News - Page 1963

INTERNATIONAL aid charity Oxfam is switching drivers to Euro IV-compliant diesel models to cut benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax bills.

A NEW internet-based service has been launched containing information on 'bad renters' designed to enable vehicle rental companies to check whether a potential customer has any previous poor rental history.

THE Government will introduce its new law banning the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving from December. We assesses how the new legislation will affect drivers and decision-makers along with the views of leading figures in the fleet industry.

CITROEN turned its new C3 Pluriel into the C Everything when it officially became the car with 'altitude' in a record-breaking flight near Peterborough.

AUDI has extended indefinitely the five-year/75,000 mile service package for £500 offered on the Audi A8.

THE latest round of crash tests organised by the EuroNCAP programme have revealed the shocking difference between the safety of the good and bad performers.

FORD has launched four new packs designed to improve security and comfort for the Transit

VOLKSWAGEN has introduced a new entry-level Beetle with a new 1.4-litre petrol engine, priced at £11,295 on-the-road.

TOAD is offering fleets out-of-hours fitting of hands-free in-car mobile phone kits in a bid to minimise the time vehicles are off the road.

SUPERMINIS have come a long way in the past few years and now offer a credible and money-saving alternative for fleet users. In diesel guise, they can offer even more cost-savings.

THE fleet market in the UK is often seen as the most advanced in Europe, if not the world, because of its place at the heart of company culture. If you try to name any aspect of fleet management or operation, then it has already been tried and tested in the UK, according to popular opinion.

DOMINIQUE Morgan has been appointed as the new head of press relations at PSA Peugeot Citroen and will be based in London. As part of PSA, she will be responsible for promoting the group's activities to industry, government, associated agencies and the press, reporting to recently-appointed chairman Tod Evans.

ADVERTORIAL: THE first half of 2003 has seen Audi Corporate sales continue to grow despite a 5.4% decline in the corporate market place.

FLEETS played a major part in boosting new car sales in Germany during May, new figures reveal.

PSA Peugeot Citroen chief executive officer Jean-Martin Folz has laid the cornerstone for the group's new factory in Slovakia.

NISSAN will target small business owners working in the service sector with its new light commercial vehicle, called the Kubistar.

FORD is introducing anti-lock brakes as standard on all Transits from July.

MERCEDES-Benz is expanding its used commercial vehicle sales operation following a successful 12-month pilot scheme.

IVECO is set to buy the remaining 15.2% of the share capital held by Ford in June.

THE Mitsubishi L200 pick-up can now be ordered with a Power Upgrade Pack.

VOLKSWAGEN'S network of van centres is now offering Tracker stolen vehicle recovery systems.

VAN racking specialist Sortimo International is offering to buy back its equipment after three to five years of use.

LDV is offering drivers a new 2.8-tonne Convoy van in a four-year finance deal at £44 per week (plus VAT) to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

A RADICAL four-point plan to change company van taxation will penalise drivers of older vans, offer tax cuts for drivers using the cleanest models and introduce a new charge for the use of private fuel.

'I spent a week on the road recently, attending van sales up and down the country and what struck me most were the issues of condition and the presence – or otherwise – of a vendor representative. This latter point is a recurring theme in the van market and a constant frustration to the trade.'

BCA's customers are now even better informed thanks to the latest SMS and email messaging technology.

BANK Holidays have been something of a crossroads in the commercial vehicle auction market over the past five years, marking a change in the market's performance.

THINK of Poland and you'll probably conjure up images of dirty shipyards staffed by female stevadores who look suspiciously like blokes, huge grey apartment blocks and dodgy motors that spew out enough noxious gases to choke the whole planet.

MG ROVER'S launch of a new van range has been a pretty quiet affair so far. But despite the lack of the usual razzmatazz that accompanies a new LCV, the Rover Commerce and MG Express are proving stylish and capable performers.