News - Page 2143

A NEW television channel designed specifically for the automotive trade - including the fleet industry - is to be launched by British Sky Broadcasting. The Automotive Channel will start broadcasting on September 28 with coverage of the Paris Motor Show.

COMPANY car drivers are being forced to think about whether they are going to be better off paying for 'free' private-use fuel rather than pay tax on the fuel scale charge, after Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announced annual scale charge increases of 20% in real terms in the 1998 Budget.

CARELESS fleet drivers are costing their employers hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in repair bills by parking their cars in places where they are exposed to vandals and thieves. Figures from Lex Vehicle Leasing show the extent to which fleets are haemorrhaging money to vandals who damage vehicles just for pleasure or in botched theft attempts.

LEADING figures in the fleet industry are on the move following changes in top management at some of the UK's biggest leasing companies.

KWIK-Fit Hometune is to almost double its fleet of mobile servicing vans to 260 over the next two years as part of a plan to extend the service nationwide. The company admits it could mean fewer customers at static servicing sites, but says going mobile makes the operation more competitive.

MOTOREASY, the vehicle maintenance and support company formed by former Daewoo group operations director David Gerrans, ex-Walon director Michael McInerney and Camden Motor's Car Shop founding director John Highfield, has collapsed after little more than a year. The company was forced to call a creditors' meeting last week after plans to secure rescue finance failed.

THE Association of Car Fleet Operators is continuing to lobby Government over what it sees as discrimination against disabled company car drivers who are forced to drive automatic vehicles.

INTERNET technology could provide a lifeline to low volume bodyshops struggling to survive under the weight of cost-cutting pressure by insurers. Audatex, one of the largest providers of computerised estimating systems, says it is about to revolutionise the motor claims, assessment and repair business by launching a multi-million pound web service that will help slash operating costs, improve efficiency and maintain quality standards.

CITROEN'S new Xantia replacement will be called the C5 when it is launched at the end of the year. The launch of the C5 will herald a new nomenclature for Citroen's model line-up. And the launch of the C5 will be followed by the unveiling of the C3 - the Saxo replacement - and the C6 - the executive sector contender.

LEEDS-based insurance broker, the Smithson Mason Group, has decided to transform its multi-make and model vehicle fleet into an exclusively Honda affair for its 30-strong car operation. The company has placed orders for the 1.8 S, 2.0 Executive and Type V or R versions of the Accord.

BIRMINGHAM City Council has taken delivery of 12 Vauxhall Astravans and a Ford Transit van, all powered by liquefied petroleum gas. The vehicles will be used by the council's pest control and Birmingham City Laboratories.

THE London Borough of Newham has signed up vehicle rental and contract hire specialist TLS as its main supplier for daily rental vehicles. TLS has won the tender for 12 months, with a possible two-year extension. It already supplies more than 100 vehicles on a separate £1 million contract hire deal.

FIRST National has appointed AA Business Services to provide comprehensive roadside repair and recovery to its fleet of 47,000 cars and light commercial vehicles on a pay-for-use basis. The contract, which provides cover in the UK and Europe, includes vehicles from First National Vehicle Contracts, Fleet Management Services and Whitechapel Corporate Services, the group's three core brands.

Britain's first official smart centre will open for business on October 17.

CENDANT has offered to buy 82% of Avis Group Holdings for £468 million in a bid to bring the car rental company under its direct control. The move would affect Avis Group, which operates the car rental business in North America, Australasia and Argentina.

NEW moves to end the Government's 'unfair' discrimination against diesel as a credible alternative to petrol have been launched. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says the UK Government's tax treatment is totally out of step with its treatment by other European governments.

SALES managers at Permabond have been told by their bosses they would rather have them alive than clocking up more than 15 calls a day. The Hampshire-based company has laid down rules for its sales managers and drivers, which includes restricting them to a combined working and driving total of no more than 12 hours a day in a bid to reduce the number of accidents caused by driver fatigue.

DRUG and drink driving and tiredness are among the topics being brought up in the Fit to Drive? conference, organised by the road safety organisation Brake. The conference will feature a number of presentations to explain latest research findings on the risks posed by drivers in a poor mental or physical state.

BRITAIN'S largest fleet driver training company, Drive & Survive, has launched a risk management service for small firms. The Derby-based organisation plans to target companies which may not have a dedicated fleet manager and advise them of measures to reduce driving risks and, as a result, their operating costs.

Aston Martin, the Ford-owned luxury British sports car marque, will build a new 'cheaper' model at a plant planned for Gaydon, Warwickshire. The new small model will be the cheapest Aston Martin, with an estimated price tag of between £60,000 and £90,000 when it goes on sale in 2003/04.

MERCEDES has released prices for the new C-class starting at £20,740 on the road for the entry level C180 Classic - just £300 more than the outgoing model - but featuring £4,000 worth of extra kit as standard.

ON-THE-ROAD prices have been announced for Audi's aluminium-bodied A2 compact car. The two petrol-engined models, in standard and SE trim, will cost £13,950 and £15,730 respectively and be available from September 1.

ROVER is calling last orders on the Mini, which ends production next month after 41 years. The manufacturer claims stock for the Mini Se7en (£8,995), Mini Cooper (£8,995) and Mini Cooper Sport (£9,995) is already in short supply.

SKODA is continuing its cut-price promotion on Octavia saloon and estate models until at least the unveiling and first fleet drives of new versions in October.

Volkswagen has boosted its Lupo range with the introduction of a high performance GTI. The new car is powered by a 1.6-litre 16-valve 125bhp engine, enabling a 0-62mph sprint in just over eight seconds and a top speed of 127mph.

VOLKSWAGEN has cut the price of its new Beetle - by adding an eight-valve 102bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine option. Specification is otherwise the same as the £14,950 2.0-litre 115bhp version.

SELECTED SEAT Toledo saloon SE list prices have been cut following a range realignment which sees the 1.6 and S models deleted. The 125bhp 1.8 20V SE has come down £500 to £15,495 as has the TDi 110 SE, which now costs £16,595 on-the-road.

A NEW two-door C-class compact sports coupe is to make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show on September 28 and is expected to go on sale in Britain in March next year. It sits 20mm lower than its saloon stablemate and is 183mm shorter, but has, says Mercedes-Benz, 'plenty of space for four passengers'.

A new flagship for Rover's 45 model range has gone on sale in two trims, at £16,095 and £17,095 on-the-road.

FIRST Mutual Contracts is to merge with sister company Godfrey Davis in a rationalisation by parent firm Bank of Scotland. The FMC name will be dropped and the Cardiff site closed in favour of the stronger branding of its sister company.