News - Page 2436

UTTOXETER-based J C Bamford Excavators has taken delivery of an initial 25 of 100 Vauxhall Vectras - the majority of which bear personalised JCB number plates.

ALMOST half of UK fleets are unaware of how much they spend on mobile communications.

VOLKSWAGEN has announced specification improvements for its Golf model range as the company moves closer to its aim of competing head-on with the 'big four' fleet players. The move is an early launch of the 1997 model year cars which would normally go on sale in September after old model stocks have been cleared in the August rush.

SKODA has secured its first major fleet deal and at the same time become the latest manufacturer to enter the daily rental market following a 40-vehicle deal between Scotland-based Condor Self Drive and Gateshead-based dealership Benfield Motors.

FLEET managers are being given a new weapon in the battle to control company car fuel bills. Fleet Cost Management fuel card customers are to be sent at no extra cost a new report which highlights, on a regional basis, any driver or vehicle which has bought fuel at a price above a figure set by fleet managers or FCM.

BRITAIN'S major car makers are being forced to modify their ranges - or ditch some models altogether - following an EU directive ordering a reduction in drive-by noise levels.

A QUALITY survey of nearly 9,000 cars could persuade fleet operators in search of the perfect car to buy Japanese. The latest JD Power research document says nearly eight out of 10 British drivers experience problems with their new cars during the first two years of ownership. And when it comes to customer satisfaction there are no British badged vehicles in the top 12.

PEUGEOT has announced two new engines and a price rise on some 406 models. From July, the car will be available with a high performance 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine and the new 2.1 litre turbodiesel.

FLEET Cost Management has hit back at claims that daily rental car hire prices may have to increase by 10-15% this year by guaranteeing short term hire prices to March 1, 1997.

CONFUSION over new standards for setting vehicle fuel consumption could cost companies millions of pounds a year and cause havoc with fleet choice lists. The crisis is due to the existence of two different, but 'official', methods for measuring fuel consumption.

FORTHRIGHT Finance Group, which includes First Mutual Contracts, will transfer all its activities to sister company NWS Bank. Both are owned by the Bank of Wales, which in turn is part of the Bank of Scotland group.

THE AA Driving School is taking delivery of more than 900 Rover 114 GSis in a deal which will see the cars replaced every six months via a leasing deal with British Car Contracts. The cars replace the 'old' Rover 111 GSis which are no longer in production.

LOOKERS Planned Motoring is looking to double the size of its contract hire fleet after parent company Lookers plc announced pre-tax profits up 30% to £3.16 million for the financial year to March 31, 1996. All sectors of the business, which ranges from dealerships to car delivery, agricultural machinery, and contract hire, showed a profit.

A NEW report from the Quality of Urban Air Review Group looking at the latest data on airborne particles, is set to put more pressure on diesel fleet operators. The QUARG group hit the headlines in December 1993 with its report titled 'Diesel Vehicle Emissions and Urban Air Quality' and although the word diesel does not appear in the new title, diesel vehicles have not been ignored.

THE Labour Party has said it will not 'punish' car drivers as it seeks to persuade motorists to radically change their driving habits. Shadow transport secretary Clare Short this week wrote to Fleet News outlining its broad transport policy.

THE 1996/97 edition of 'The CCH Company Car Tax Guide' written by leading chartered accountants and business advisers Coopers & Lybrand has been published. Costing £24.95 the guide has been updated to reflect the tax position as at April 6, 1996.

MERCEDES-Benz dealership Malaya Gatwick has expanded its business with the launch of a daily rental service.

SWAN National, which became the first company to launch a personal contract motoring scheme, has become the latest company to claim that the Whitechapel Corporate Services 'personal leasing' scheme could be shortlived.

HELP the Aged has won a £10 million VAT tribunal for the charity sector concerning minibuses converted to carry wheelchairs. The case arose after a 1994 ruling which meant specially adapted minibuses for older people became liable for VAT - previously they had been zero rated. This VAT added about £3,000 to the price of each minibus.

INDUSTRY sources have dismissed rumours that August 1 P-plates will give way within four months to a quarterly letter change starting in December with the introduction of R-plates.

RENTAL companies throughout Europe have called on the European Commission to allow the free movement of vehicles throughout Europe. European Car & Truck Rental Association (ECATRA) president Freddie Aldous has already met with European Parliament members and several European Commissioners to discuss increased rental flexibility between member nations.

VAN sales last month and for the year to date have both increased on comparative figures for 1995. Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveal that sales of small vans in May totalled 6,638 against 5,755 for May last year, while year-to-date sales are fractionally up at 31,442 (31,320).

FLEET diesel sales in May were narrowly up on May 1995 levels at 16,762 (16,448) in a total diesel market down 1.7% at 29,197 (29,707). Peugeot remains the number one fleet manufacturer in a year which has seen fleet diesel sales narrowly down on 1995 levels at 93,199 (93,915) in a total diesel market down 9.4% at 159,406 (175,870).

FLEET sales last month were 2.6% up on May 1995 in a total new car market up 8.5% as the private buyer returned to the car showroom for the first time in months.

PEUGEOT has become the latest manufacturer to move towards the abolition of separate delivery charges and quote on the road pricing. The company is writing to fleet customers to explain the move, but the manufacturer's launch of its summer retail promotion campaign on selected models also signals the launch of its new pricing policy.

FLEETS have succeeded in cutting the number of thefts from their vehicles by 37% over the past year, but the cost of the average incident has risen dramatically.

CAR rental prices may have to rise 10-15% this year to offset dramatic increases in vehicle holding costs, according to EuroDollar chief executive Ian Mosley. He was speaking following Monday's release of EuroDollar's results for the year to March 31, 1996 which showed a pre-tax profit of £4.01 million (1995: £14.57 million) on turnover up 12% to £96.2 million (£85.9 million).

INDEPENDENT Car Auctions will merge with Central Motor Auctions following an extraordinary general meeting of CMA shareholders on Monday. However, auction giant ADT blocked ICA's preferred scheme to take complete control of CMA, and ADT will remain a major shareholder of the new merged group. Of the shareholders who attended the EGM, 64.66% backed the scheme, while 35.34% voted against it.

BRITAIN'S biggest contract hire company, Lex Vehicle Leasing, has transformed itself into a one-stop fleet shop with the launch of a dedicated fuel card and a full insurance package. The two new services - launched in conjunction with Shell and fleet insurance specialist Brian Johnston Insurance respectively - complete the portfolio of services from Lex Vehicle Leasing, which operates more than 70,000 vehicles on contract hire.

A TRIP for two to New York on Concorde, returning on the QE2 after three nights, was the top prize scooped by four outstanding achievers at EuroDollar.