Derek Mason, operations manager for Zenith Vehicle Contracts, looks at the impact the new 4th European Motor Directive will have on company car fleets.

MAJOR buyers of used cars are starting to ask auction companies whether the vehicles they put up for sale have V5 documents.

A POCKET-sized vehicle appraisal system that records and e-mails data is being pioneered by the trade plate delivery specialist United Fleet Distribution.

VAUXHALL is piloting a new initiative to retain aftersales service and maintenance work within its dealer network for ex-fleet vehicles.

BRITISH Car Auction's Bridgwater site celebrated its 1,000th sale – setting record figures for a single day's trading at the centre.

AN Aston Martin convertible raised thousands of pounds for the charity HopeHIV when it was sold in the Top Car Sale at British Car Auctions Blackbushe centre last Monday.

'THE motor show is here again with all the glitz and glamour the industry can throw at it. But all that glitters is not necessarily gold – especially when it comes to used cars.' Martin Ward, CAP national research manager.

THE Fleet News Facing the Future conference offers fleet decision-makers the chance to hear expert opinion on key fleet issues, ranging from block exemption and green alternatives to Government transport policy.

LAST week the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO) announced a ground-breaking agreement with car manufacturers to improve the supply of spare parts.

LOMBARD Vehicle Management has staked a claim as one of Britain's largest leasing firms after purchasing the 17,800-vehicle fleet of The Leasing Group (TLG).

FORD has been showing off its vision of a cleaner future at two very different venues – the Eden Project in Cornwall, and the British International Motor Show in Birmingham.

A £145 million programme to tackle congestion and improve safety at junctions across England's trunk roads and motorways aims to wipe out bottlenecks suffered by fleet drivers within five years.

UNIONS representing millions of British workers have demanded a three-point action plan from the Government to reduce at-work road accidents.

MG Rover could be offering its customers up to 965bhp with its new sportscar unveiled at the motor show this week.

BY 2005 one in three new cars sold in the UK will be a diesel and the UK car market will reach a 50:50 petrol diesel split by 2008, says diesel injection system manufacturer Bosch.

FLEET operators should apply water repellent coatings to car windscreens to increase visibility in the rain and cut the chances of accidents, driver training company DriveTech (UK) is claiming.

Hertz customers can now download directions from the internet in many of the company's airport locations.

CONTRACT hire company Jcar has joined forces with Kwik-Fit Fleet to provide customers with a fleet charge card.

NISSAN is adding a range-topping X-trail model to its UK line up featuring a 165bhp 2.5-litre engine.

LEASEPLAN International has developed its new look website www.leaseplanglobalsolutions.com.

COMPANY car drivers could benefit from free parking schemes by switching to gas, if local authorities follow the lead being set in Milton Keynes.

BUSINESS services provider Rentokil Initial has signed a massive 16-country fleet deal with General Motors – in what is described as one of the biggest contracts of its kind in Europe.

WELL-placed fleet and motor industry sources claim the fleet sector was treated like a dumping ground for as many as 50,000 unsold cars in September.

PASSENGER transport group Arriva is to pull out of the car dealership business citing the changes to block exemption as the reason.

PEUGEOT has supplied 17 Partner vans to Allparts Automotive, the express delivery company.

VEHICLE glass repair and replacement company Autoglass, now has a presence in Israel.

A $525 MILLION loss on the sale of Kwik-Fit and other businesses drove Ford into the red during the third quarter of the year.

CITROEN'S new C8 people carrier will go on sale costing from £18,300 and the company has confirmed four trim levels from LX to the range-topping six-seat Exclusive Captain Chair.

THE Government has pledged to fight European plans for a harmonised duty rate for diesel fuel that would dramatically lower diesel pump prices.

TWO of the biggest names in the driver training industry have joined forces to provide a course for fleet driving instructors.