News - Page 2310

LANCASTER has launched a £53 million bid for Appleyard, ending months of speculation about a takeover bid. Lancaster's multi-national parent company Jardine International Motors will combine the Harrogate-based dealer group's 37 outlets with its existing network of 34 dealerships.

HARD on the heels of the arrival of the all-new 626 hatchback, Mazda has launched a four-door saloon version. Designed to look more sophisticated than its predecessor, the car was penned at Mazda's European design centre, with the emphasis on function, quality and solidity.

KWIK-Fit Fleet has launched a 24-hour service to handle emergency tyre problems outside office hours. The service will be operated by Kwik-Fit Mobile and backed-up by Green Flag should a Kwik-Fit Mobile van be unable to attend. Out-of-hours calls will carry a charge of £50, plus VAT, with an additional fee for recovery if the problem cannot be fixed at the roadside.

BCH Vehicle Management Services is to float on the London Stock Exchange in November in a move which will value the company at between £35m and £40m. The flotation follows a management buyout at the Bristol-based contract hire and fleet management company in December 1995.

UK COMPANIES are potentially wasting millions of pounds through lack of management control of their company car fleets. The precise sums being lost are incalculable simply because many organisations are failing to keep even the most remote tabs on their fleet policy.

KEY industry businesses are backing the Fleet Motor Show's move to Donington Park, with leading manufacturers and service companies committing themselves to exhibiting next year. Volkswagen, Honda, Jaguar, Volvo, Saab, Renault and Nissan are among the manufacturers who have already confirmed their presence, while BCH, the AA, AT&T Istel, FCS and Kwik-Fit Fleet are among the major companies who have signed up so far. The show will be held from May 11-14.

FNN October 17, 1997 A SHAKE-UP in company car taxation will take place in the spring Budget as the Government promotes greener and more environmentally-friendly motoring. And top of the Government's list of measures will be changes to the existing business mileage tax breaks which encourage company car drivers to clock up miles in pursuit of lower benefit-in-kind tax bills.

COMMUNITY Transport '97, the minibus and accessible transport exhibition, is to be held from November 13-15 at Norbreck Castle Hotel, Blackpool. Further details from the Community Transport Association on 0161-366 6685 or 0161-351 1475.

HYUNDAI and SEAT have joined Equifax HPI's battle against vehicle fraud through a certification programme ensuring that every vehicle on their dealers' forecourts has undergone the HPI Goldcheck validating the vehicle's history and condition.

BRITAIN'S economy has been booming since the May 1 general election, according to Radio Taxis, London's largest licensed taxi operator, which has seen a 20% rise in account fares since the election - representing a 23% increase over the past year. The company's customers include 8,000 account holders, many of which are large UK companies, as well as hundreds of small businesses.

STOLEN vehicle recovery stystem provider Tracker Network is to extend its operation into Northern Ireland from January next year through a licence agreement with Group 4 Securitas. The same radio frequencies and transmission infrastructure are to be used and motor manufacturers with dealerships in Northern Ireland will also be able to offer Tracker as an approved security option. The licence agreement also envisages Group 4 extending the Tracker Network into the Republic of Ireland.

NISSAN has announced a series of price rises as well as a range of 1998 model year changes. The Almera range increases by an average of 1% this month, with the exception of the special edition Muzic at £9,995 on-the-road and the top-of-the-range GTi, which stays at £15,400.

GODFREY Davis has launched two new initiatives to help fleets cut up to one third off their fuel bills. The first programme is to use Godfrey Davis's FACS software to analyse fuel card costs against specific vehicles, identifying where fuel purchases, fuel consumption and performance levels fall outside predetermined boundaries.

FORD CREDIT'S newly established Fleet and Commercial Operation has won its first contract with a van funding deal for the motorcycle manufacturer BSA Regal Group. The Southampton-based company has taken delivery of seven Ford Courier high cube vans on a two year lease agreement to replace half its fleet of Vauxhall and Bedford vehicles. The new vans will be used by BSA Regal's subsidiary companies to deliver parts around the country.

AUDI'S new 155mph projectile - the S4 - will carry a price tag of £36,610 when it goes on sale next spring. The 265bhp 30-valve twin turbo saloon develops 295lb-ft of torque and is capable of from 0-62mph in just 5.6 seconds.

