News - Page 2324

MAZDA'S importers are all set to put more than £100 million behind a campaign to speed the revitalised Japanese company to a 2% share of new car sales in Britain. The marketing initiative is expected to be approved in the next few days with the signing of a fresh five-year franchise agreement between Mazda Corporation and Mazda Cars UK Ltd.

THE vast majority of 'clocked' cars have their speedos altered by private motorists, according to new statistics from Equifax HPI. Four out of five clocked vehicles came from private sellers while 14% came from the trade and just 6% from auctions.

COMPANY car drivers can expect more speed cameras on the roads after a 70% cut in fatal accidents in London was attributed to their calming influence. According to new statistics from the Highways Agency the first three years of the Agency's speed camera demonstration project in West London showed fatal accidents were down by 70%, serious accidents down by 28% from 666 to 483, and minor accidents dropped 8% from 3,074 to 2,832. Total savings add up to £20 million per year.

THE cheapest cars to operate in the UK market are the Ford Ka 1.3i and Suzuki Alto 1.0 at 13.8p per mile, according to new figures from CAP Motor Research. Both models head the list of the 40 cheapest cars to operate as they have done for the past two months, according to the July survey.

INSURANCE giant AGF has joined forces with broker C.E. Heath and driver training specialist NDI in a three-way collaboration aimed at driving fleet premiums down. The partners believe schemes like theirs have assumed an even greater importance following Chancellor Gordon Brown's remarks on recouping the cost of NHS accident treatment from at-fault drivers.

ICELAND Frozen Foods has appointed Driving Services to train nearly 800 drivers for its new home delivery service. The contract follows a successful pilot scheme in the north east, and will see the training built into a two day induction programme for every driver.

HAMPSHIRE-based car rental company Martins Selfdrive is claiming business success across the world after launching a site on the internet. The company found becoming part of the internet revolution has been the key to a business boom.

FLEET management software specialist FCS Computer Services has secured a £500,000 capital injection from venture capital company 3i, for future development. The investment will support the international expansion of the DRIVE fleet management software package, recently bought by Brisbane City Council and Bahrain Municipal Council.

TRAFFIC police have put out an appeal to fleet operators to help them track down a hit-and-run driver who killed an elderly pedestrian in south London earlier this year. The Metropolitan Police want to trace the driver of a white box or cube van with a roller shutter who knocked over the 77-year-old victim in Camberwell Green just after midday on Saturday, April 26.

PEUGEOT'S new 306 estate will cost £750 more than the hatchback when it goes on sale in October. With a starting price of £12,255 on the road, the newcomer looks competitive against mainstream competitors like the Astra and Escort.

A SUBSTANTIALLY reorganised and improved Fleet Motor Show will move to Donington Park in Derbyshire next year. The decision to relocate the fleet industry's biggest event away from Silverstone follows a survey of 1,000 visitors to this year's show and 200 separate interviews with fleet managers and directors.

A DOZEN Vauxhall dealers have joined forces to provide six vehicles for Sussex County Cricket Club over the summer.

DRIVERS have been issued with £20 tickets for using hand-held mobile phones in a police clampdown on motorists who are not in proper control of their vehicle. During a two-and-a-half hour operation in Gloucestershire, fixed penalty tickets were issued to six drivers caught using mobile phones, one reading a map and one eating a doughnut. A similar operation is due to be staged later this summer.

SEAT has introduced a new budget-price Cordoba in time for the August sales boom.

MORE than 160 Swan National customers recently put a range of cars to the test on the newly-designed Grand Prix circuit and RAC rally stage at Silverstone.

HONDA Finance, the Japanese company's European finance company, is gearing up to back fleets with the next phase of its development. Next April the company, launched a year ago, will begin its retail finance operation which will provide a range of funding initiatives for corporate and retail customers through the Honda dealer network, giving it a platform for further expanding Honda's market share. Since April Honda Finance has been offering stocking finance to all UK Honda dealers.

WITH just over a week to go before the RAC five-a-side football tournament kicks off in Manchester, more than 50 teams have confirmed their attendance. Supported by Fleet News, the tournament takes place next Sunday, July 27, at The Pitz recreation centre in Ardwick.

THE four dealer subsidiary operations of Alexanders Holdings are to be combined into a single operating company, Alexanders Motor Group. The new company will operate under a managing director, assisted by a finance controller, with a subsidiary board of directors. Although the move does not officially take effect until October 1, the company has been operating on this basis for two weeks.

FLEETS are planning for an R-plate bonanza, buying more cars, and more expensive models. Autoglass' quarterly Car Confidence Index has revealed that spending on company cars is set to rise by nearly 30%.

THE true number of road accidents caused by misuse of mobile phones is likely to be much higher than the industry believes, according to David Thacker, operations director of accident management company AutoManagement.

DAEWOO has expanded its retail network with the opening of a further flagship operation, a Motor Show in Warrington, and a new full showroom, a Car Centre in Southampton. The new outlets offer new and used cars and have on-site servicing facilities.

BRITISH fleet managers have been given a pre-launch preview of Daewoo's trio of new models - the Lanos, the Nubira and the Leganza - set to arrive in the UK later this year.

FAST-growing Ryland Multifleet has launched a new fleet management operation to provide a one-stop service to companies which own their vehicles. Ryland Fleet Solutions is being run by John McKillop, who has 20 years' experience in the fleet industry having working for both Kwik-Fit and Cowie Interleasing.

BRITISH Car Contracts has launched a new contract hire and maintenance package geared specifically for the light commercial vehicle market. The new multi-marque leasing operation uses a 'one-stop shop' approach designed to meet the widely differing needs of van users large and small.

THE value of Ford Escorts and Mondeos have strengthened as a result of the manufacturer's move to reduce rental supplies, according to both CAP Black Book and Glass's Guide.

FORD is on target to increase its share of the UK fleet market despite slashing rental volumes by around a third. The 'big three' manufacturers - Ford, Vauxhall and Rover - have seen sales come under pressure from other established fleet manufacturers and a range of newcomers to the fleet market.

RUMOURS have been scotched that Kwik-Fit is poised to buy rival National Tyres & Autocare to create a fast-fit giant more than twice the size of the nearest competition.

THE 1998 Fleet Motor Show will move to Donington Park away from its Silverstone home, organiser EMAP Automotive has revealed. The move is part of a package of significant changes. Test driving will be pre-booked via a computerised system, allowing manufacturers to reach their target audience and drivers to better organise their time. Special themed days will attract specific types of visitor - including directors and those interested in the service sector.

Ten facts from the BVRLA survey

FLEET driver Stephen Robson, depot manager for Linpac Plastics, has won the Times-Lease Plan Company Car Driver of the Year competition.