News - Page 2315

DOZENS of established Mitsubishi models are set to disappear under a plan to rationalise the Japanese company's line-up in Britain. Sweeping proposals to prune the range of 200-plus variants are part of moves to revitalise the operations of the importer, Colt Car Co sales director Andrew Wenzel revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

VAUXHALL unveiled two new direct injection turbo-diesel engines at the Frankfurt show - a 2.0-litre 100bhp which will debut in the Vectra and Omega, and a 2.2 115bhp which will first appear in the Sintra MPV. The new units extend Vauxhall's ECOTEC engine family and complement the 2.0-litre 82bhp direct injection engine launched last year in the Vectra.

FORD is preparing a major launch package for its Mondeo-based coupe - called Cougar - next year, following the huge success of the Puma. At Frankfurt, the MC2 concept car gave visitors a taste of how the Cougar may look. It will clearly be more aggressive, sharper and further upmarket than the recently demised Probe.

THE all-new Vauxhall Astra, which goes on sale in the UK next spring, was seen for the first time at Frankfurt. Fleet success for Astra is crucial to Vauxhall's success in the UK and the company has been given leeway by General Motors to spec the car with fleets in mind.

SAAB is reported to have threatened to pull out of Sweden because of proposed fleet rules which would ban the country's Highway Agency from buying Swedish-built cars. The National Road Administration proposals for making official cars more environmentally friendly were announced in late August.

FOUR of the UK's leading fleet manufacturers are to launch new lower medium sector cars in the next year - and three received their world show debuts at Frankfurt. First into the fray will be Citroen with the Xsara, which will enter British showrooms on November 1 to be followed early in the new year by the Mk IV Volkswagen Golf, with the all-new Vauxhall Astra to be launched in the spring and the new Ford Escort next autumn.

HIGH street optician Dolland & Aitchison will save around £150,000 a year on its 300-vehicle fleet following a sale and leaseback deal with Lease Plan. Dolland & Aitchison historically bought its solus Rover fleet outright, but decided this was no longer cost-effective following the VAT changes to leasing introduced in 1995. It will, however, maintain its Rover policy. Lease Plan won the contract with its Open Calculation product in competition from 11 other leasing companies.

FLEET operators looking for the cheapest fuel in their area can now obtain details of the best value petrol stations over the telephone from fuelcard specialist Harpur UK, which runs Dialcard and Overdrive. Harpur customers, both drivers and fleet managers, can call the Fuel Check phone line (0891 647790) and receive instant, up-to-date prices for any area in the UK, by quoting a postcode, or name of the town, city or village.

ASDA sells the cheapest fuel in Britain, despite price pledges by many other suppliers, according to PHH Vehicle Management Services. As predicted by PHH in its July AllStar fuel price report average pump prices last month increased by more than the Budget-levied 4p a litre/18p a gallon and by the beginning of September had risen on average 5.4p a litre/25p a gallon over pre-Budget prices with peaks of more than 27p a gallon in some areas.

PEUGEOT has increased its car prices by an average of 0.71% across the range - including the yet to be launched 306 estate. The move is the latest in a series of seasonal price increases and follows similar rises by among others Ford, Vauxhall, and Volkswagen.

FLEET drivers rank comfort and safety well ahead of acceleration and top speed when choosing a company car. A major new survey of company car driver attitudes has revealed that 88% prioritise comfort as a key selection criteria, followed by 77% singling out safety, and 51% nominating suitability for their job. But only 35% said speed and acceleration would affect their choice.

FORMER Prime Minister John Major has forecast the number of company cars in the UK will increase, and dismissed as 'laughable' the Labour Government's plans for one-car families. He praised the concept of an integrated transport system as wonderful in theory, but said he was sceptical it would ever convince drivers to give up their cars in practice.

FLEETS are set to spearhead a revolution in intelligent transport systems and services which will allow drivers to call for breakdown and recovery assistance, summon emergency vehicles and request traffic, travel and other information at the push of a button. The RAC, which has formed 'a loose alliance' with mobile telecommunication companies Nokia and Germany-based Mannesmann Autocom, is holding negotiations with all the major car manufacturers with a view to fitting traffic telematics hardware either on production lines or making systems available on a retrofit basis.

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FLEET News today launches its 1997 series of fleet roadshows which will focus on three key operating areas - cost control, taxation and contract hire. The roadshows will be held on Tuesday, December 2 at Sopwell House, St Albans, and Tuesday, December 9, at The Donington Thistle Hotel, close to East Midlands Airport.

