News - Page 2333

NISSAN Fleet has joined the AT&T TransLease electronic trading community with a limited pilot scheme involving some 2,000 vehicles. The six-month trial involves 19 Nissan dealers nationwide, all of whom are geared up to send electronic invoices for work carried out via the TransLease EDI network to an undisclosed client.

UNITED Kenning Rental Group turned a £0.5 million loss in 1995 into record pre-tax profits of £4.5 million last year, according to figures released this week.

GOVERNMENT plans for a graded system of vehicle excise duties designed to penalise gas-guzzlers have been welcomed by Lease Plan commercial director Steve Dunn.

A RECENTLY introduced registration form on Fleet NewsNet - the No.1 internet web site for the fleet decision maker - has confirmed the high quality of its user audience.

BMW'S new 5-series has set record-breaking residual values as the first vehicles come back to market 12 months after the first examples hit UK showrooms. According to the May edition of Glass's Guide, a P-registered 523 or 528 is worth 96% of its cost new to trade buyers and is actually selling at more than its list price to retail buyers.

THREE-year warranties will become the rule rather than the exception on new cars from all manufacturers, according to the report 'Winning Tomorrow's Customers - Future Directions for Car Retailing and Servicing in the UK'.

FLEET sales reached a record April high as financial and political uncertainty was dispelled to send figures soaring last month. But industry experts warned against over-optimism as the 8.6% year-on-year rise was as a result of rocketing Motability business (up 34.7%) and rental business (up 19.8%) with 'real' fleet business stable compared to April last year.

BRITAIN'S fleet market leader Ford recorded a pre-tax loss of £389 million on turnover of £7,111 million last year. The figures - which compare with a pre-tax loss of £213 million on turnover of £6,401 million in 1995 - were blamed on increased competition and development expenditure by Ford at various UK plants and future UK-based projects.

MANUFACTURERS, dealers, fleets and leasing companies must work together to bring about a radical overhaul of current car selling and aftersales practices to improve fleet efficiency, according to a new report.

LONDON Electricity has embarked on a major driver training programme for its 2000 drivers with IAM Fleet Training. The one-day training course will be based on one instructor per two drivers, covering classroom theory, a demonstration drive and on-road instruction.

DEFENSIVE driver training specialist NDI has bought Drive & Survive, creating Europe's largest fleet driver training company. The two companies have worked closely over the last year, training 13,000 drivers in the UK and overseas, and posting a combined turnover of £4.2 million.

VAUXHALL has released prices of the two new additions to its Corsa range - the new 1.0-litre 12v and 16v Sport models. The three door 1.6i 16v Sport delivering 106 PS, a top speed of 119 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 9.5 seconds is the most powerful and fastest Corsa model to date and costs £12,495 on the road. The Corsa 1.4i 16v Sport three door now costs £11,820 on the road.

LEX Vehicle Leasing has secured a three-year solus deal to supply 300 vehicles on contract hire to national refreshment supplier Vendcare. The company, which previously financed vehicles through Ford Credit on its largely solus Ford fleet, said it switched to Lex Vehicle Leasing to benefit from a one-stop-shop approach to managing its fleet.

LOMBARD Contract Hire has launched a cut-price leasing product, called Ex-Fleet, for nearly new cars. All Ex-Fleet cars are nearly new and VAT qualifying, which means they benefit from the same VAT benefits for leasing as new cars.

A MAJOR new force in vehicle disposal has arisen from the amicable split between CMA Group and Mitac, its electronic auction and stock locator system provider. Mitac has established a company called Global Remarketing, which will offer a portfolio of remarketing products and services to manufacturers, franchised dealers, fleet operators, leasing, contract hire and daily rental companies.

TOYOTA has scooped its biggest-ever solus fleet contract with catering giant Gardner Merchant in an 1,100-vehicle deal at the expense of Vauxhall. The manufacturer will supply 900 job-need cars and 200 executive cars on a choice list which includes the Carina E, Picnic, Lexus and new Corolla - all of which will be managed by PHH.

CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown's move to place interest rates outside the sphere of Government control could spell lower leasing rates by the end of the decade. Brown's decision to hand over responsibility for setting interest rates to the Bank of England received almost universal approval, with economists predicting more stable money markets and lower long term interest rates.

LEX Vehicle Leasing is stepping up its attack on the van contract hire sector by appointing Paul McKay to the newly created position of light commercial vehicle sales manager. McKay, who has spent the last three years in light commercials with Cowie Interleasing, will be responsible for increasing the company's penetration of the van contract hire market.

VAN sales are continuing to recover while sales of heavy goods vehicles remain in the doldrums, according to April sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

FLEET diesel sales developed an unpredictability in 1997 with volumes down year-on-year in two of the four months and up in the other two months - including last month. The April total was 18,016 - up 2.02% from 17,659 last year - but fleet diesel sales in the year-to-date were down 2.81% at 74,286 (1996: 76,437) out of total diesel sales of 124,851 (1996: 130,209).

LOW & Bonar, the UK-based manufacturer of food cartons, has been awarded £72,000 by Lease Plan as a result of savings and economies on the operation of the company's 149-strong fleet. The cash refund under Lease Plan's open calculation product is a result of the actual costs of running the fleet being less than the original price quoted with the difference being refunded.

TOYOTA'S lean-burn technology has converted another all-diesel fleet to petrol-powered Carina Es. Coffee specialist Douwe Egberts has rejected diesel in favour of Carinas on environmental and economy grounds. The switch to lean-burn follows similar changes in fleet policy at dispatch company DHL and hosiery firm Pretty Polly in recent years.

NUMEROUS companies from across the fleet industry are expected to enter the RAC and Fleet News five-a-side charity football tournament which was officially launched at the Fleet Motor Show.

FIRST Mutual Contracts has extended its fleet contract with the Welsh Rugby Union with a three-year deal during which it will supply 30 new Rovers a year.

STAFF at Vauxhall's Luton headquarters, and the company's nearby aftersales operation, have tested the feasibility of working from home, car-sharing and public transport in a study aimed at cutting traffic congestion.

DAEWOO has confirmed Patrick Farrell as sales and marketing director after two months as 'caretaker' overseeing the sales operation as well as the marketing division.

CALLS by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for a complete ban on using mobile phones while driving have been branded impractical and unrealistic by driver training companies. The safety organisation has announced plans to lobby Government officials and police chiefs for a change of law after its National Road Safety Committee decided that no driver should use a mobile - whether hands-free or hand-held - while on the road.

THE motor industry is bracing itself for further fall-out from the next round of European New Car Assessment Programme crash tests after the first tests on superminis earlier this year. Similar tests are being carried out on upper medium cars, with the results due to be announced in July; followed by tests of lower medium cars, with results expected next February.

MANUFACTURERS' absences from the Fleet Motor Show have prompted at least one fleet operator to switch his policy in protest. Insurance broker Peter Hill & Company is ditching Ford and BMW in favour of Renault.

THE Association of Car Fleet Operators is to lobby the new Government to make sure the voice of the fleet industry is heard.