News - Page 2394

LOOKERS Planned Motoring is looking to double the size of its contract hire fleet after parent company Lookers plc announced pre-tax profits up 30% to £3.16 million for the financial year to March 31, 1996. All sectors of the business, which ranges from dealerships to car delivery, agricultural machinery, and contract hire, showed a profit.

A NEW report from the Quality of Urban Air Review Group looking at the latest data on airborne particles, is set to put more pressure on diesel fleet operators. The QUARG group hit the headlines in December 1993 with its report titled 'Diesel Vehicle Emissions and Urban Air Quality' and although the word diesel does not appear in the new title, diesel vehicles have not been ignored.

THE Labour Party has said it will not 'punish' car drivers as it seeks to persuade motorists to radically change their driving habits. Shadow transport secretary Clare Short this week wrote to Fleet News outlining its broad transport policy.

THE 1996/97 edition of 'The CCH Company Car Tax Guide' written by leading chartered accountants and business advisers Coopers & Lybrand has been published. Costing £24.95 the guide has been updated to reflect the tax position as at April 6, 1996.

MERCEDES-Benz dealership Malaya Gatwick has expanded its business with the launch of a daily rental service.

SWAN National, which became the first company to launch a personal contract motoring scheme, has become the latest company to claim that the Whitechapel Corporate Services 'personal leasing' scheme could be shortlived.

HELP the Aged has won a £10 million VAT tribunal for the charity sector concerning minibuses converted to carry wheelchairs. The case arose after a 1994 ruling which meant specially adapted minibuses for older people became liable for VAT - previously they had been zero rated. This VAT added about £3,000 to the price of each minibus.

INDUSTRY sources have dismissed rumours that August 1 P-plates will give way within four months to a quarterly letter change starting in December with the introduction of R-plates.

RENTAL companies throughout Europe have called on the European Commission to allow the free movement of vehicles throughout Europe. European Car & Truck Rental Association (ECATRA) president Freddie Aldous has already met with European Parliament members and several European Commissioners to discuss increased rental flexibility between member nations.

VAN sales last month and for the year to date have both increased on comparative figures for 1995. Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveal that sales of small vans in May totalled 6,638 against 5,755 for May last year, while year-to-date sales are fractionally up at 31,442 (31,320).

FLEET diesel sales in May were narrowly up on May 1995 levels at 16,762 (16,448) in a total diesel market down 1.7% at 29,197 (29,707). Peugeot remains the number one fleet manufacturer in a year which has seen fleet diesel sales narrowly down on 1995 levels at 93,199 (93,915) in a total diesel market down 9.4% at 159,406 (175,870).

FLEET sales last month were 2.6% up on May 1995 in a total new car market up 8.5% as the private buyer returned to the car showroom for the first time in months.

PEUGEOT has become the latest manufacturer to move towards the abolition of separate delivery charges and quote on the road pricing. The company is writing to fleet customers to explain the move, but the manufacturer's launch of its summer retail promotion campaign on selected models also signals the launch of its new pricing policy.

FLEETS have succeeded in cutting the number of thefts from their vehicles by 37% over the past year, but the cost of the average incident has risen dramatically.

CAR rental prices may have to rise 10-15% this year to offset dramatic increases in vehicle holding costs, according to EuroDollar chief executive Ian Mosley. He was speaking following Monday's release of EuroDollar's results for the year to March 31, 1996 which showed a pre-tax profit of £4.01 million (1995: £14.57 million) on turnover up 12% to £96.2 million (£85.9 million).

INDEPENDENT Car Auctions will merge with Central Motor Auctions following an extraordinary general meeting of CMA shareholders on Monday. However, auction giant ADT blocked ICA's preferred scheme to take complete control of CMA, and ADT will remain a major shareholder of the new merged group. Of the shareholders who attended the EGM, 64.66% backed the scheme, while 35.34% voted against it.

BRITAIN'S biggest contract hire company, Lex Vehicle Leasing, has transformed itself into a one-stop fleet shop with the launch of a dedicated fuel card and a full insurance package. The two new services - launched in conjunction with Shell and fleet insurance specialist Brian Johnston Insurance respectively - complete the portfolio of services from Lex Vehicle Leasing, which operates more than 70,000 vehicles on contract hire.

A TRIP for two to New York on Concorde, returning on the QE2 after three nights, was the top prize scooped by four outstanding achievers at EuroDollar.

NISSAN'S new Almera GTi will cost £14,420, including a £425 delivery charge, when it goes on sale in the UK on July 1. Previewed in Fleet News last week (May 31), the new car is designed to compete with hot hatch market leaders such as the Volkswagen Golf GTi, Peugeot 306 XSi, Vauxhall Astra Sport and Ford RS2000.

AIRLINE-style safety cards are being installed in all new Saab cars to highlight the importance of correctly using in-car safety systems. The laminated cards, similar to those found in the seat pockets of airline jets, graphically set out simple instructions to ensure maximum security for drivers and passengers.

A NEW Northern Ireland contract hire company has got off to a racing start - with a breakfast for 300 leading Ulster businessmen and a guest appearance by Formula 1 star, Eddie Irvine.

TWENTY companies have so far booked to attend the 1997 Fleet Show - even though exact dates have still to be announced. Companies began booking even before last month's 1996 show finished with the rush for space at the 1997 event being led by Dentmaster.

A LONDON-based primary and community healthcare trust is hoping to save more than £10,000 a year after outsourcing its fleet management function to British Car Contracts. BCC will provide its full outsourcing package from driver liaison through to full accident management and individual driver insurance to Parkside Health Trust.

STORIES that Rover is to build an engine factory on an 85 acre Midlands site, have been dismissed as pure speculation by the company and its parent, BMW.

CHEVIN Computer Systems has joined the campaign to improve the quality of fleet management software.

FLEET software company Car Fleet Control is claiming to be on the most wanted list for police workshops. This week the company claimed it had become the number one choice among UK police forces for fleet management and workshop management software - supplying 19 forces nationwide.

THE Briton Fire Company believes handing over new company vehicles to its drivers is a good reason to hold a party. This year's party - held in a marquee at Taverham Hall near Wakefield - marked the move of the fleet to 18 Carina E estates and 21 Hiace PowerVans.

CARRINGTONS is the first dealership group to sign up to the OASIS electronic invoicing system for fleet vehicle repair. Carringtons signing follows the recent announcement that Lease Plan UK has become the first fleet operator to join the OASIS trading community (Fleet News April 26).

AVIS Rent A car has signed up with Forward Trust Motor Finance's FleetLink system to fund its vehicles electronically. FleetLink has funded over 3,200 Avis vehicles within the first two months of the agreement.

LEX Vehicle Leasing has been inundated with dealers looking to sign up to its One-Call service for company car drivers. Currently around 750 dealers nationwide have been approved by the Marlow-based contract hire company but, following a recent article in Fleet News (May 10), small dealer groups and independent garages have been calling the company asking to join.