News - Page 2342

DEMAND for the new Mercedes-Benz CLK coupe is already on course to overtake availability in Britain. Mercedes-Benz (UK) director Walter Greaves revealed: 'I'm certain that demand will be ahead of supply.

AUDI is negotiating with major fleet and leasing customers to ensure sales and service are handled by the local dealer. Audi boss Len Hunt said: 'Some fleet customers were saying that they only wanted to use two or three dealers across the country. This meant important customers would go to a local dealer for test drives, and then buy the cars elsewhere. Now we are meeting with leasing companies to agree a new strategy which focuses on local dealers for all fleet business in their territory.'

A NOVEL solution to traffic pollution in cities and urban areas will go into Audi showrooms later this year. The A4 Avant Duo, offering a blend of power from a turbodiesel engine and an electric motor, will sell alongside conventional versions of the model in Germany this autumn. Costing DM60,000 - DM16,000 more than the normal, 1.9-litre Avant TDI - the car will also be offered in export markets.

FORD has made a partial climbdown over cutting two thirds of jobs at the Halewood Escort plant on Merseyside following talks with the British Government. This comes as Renault faces mounting criticism for planning to shut its Belgian plant.

EVERY buyer of a new Ford will find an aircraft-style safety card in the vehicle glovebox from this summer. The card describes how to get the best safety benefits from equipment such as seat belts and headrests and provides tips on the best way to fit child seats.

FLEET managers have seen pictures of Rover's replacement for the 600 and 800 to go on sale in the UK late next year.

THIS year signals the first full attack on the fleet market by Mazda, after putting various strategies and personnel in place last year. Mazda Motor Corporation president Henry Wallace said 1996 had been a year of progress after some years of difficulty.

FORD are planning to exploit forecasts that Europe's total small car market is set to grow by an extra 600,000 units over the next three years.

FORD are planning to exploit forecasts that Europe's total small car market is set to grow by an extra 600,000 units over the next three years.

DAEWOO customer operations director David Gerrans has left the company suddenly after two and a half years. The former Rover fleet chief was one of six directors appointed to launch the brand in the UK in 1994 Since then, Daewoo has taken 1% of the UK market with a significant presence in the daily rental sector.

THE Fleet Motor Show at Silverstone from April 29-May 2 will feature an alternative fuels section, with information and different models to drive on the Silverstone track. There will be an alternative fuels booking desk to register for test driving and visitors will be taken to the pit area where experts will answer questions.

VOLKSWAGEN is to launch a multi-marque leasing and fleet management company which is expected to start trading next month. The new company - International Fleet Management - will report to Volkswagen Financial Services AG in Germany, and is not part of the Volkswagen group in the UK.

BT has ordered 11,000 Ford Escort and Fiesta vans worth £112 million at today's showroom prices. The order is for 7,000 diesel-engined Escort 55 vans and 4,000 Fiesta 35 vans to be used by BT nationwide. The first vans have been delivered, replacing similar models on BT's three-year replacement cycle.

FIAT Auto and ABN Amro Lease Holdings - parent company of Lease Plan - have formed a leasing company to operate throughout Europe starting in Britain and France.

THE National Health Service has slashed the number of leasing suppliers providing vehicles for its 33,000-strong fleet. A new three-year contract cuts suppliers from 14 to four - three of which are tied to car manufacturers.

DEALER group Charles Sidney's contract hire operation helped the company almost double overall profits after increasing its fleet size by 30%. In the 16 months to the end of December 1996, pre-tax profits increased from £3.7 million in 1995 to £6.0 million as turnover increased from £186 million to £326 million.

COWIE Interleasing has appointed a new managing director following the dismissal of Neil Pykett and the failure of his appeal. Replacing Pykett as managing director of Cowie Financial Holdings, which includes Cowie Interleasing, is Michael Gwilt, who joined the company in 1984 and since 1994 has been managing director of Cowie Interleasing North and Scotland.

RECORD pre-tax profits of £81.2 million (1995: £55.8 million) - up 46% - for the year ended December 31, 1996 were reported by the Cowie Group with almost half contributed by the finance division which largely encompasses Cowie Interleasing.

THE Royal Mail, BP and Ford have teamed up for a two-year trial of gas powered vans. Royal Mail has converted 21 new Ford Transit vans to run on liquified petroleum gas and compressed natural gas, to test the viability of the alternative fuels.

VAUXHALL is offering three-year warranties on four models in a three-month trial programme. Vectra, Omega, Calibra and Sintra MPV models will have a three-year/36,000-mile warranty to retail buyers and non-VAT registered companies until the end of May.

MANUFACTURERS and leasing companies must treat user-choosers like retail customers, yet offer them a full range of corporate services and service standards.

AN examination of the European fleet market has revealed major differences in vehicle policies between countries, which are a warning to any company looking at establishing a pan-European fleet strategy.

THE needs of the personal customer and the business customer are converging rapidly, best evidenced by the explosion in personal contract leasing and purchase schemes.

COMPETITION will intensify dramatically in the leasing market as new entrants arrive from outside the industry. Oil companies and demutualising building societies are expected to join the battle for fleet and private customers, according to Peter Cooke, director of the Centre for Automotive Management Research at Henley Management College.

A MAJOR restructuring of BSG International, which includes Autolease, Jessups (Vehicle Contracts) and around 30 dealerships, is expected this year.

FLEET diesel sales fell last month by 2.4% in a total diesel market which dropped 4.9% following increases in both sectors in January.

RECORD fleet sales were achieved in February for the third consecutive month - and the 2.4% year-on-year rise accounts for last month's overall increase in new car sales as retail buyers did not respond to showroom offers.

EAST Anglian construction engineer May Gurney has returned to Dialcard following just over a year with a major unnamed competitor.

HYUNDAI has introduced 2.0-litre engines to the Lantra range - replacing the 1.8-litre saloons and estates. The saloon was launched in October 1995, and the estate in 1996, with 1.6 and 1.8-litre engines. The 1.8-litre versions of both saloon and estate have now been upgraded to a 137bhp 2.0-litre engine. The engine is a derivative of the Hyundai Beta range used in the new Hyundai Coupe.

DAILY rental franchise Thrifty boosted parent company Sanderson Bramall's profitability despite the major manufacturers' restrictions on supply. The Harrogate-based dealer group said Thrifty and its contract hire division had contributed to profits.