with Avis Fleet Services. Avis won the contract from Menzies' incumbent supplier British Car Contracts after an extensive tendering process.

ICELAND Frozen Foods has commissioned Refrigerated Vehicles to provide RVL temperature-controlled van conversions for 106 Vauxhall Combos and Mercedes Sprinters which form part of its new 800-strong home delivery fleet. The vans have been converted so that they can be used for frozen, chilled or ambient operation.

CONTRACT hire and leasing companies still rely heavily on the auction houses as their primary disposal route, with only the superstores showing any serious signs of growth in the volumes they handle. This still embryonic sector will account for about 4% of ex-contract car disposals this year - up from 1.4% in 1995 - and the report predicts that proportion will continue to rise.

AUTO Windscreens is to provide glazing support for British Airways' fleet of 7,000 vehicles at Gatwick and Heathrow under an exclusive contract with Ryder. Ryder has a five-year contract to maintain all British Airways' airside and roadside vehicles at the airports.

BRITISH fleet operators could soon get the chance to find out more about making the switch to electric-powered transport. Honda UK is considering taking leading fleet managers to Switzerland to take part in the company's first European initiative to promote the use of electric vehicles.

TLS Auto Rentals has won a five-year contract to supply vehicles to the Highland Communities NHS Trust. The contract hire division of TLS plc won the tender in the face of fierce competition from a number of competitors.

GREATER awareness of the benefits that technology can deliver in solving traffic congestion and environmental problems should be shown by the Government, according to Greg Connell, managing director of Car Fleet Control. Responding to the Government's consultation document 'Towards an Integrated Transport Policy', Connell said many transport problems could be helped by technology.

DEALER group Bristol Street is to integrate its franchised network via a new £3.3 million computer installation which will include the ability to trade electronically on AT&T's Translease system. Bristol Street's 30 dealerships will all be live on the Kerridge-supplied system inside 18 months.

DRIVERS need to be given more education about the dangers of speeding, according to road safety organisation Brake. A study by the organisation found that drivers who break speed limits overestimate their driving ability and put factors such as quickly getting to a meeting ahead of safety. Few realise how dramatically speeding increases the chances of road deaths.

THE Retail Motor Industry Federation is maintaining pressure on the Government to clamp down on clocking with demands for an official enquiry into mileage fraud. RMI chief executive Christopher Macgowan said: 'I am today calling on the Government to chair an inquiry into the clocking issue and to gather the leading industry bodies and players to examine the subject.

FLEET disposals are going to become more and more sophisticated as companies look to maximise residual values as a means of maintaining their margins in an unrelentingly competitive market place. Residual values are often regarded as the final frontier by fleet managers, but a new report highlights the increasingly complex systems which have been developed by the leasing and rental industries to protect their back-end profits.

FLEETLEASE has seen new business grow 40% with the fleet being boosted from about 10,500 to 12,000 during the last six months. Interim results for parent company Hitachi Credit (UK) - the first since its flotation in July - show that Fleetlease's gross profit has risen 21% to 3.1m.

ESSEX Police are calling for any witnesses to an accident between junctions 29 and 30 on the M25 at 3pm on Thursday October 16 to come forward. Two people died in the accident. If you have any information contact the incident room on 01277 200389.

THE Metropolitan Police has defended its decision to spend in excess of £600,000 buying new company cars for senior officers. Some 30 cars have been ordered for officers of the rank of chief constable up to assistant commissioner, in an initiative which has seen the scrapping of chauffeur-driven official cars.

VICKERS has confirmed that it intends to sell Rolls-Royce as part of its strategy of focusing more closely on its core businesses. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Ferrari are among the names who are already being linked with Rolls as possible bidders.

COMPULSORY driving tests every 10 years would have little impact on road safety, according to driver training experts. A group of MEPs wants regular testing to be introduced - with the threat of driving bans for motorists who fail the tests - and the proposal is being considered by the European Parliament as part of a wider review of road safety.

BMW'S chairman has moved to quell fears that it is to sell Rover just three years after it bought the car-maker from British Aerospace. Bernd Pischetsrieder has written to all BMW dealers in Germany to restate the company's long-term commitment to the Rover brand.

LEXUS has unveiled an all-new GS300 which will go on sale in the UK early in the new year. Toyota's luxury division says the newcomer is better equipped than ever to take on the prestige competition from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

SKODA has teamed up with engineering specialist Tickford to develop a dual-fuel Felicia estate powered by petrol and liquified petroleum gas. The initiative takes advantage of the Felicia's low entry price, which remains competitive even when the £1,500 conversion cost is taken into account.

MAZDA is stepping up production to meet growing demand in preparation for the new 626 estate, the importer's first since 1994. Fleet sales have been significant in Mazda's success and last month the company signed up the 1,000th user-chooser to put Mazda on the company choice list. This year Mazda will sell about 14,000 vehicles to fleets - some 45% of total UK sales.

LAND Rover has announced that Freelander prices will range from £15,995 to £20,995 when it hits the showrooms on New Year's Day 1998. Even the entry-level Freelander 1.8 3-door Softback carries a £1,500 premium over the Toyota RAV4 and is only £125 cheaper than the well-specified 2.0 5-door Honda CR-V.

MERCEDES-Benz is preparing to reveal the radical A-class supermini to the corporate market with a major fleet launch next month. The groundbreaking mini Merc has generated an unexpected amount of interest from the corporate sector since Mercedes revealed the first pictures last year.

SAAB has announced the development of three new ultra high performance cars based on the 900 series. These sporty Saabs will be designed by TWR, the company behind Arrows Formula One team, and will feature enhanced engines, chassis, wheels and brakes.