THE new managing director of Cowie Interleasing is Len Clayton, who takes charge of Britain's third largest leasing company on October 1. He will work alongside managing director Michael Gwilt for three months, until Gwilt becomes managing director of the entire Cowie group.

A BATTLE for diesel business is set to explode in the UK fleet market and across Europe as a string of manufacturers reveal plans to launch new engines - with only Government legislation threatening to stop the impetus. Almost every manufacturer at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show was discussing diesel engine technology, with some companies unveiling new engines and other manufacturers - many for the first time - investing millions of pounds in diesel technology.

AUDI is urging fleet managers to encourage their company car drivers to deal with individual local dealers. Managing director Len Hunt said single dealers could not cope with large fleet deals in the current climate because of the huge demand for Audi vehicles across the country.

JAGUAR is pushing ahead with the feasibility study of its most important fleet car yet - the X400 - designed to go head-to-head with the Mercedes-Benz C-class and the next BMW 3-series. Signs are that the company will almost certainly give the green light to the car before the end of this year.

SUCCESS in Germany is starting to signpost good times ahead for Jaguar across key world markets. 'If we can make it here, we can make it anywhere - and we're making it,' said chairman Nick Scheele at the IAA launch of the new XJ Series, which goes on sale in the UK on September 26.

RENAULT will become the first French manufacturer to launch a direct injection diesel engine when it unveils a 1.9 100bhp power unit which will feature in both the Megane and Laguna ranges. The new engine, which offers 5bhp more than Renault's existing indirect diesel engine but is claimed to be 17% more economic, will debut at next month's London Motor Show.

DAEWOO displayed its smallest model - the d'ARTS City - at the Frankfurt Show, as it prepares to enter the sub-B segment next year. The new one-box mini, formerly known as the M100 - will be delivered to dealers in the autumn of 1998, by when the three new fleet models shown alongside the d'ARTS - the Lanos, Nubira and Leganza - will be established on the UK market.

SEAT is launching a new fleet expansion programme in readiness for next year's crucial new Toledo with 40 new fleet specialist dealers. The move is designed to achieve 1% of the market. Spokesman Jon Zammett. 'With a major new model programme and an expansion of our fleet network and support service, there is a new mood of confidence in the company.'

AUDI staked its claim to a share of Europe's growing small car sector by revealing a concept which could soon be locked in showroom competition with the Mercedes-Benz A-class. Looking fully developed and production-ready, the AL2 was described as 'more than just a vision' when it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show by technical development vice-president Werner Mischke.

SKODA revealed the Octavia estate at the Frankfurt Motor Show - about a year ahead of its arrival in the UK. The manufacturer, part of the Volkswagen Group, caused a storm of interest in the fleet market at the 1997 Fleet Motor Show at Silverstone when fleet managers had the chance to put the five-door Octavia through its paces.

TOYOTA will launch a new small car before the end of the decade following the launch of three concept 'fun' cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Traditionally concept cars rarely go into production but Toyota says the designs contained in the three models on display - a five-door hatchback with significant interior space, a multi-purpose load-carrying vehicle and a coupe combining the characteristics of both a sports utility vehicle and a sport coupe - will be seen in a new line of models.

A LONG term vehicle scrappage allowance system designed to remove old polluting vehicles from the UK's road would win the backing of some major vehicle manufacturers, it emerged at Frankfurt. Following the collapse of a short-term scrappage system in France, which has resulted in a slump in new car sales, Jacques Calvet, chairman of PSA, parent company of both Citroen and Peugeot, said he would be happy for a permanent scrappage scheme to be launched by individual national governments.

HYUNDAI claims a best-of-both-worlds design has given it a lead in economy motoring - but the South Korean company's UK importer has still to decide if its new supermini will appear on British roads. David Walker, managing director of Hyundai Car (UK), revealed no commitment had yet been made to the manufacturer on ATOS, a multi-functional supermini which is regarded by Hyundai as unique.

NEXT year is the year of the lower medium sector car with a string of major launches from leading UK fleet manufacturers. First into the fray is Citroen with the Xsara - the replacement for the ZX - which received its world premiere at Frankfurt. Xsara will be followed by the Mk IV Volkswagen Golf early next year, the new Vauxhall Astra in the spring and the new Ford Escort a year from now.

THREE new safety initiatives were revealed by Renault at Frankfurt, all designed to protect drivers and passengers in the event of a crash. A new head restraint will be fitted to the new Clio next year before being phased in across the Renault range, a new side airbag will be available on Megane and Laguna models early next year, and an SRP airbag which operates in tandem with a load-limited SRP safety belt will first appear as an option on the Megane early next year and will then become a feature across the Renault range but will be standard on Safrane.