DOMESTIC gas heating specialist Potterton has signed a three-year contract worth £225,000 to use the RAM Network for nationwide wireless data communications. The RAM Network will transmit 120,000 UK-wide service calls each year and handle all wireless e-mail communication between Potterton's 90 field service engineers and its call centre in Warwick.

SUBARU has made twin airbags standard across its model range as part of a series of equipment changes on the Impreza and Legacy for the 1998 model year. Other changes include a new Forester-based facia and new interior for the Impreza and larger wheels and tyres.

BCR Car & Van Rental has added the Mercedes-Benz 208D Sprinter vans to its commercial fleet. Initially BCR will buy 30 vans worth £412,000 at showroom prices, and expects this figure to rise to more than 100 during the next six months.

US information technology giant Automated Data Processing is seeking to buy Audatex estimating systems from its insurance industry parent company Swiss Re. ADP's $4 billion computer services empire has four divisions, from payroll provision to dealer systems and insurance claims solutions.

MITSUBISHI'S super-economical Carisma GDI has won widespread praise from fleet decision-makers who tested the car in Austria last week. The manufacturer took 19 fleet managers, leasing company and rental firm representatives to Vienna to drive the vehicle, which combines petrol engine performance with fuel efficiency more akin to diesel units.

ALFA Romeo kicked off its corporate launch of the all-new 156 at the 1997 London Motor Show (October 15-26) with a detailed preview of the new executive contender. The importer is going head-to-head with BMW and Audi based on the newcomer's driver appeal, sporting pedigree and exclusivity. It wants to sell about 3,500 156s in Britain next year - 70% of which are expected to go to fleet operators.

THE new Volkswagen Golf's improved standard specification will make it better value than its predecessor despite higher price tags, according to Volkswagen fleet marketing manager Bernard Bradley. He said buyers were demanding more from lower medium sector cars and Volkswagen aimed to set new standards with the Golf, which is due to arrive in the UK next year.

AUTO Windscreens has signed a £2 million contract with GE Capital Fleet Services to handle all vehicle glazing and audio requirements for its UK member companies - Avis Fleet Services, Leasecontracts, Cochranes Fleet Services and BRS Car lease. During the two-year agreement, all glass and radio repair and replacement operations for the company's 83,000-strong fleet will be carried out via a fully integrated link to auto Windscreens' central computer network.

JET has opened the first in an initial five-strong network of service stations selling liquefied petroleum gas. The Jet service station in Hunslet Road, Leeds, is claimed to be the first in Britain to sell LPG on the forecourt. Further LPG stations are to be opened in Bradford, Staines, Birmingham and central London before the end of the year.

VAN sales continued their year-long recovery last month with sales of both small and medium-sized vehicles up year-on-year. Sales of vans up to 1.8 tonnes totalled 7,356 last month (September 1996: 5,874), while sales of medium-sized vans stood at 11,316 (September 1996: 10,943).

TWO months of falling fleet diesel sales in a declining total diesel market were halted last month with fleets buying 15,060 diesel cars - up 4.9% on September last year's total of 14,363. Total diesel sales were 0.9% down year-on-year at 25,262 (September 1996: 25,487) putting total diesel sales in 1997 4.2% down year-on-year at 284,589 (1996: 296,987) and total fleet diesel sales down 2.3% at 163,759 (1996: 167,678).

FLEET sales reached a record high in September following a record August, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' new car sales figures. Fleets bought a record 76,383 vehicles last month (September 1996: 63,887) as both fleet and retail sales soared to September levels not seen since 1988 and 1989. Total new car sales last month were 160,739 - 16.4% up on September last year (138,059) - and believed to be the third best September on record.

REPORTS that the sell-off of 4,000 Army Land Rovers had turned into a sham because replacement models had not been delivered on time have been denied by both Land Rover and the Ministry of Defence. A national newspaper claimed the Army was sticking to the sale of the Series III vehicles, despite late delivery of more than 7,000 Land Rover Defenders.

AT LEAST 5,000 British Aerospace employees look set to take up a bespoke personal contract hire scheme developed for them by Rover Corporate Finance. The Premier scheme entitles them to lease a new Rover Group vehicle over two years, with competitively-priced monthly rental fees and no need for a deposit.

CITROEN is predicting that perk cars will be in the firing line when the Labour Government unveils its transport plans next spring. But the manufacturer believes an increasing trend towards downsizing will help it achieve a 7% share of the UK market by the year 2000.