News - Page 2393

STOLEN vehicle recovery system Tracker can now be fitted to cars and vans for £2.75 a week over three years. The weekly payment is available on a leasing plan for a minimum of three vehicles following a link up between Tracker and finance company Schroder Leasing.

VAUXHALL is offering £600 off a new Astra 1.6 in an unrepeatable restricted offer to fleet operators. The special deal enables all VAT-registered companies to buy an Astra 1.6 LS hatchback for the same price as the 1.4 model.

THE Association of Car Fleet Operators is claiming 'strong support' for its campaign to force manufacturers to abolish delivery charges. And at the Fleet Show at Silverstone, ACFO chiefs were lobbying manufacturers to establish how many of them were willing to commit to restructuring their price lists.

PEUGEOT made profits of just £4.9 million from its UK operations last year - down from £9.5 million over the previous 12 months. The company blamed poor demand and tougher competition - especially in the fleet market - and an ageing product mix and also noted a slip in market share from 7.7% to 7.4%.

ROVER has secured a contract to supply Group Lotus with 420 cars worth around £6.3 million at showroom prices.

FORD has broken arch-rival Vauxhall's stranglehold on the Association of Car Fleet Operators' 'Fleet Car of the Year Award'. This year, the 11th annual poll among ACFO's 640 fleet operator members, the Ford Mondeo has won the prestigious accolade.

CHRYSLER has released prices for its new Neon car and fleets can look forward to high specification including a no-cost automatic transmission. The move represents a first in the sector and it would appear that Chrysler aims to offer a Mondeo sized car at Escort prices.

A MAJOR survey of thousands of fleet car accidents has revealed that the cheapest company cars to repair are Fiats and Range Rovers. Most expensive are Honda and Mazda which cost nearly twice as much to repair as the mainstream fleet cars.

THE information superhighway will increasingly replace the motorway as the business community makes more use of electronic media as an alternative form of travel, says a new report from Autoglass.

THE number of franchised dealers will fall by almost half over the next decade, according to industry experts at Sewells International. Market watchers at Fleet News' sister publication predict the total number of franchised dealerships will drop from 7,430 at the end of last year to 4,660 by 2005.

THE RAC has launched a new flexible European motoring assistance scheme for company car drivers. At the same time the motoring organisation has warned that driving in Europe without comprehensive cover could become a 'budget-breaking Euro-nightmare' for the 450,000 UK registered company cars which are driven abroad each year.

OASIS Global Systems has put its electronic trading initiative onto a commercial footing by signing Lease Plan as its first major customer.

CITROEN is aiming to breathe new life into Xantia fleet sales by making air conditioning standard in all but three models. Citroen UK managing director Jean Marie Walch announced the move at the Fleet Show. Exceptions to the move are the entry level 1.9D hatchback and 1.9TD estate and hatchback.

FLEET operators could save millions of pounds following an historic tax victory by accountants over HM Customs & Excise. Tax specialist Ernst and Young successfully challenged Customs' stance on the deductibility of VAT on the delivery of company cars - paving the way for recovery of VAT potentially back as far as 1978.

VAUXHALL launched a new contract hire product aimed at smaller business users. The All For One scheme is targeted at small fleets emerging from recession and looking to expand while keeping one eye on the budget.

FLEETS are at the centre of a political row over the attitude of a future Labour Government towards company car taxation. The Labour Party has refuted national newspaper speculation that the company car will be a primary tax target under the party's new transport policy.

ONE of the UK's largest dealership groups is reporting 'sensational' demand for the Renault Megane with almost 400 orders for the Ford Escort/Vauxhall Astra rival within hours of the new car going on sale.

THE convertible version of Jaguar's stunning new XK8 sports car has broken cover for its world debut at the New York International Automobile Show.

BCH Vehicle Management has held a special safety course for ten nurses who specialise in Parkinson's Disease patient care.

NORWICH-based leasing company MEVC has become the latest contract hire company to add BSM Qualified Driver Training courses to the services it offers to fleets.

AN electric version of the new Citroen Saxo will go on sale in France within the next 12 months - and Citroen UK is considering requests from fleets, particularly local authorities, to sell the cars in Britain.

PROTON is offering two new engine options - a diesel and a higher performance 1.8 16 valve - and improved levels of standard equipment for 1996.

THREE companies have launched schemes to cut out the hassle faced by accident victims. Perry Contract Hire has launched an accident repair management scheme for its customers. Car, van and truck rental company Willhire/Hertz has launched 'WILLHELP' in East Anglia and the Home Counties.

AUDI has announced prices for the Audi A4 saloon and Avant - estate - models powered by the new five cylinder 2.8 litre 193 bhp engine.

MOTORENT has won the contract to supply almost half of mobile telecommunications company Cellnet's cars.

USED prices experts have predicted high residual values for Volvo's new S40 and V40 range - available in the UK next month.

VOLKSWAGEN is toasting a 30-vehicle fleet deal with international wine importer Pieroth. The company confirmed its confidence in Volkswagen by replacing a third of its 100-vehicle Volkswagen fleet with new Golf CL TDs purchased on contract hire from Volkswagen Financial Services.

JERSEY has become the second place in the world to ban metal bull bars from vehicles. The island - which will now only allow mock-bars made of soft materials - has instigated the ban because it is not a member of the European Union.

DEALER representation for Fiat and Alfa Romeo throughout Greater London - within the M25 motorway system - has been awarded to dealership group Pendragon and will result in the development of 15 new retail locations over the next two years.

YORKSHIRE dealer group DC Cook was fined £17,000 after it admitted selling 'clocked' cars. Two of the group's Barnsley dealerships were prosecuted by Trading Standards at York Crown Court after selling cars whose odometers were subsequently found to have been tampered with.