News - Page 2354

MERCEDES has released details of its smallest car to date - the A-class supermini. At just under 12 ft long, the new Mercedes is available with a choice of two petrol engines and common rail direct injection diesels, the car will go on sale in the UK in spring 1998.

CAMDEN Motors is to go for growth after being sold to a management team led by managing director Paul Dunkley. Parent company Barclays Bank has been reluctant to expand its car retailing operation but the two companies will continue their close relationship.

VAUXHALL has clinched a 1,200 vehicle solus deal with the Leisure division of brewing giant Bass. The contract gives Vauxhall a single badge arrangement to supply work cars - all Corsas and Astras - to Bass's Leisure division.

EAGLE Star fleet manager Jim Turner has assumed responsibility for sister company Allied Dunbar's fleet after their parent company merged some operations.

A NEW maintenance and repair network giving fleet managers flexibility, cost control and access to several unique features is being launched by Fleet Cost Management in January. The network, which offers a choice of 1,000 franchise, 400 independent and 100 mobile servicing agents, is the latest addition to the company's Select initiative which covers all non-fuel purchases made through the FCM card.

THE London Borough of Southwark is looking to join forces with other local authorities to pioneer new operational research into zero and low emission vehicles. The authority, which already runs five natural gas refuse collection vehicles, has been promised £500,000 worth of funding via the EU's THERMIE programme which is designed to encourage new environmentally-friendly energy and fuel saving measures.

COMPANY car drivers make 25% more mistakes at the wheel than private motorists according to a new survey from Autoglass. The survey found that the average business driver makes 59 mistakes a week compared with the private motorist's 47 after talking to more than 600 drivers - 15% of whom were company car users.

RENAULT has postponed the February 14 UK launch of the Megane Scenic - recently voted European Car of the Year 1997 - until June 1 due to huge demand for lefthand drive versions of the model.

PEUGEOT is to launch a number of major initiatives in 1997 designed to improve customer service levels and the first of those sees a reduction in dealer margins on the 406 from 10% to 9%.

GOVERNMENT and local authority fleets must pioneer operational use of alternative fuels to set an example to the rest of the business community according to a new report from the House of Lords.

THE European company car market is expected to expand in the next five years, with annual corporate sales increasing from around 4.5 million units to more than five million, according to MarketLine.

IN a Fleet Cost Management survey almost 80% of fleet operators admitted they did not know the price of parts, while 38% said they were unaware of the typical labour rate they paid.

CONFIRMATION of 600 changes have yet to be received, but as well as air conditioning becoming standard across the range - although the entry-level 618i is available without the feature at £14,795 - alloy wheels have been added on all 2.0 and 2.3 litre variants.

VAUXHALL has revealed a number of upgrades on its flagship Omega range for the 1997 model year including the installation of the 136 PS 2.0-litre 16v engine in the entry-level Select model. The engine, which is already fitted in GLS, CD and CDX models, replaces the 2.0 litre 8v unit. The entry-level Select now costs £18,725 on the road.

CLASS-leading operating costs are expected to help Toyota's new Camry achieve a dramatic improvement in fleet sales next year. Top placing in an independent audit of wholelife costs has boosted the company's hope that its totally reworked executive model will make significant gains.

A FLEET of 68 Volkswagen Polo 1.0L models have been delivered to the community nursing team in the Scottish Highlands in a deal between Volkswagen, Arnold Clark Finance and the Highland Communities NHS Trust.

ZURICH Insurance has sponsored a CD-ROM called 'Advanced Driver Training - Your Licence to Drive,' developed specifically for the fleet car market - a similar CD-ROM for large goods vehicles will follow early in the new year.

ASSOCIATION of Car Fleet Operators' national secretary Jim Thorn has stood down due to a job change. Thorn, currently transport officer with charity Barnado's on a three-day-a-week basis, has been national secretary since taking over the post from John Hughes in 1992. He stood down with effect from Sunday (December 1).

EURODOLLAR doubled its pre-tax profits and recorded an 11.5% increase in turnover for the six months to September 30, 1996. The rental company's interim results reveal turnover increased to £54.2 million (£48.7 million in 1995), generating a pre-tax profit of £4.8 million (£2.4m).

KEN Footitt, company car driver of the year in the annual Britain's Safest Fleet competition sponsored by Vauxhall and organised by Fleet News, has taken delivery of his prize - a brand new Vauxhall Vectra Estate for six months.

SAAB is to launch a quartet of flagship versions of its smallest model as part of a drive for more corporate business. The new 900 cars will be in the showrooms by spring and will be used to help push total sales by Saab GB to 15,000 in 1997.

LEX Vehicle Leasing is to launch its own personal contract purchase scheme on January 1, 1997 with automotive and aerospace group LucasVarity the first customer.

FORD has signed up three of the UK's largest contract hire fleets to its central billing programme. Swan National Motor Finance, Lease Plan and Autolease joined the scheme this month, adding around 25,000 Fords to the existing parc of 130,000 vehicles.

INDUSTRY experts have urged fleet operators to ensure they have a sound policy to control fuel use and fuel costs, while leading 'green' fleet managers said the Chancellor's Budget boost for gas powered vehicles and ultra low sulphur diesel would spur increased consideration of vehicles powered by alternative fuels.

BLACK Horse Agencies - which operates a 1,440-strong fleet - has taken delivery of its 500th Renault. The landmark was celebrated with Renault fleet director Mike Power handing over a Megane hatchback to Black Horse Agencies' consultant fleet manager George Emmerson.

CAR makers are set for a cash windfall, following a European Court VAT ruling on cashback payments made to small fleets and retail customers. The original case was brought by Elida Gibbs and Argos, and had nothing to do with cars, but its implications have led major manufacturers to lodge claims with Customs & Excise.

VOLVO has released pricing and further details of its restyled 850 range which will be rebadged as the S70 and V70 when it goes on sale in the UK next February.

ACCIDENT management company Drivemaster has ceased trading. The High Court has appointed accountants Taylor, Gotham & Fry as provisional liquidators, to protect and take possession of Drivemaster's assets and records.

NEXT-generation Volkswagen cars are likely to include energy conservation features which were shunned by potential buyers when the German company tried to market its ubiquitous family hatchback model in Ecomatic form two years ago.

BMW claimed a hat-trick of titles at the 11th PHH Vehicle Management Service's Motor Manufacturers Awards with Mercedes-Benz and Volvo each claiming two titles and Nissan Motor GB winning its first fleet industry award in its five-year history.