COMPANY car drivers are shunning personal motoring schemes, such as personal contract purchase and personal contract hire, in favour of traditional employer-provided fleet cars, according to latest industry figures.

THE head of UK shoemaker Clarks is leaving to head up the Kwik-Fit business - which is in the process of being sold by Ford to CVC Capital Partners.

STRATHCLYDE Police has implemented a new policy to have any of its broken down vehicles repaired at the roadside by the AA, rather than have them towed to its own workshops.

THE British Standards Institution has added Toyota as a supplier to its 450-strong fleet, joining Ford and Citroen.

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THE British arm of Budget Rent-a-Car is up for sale after being put into administration.

LARGE fleets running more than 1,000 vehicles could dramatically reduce their costs by moving away from contract hire, according to Zenith Vehicle Contracts.

HI-TECH vehicle tracking systems are being used to overturn fines based on faulty evidence from speed cameras and over-zealous traffic wardens.

VAUXHALL has revealed the first official pictures of the production version of the Vectra-based Signum which will go on sale next year.

CRASHES caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel are more likely to result in death or serious injury than other accidents, leading to a renewed campaign to educate drivers to the dangers of driving when tired.

THOUSANDS of supermarket customers will be offered paintless dent removal for their vehicles along with their weekly shop in a ground-breaking business venture.

BOOMING car sales, including fleet vehicles, helped two of Britain's biggest dealer groups to boost profits in the past half year.

NISSAN is expecting up to one million company car drivers will see the new Primera five-door in the metal with the launch of one of its biggest promotional campaigns.

LEO Animal Health has bought six new Volkswagen Golf TDI cars for a new sales team recruited to sell SPECIFIC, a new dog and cat food.

RENTAL firm Avis is renaming its ground-breaking CARvenience car sharing scheme as Urbigo as it launches a new operation in London.

Audi has put together a new Sport package for all A3 models except the S3. The extras would cost £2,000 when ordered individually, but amount to a saving of £350 as part of the package, Audi claims.

TO help hands-on fleet executives meet the major challenges ahead, ranging from environmental issues to health and safety responsibilities and new company car funding schemes, Fleet News is organising in September the Hit for Six Conference, sponsored by Mazda, that will deliver practical guidance and solutions.

THE Government is asking fleets to comment on radical proposals for a complete ban on the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving.

The Ford Family Deal scheme through which Ford brands help each other to make conquest sales to UK corporate customers is being rolled out in mainland European markets.

NISSAN has confirmed it will sell its new 350Z coupe in the UK.

VAUXHALL is offering free air conditioning with the Combo van during the summer along with other items usually found on the options list.

CITROEN has begun to offer retail customers £400 cashback on all C3 models with the exception of the new 16-valve 1.4 HDi.

THE new Toyota Corolla line-up will be completed on September 1 with the addition of a four-door saloon.

MITSUBISHI has launched a new range of vehicles to attract user-chooser company car drivers looking to take advantage of tax breaks for running commercial vehicles.

ALFA Romeo and IAM Fleet have announced a joint campaign to promote Alfa Romeo to the business car market.

COMPANY car drivers can now choose a Subaru Impreza which looks ready to compete in the World Rally Championship, without punitive benefit-in-kind tax levels.

FLEET operators are being offered personal injury support for drivers involved in crashes which allows drivers to keep 100% of their compensation.

A NEW electronic handbook for company car drivers has received the backing of some of Britain's leading fleets.

EMISSIONS produced by company cars are falling rapidly following the introduction of emissions-based taxation, even though many drivers disagree with Government policy towards fleets, two new surveys reveal.

CITROEN'S Xsara Picasso sales have reached the half-million mark with nearly 20% of the total sold in the UK.