EMPLOYERS fear a wave of red tape and unnecessary court cases under new Government proposals allowing companies to be prosecuted if staff use hand-held mobile phones while driving.

FLEET outsourcing companies have been challenged by the Association of Chief Police Officers' president Sir David Phillips to prove they can manage police fleets more effectively than in-house transport departments.

SLOPPY management of vehicle documents could wipe millions of pounds from company car values at disposal time as a result of major changes to vehicle licensing rules.

COMPANY car drivers will soon have road signs and pedestrians pointed out to them by their vehicles as new safety systems developed by DaimlerChrysler reach the market.

THE British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association has defended itself against claims that it is failing to do enough to promote the benefits of the company car.

MANHEIM Auctions is launching a new remarketing firm, Vehicle Remarketing Solutions, in a multi-million pound expansion programme.

A RISK management company has launched an assessment program designed to tackle the problem of driver fatigue.

FORD is recalling 31,000 Kas in the UK to correct a potential brake problem which could result in brake fluid leaking.

NISSAN has added a winter pack consisting of heated front seats and headlamp washers to its top-of-the-range Terrano SVE.

FAST fit and servicing chain Hi-Q Tyreservices is testing a new recycling and recharging service for air conditioning systems at its Nottingham branch.

REPLACEMENT vehicle supplier Car Crash Line has ordered a fleet of Rover 25s in a contract worth about £200,000 at showroom prices.

BRITISH fleets are being dragged into a bitter row with Customs & Excise over its policy of impounding vehicles used by drivers they suspect of smuggling tobacco and alcohol.

TRADITIONAL speed cameras can cause more crashes than they prevent, a transport consultant has claimed, following research at a number of sites around the North of England.

THE man who founded the leasing company that became First National Vehicle Contracts (FNVC) is behind a new business venture to supply courtesy cars to independent repairers.

BUSINESSES can use Texaco service stations for picking up and returning packages in a new scheme called RelayStar.

TROUBLED rental giant Budget Group, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, has sold off key parts of its international business to Cendant, owner of key rival Avis Car Rental.

POWERMARQUE, the contract hire and leasing firm belonging to water giant AWG, has renamed its online subsidiary Calleva as Powermarque Direct. Powermarque bought Calleva in 1999 as part of the first stage in a promised multi-million pound buying programme.

HUGH Reid, currently Volvo Car UK's director of sales and dealer operations, including fleet sales, has been appointed the company's managing director.

SUZUKI has launched a saloon version of the Liana, priced from £8,995 on-the-road until September 30.

MERCEDES-Benz is promising lower company car tax liability for the latest version of its diesel S-class.

THE launch of the new Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicle (SUV) into Europe will play a pivotal role in the Swedish manufacturer's ambitious sales plans.

PORSCHE has opened a new factory to build its Cayenne sport utility vehicle in Leipzig, in eastern Germany.

MOTORING organisation the AA has issued a series of guidelines to corporate drivers travelling abroad.

By Laszlo Elkan, senior manager, Beata Horvathne Szabo, senior manager and Attila Gaspardy, senior associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers Hungary.

CARS are no longer considered as luxury items in Spain, but for the Spanish Government, the same as for any other government, they are a very good source of revenue.

The Portuguese government raises huge revenues from new cars through the much-maligned IA tax - but how is the country's fleet market taxed? By John Duggan and Cristina Reis.

With one of the highest tax rates in Europe, Finland is a relatively expensive country for companies to run cars. Senior manager Arja Pietarinen-Bjorklund and manager Mika Jokinen from the Helsinki office of PricewaterhouseCoopers analyse the Finnish taxation of company cars. <p>

Guido Schafer, Senior VAT manager at the Cologne office of PricewaterhouseCoopers analyses the taxation of motoring and company cars in Germany.

PricewaterhouseCoopers' Sweden tax manager Håkan Larsson analyses Swedish motoring tax

Thierry Vialaneix from Landwell & Partners, correspondent law firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers, based in Paris analyses French motoring tax.