News - Page 2410

AUDI has announced prices for the A3 sports hatchback which start at £14,205 on the road for the 101bhp 1.6 version.

HONDA has increased prices by an average 1.97%, although the prices of some range-toppers were held.

FORD has announced across-the-board price increases of an average 1.8% on all its cars and commercial vehicles.

TWO major Government departments have outsourced accident management on their combined 3,200-vehicle fleet in what is believed to be one of the largest contracts of its type awarded in the industry.

PRIVILEGE Insurance is targeting companies operating up to 20 vehicles with the launch of the first fleet direct insurance service.

COMMERCIAL Union has launched a fleet insurance initiative offering rebates of up to 20% to operators adopting recommended risk management measures.

FORD has announced a major realignment of the Scorpio range to offer fleet buyers better value in the executive sector.

MANUFACTURERS are investigating how one of Britain's largest used car dealers sold P-plate cars from August 1 at discounts of up to £4,000.

THE first independent vehicle fair wear and tear guide designed to defuse end of contract disputes and legal wrangles between fleets and leasing and rental companies has been launched.

ONE month after the UK launch of the Chrysler Neon the manufacturer has sold all 1,500 models it had planned to sell in the remainder of 1996. Now the number of Neons sold or ordered in the UK has broken the 2,000 mark and the manufacturer's Illinois production plant has been asked to increase production of right hand drive models.

NEW car prices in the UK are the second lowest of the 12 markets of the European Union, according to the latest six-monthly survey carried out by the European Commission. Of the 52 most popular models surveyed, prices in the UK were lowest for 14 and second lowest for a further 11. Only Portugal had lower prices.

A NEW all-Ford fleet has been acquired by Hertford-based Manor House Healthcare following the recruitment of 26 new sales staff who will be based nationwide.

AN increasing number of companies opting to outsource their fleets has contributed to Cowie Interleasing announcing record pre-tax profits for the six months to June 30.

HERTZ Leasing has presented the first tranche of bursaries to study for Institute of Car Fleet Management qualifications.

VAUXHALL is to introduce an 'intelligent' traffic information device on parts of its range for the new model year.

MERCEDES-Benz has introduced new models and a series of specification changes to the C-class range without increasing prices.

BUDGET Rent A Car has bought 100 Jaguar XJ Executive cars for its Worldclass Fleet in the UK.

ROVER has won contracts to supply cars to the VIP chauffeur fleets of British Airways and the Bank of England.

WOMEN company car drivers cause more accidents than male counterparts, according to a survey of 25,000 fleet vehicle insurance claims over 12 months by VELO Insurance Services.

THE most economical petrol and diesel-engined MPV is the SEAT Alhambra, according to new running costs data from Fleet Audits.

KWIK-FIT has cut the price of MoTs from £27 to £15 this month. Around 100 Kwik-Fit centres nationwide out of the 650-strong Kwik-Fit network offer MoT facilities.

DRIVERS with relatively poor vision are less likely to have accidents, according to preliminary findings from a nationwide road safety initiative currently underway. The claim follows an examination of data from 2,000 drivers who have taken part in a 10-minute voluntary eye screening at motorway service areas and some major A-road locations, sponsored by Vauxhall.

LLOYDS Bank Card Services has introduced a defensive driving programme for all its senior management and account executives as part of a major safety initiative. West Midlands based Defensive Driver Training will conduct the one day courses for the 30 to 40 drivers.

LEASEPLAN has won its second major fleet contract with cable television and telephone services company Bell Cablemedia in a year.

FLEET Cost Management is claiming fleets can make four-figure savings on their tyre spending if they adopt careful purchasing strategies. Tyre prices were widely tipped for major rises last year, attributed to a massive increase in the cost of raw materials (Fleet News September 8, 1995).

A HUGE increase in contract hire business coupled with a reduction in low margin national fleet deals contributed to an 11% rise in pre-tax profits at Midlands-based vehicle distributor Ryland Group.

THE Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association has drawn up a code of practice for accident management companies in a move designed to protect bodyshops from another Fleet CARS-style debacle. But the document looks unlikely to get the full weight of the bodyshop or accident management industries behind it because of deep divisions between the various trade associations.

ONE of Britain's largest dealer groups has launched a new central fleet operation under the direction of ex-Fiat fleet director Mike Porritt. Porritt has joined the Worthing-based Caledonia Motor Group - Britain's eighth largest dealership group with 40 sites and 48 franchises including all the major manufacturers - with the target of transforming it into a major fleet player.

RECORD levels of new orders resulting in a record fleet size contributed to highest-ever half-year pre-tax profits at Lex Vehicle Leasing - the UK's largest contract hire and leasing company.

THE Peugeot 406 has gained the highest residual values for models in the upper medium sector, according to the August edition of Glass's Guide. The new August edition of the guide rates every model in the 406 range ahead of its rivals, including the sector-leading Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra.