Biofuel
RVs
Will they take
a hammering?
p26-27
FleetNews
21.02.08
£2.25
fleetnews.co.uk
HELRPINGA
N
YO EAUPER
U
CH ANER
CLE FER
SA ET
FLE
Fuel desert fears
over fill-up crisis
Government help sought as filling station numbers fall to all-time low
BY DANIEL ATTWOOD
Parts of the country are at real risk of becom-
ing fuel deserts with nowhere for motorists
to fill their cars after it emerged that the
number of filling stations in the UK has
fallen to its lowest level since 1913.
Ninety-five years ago, there were around
10,100 places for motorists to fill up. Today,
there are just 9,400 stations serving a British
parc of more than 33 million vehicles –
almost 31 million of which are cars.
Due to tiny margins, fierce competition
and high overheads, petrol retailing is unat-
tractive. According to the Petrol Retailers’
Association (PRA), an efficient fuel retailing
business will gross just 2% per annum on
investment.
Such poor returns have resulted in only
around 20 new forecourts opening in the last
five years, the majority of which are attached
to supermarkets. Forecourt closures
continue at about 450 every year.
If these rates of decline continue, it will
take just four years for the number of filling
stations to drop below the critical 7,500 level
– the number estimated by the PRA that are
needed to keep the country moving.
But motorists in many rural areas are
already finding it difficult to find anywhere
to fill their vehicles.
The AA said: “We know there are some
areas of the UK where supply no longer
exists at a local level, meaning there’s a real
risk of some drivers running out of fuel.”
Margins are so thin that forecourts use
fuel simply to attract customers into their
NEWS P9
New cars
could cost
substan-
tially more
from 2012
to help pay
for new vehicle technologies and to
cover the cost of fines imposed by the
European Commission.
MINI goes Class act
large Alphabet
Cooper
Clubman
tested p19
Business motoring strategy and finance
pressure in order to provide a vital service,”
said Ray Holloway, PRA director, following a
meeting with a cross-party group of MPs to
discuss what could be done to help secure
the future of the forecourt sector.
“Many fuel retailers are barely clearing
costs. There are now fewer than 9,500 fore-
courts in the UK, including supermarket
filling stations,” he said.
“The situation could become critical if the
total number of forecourts continues to drop
at the rate of recent years.”
Highlighting the problem in the south-
west, the Highways Agency has launched a
campaign to try to reduce the number of
motorists breaking down in the area because
they run out of fuel.
Highways Agency officers will be at
motorway service areas during this week to
show drivers where they can top up.
The campaign coincides with the news
that more than half of motorists believe
there is a shortage of fuel filling stations
across Britain.
“On the one hand, fuel price competition
is good for motorists but if it’s driving smaller
independent filling stations out of business
in some areas,” said David Shelton, manag-
ing director of Motorpoint, which carried
Areas of the UK could become fuel deserts out the survey.
“More and more people are going to be
convenience stores. Indeed, 86% of filling forced to buy fuel from the supermarkets
stations now have a convenience store, who may then feel able to push prices up.”
which acts as their main profit driver. The PRA believes Government action is
However, this has not been enough to critical such as extending business rate relief
stem the tide of closures. to forecourts in urban locations.
“Fuel retailers work under great financial daniel.attwood@emap.com
LAUNCH P15 COMPETITION P39
Fiat wants to Five winners of this
be seen as week’s news quiz will
the car firm receive a copy of this
with the best year’s Michelin Guide
environ- for Great Britain and
mental Ireland, worth £15.99,
credentials and its new diesel MultiJet which uses a star
engine makes the Fiat Bravo greener and system to rate hotels
meaner with fuel than ever before. and restaurants.
according to
Schooling
p22-23
Lining up for
CCIA 2008
Honda has become one of the first
manufacturers to sign up for
Company Car in Action 2008.
CCIA 2008, one of the most
important events in fleet managers’
diaries, is one of the world’s biggest
drive-and-decide events.
It will be held at Millbrook
Proving Ground, Bedfordshire, on
June 17, 18 and 19.
At the 2007 event, thousands of
fleet managers, finance managers,
purchasing executives, HR manag-
ers and senior managers of major
companies signed up for the chance
to test vehicles at the high-security
venue normally reser ved for the
testing of vehicles before launch.
Honda will be showing many of
its key fleet models at the driving
event, including the all-new Accord.
Graham Avent, manager –
corporate operations, Honda (UK),
said: “Honda was the fastest
growing fleet manufacturer in 2007
and is now poised to launch the all-
new Accord into the corporate
sector, with Company Car in Action
providing the perfect showcase.”
If you are a fleet decision-maker
and you already receive Fleet News,
then you automatically qualify for a
free driving pass.
Drivers will be able to compare a
wide range of models back-to-back
and discuss their views with
experts from each manufacturer.
■ For full details and to register,
log on to www.companycarinaction.
co.uk
TOP STORIES ONLINE
■ Fleet Van: reducing
your carbon footprint
■ Videos: road tests,
events, interviews
■ Have your say on
every article we post
on the site
NEWS

IN BRIEF British business drivers clock up the miles

Free wipers
British motorists replace
their wiper blades less often
than their European
counterparts. A survey by
Car Parts Direct found that
Germans replace their
wipers every 15 months,
while British drivers replace
theirs on average only every
27 months. Car Parts Direct
is giving away a free pair of
wipers to all their online
British employees drove some
7.3 billion miles on business last
year.
The average expense-claiming
employee drove 1,936 miles in
2007, in addition to normal
commuting, took 2.5 train jour-
neys and 0.5 plane trips.
This led to their employers
footing a £2.8 billion bill for their
employees’ business travel
and accommodation expenses,
according to the GlobalExpense
Employee Expenses Benchmark
Report 2008.
Employees in the media and
publishing industry claimed the
most business miles and the most
taxi journeys last year.
The actual cost of train fares for
business trips has gone up by 20%
over two years.
In 2005, the average UK train
fare paid by businesspeople was
£33.76, but by 2007 it had risen to
£40.61.
At the same time, there has
been a dramatic 25% fall in the
amount claimed for business
flights.
The average cost of business
class tickets fell between 2005 and
2007 by over 28.7% to £1,443.34.
“It is no surprise that business
travellers are increasingly choos-
ing to let the plane take the strain,
even for destinations within the
UK, and benefit from much
cheaper fares as well as reduced
travel times despite the fact that
this results in a far higher carbon
footprint,” said David Vine,
managing director of Global-
Expense.

Police crackdown Boards must

customers to encourage
safer driving in the UK.

Volvo’s latest SUV prioritise

road safety

Volvo has taken the wraps

off its new XC60 SUV
on illegal plates A new campaign to help fleet
managers convince their compa-
nies’ boards to prioritise road
safety has been launched.
The Health and Safety Execu-
tive estimates the costs to
challenger ahead of its BY DANIEL ATTWOOD employers arising from “at-work”
world debut at the Geneva road crashes to be in the region
Motor Show next month. A nationwide police crackdown of £2.7 billion a year.
A rival to the BMW X3 has highlighted the growing use The campaign by road safety
and forthcoming Audi of illegal registration plates being charity Brake and Mitsui Sumi-
Q5, the XC60 goes on used by motorists attempting to tomo Insurance will call on board
sale in the UK in October evade congestion zone and speed- directors to listen to their fleet
with a choice of T6 petrol ing enforcement cameras. and health and safety managers’
or D5 diesel engines. In January, police forces across concerns and put safety at the
Britain participated in Operation top of their company’s priorities.
Cybit order Larch, a week-long campaign Brake has also launched a low-
Cybit has won an order to which targeted vehicles with cost workshop and free pack to
install its Fleetstar-Online illegal plates. help fleet managers to secure
telematics system through- An Association of Chief Police board investment.
out the 200-strong service Officers (ACPO) spokesman said The workshop enables dele-
engineer team of Gilbarco the campaign aimed to discover ACPO wants harsher penalties for using illegal registration plates gates to build a strong business
Veeder-Root. It will integrate the extent of the problem and to case relating to the legal, moral
Veeder-Root’s systems to allow police to identify any links subject to a Police National avoid detection by roadside and financial reasons for invest-
improve reporting, including between the use of false registra- Computer enquiry. cameras,” said Frank Whiteley, ing in a sound road risk manage-
allowing job status reports tion plates and wider criminality. ACPO said the campaign also ACPO head of automatic number ment programme.
from engineers’ PDAs to be Automatic number plate recog- provided them with the evidence plate recognition and chief consta- “Fleet safety makes legal,
matched with vehicle nition cameras were widely used they needed to justify harsher ble of Hertfordshire Constabu- moral and financial sense for
location. during the campaign, with offi- penalties for offenders. lary. companies,” said Chris Frost,
cers also catching offenders on Currently, a driver risks a fine Illegal number plates range fleet safety forum officer at
AA recruits digital camera. of up to £1,000 if caught using a from changes to the layout of Brake. “Equipped with the case
AA Fuel Assist has Checks were carried out on all false plate. plates or use of non-standard studies and statistics in this work-
recruited an additional stopped vehicles and their drivers “Criminals make use of vehi- letters, to sophisticated measures shop and campaign pack, fleet
six technicians to meet to establish links to any other cles to commit crimes and in such as the use of stolen or false managers should have the neces-
demand for the misfueling crimes. All motorists stopped some cases will tamper with number plates to clone vehicles. sary tools to convince their board
ser vice. The technicians during the operation were also number plates in order to try and daniel.attwood@emap.com and senior management of this.”
drain, flush and replenish
the vehicle’s fuel system
at the roadside. The
contaminated fuel is then EVENTS ROUND-UP
recycled and, for
example, used to power
cement kilns and
furnaces.
Speaker line-up confirmed for Risk in Fleet
The full speaker line-up has been Glass’s. Other speakers are help lower fleet costs, case
confirmed for the Risk in Fleet Meryl Gilbert, head of large studies from British Gas and
Conference 2008, which will take corporate – fuel, for Arval, David Wolseley, advice on drug and
UK FUEL place on April 22. from Gary Hull, director of Faithful, solicitor for Lyons alcohol policies and expert
PRICES The conference will focus on
financial risk and corporate risk,
employment solutions at
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Davidson, Chuck Ives, head of
fleet for Network Rail, and
guidance on grey fleet best
practice.
ppl/ppg
including the impact of the Wholelife costs, residual Freddie Watts, fleet manager for Full details are available on
DIESEL..............................109.4/497
Corporate Manslaughter Act, values and discounts will be Office Depot. www.riskinfleet.co.uk
SUPER UNLEADED........110.5/502
UNLEADED......................104.0/473 which comes into force in April. examined by Kevin Gaskell, Other sessions include Alternatively, call Maddie
FOUR STAR......................106.1/482 Sessions on financial risk will chief executive officer of proactive cost control pre and Collins on 01733 468171 or email
LPG......................................53.5/243 include a financial health check residual value expert Eurotax- post-accident, how insurers can madaline.collins@emap.com

2 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
Tax evasion
costs £80m
Road tax evasion is set to cost the
Government nearly £80 million,
despite the widespread use of
automatic number plate recogni-
tion cameras to catch law
breakers.
The Department for Transport
(DfT) estimates that £79 million
in revenue will be lost this year
due to road tax evasion, which
amounts to 589,000
unlicensed vehicles on the
roads.
Just weeks ago, the Commons
Public Accounts Committee
quoted the number of unlicensed
motorcycles at 40% (Fleet News,
31 January).
However these figures have
now been significantly reduced.
According to the Driver and
Vehicle Licensing Agency
(DVLA), the body charged with
catching tax-dodgers, just 9.8% of
Britain’s motorcycles are
untaxed.
David Taylor, chief executive
of the Motor Cycle Industry
Association, said: “The DfT
should be embarrassed and
should apologise to the vast
majority of riders who do pay
VED.”
The DVLA also found that 5.2%
of other vehicles, including cars
and LCVs, continue to evade
duty.
Liberal Democrat shadow
transport secretary Norman
Baker said: “The DVLA must
redouble its efforts to clamp
down on tax evaders.”
Cat’s eyes get
solar power
New cat’s eyes that remain
lit throughout the night even
when a car is not passing are
beginning to be installed on
London’s roads.
Hillingdon Council has
installed 300 of the new solar-
powered eyes to help provide
drivers with a clearer view of the
road’s route.
The self-illuminating lights are
powered by miniature solar
panels. The panels store
enough energy during daylight
hours to glow throughout the
night.
The cat’s eyes are being
funded by the council’s road
safety programme and will cost
£27,000 to install.
The cat’s eyes have already
been trialled to test their
effectiveness and will be
installed in other areas later
this year.
Confusion over
congestion fees
BY DANIEL ATTWOOD
A warning that the latest changes
to London Congestion charges
could be altered again have left
fleet managers confused.
The new charges introduced
by mayor of London, Ken Living-
stone will come into effect on
October 27 and will now be emis-
sions-based.
Drivers of cars and twin-cab
pick-ups that emit more than
225g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2)
will be forced to pay £25.
However, cars that produce
120g/km or less of CO2 and also
meet the Euro 4 air pollution
emission standard will be able to
enter the capital for free.
Vehicles that fall between the
two figures will be charged £8.
The changes tie in with the
proposed new bands for company
car tax that will be announced in
March’s Budget.
This means fleets opting for
sub-120g/km cars will save on tax
and congestion charges. “Even if
drivers rarely visit the capital,
businesses will still benefit from
lower taxes and running costs if
their drivers choose low-emission
cars,” said Mark Sinclair, director
of Alphabet.
But the mayor warned that the
new scheme is “flexible” and that
both the charges and exemptions
Alphabet and Lloyds TSB top survey
A major survey of leasing and
contract hire customers has
named Alphabet as the leader in
pre-sale services, while Lloyds
TSB Autolease was placed at the
top of the post-sale survey.
The 2007 apd landmark fleet
operator customer satisfaction
survey was based on more than
12,000 responses from leasing
and contract hire customers.
The survey asked fleet operators
throughout 2007 to rate their
leasing suppliers.
Those featured in the survey
manage more than 1.1 million
vehicles – over 80% of all vehicles
under lease, finance or fleet
management in the UK.
Alphabet topped the pre-sale
surveys for the third consecutive
year. This hat-trick is a first in
the survey’s 10-year history.
Sub-120g/km cars will escape
the congestion charge
may be changed in the future,
leaving fleets uncertain about
how long the exemption for sub-
120g/km car, will stay in force.
This means that fleets are
unclear whether sub-120g cars
they order now could effectively
be pushed back into the charge
catchment pool.
“Nobody needs to damage the
environment by driving a gas
guzzling Chelsea tractor in central
London,” the mayor said. “The
CO2 charge will encourage people
to switch to cleaner vehicles or
public transport and ensure that
those who choose to carry on
driving the most polluting vehi-
Top firms (from left): Paul Hollick, general manager Alphabet sales
development; Paul Turner, managing director at apd; and Mark
Chessman, deputy managing director at Lloyds TSB Autolease
Lloyds TSB Autolease topped
the post-sale survey, which
measured satisfaction of existing
customers, ranking performance
cles help pay for the environmen-
tal damage they cause.”
Mr Livingstone, who is hoping
for re-election in May, empha-
sised that the aim of the charge
was still to tackle congestion.
This is despite independent
research which said the changes
will increase the number of vehi-
cles coming into the capital and
do little to cut CO2 emissions.
Motor manufacturer and car
dealer associations have
condemned the changes: “It is
questionable if the plan will
achieve its aim of further reduc-
ing central London traffic levels
and overall emissions,” said Alec
Murray, chairman of the Retail
Motor Industry Federation.
And Paul Everitt, chief execu-
tive of the Society of Motor Manu-
facturers and Traders, said: “This
is totally disproportionate and
does not present a consistent
signal to consumers.”
Sheila Rainger, acting director
for the RAC Foundation, said the
changes will “confuse the public
and reduce support and trust for
future initiatives”. She accused
the mayor of “political gesturing”
ahead of the election.
One group backing the move
was Friends of the Earth saying
it will be supported by most
Londoners.
daniel.attwood@emap.com
across categories, such as
communication, vehicle order-
ing and delivery, in-life services
and invoicing.
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 3
IN BRIEF
Jaama seminars
Jaama is to host a
nationwide series of
‘Fleet Management
Essentials’ training days.
The all-day training
seminars will be held at
14 locations across the
UK, beginning in
Rotherham on March 4
and running through to
November 18 in
Brentwood. For further
details go to www.jaama.
co.uk
Tyre deal
Reflex Vehicle Solutions has
agreed a nationwide
contract with ATS Euro-
master that will see ATS
supply and maintain tyres
across Reflex’s mixed fleet
of 6,500 vehicles.
Inchcape deal
Inchcape Fleet Solutions
has won a three-year
fleet contract with
Wesleyan Assurance
Society, which operates
300 company cars. The
dual badge General
Motors (Saab and
Vauxhall) and Audi fleet,
is funded on contract
purchase with the mix of
petrol and diesel cars
run on a three-
year/60,000-mile
replacement cycle.
QEK renamed
Following its acquisition in
2007, Paragon Automotive
has renamed QEK as
Paragon Fleet Solutions.
The company will continue
to provide services ranging
from fleet management and
planning to events and
remarketing.
Avis tie-up
Avis has teamed up with
Ai Claims Solutions to
cut vehicle off-the-road
times and keep repair
costs under control. Ai
has already reduced
Avis’s average repair
times to nine days.
Driver survey
The Highways Agency is
researching sources of
driver distraction that are
outside the vehicle. The
study includes gathering
views, experiences and
perceptions of drivers. Go
to www.highways.gov.uk/
knowledge/17859.aspx
NEWS
Running lights will
become compulsory
BY STEVE MOODY
Fleets will face increasing fuel
bills and vehicle emissions from
2012, but possibly fewer acci-
dents, after the Government and a
number of safety organisations
lost their battle to stop daytime
running lights becoming compul-
sory on all new vehicles.
Although daytime running
lights (DRL) seem a safety benefit,
giving motorists higher visibility,
many road safety groups, includ-
ing RoSPA, argue that motorcy-
clists, cyclists and pedestrians will
be in more danger as the glare
could be a distraction, and make
non-DRL users less visible.
In addition using headlights at
all times could increase fuel usage
by up to 1.5%, a Department for
Transport (DfT) report has
claimed.
Transport minister Jim Fitz-
patrick said: “From early 2011, all
new types of passenger cars and
light vans will have to be fitted
with dedicated daytime running
Congestion worsens as traffic levels increase
Congestion is getting worse as
traffic levels rise, according to the
latest Department for Transport
(DfT) statistics.
Since 2004, average vehicle
delays have risen from 3.78
minutes to 4.05 minutes every 10
miles. The DfT defines conges-
tion as the average delay over a
distance of 10 miles.
The number of vehicles on Brit-
ain’s roads has increased slightly
over the past year by 0.6%, to 33.36
million vehicles.
Arnold Clark
name change
Leasing company Arnold
Clark Finance has
changed its trading name
to Arnold Clark Vehicle
Management (ACVM).
ACVM is the largest
dealer-based leasing
company in the countr y,
managing a fleet of more
than 100,000 cars and
light commercial vehicles.
Daytime running lights are to become compulsory on new cars
lights in accordance with the rele-
vant European directive. By
summer 2012, all new vehicle
types will have to be so fitted.”
Kevin Clinton, head of road
safety for RoSPA, said: “We don’t
think that the evidence justifies
daytime running lights on vehi-
cles in the UK. Our main concern
This growth has mainly been
down to an increase in the number
of light commercial vehicles. In
fact, the volume of cars dropped
by 1% over the last two years, but
the number of LCVs increased
by 9%.
The number of vehicles using
the motorways has remained
unchanged over the past two
years, while traffic on major
A roads decreased by 2%,
although traffic on urban A roads
rose by 2%.
New car registration fees rise forecast
From April 1, the first registration
fee for new cars will rise 10% from
£50 to £55 per car, according to
the Society of Motor Manufactur-
ers and Traders (SMMT).
While the increase appears
minimal, it will add substantially
to the costs facing businesses
registering several hundred cars
a year.
According to the SMMT, the
move will generate an additional
£11 million for the Treasury
is that fitting them to all vehicles
will remove the relatively high
visibility that motorcyclists
currently enjoy.”
This is a view shared by the
UK’s motor manufacturer’s body,
the Society of Motor Manufactur-
ers and Traders. “We believe the
introduction of DRL will increase
and will take the total paid by
companies and private motorists
who are liable to pay the tax to
£128 million a year.
“We hope this is not a move by
the Treasury to plug holes in its
finances,” said SMMT chief exec-
utive, Paul Everitt.
“In the grand scheme, an extra
£11 million in tax and a fiver for
new car buyers might not sound
like much. However, we fear that
this ‘every little helps’ approach
fuel costs, but only marginally,”
said a spokesman.
“From the perspective of motor-
cyclists, there is a reasonable
body of European evidence to
suggest that DRL will compro-
mise safety as motorcyclists won’t
be able to be seen as easily by
motorists.”
A review in 2006 by the DfT of
the reports from the European
Commission on DRL questioned
the level of claimed accident
reduction, although agreed there
would be some improvement.
“There is substantial evidence
that the mandatory use of DRL
would provide a net accident
reduction,” said the review.
The DfT said the commission’s
assumption of a 15% improvement
on fatal accidents was “weak” and
that reductions of between 3.9%
and 5.9% was more realistic.
The report’s authors added that
there would be an increase of
between 0.5% and 1.5% in fuel use
and carbon dioxide emissions.
daniel.attwood@emap.com
could be the basis for further
changes to motoring taxes in
March’s budget.”
However, a spokesman for the
Treasury has denied that any
decision on increasing the first
registration fee or Vehicle Excise
Duty, which is also rumoured to
be increasing in the upcoming
Budget, has been made.
The Budget will be delivered
by Chancellor of the Exchequer
Alistair Darling on March 12.
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 5
IN BRIEF
Sharing plan
TomTom has launched a
content-sharing platform
which allows users to
download, upload and
share navigation content
with other users at no
additional cost. The
platform will be available
on the latest version of
TomTom HOME for both
PC and AppleMacs.
Duty of care
Nationwide Autocentres
has launched a 19-point
duty of care inspection
service ahead of the new
Corporate Manslaughter
Act. Brakes, steering, shock
absorbers and wheel
cylinders are included in
the inspection, which costs
£25.
Little Buddy help
Windscreen replacement
provider Autoglass has
introduced a new lifting
and positioning device –
the Little Buddy – to
allow a windscreen
technician to undertake
jobs previously only
possible by two people.
Online service
Hitachi Capital Commercial
Vehicle Services will use
the 1link Service Network
e-commerce platform to
service and maintain its
17,000-vehicle fleet. The
network can now be used
for any light commercial
vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes by
creating online links
between major fleets and
providers of maintenance
services.
Leasedrive deal
Leasedrive VELO Rental
Management has been
named as the sole
vehicle provider to the
broadcast and media
solutions company
Arqiva. Leasedrive will
provide online booking
and an all-inclusive
pricing policy, including
free unlimited mileage.
The contract covers both
short and medium-term
vehicle rental.
EUROPEAN NEWS
Mileage levy bid FleetNews
Europe
to cut emissions Action on biofuels
BY KEITH NUTHALL
European governments could
meet ambitious targets for cutting
transport emissions by introduc-
ing a levy based on distance trav-
elled, say experts.
This would be coupled with a
reduction in the level of fuel taxes
and would encourage people to
use public transport more, a
meeting hosted by the Interna-
tional Transport Forum in Paris
heard.
Stef Proost, of the Centre for
Economic Studies at the Catholic
University of Leuven in Belgium,
suggested that this system would
be the most cost-effective should
governments eventually decide to
impose some form of green taxa-
tion on general road users.
Higher fuel duties are usually
cited as the most likely form of
dissuading road users, but Mr
Proost said that this alone would
not be sufficient. Instead, he
suggested lowering fuel duties
and imposing a tax based on the
size of vehicle and the journey
travelled.
This, he said, would encourage
more people to use public trans-
port rather than using their own
– or rental – vehicle, thus reduc-
ing greenhouse gas emissions.
An alternative system was
suggested by Charles Raux, of
the Transport Economics Labora-
tory at the University of Lyon in
France. He suggested extending
the European Union’s Emissions
Trading Scheme to include
vehicle users as well as manufac-
turers – which would see drivers
allocated rights to a certain quan-
tity of fuel, with the possibility of
buying more rights or selling on
surpluses, depending on their
road use.
Plans are afoot to charge
according to distance travelled
Again, fuel duty would be cut to
be replaced with the rights
system, which Mr Raux said
would lead to significant cuts in
CO2 at only a minimal cost
(around £4.50-£10.50 per vehicle
per year) to motorists.
www.fleetnewseurope.com
The ability of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)
to create a global standard for biofuels has been questioned by an
alliance of the European Union, USA and Brazil. The absence of a
chemical definition for biofuel is causing difficulties for companies
wishing to trade these fuels on international markets.
As yet, there is no standard but the US, EU and Brazil are drafting
one, releasing detailed proposals in a white paper. Controversially, it
attacked the ISO saying its procedure for international standards is
inconclusive and cannot be relied on.
The potential clash comes during disagreements at the EU Council
of Ministers over whether sustainability guidelines regarding biofuel
production should be written into a new EU fuel quality directive.
More pan-European business
Fleet and finance companies are increasingly concluding pan-
European deals as the vision of a single European fleet marketplace
becomes a reality. EurotaxGlass’s said 2007 was its best-ever year for
sales to fleet and finance businesses. The company saw a 15% growth
in the segment, largely as a result of pan-European deals.
Fleet News Europe is sponsored by
www.bca-europe.com
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 7
NEWS
Drugs and drink-driving research
Researchers are to interview and
test thousands of motorists to
assess how different alcoholic
drinks and narcotic drugs impair
their driving performance.
The project is the latest in a
string of initiatives to provide
interested parties, including fleet
managers, with more sophisti-
cated information to help them
Fines will make
new cars dearer
BY DANIEL ATTWOOD
New cars will cost substantially
more from 2012 if the latest Euro-
pean Commission proposals
become law.
Car manufacturers will not only
be charging more for new vehicle
technologies that help cut emis-
sions, but they will also be increas-
ing prices to help pay multi-billion
euro fines imposed by the
commission should they fail to
meet stringent carbon dioxide
emission targets.
Manufacturers have warned
that the plans could add at least
£2,230 to the cost of each new car.
If Volkswagen AG, Europe’s
biggest car maker which produces
marques ranging from the high-
polluting Bentley to the everyday
Skoda, misses that target by just
5g/km, it will face an annual
£1.1 billion (€1.5 billion) fine.
Europe’s second largest car
making group, PSA Peugeot
Citroën, which does not make any
very high polluting vehicles, will
be fined £744.4 million (€1 billion),
and the smaller Fiat Group, which
makes Ferraris as well as the new
Fiat 500 city car, will be hit with a
£446,000 (€600,000) fine.
Europe’s manufacturers say
the fines are unrealistic, unfair
and will make the European auto-
Small fleets targeted in energy campaign
The Energy Saving Trust has
launched a new initiative to help
small fleets become greener.
The trust has launched a
campaign targeting UK fleets of
50 vehicles and under, asking
managing directors to consider
their fleet’s carbon footprint and
get in contact with transport
experts.
manage the problem of people
driving while under the influence
of alcohol, prescription medicine
and illegal drugs.
The EU-funded DRUID
(Driving under the Influence of
Drugs, Alcohol and Medicine)
project will check samples from
volunteers for 33 psychoactive
substances, including alcohol,
EU fines could see the cost of a new car increasing by at least £2,230
motive industry uncompetitive.
And manufacturers will have to
pass on the cost of these fines.
“There is a total disconnection
between the legislators and reality
– CO2 emissions from cars need
to be reduced in a cost-
effective way,” said Ivan Hodac,
secretary general of ACEA, the
European automobile manufac-
turers’ association, at the recent
Fleet News Europe conference.
“The level of the compensation
payments should be no higher
than for other sectors that miss
their CO2 emissions targets.”
By calling the trust’s free small
fleet hotline, managers can get
advice on reducing emissions,
cutting costs and improving
corporate reputations.
Information on eco-driving,
fuel management, driver training
and health and safety is also
available.
A recent report commissioned
medicine and illegal drugs and
look at their driving perfor-
mance.
The University of Ghent, in
Belgium, which is co-ordinating
the project, aims to check 4,000
drivers, some having been
involved in road crashes and
others in spot checks. All the
subjects will be volunteers.
Under the plans, manufactur-
ers will pay up to 100 times more
than other industries penalised
for excess emissions, he says.
But environment commissioner
Stavros Dimas said: “The legisla-
tion will ensure important fuel
savings, which will translate into
considerable benefits for consum-
ers. Moreover, it will encourage
the car industry to invest in new
technologies and actively promote
eco-innovation, which is a driver
for more and high-quality jobs.”
■ Read more on this story at www.
fleetnews.co.uk
by the trust found that compa-
nies with fleets of around 50 vehi-
cles could save up to £45,000 a
year with green fleet policies.
“Companies with smaller fleets
will not necessarily have anyone
focused on their fleet full time,”
said Nigel Underdown, head of
transport advice at the Energy
Saving Trust.
FINANCE MATTERS In association with HSBC
Maximising future
value of your vehicles
BY PETER HOLLINSHEAD, HEAD OF
VEHICLE FINANCE, HSBC BANK PLC
The fundamental aspect of fleet management is
controlling risk. Wherever you can reduce risk you
should, but there are some instances where it is
simply not possible.
The procurement of cars is one such area. Leasing vehicles removes a
huge amount of risk surrounding resale value and market influences, but
sometimes buying outright is the only option available.
Buying a car throws up numerous financial uncertainties – typical fleet
cars nowadays lose around 60% of their original value after three years and
60,000 miles of normal wear and tear. But if you select and look after your
vehicles in the right way you can maximise their value when they reach the
end of their fleet lives.
When buying the vehicles, look for cars that are closer to the beginning
rather than the end of their product life. These cars are more likely to still be
the latest model available after their fleet life, and will therefore be more
desirable on the used market.
Avoid flat paints, as nowadays metallic really is the standard. You must
choose the right colour for the car – a white Ferrari wouldn’t look right
because people expect it to be red. Ask the dealer what colour they would
want back in three years’ time if they were selling it as a used car. Silver and
metallic black tend to hold their value the best.
The specification of the vehicle should be right. Make sure you have alloy
wheels and air conditioning, and on executive cars it is almost expected that
the package includes satellite navigation, leather seats and an automatic
gearbox. All those things will make the car more desirable when you come to
sell it and maximise its value.
During your vehicle’s life it should be regularly serviced, according to the
manufacturer’s instructions. The vehicle’s service book should always be
stamped and you should have a proper record of the service taking place.
Regularly clean the car inside and out and repair any damage as you go
along, rather than leaving it until remarketing time. It should look as if it’s
been cared for through its life.
When it comes to disposal, make sure the vehicle is washed and cleaned
– many aren’t. Complete any minor repairs and don’t neglect the alloy
wheels – they are not too expensive to get repaired and good alloys can
make a big difference to the overall appearance of the vehicle. The car
should have an MoT and most importantly the V5 should be available to the
buyer. If it isn’t, there’s a risk that you won’t sell the vehicle at all.
You should be putting cars in the position where the buyer is able to sell it
on with the minimum time elapsed. Anything missing has to be ordered and
that takes time. That’s time that they are not selling and the car is losing
them money. They will pay more for a car that’s not going to be sitting
around, and you will get the most from your investment.
Opting for a white Ferrari rather than red could reduce its resale value
Small details make a big difference
www.hsbc.co.uk/vehiclefinance
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 9
�������� This week’s vehicle market news and information Edited by Julian Kirk
A creditable alternative
BY PHILL TROMANS
The forthcoming Citroën C5
marks the completion of a range
that the French maufacturer
hopes will offer a credible alterna-
tive to established fleet marques.
Citroën believes that C5 is a
key fleet vehicle, with business
sales expected to make up 70% of
all vehicles sold when it is
launched in April.
With Citroën’s share of the fleet
market increasing over recent
years, mainly thanks to the C4
Picasso MPV, the company’s head
of corporate sales, Ian Hughes,
said the C5 would carry on that
impetus.
“We’re going to give society a
bit of a jolt to try and stop people
in their tracks, to suggest that
there is an alternative vehicle to
consider that has all the attributes
of the cars they are used to
buying, but with a flair and punch
that’s really rather audacious,” he
said.
“We’ve built our reputation and
THINKING CAP
Hardworking Martin Ward scours the globe for the week’s insider fleet intelligence
MONDAY
Went down a ver y busy M1,
as always, to the Midlands to
have a look at some
forthcoming models from
Hyundai. Unfortunately, they
were ver y early pre-
production vehicles so I
wasn’t allowed to drive them.
The first was the eight-seat
i50M, a van with windows
and seats, which is similar in
size to a Volkswagen
Transporter or Toyota
Hi-Ace. To call it a van with
windows is probably a bit
Hyundai’s new i10 and i50M
10 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
Fleet boss Ian Hughes (inset) expects the new C5 range to be a key fleet vehicle for Citroën
credibility in the marketplace on
the back of the C4 Picasso. But
the C5 is tailored towards the user
chooser and fleet market.
“This is massive for us, the
equivalent of the Xantia, which in
its heyday sold 40,000 units. We’re
unkind, but it is based on
the H-1 van which is due
early next year.
The i50M, which goes on
sale in June, is following the
‘i’ badging that Hyundai has
chosen to use for all its
models – with the M
standing for MPV.
The second ‘i’ we saw was
the i10, which is the Amica
replacement and due on sale
in early April. The styling of
this small car is a huge
improvement on the Amica
and should appeal to a wider
age group. Only one engine
will be available at launch – a
1.1-litre 66hp petrol, but a
1.2-litre 75bhp version may
become available later.
There will be three models
at launch: Classic, priced at
£6,495, Comfort at £7,095
and Style at £7,595.
Hyundai no longer badges
not expecting to sell anywhere
near that – we have a reputation of
coming in to this market and
doing well, but the game has
changed.
“The arrival of the German
marques has been very signifi-
its cars externally, but now
puts a small sticker on the
A-pillar stating exactly what
the car is, its engine size and
power output.
The third car we looked at
was the i30 estate which
goes on sale in April and will
be priced at £700 more than
the hatchback.
TUESDAY
Set off from Yorkshire to Luton
airport to fly down to Nice for
the revised Mercedes-Benz SLK
launch, but due to an accident
on the M1 I missed the flight.
After many hours sitting in
the car, I finally made it to the
incident. The road was down to
the hard-shoulder, with all three
lanes covered in sand, presum-
ably to soak up a fuel spillage.
The sand was being brushed
into the central reservation by
one bloke and his brush,
cant and we’re going to go toe-to-
toe with those guys.
“This is a very credible vehicle
and with this, the C-Crosser SUV
and C4 Picasso, we have a strong
complement of vehicles in the
£18-£20,000 bracket.”
watched by six of those
Highways Agency traffic
officers – how annoying is that?
THURSDAY
I’ve been using a Fiat 500
over the past week, and I
think Fiat has done a
fantastic job on this Polish-
built small car. The quality is
good and the styling both
inside and out is a master-
piece. It is also priced
realistically.
But does it attract the
attention the Italians told us
it would at the Turin launch?
In a word – no.
In Italy and across Europe
ever yone has grown up with
the old 500, which has not
only been the family run-
about but also an icon.
Here in the UK, it would
appear that ver y few people
know about the 500 and its
GM’s blue light fleetpxp p12
Citroën has moved away from
its historical sales techniques of
cashbacks, which Mr Hughes
said were misunderstood.
“We’re putting more focus on
residual values,” he explained.
“All the communication now talks
about ‘prices from’ and consumer
offers, finance offers. No cash-
backs have been placed on any
vehicle since I arrived.
“We have worked tirelessly
with the residual value guides and
developed a level of belief and
trust that we have followed
through on. Residuals have been
a real key step change and some-
thing that we have worked very
hard on.”
In 2007 Citroën saw its fleet
market share rise by 10% in cars
and 5% in vans.
“Other manufacturers have
suggested that this sector is all
about quality and no style. We
passionately disagree. Style is
part of our history and we think
you can combine style and high
quality in the same packaging.”
Fiat 500 is priced realistically
histor y. If it had been used
in The Italian Job instead of
the Mini, then it might have
been more easily recognised.
This little car is great in
most departments, but Fiat
is going to have to create
demand for it and not
depend on nostalgia. My
daughter, and most of her
friends, have never heard of
the Fiat 500. One saw it and
thought it was a Ford Ka!
Martin Ward is
CAP’s manufacturer
relationships manager
Eco Bravo driven p15
A4 Avant breaks cover
Audi has revealed the first
picture of its new A4 Avant
model ahead of its world debut
at next month’s Geneva Motor
Show.
Based on the new A4 saloon,
the estate offers 490 litres of
boot space and 1,430 litres with
the rear seats folded down.
This is an improvement over
the outgoing model’s
442/1,184-litre capacity, thanks
to the new A4’s longer
wheelbase.
The order book for the Avant
opens next month with
Audi’s new A4 Avant offers more load space than its predecessor
January auction trading beats expectations
BCA has reported a strong start
to the year in the auction halls,
but is warning against compla-
cency in the industry.
January trading conditions
exceeded expectations at the
company, with an average conver-
sion rate of 69%.
This was on a par with last
year’s record performance despite
Spyshot
Laguna coupé shapes up
Lexus IS F tested p15
deliveries beginning in June.
Expect the Avant to carry a
price premium of around
£1,100 over the saloon.
At launch there will be five
engine options – the 1.8 TFSI
and 3.2 FSI Quattro petrols and
three diesels in 2.0, 2.7 and
3.0-litre Quattro guises.
■ Audi has announced a new
S line trim level for the new A4
saloon, priced £2,500 above the
SE version. Extra equipment
includes LED running lights,
30mm lower ride height, and
exterior styling tweaks.
entered vehicle volumes rising.
BCA’s communication director
Tony Gannon said: “The start to
the year has been strong but
there is no room for compla-
cency.
“With the March plate change
likely to stimulate additional
volumes of business from fleet,
lease and dealer sources, buyers
MINI Clubman on test p19
Concept car looks for Fiesta
The new Ford Fiesta will make its world debut at Geneva
This is the new Ford Fiesta
which goes on sale this
autumn – and the produc-
tion model has stayed true
to the striking looks of the
Ver ve concept car.
Due to make its world
debut at Geneva, the Fiesta
will be offered in three and
five-door hatchback form
and with a choice of
1.2-litre, 1.4-litre and
1.6-litre petrol engines.
will have even more choice later
in the spring. Even with all this
current activity there is an under-
lying softness in demand and
dealers are reflecting this by
showing less interest in poorly
presented cars and vans.
“If market conditions tighten,
condition gets even more impor-
tant.”
Long-term update p20-21
Also available will be
1.4-litre and 1.6-litre TDCi
diesels.
Ford is offering “large
car” features on the Fiesta,
with Bluetooth mobile
phone connectivity and the
Covers+ monitor and
control system first seen on
the Mondeo and Galaxy.
Further details will be
announced closer to its
on-sale date later this year.
The Renault Laguna Coupé, seen
in concept form at last year’s
Frankfurt Motor Show, looks
likely to make it into production
with relatively few changes.
These shots from a testing
session in the Arctic show the
coupé looking pretty similar to
its original showing.
Due at the end of 2008, the
car will start at around £20,000
and is likely to sport only the
most powerful engines from the
regular Laguna range, as well as
the new 3.0-litre V6 dCi,
designed with Nissan and
packing 260bhp.
The Laguna’s all-wheel steer
chassis will be available as an
option.
Powered by...
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 11
IN BRIEF
Eco additions
Volkswagen is expanding its
low-emission BlueMotion
family with Golf, Jetta and
Passat versions. The Golf
model returns 62.8mpg,
emits 119g/km of CO2 and
costs from £15,565, while
the Golf Plus returns
58.9mpg, emits 127g/km
and costs £16,745. The Golf
Estate and Jetta both return
61.4mpg and have emissions
of 122g/km, while the
Passat offers 55.4mpg and
CO2 of 136g/km. They go
on sale next month and
prices start at £17,260.
Revised Zafira
Vauxhall has revised its
popular Zafira people
carrier. As well as styling
tweaks, there are
equipment upgrades and
the introduction of a fleet-
friendly Exclusiv version
which comes with extra
equipment.
i10 sale date
Hyundai’s new i10 city car
will cost from £6,495 when it
goes on sale in April.
Standard equipment on the
1.1-litre petrol-engined car
includes air-conditioning,
four airbags and MP3-
compatible CD player.
Small is beautiful
Proving that small is
beautiful is Toyota’s new
city car, the iQ. The
Smart rival is due to go
on sale at the end of this
year.
TTS pricing
Audi has announced pricing
for its high-performance
272bhp TTS models. The
coupé will cost £33,380 and
the Roadster soft-top
£35,380.
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14 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
NEW LAUNCHES: FIAT BRAVO 1.6 MULTIJET/LEXUS IS F
Eco Bravo is cost champion
New diesel MultiJet engine makes Fiat hatchback greener and meaner with fuel than ever before
BY MAURICE GLOVER
Fiat is all set to cut fleet operating
overheads with a new engine that
uses less fuel and costs less to
maintain.
Fitted in a fresh version of the
Bravo hatchback, the Italian
firm’s latest MultiJet turbodiesel
engine returns more than 62mpg
average economy and will come
with service intervals stretching
an impressive 21,750 miles.
But despite holding the promise
of providing a dynamic proposi-
tion for fleet users and private
drivers alike, the money-
stretching model will not carry
badges that identify it as eco
transport.
Fiat Automobile chief executive
officer Lorenzo Sistino said: “We
have to act in the face of growing
concern for the environment,
constant growth in oil prices and
the linking of car taxation to CO2
emissions across most European
markets.
“It is inevitable that operating
economy and emissions have a
major bearing on our product
market.”
Unveiling the new model in
F is for fast and fun, fun, fun
Lexus shuns its traditional image with the launch of an M3-rivalling high performance saloon
BY RUSSELL BRAY
Think Lexus and luxury, comfort,
reliability, excellent customer
service and petrol-electric
hybrids probably spring to mind.
But for its latest model, the
first in the company’s new
F performance range, Lexus has
turned to the dark side and
created a car to more than rival
Audi’s RS4 or BMW’s M3 extreme
machines.
With its 10-spoke alloy wheels,
twin-tiered exhausts and aggres-
sive stance, the IS F looks partic-
ularly sinister in black and great
in white. The cabin is a mix of the
usual leather and aluminium
garnished with a sort of mock
carbon-fibre that’s shiny silver
and a matter of taste, but it’s what
under the bonnet that matters.
The Japanese company has
fitted a 417bhp 5.0-litre V8 engine
with so much torque – 372lbft – it
Turin, he added: “Sales of the
Bravo are running well ahead of
target, but I believe our develop-
ment of this engine significantly
improves the competitiveness of
the car.
“Coupled with such high fuel
economy, the longest service
intervals in the sector present us
with an outstanding proposition –
we are hoping it is a factor that
will prove to be a key buying moti-
vator for corporate customers.”
The 105bhp MultiJet model will
save the cost of one full service
over 60,000 miles and could trim
maintenance costs by up to 2%,
the firm claims.
But exhaust emissions of just
makes the 295lb-ft M3 look weak-
wristed.
But because Lexus is still about
effortless luxury the IS F comes
with a clever eight-speed auto-
matic transmission that starts in
first gear using a torque converter
for smoothness and then “locks
up”, so that it feels like a manual
and allows near-instant changes
using paddles on the steering
wheel or the gear selector.
The changes are smooth in
119g/km – among the best so far
in the sector and low enough to
meet the stringent Euro V regula-
tions two years early – also hold
the promise of significant poten-
tial reductions in taxation for
company drivers.
Due here in March, the
16-valve eco challenger will be
joined by another 1.6-litre Multi-
Jet model. Developing 120bhp, it
will replace the current 1.9-litre,
eight-valve Bravo because it offers
better performance while using
8% less fuel.
Fiat UK has yet to confirm
specification details, but both 1.6-
litre models will have six-speed
manual gearboxes as standard.
Drive or near-racecar-hard in
Sport mode. From rest, the IS F
feels quicker than an M3 even
though the two companies quote
identical 0-62mph times.
I’ve driven a road-going
German Touring (DTM) race car
and the Lexus feels similar but
with all the noise, vibration and
harshness removed and all the
luxury kit put in. From about
3,600rpm – thanks to a specially-
fitted airbox under the bonnet –
BEHIND THE WHEEL
In either form, the new MultiJet is the
top performer in its class and with 90%
of torque on tap from as little as
1,400rpm, it’s easy to see why. Each
version is geared to produce around
30mph per 1,000rpm in top, making for
a relaxed demeanour in main road
cruising.
Both cars have a smooth flow of power and the 105bhp model is nimble
through the gears, spinning freely to make a pleasant noise at high revs in
intermediate ratios. Delivering record torque for engines of up to 200bhp, the
120bhp unit matches the existing 1.9-litre engine in benchmark acceleration but
uses a variable geometry turbo to be four seconds quicker from 50mph to
75mph, allowing safer overtaking.
In each car, travel is noticeably more subdued at all speeds but figures show a
5% improvement at 80mph thanks to engine shielding, thicker side glass and a
high-insulation windscreen.
VERDICT FACT FILE
Fiat wants to be seen as the car Model: Bravo 1.6 MultiJet
firm with the best environmen- Max power (bhp/rpm): 105/4,000
tal credentials and its new Max torque (lb-ft/rpm): 213/1,500
MultiJet diesel technology is a Max speed (mph): 116
big step in the right direction. 0-62mph (secs): 11.3
Fuel consumption (mpg): 62.8
As well as reducing costs, this
CO2 emissions (g/km): 119
Bravo is also better to drive Prices (OTR): £14,100-£14,500
than before and is a viable fleet On sale: March
competitor.
the IS F even sounds like a DTM
car. Carbon dioxide emissions of
270g/km put the IS F into the
BEHIND
highest road tax band even THE WHEEL
though it is 25g/km lower than
BMW’s 4.0-litre V8 engine. In traffic you only ever need a few
seconds of acceleration – and the
VERDICT gorgeous accompanying sound
track – to reach any cruising
The most driver-focused Lexus speed you think of.
ever and refreshingly off Even pushing on, the IS F feels
message. With only 150 for sale more confidence inspiring and
in the UK this year, get your chuckable than the last M3 I
order in quickly. drove, though the ride is lumpy
by luxury car standards.
FACT FILE On a race track in Spain, the
car was so stable in a straight
Model: IS F line you needed a knack to get it
Max power (bhp/rpm): 417/6,600 turned into corners quickly so
Max torque (lb-ft/rpm): 371/5,200 that you could get back on the
Max speed (mph): 168 power sooner.
0-62mph (secs): 4.6 Driving hard on the circuit the
Fuel consumption (mpg): 24.8
IS F felt stronger in acceleration
CO2 emissions (g/km): 270
Priced (OTR): £51,000 than an RS4 and the brakes much
On sale: April superior to those on an M3.
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 15
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18 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
 ROAD TEST: MINI CLUBMAN COOPER D
MINI goes large
and gets greener
The Clubman adds practicality but retains the icon’s difference
BY PHILL TROMANS
Seldom had the car world seen
more controversy than when
BMW launched the new MINI
back in 2001. Many fans of the
original Issigonis-penned icon
were outraged by the inflated
parody of their beloved classic,
but the wider public were smitten
by its cute looks and nippy
performance and more than a
million have been sold world-
wide.
Until recently, the range
consisted of various flavours of
hatchback. But now there is the
Clubman.
Immediately, more furore
followed its announcement, as
critics correctly noted that the
twin opening rear doors of the
new car were not derived from
the original Mini Clubman, but
from the Morris Mini Traveller
and Austin Mini Countryman.
Everything forward of the B-
pillar is identical to the hatchback.
Those who know the hatch will
feel instantly at home inside as all
is very familiar, from the huge
central speedometer to the pleth-
ora of toggle switches adorning
the dashboard and roof.
The Clubman is 24cm longer
than the hatch and offers 8cm
more legroom to rear seat passen-
gers. But it’s the boot that people
will notice. The split rear doors
divide opinion, but they open to
reveal a boot space increased by
100 litres over the hatchback to
THREE RIVALS TO CONSIDER
■ Mercedes-Benz
A160 CDI Classic SE
P11D PRICE
■ Nissan Qashqai
1.5 dCi Acenta
■ Volkswagen Golf
estate 1.9 TDI S
The Clubman is cheapest, but has
the smallest boot space and no air-
Clubman £15,315
A-Class £15,507
con. The A-Class includes air-con but Golf £15,555
has 15-inch steel wheels against the Qashqai £16,234
MINI’s alloys. The Golf offers a big features cruise control, parking
boot, but for £700 extra the Qashqai sensors, climate control and more.
EMISSIONS AND TAX RATES
The Clubman has the green vote Clubman 109g/km/13%
wrapped up, with emissions low A-Class 128g/km/18%
enough to put it in the cheapest Golf 137g/km/18%
company car tax band. A 22% Qashqai 139g/km/18%
taxpayer would pay £36 a month. meaning bills of £51 for the A-Class
The rest fall into the 18% tax band, and Golf and £53 for the Qashqai.
SMR COST
Over a fleet life of three years/ ppm/60k total
60,000 miles, the A-Class, with its A-Class 2.65/£1,590
variable service intervals, is the Clubman 2.77/£1,662
Golf 3.01/£1,806
cheapest car to maintain. But the
Qashqai 3.61/£2,166
MINI, with10,000 and 15,000-mile
checks, and the Golf, with VW’s behind. In fact, only around £600
The excellent handling of the variable servicing, are not far separates first place from last.
FACT FILE hatchback is admirably retained.
P11D value £15,315
Some say the Clubman is not
quite as agile, but unless you
FUEL COST
CO2 emissions (g/km) 109 drive the two versions back-to- Thanks to a combined mpg of 68.9,
BIK % of P11D in 2008 13% Clubman 7.21/£4,326
back you’d be hard pressed to the Clubman romps home when it A-Class 8.63/£5,178
Graduated VED rate £35
Insurance group 8 tell. It’s almost go-kart like in its comes to fuel spend, partly thanks Qashqai 9.16/£5,496
Combined mpg 68.9 ability to whip round corners, to the stop-start system included as Golf 9.16/£5,496
CAP RV (3yr/60k) £7,450/49% although some may find the ride standard. The Mercedes-Benz makes Nissan and Volkswagen, which both
Monthly lease (3yr/60k) £265 rather firm. 57.6mpg, putting it ahead of the return 54.3mpg.
■ Looks Another unique feature is a
✔ ■ Handling
■ Frugality
right-side suicide door to allow
passengers easier access to the
DEPRECIATION COST
back. Great in Europe, but not so The Golf, A-Class and Qashqai are all Clubman 13.10/£7,860
■ Sparsely equipped good in the UK where passengers thumped by the rock-solid residuals Golf 16.05/£9,630
✖ ■ Small boot
■ Silly suicide door
are disgorged into the road. of the MINI. The Clubman has a CAP A-Class
Qashqai
16.97/£10,182
18.05/£10,830
MINI is selling the Clubman as RV of 49% and will cost almost
a more practical alternative to the £2,000 less in depreciation over three placed Golf. It has an RV of 38%, the
260 litres. Fold the rear seats hatch, but don’t be fooled. While years/60,000 miles than the second- A-Class 34% and the Qashqai 33%.
down and you get 930 litres of the boot is undeniably bigger than
space.
BMW has crammed in all sorts
the hatch, it’s still tiny.
Rather than being a family car,
WHOLELIFE COST
of emission-reducing technology the Clubman represents an alter- The Clubman is easily the cheapest Clubman 23.08/£13,848
as standard, including start-stop, native to the modern ubiquity of car to run over three years/60,000 Golf 28.22/£16,932
brake energy regeneration to the hatchback. It’s still cute, it’s miles. Strong residuals, an econo- A-Class 28.25/£16,950
charge up the battery, and a gear- still a great drive, and it’s still mical engine and decent SMR costs Qashqai 30.82/£18,492
shift indicator for optimal fuel effi- rather impractical, but it is that make it more than £3,000 cheaper to is very close behind, but the Nissan is
ciency. As a result, the 1.6-litre little bit different and that should run than the Golf. The Mercedes-Benz £1,500 more expensive again.
engine emits just 109g/km of CO2 guarantee it success, even if, at
and boasts a combined fuel
economy of 68.9mpg.
£15,315 with a sparse level of kit,
it’s far from cheap.
VERDICT
Picking a winner here is more difficult than it first appears. The
MINI Clubman is miles in front when it comes to cost, but if
drivers want any extras – such as air conditioning – then the
price will very quickly start ramping up. Although it’s great to
drive, it’s not particularly practical. The Qashqai has piles of
luxuries as standard, but is much more expensive. Ultimately in
fleet, cost has to be a big priority, and for that reason the
Clubman takes it.
■ WINNER: MINI Clubman Cooper D
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 19
LONG-TERMERS: HONDA CR-V 2.2 i-CTDi EX/AUDI TT 2.0 TFSI
There’s lots to love in CR-V
But Honda’s headlights make a poor showing when it comes to driving down dark country lanes
BY ADELE BARRY
Things I love about the CR-V: it
handles brilliantly, it’s more fuel
efficient than some upper-medium
saloons and it’s one of the best
looking SUVs on the market.
Things I don’t love about the
CR-V: the parcel shelf in the boot
won’t stay upright when loading
shopping, the parking camera
becomes dirty quickly, thus
obscuring the view behind, and
the wing mirrors fold manually
when automatic would have been
better.
But when thinking about the
possibility of a new model on a
fleet, drivers’ niggles are likely to
come second to running costs,
reliability and safety.
The CR-V is likely to be a user-
chooser favourite rather than a
fleet staple but fleet managers still
need to consider the impact it
would have on their company.
It’s likely to appeal thanks to
the 2.2 i-CTDi diesel engine which
can also be found in the Civic and
Accord. With 140bhp at 4,000rpm
and maximum torque of 251lb-ft
at 2,000rpm, it’s not the speediest
model on the market but there is
ample power and I haven’t needed
or wanted more since I’ve been
driving it.
With the CR-V’s mpg figures
matching some estates and even
regularly beating our long-term
Ford Mondeo, there’s no room for
fuel economy arguments. The
173g/km CO2 emission level
should also keep drivers happy
when it comes to the monthly tax
bill, falling into the 25% benefit-in-
kind tax band.
In terms of reliability, Honda’s
is legendary and the three-
year/90,000-mile warranty is reas-
suring. The CR-V is sturdy, solid
and feels as though it will easily
outlive the 90,000-mile mark.
So with all the major boxes
ticked how does the CR-V fare
day-to-day? I have two more
niggles I must mention. The range
on the headlights seems unusu-
ally short. Driving along country
FACT FILE
Price: £27,567
lanes, I was finding it difficult to
(£27,942 as tested)
see the contours of the road. After Mileage: 6,948
taking home a Jeep Cherokee for CO2 emissions (g/km): 173
a night it was clear to see there Company car tax bill (2008)
was a huge difference between 40% tax-payer: £213 per month
the two models in headlight Insurance group: 13E
range. Combined mpg: 43.5
I booked the CR-V into the local Test mpg: 39.7
Honda garage and within a few CAP Monitor RV: £10,275/41%
minutes they’d adjusted the head- Contract hire rate £531
Expenditure to date: Nil
lamps to the highest possible
Figures based on three years/60,000 miles
setting. They are marginally
better since the adjustment but I’d
still prefer a longer range.
The second niggle is a hole in
my pocket. I’ve discovered it now
costs £7 to have the CR-V hand-
washed at the local car wash – it’s
classed as a 4x4, which means
more metal to clean, compared to
a standard car which costs £5.
It’s not really enough to put you
off buying one but the headlight
range could definitely be improved
and make driving at night feel
safer.
A performer with badge appeal
Stylish TT is a joy to own and has everything to keep user-choosers and fleet managers happy
BY JULIAN KIRK
After more than 3,000 miles
behind the wheel of our long-
term TT, I feel in the position to
make a few suggestions to
anyone thinking of ordering one.
The first thing I would say is:
good choice. The TT continues
to be a joy to own, blending style
and performance with badge
appeal. That’s surely the holy
trinity when it comes to keeping
user-choosers and fleet manag-
ers happy, isn’t it?
Less charitable ‘friends’ have
accused me of being either a
hairdresser or of driving a Golf
GTI in drag, but I think they’re
just jealous. And badly informed,
certainly on the second point,
because the TT’s body is 69%
aluminium – which the GTI’s
certainly isn’t.
What this means is that the TT
in front-wheel drive form tips the
scales at just under 1,300kg –
combined with 200bhp from its
turbocharged 2.0-litre engine
and this provides sparkling
performance.
Some German rivals could
take note here – power is not
everything.
But back to my recommenda-
tions. Firstly, don’t be tempted to
tick the Audi Magnetic Ride
options box. Not only is it point-
less but it will also save you
£1,150.
Through habit and personal
preference I’ve kept it in sport
mode, which provides a very
firm ride, but in the past week
I’ve been trying it in normal
mode. To be honest, there’s not a
lot of difference – even normal
offers a hard ride, with every
road imperfection passed
through the chassis and up to
your backside. I’m sure the
optional 18-inch alloy wheels on
FACT FILE
our test car don’t help either. Price: £25,200
(£30,000 as tested)
I would use some of that £1,150
Mileage: 3,230
to invest in a couple of optional
CO2 emissions (g/km): 183
extras that I wish I had ticked the
box for, though. Company car tax bill (2008)
40% tax-payer: £192 per month
First up would be Xenon head-
Insurance group: 17
lights at £975 (although this Combined mpg: 36.7
includes directional headlights). Test mpg: 31.9
The standard lights are poor CAP Monitor RV: £11,900/48%
when driving down country lanes Contract hire rate: £466
and having experience of Xenons Expenditure to date: Nil
I know what a massive difference Figures based on three years/60,000 miles
they can make.
I’d also splash £180 on the
multi-function steering wheel. would be worth it to save me
Even though the stereo volume from getting annoyed.
control is within arm’s reach Of the optional extras fitted to
when driving, I still find myself our car, the heated seats at £250
thumbing on the left steering are proving a real boon. Heated
wheel spoke searching for the seats may be no big deal these
roller button which I’ve used on days, but what sets the TT’s apart
various Audis to control the are the speed in which they warm
radio. up – in less than two minutes I’m
It’s a little thing, but that £180 toasty warm.
INDUSTRY INSIGHT

THE FLEET NEWS INTERVIEW:

Being a successful multi-marque leasing company is so important to the BMW-owned firm

BY RALPH MORTON

A
lphabet: BMW’s own spaghetti soup of a leasing company – or a serious
multi-marque player?
It’s certainly serious enough to have made impressive progressive
over the past three years, even though it has climbed just one place up
the slippery pole of the FN50 leaderboard.
In 2005, Alphabet was the 13th biggest contract hire company with 28,000 vehicles
on its books. A year later, the company had trodden water: 13th, but the company’s
book had gone up to 36,470 vehicles.
And now, in the 2007 list, Alphabet is 12th, but this time with 40,588 vehicles: a 45%
upswing on 2005. Some result. No wonder, then, that Richard Schooling (right),
commercial director, was smiling when I met him.
Just the day before our interview, BMW had recognised this achievement by
promoting Richard to chief operating officer, with increased responsibilities for BMW
Group Financial Services.
Also with Richard was Mark Sinclair (left). Mark takes over as head of Alphabet
from Richard. Trained as a chartered accountant, and with a CV that includes BMW
Financial Services and seven years with Alphabet, we’ll be hearing more from Mark
in the future.
So, two for the price of one: can’t be bad. Fleet News should get the proper low-
down on Alphabet, then.
Let’s start with Alphabet as a multi-marque leasing player. I always thought Alpha-
bet was a good way of disguising the company’s owners, because it distanced the
contract hire company from the holding company’s own products.
But is Alphabet serious about being multi-marque, or is Alphabet just another
channel for selling BMWs?
“Calling ourselves Alphabet obviously helps. And while we fund all BMW manage-
ment cars, we do have very good relationships with the likes of Lexus, Audi,
Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Volkswagen. Being called Alphabet certainly helps with
any political sensitivities there,” says Richard. “But we must have strong relation-
ships with these manufacturers to operate as a multi-marque company.”
But surely the lustre of the blue and white BMW propellor plays a part in the attrac-
tiveness of Alphabet to companies?
“Well, yes and no,” counters Mark. “In some ways BMW is so powerful as a marque
it often outweighs any advantage. But, on the other hand, it does give us financial
stability.
“The other thing is, we don’t do special deals on BMWs, even though that’s the
market perception. Other companies can get better discounts than us! But obviously
we have a focus on BMW so we do well on contract hire with them.
“But really the customer decides where the value lies. For example, Alphabet has
one of the strongest residual values in the market on Audi. In fact, we’re strong on all
the premium brands,” continues Mark.
“Our cars have a good reputation in the used market. They are rarely over three
years old, they’ve been well looked after and have a low mileage. That gives us an
edge in RV setting. Only 25% of our used cars go to auction: the rest go to dealers or
used car buyers.”
So, multi-marque, but with a distinct German upmarket flavour seems to be the
Alphabet deal. Certainly, for a young company – just 10 years in the market – Alpha-
bet has a very confident tone of voice.
“I think that, when we started, we had the opportunity to create something new
based on the experience of older players within the industry. So we’ve had a confident
voice from the start and that confidence is also expressed visually in the way we
present ourselves,” reckons Richard.
“We’re also confident in the way we approach customers. We’re about long-
termism, doing what is right for the customer. So that might mean we’ll challenge

22 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
 ALPHABET ALPHABET’S
RE-ORDER FIRST DEAL
Richard Schooling, formerly Alphabet’s Richard recalls the first sale Alphabet
commercial director, is now chief ever made 10 years ago. It was for a
operating officer of the company. Hyundai Coupé, a Fiat Coupé and two
In addition, he has director level Ford Mondeos. The model mix has
responsibilities for BMW Group Financial broadened since then, he assures us...
Services – a group with a portfolio worth
£4billion and is an umbrella organisation
for six separate businesses, each with its
own head. TOP TEN
These are:
■ Alphabet: the contract hire
MODEL MIX
company. BMW 24.24%
■ Alphera Financial Services: retail Volkswagen 19.63%
finance for non-BMW franchises. Ford 14.65%
■ BMW/MINI Financial Services: Audi 8.24%
dealer-based financial products. Vauxhall 5.19%
■ Insurance: from motor to life. Renault 5.01%
■ BMW Bank: BMW/MINI credit cards. MINI 3.83%
■ Rolls-Royce Financial Services: Peugeot 2.90%
dealer-based financial products. Toyota 2.83%
Schooling’s new responsibilities Mercedes-Benz 2.36%
include group marketing and group
pricing. “My role is to make the business
scaleable and prevent duplication of
management,” says Richard.
“There is a steady erosion of the
boundaries between fleet and personal
leasing, and retail and commercial
finance channels. As a group, we are well
placed to anticipate the effects of these
market changes.”

blue-chip tenders. We might be harder to deal with, but the answer isn’t always yes.
You don’t want to store up problems for later on.
SCHOOLING’S I THINK IF
“We’ve certainly never lost a company on service, although we have lost a customer
because we weren’t big enough. So FN50 size does matter to some customers – but TIPS FROM WE FIND A
it’s the service delivery that is critical to us.”
That’s useful to know. But how else can Alphabet help fleet managers?
THE TOP COUPLE OF
“Running a fleet is all about the basics,” replies Richard. “It’s about getting some of
the softer issues right which is an area where we can help. Let’s take the environ-
Golden rules for success
Honesty: it’s simply a question of BLUE-CHIP
COMPANIES
ment – today’s hot topic. How should a fleet manager tackle this issue for their doing what you say you were going
company? to do.

IN 2008 THAT
“Go out and plant trees? That’s such a cop out. It’s a case of educating people. So
we use Deloitte’s wholelife cost tool to identify the greenest cars; we have Fuel Sense, What makes Alphabet tick?
a driver’s guide to more economical driving. There are lots of little tricks – like
WOULD BE
Have fun doing things well. It’s a unique
turning off your engine if stationary. These are all things that a fleet manager can get part of the way we work.
his drivers to do now.
“I think the other area where we’re strong is helping fleet managers with staff
employment incentives. On the one hand you have sophisticated fleets that have
And a bit of advice for fleet
managers?
GOOD
either a company car scheme, or a structured employee car ownership (ECO) Don’t get taken in by people offering a
scheme. Or both. But in the middle are those companies that offer just cash. How can great deal today that’s not sustainable
you service these customers properly? How can you keep the staff happy and moti- tomorrow. And don’t overcomplicate the
vated? But how can the company fulfil its duty of care and stop their staff just wander- tendering process.
ing into a dealership looking for the lowest-cost deal?
“I would advocate that fleets didn’t offer cash, but an ‘ECO-lite’ product. It’s not tax What’s the best piece of advice
based. It’s a scheme where employees can take the cash alternative but under the you’ve been given?
employer’s own rules. Respect customers.
“It’s a case of the market maturing and understanding how best to service these
changing requirements. That’s very much the case with my new job.” ECO car or company car: what do
Looking ahead, it will be Mark’s responsibility to push Alphabet further up the you drive?
FN50 ladder. Will they scramble up to 11th? Well, it has to be an ECO car from us! I
“We’re looking for stable growth. I think if we find a couple of blue-chip companies currently drive a BMW X5 but I’m moving
in 2008 that would be good. Bigger businesses tend to play to our strengths: breadth to a 3 Series Coupé next.
of financial products and service delivery. It’s a good way to enable growth for us.”

www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 23
REMARKETING: ALTERNATIVE FUELS

Will biofuel values take a ha

Fleets should BY PHILL TROMANS

T
AT A GLANCE not write off he motoring indus-
■ Relatively low numbers in the marketplace.
■ Seen as marginal by professional buyers.
biofuels yet – try is increasingly
looking for alterna-
■ Pockets of demand in congested urban areas. despite tives to fossil fuels
■ Motorists generally prefer diesel. reluctance to and, of the emerg-
ing technologies, biofuel power
adopt the has been one of the leading
new fuels contenders for the near future.
As with all new technologies,
the risk of investing is high. Will
those that trust in biofuel have
their faith rewarded when they
come to sell the vehicles on?

THE BACKGROUND
The use of biofuels, and the
production of the raw material it
is made from, has been mired in
controversy. Many fear that the
environmental effects of large-
scale biofuel production could
counteract the benefits that using
the technology for transport
brings.
For fleet managers, this means
uncertainty. As more manufactur-
ers produce vehicles capable of
running on biofuel, and more
fleets take steps to reduce their
ammering?
carbon footprint, the attraction of
greener vehicles grows. But
should the controversy over the
future of biofuelled vehicles put
you off? Will you get a sound
return when the vehicles reach
the end of their fleet lives?
The European Union backs
biofuels and has plans to increase
its target for biofuels use in trans-
port from 2% to 10% by 2020.
But there are concerns that
increasing production could itself
cause environmental damage, and
a group of UK MPs recently called
the plans reckless. The EU has
dismissed the concerns, but the
concerns raise a question about
the future of a technology that
many don’t see as a long-term
solution.
REMARKETING
Crucial to the success and contin-
uation of biofuel vehicles is the
infrastructure to ensure a supply
is available to drivers.
“This is a real stumbling block,”
says Jason King, head of market
intelligence at EurotaxGlass’s.
“Fuel companies are reticent to
invest in facilities for the supply of
another new fuel after not realis-
ing the expected returns on the
investment they made to accom-
modate the supply of LPG.
“In terms of residual values,
our early forecasts valued biofuel
vehicles at the same mark as
‘standard’ petrol equivalents,
since these cars are designed to
use E85 as well as standard 95-
octane unleaded.
“However, early indications
indicate that used car buyers are
only willing to take biofuel models
at a lower price – up to £500 less
in some cases. ”
Mr King says this lower pricing
policy seems only to be evident in
the trade values achieved.
“Retail pricing may be equal to
or higher than the equivalent
standard petrol models – dealers
see the green credentials offered
by biofuel technology as a poten-
tial profit maker,” he says.
“These observations have been
made on a very small sample of
vehicles since relatively few
biofuel vehicles have been regis-
tered in the UK so far, thus limit-
ing the turnover in the used car
market.”
Tony Gannon, communications
director at BCA, agrees that
acceptability with the general
motoring public is key.
“They will drive the demand in
the used market,” he says. “The
rule of thumb is where fleets go,
motorists follow, and fleets are
going heavily with diesel. So it is
perhaps less a question of future
residual values, and more about
future consumer perceptions.
“As the majority of modern cars
can run on a specific petrol/bio-
fuel mix it could be said we are
selling biofuel vehicles every day
already, but we have yet to see
such specialist vehicles as the
Ford Focus FFV or Saab 9-5
BioPower to judge how they will
perform.”
Rob Barr, group communica-
tions director for Manheim, is
more positive.
“Consumers are clearly increas-
ingly interested in the environ-
mental impact of motoring but
they are also still primarily influ-
enced by economics,” he says.
“We know from all the recent
research that if the green box can
be ticked, together with a package
of tried and tested technology
combined with fuel economy,
then this will be a vote winner
with the motoring public. In turn,
there is no doubt that the RVs of
such vehicles will always be at the
high end of market demand and
value.”
There is still considerable
uncertainty over what will happen
in the future because of the rela-
tively small numbers of cars avail-
able.
Jeff Knight, forecast manager
for CAP, doesn’t think there is a
conviction among manufacturers
that biofuels are worth seriously
pursuing. But that doesn’t neces-
sarily mean that those who have
purchased biofuel vehicles will be
at a disadvantage.
“They will probably achieve
very reasonable values because
there are so few of them,” he says.
“It’s the same as LPG – if you get
a good quality model to the right
person, they will pay for it.”
Tony Gannon adds: “We have
already seen a variety of alterna-
tive fuels heralded as the answer
to global warming – such as LPG
or hybrids – and motorists are
understandably wary.
‘ ’
“There still needs to be a sea-
THE GENERAL RULE OF
THUMB IS WHERE FLEETS
GO, MOTORISTS FOLLOW
change in public opinion before
any kind of ‘alternative’ fuels
become acceptable.
UK motorists are still moti-
vated first and foremost by price,
and getting a good deal on the
used cars they buy. Biofuels will
have to tick a lot of boxes before
motorists will choose them over
diesel or petrol and in the short-
to medium-term that looks like a
hard task.
“This suggests that it is unlikely
that UK motorists are ready to
wholeheartedly embrace green
issues and alternative fuels of
their own accord. It might mean
that the only way to make UK
motorists ‘greener’ is by making
it expensive for them not to
change their habits.”
If you already have biofuel-
powered cars, don’t despair.
“The few examples BCA
handles seem to find ready buyers
if valued in line with market
expectations,” says Mr Gannon.
“Otherwise, the normal rules of
remarketing apply – presentation
and preparation are as important
as for any other vehicle.”
date event venue
10 March 2008 Fleet News Awards Grosvenor House Hotel, London
22 April 2008 Fleet News Risk in Fleet National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham
17-19 June 2008 Company Car In Action Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedford
Late September 2008 Fleet News Hit for Six South
Early October 2008 Fleet News Hit for Six North
4 November 2008 FN50 Conference & Dinner Royal Lancaster Hotel, London
2 December 2008 Fleet Van Conference National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham
Your views, your queries, your chance to get involved
FLEET CV
Phil Green
Facilities and
fleet manager
Dekor and
Celtic
Crusaders
RFC
Describe your fleet
We have 34 vehicles – 31
cars and three commercials.
How did you come to
work in fleet?
I have a varied vehicle
background going back to
my time in the Army but
acquired the fleet along with
my facilities role for the
rugby club.
Would you recommend
working in the industr y?
Yes I would. The combina-
tion of responsibilities is a
challenge – looking at duty
of care, purchasing, funding,
insurance, maintenance etc.
What are you working on
at the moment?
Along with other facilities
projects, I’ve just managed to
get our entire rugby club
staff into a combination of
owned, sponsored or leased
cars.
What is the biggest
challenge with your fleet?
Improving the attitude of
some of the younger rugby
players allotted a company
car and therefore improving
the care of our vehicles.
How do you relax at the
weekend?
Watching rugby, juggling
with my fantasy football
teams, working out at the
gym and hill walking in the
Brecon Beacons.
SETTLING IN
Mark
Cassidy
Corporate
sales
manager
Inchcape
Fleet
Solutions
Recognition plan
for unsung heroes
BY EMMA COOPER
Fleet managers and industry
leaders could now have their
efforts to improve staff skills and
attract new talent recognised by
the Institute of the Motor
Industry (IMI).
As the sector skills council for
the industry, the IMI has launched
the SkillMiles scheme, with
companies and individuals accu-
mulating points for their contribu-
tion to areas including learning,
leadership, management and
recruitment.
The IMI will judge efforts on
a tiered system, ensuring
contributions from large and
APPOINTMENTS
Peel takes on
Peugeot fleet
Peugeot has appointed David
Peel (pictured) as fleet director.
He will be responsible for fleet
sales, contract hire, rental and
used vehicle operations. Previ-
ously the northern regional
director, he replaces Steve Harris
who has been named fleet opera-
tions manager at Peugeot’s
Robins & Day dealer group.
How does your new role
differ from your last job at
Lex?
My previous role was very much
focused on managing a
relationship and delivering on a
pre-set agenda. This new
role allows me the freedom to
concentrate on developing
relationships from scratch.
Find your
favourite
s
Letters – p35
Leasing firms should share
the blame for the number of
grey fleet vehicles failing to
have vital safety work
carried out.
ations in relation to points. Helpline – p37
SkillMiles points can be earned
for a range of activities, including
financial donations to education
programmes and participation in
skills-related working groups,
with suggestions on improving
training standards.
Steve Nash, aftersales director, “I’m interested in
BMW Group UK and chairman of replacing the air in my
the IMI executive board, said: tyres with nitrogen. Do
“The SkillMiles scheme provides you need special tyres?”
a meaningful way of acknowledg-
SkillMiles will recognise efforts ing efforts and paying tribute to First car – p39
to raise industry standards those who are actively making a
difference to the industry through
small organisations are weighted their work and commitment to
fairly, awarding bronze, silver, improving performance, many of
gold and platinum accredit- whom are unsung heroes.”
■ email: fleetnews@emap.com Simon Cook’s first company
car was a Mazda 323
Paul takes up new rental role Fastback. It scored high on
the cool factor, thanks to its
Thrifty Car and Van Rental has appointed Linda Paul as head of
central services. She will be responsible for improving communica-
pop-up headlights.
tions between the company’s central service departments, as well as Competition – p39
continuing to manage licensee relationships and franchise sales. Ms We have
Paul has worked in the car rental sector for more than 20 years. five copies
of the
2008
New MD for IAM fleet group Michelin
guide to
Seb Goldin is the new managing director of the Institute of Advanced eating out
Motorist’s (IAM) fleet group. He will be responsible for the running up for
of IAM’s fleet companies, including Pro-Drive and Drive & Survive. grabs.
Previously, he was partnership director at Royal Mail. Simon Best
joins as managing director of membership and corporate services.
Job of
the week
McCall manages national network TTL CONSULTING
Lexus has appointed Iain McCall as national manager of network Area fleet managers,
development. He will be responsible for franchise representation, various locations p33
business development and the management of franchise standards.
He was previously regional manager for the manufacturer.
How was your first day? What has been your greatest and use me to understand what
Everything that I had been challenge so far? the competition’s doing.
promised was ready for me to I sat a two-hour examination on
collect, which is always a day 16 of my induction. What are you enjoying most
promising sign. about the role?
And your greatest The autonomy to re-open past
Have you had a bad day yet? achievement? relationships and seek future
Not yet. Hopefully I have enough I have a lot of industry opportunities to work together.
experience to spot one coming knowledge and it’s great when There are so many avenues to
and work through it. colleagues ask for my opinion investigate within fleet.
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 31
 Recruitment Call Daniel Bragg: 01733 468271
email: daniel.bragg@emap.com

Brighter future
ZONE FLEET BUSINESS MANAGER
MANUFACTURER NORTHERN IRELAND £NEG
Established car manufacturer requires a Northern Ireland based Fleet Sales Manager
to assist this volume operation to increase B2B vehicle sales penetration.
01235 536440 An enthusiastic and professional Fleet or B2B Manager is required to rise to the challenge of 2008 targets.
Further details and applications to:
www.steele-dixon.co.uk Bill Porteous on 07753 982 311 bill@steele-dixon.co.uk

A more individual approach

straight talking : smart thinking : fast acting

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Contract Hire/Fleet Management - Yorks/North East
£35K Basic • £50K OTE • Car • Pension • Health • Other Flexible Benefits
A unique opportunity to break into the leasing industry, with an FN50 top 25 organisation. SALES DIRECTOR
Our client’s fleet division has had an exciting 24 months and with further plans to double in
size by 2009 they seek a talented individual to play a key part. You will be an adaptable and PLC MAIN BOARD - MIDLANDS
tenacious business developer, able to open doors and sell a true business solution within
the 100+ fleet marketplace. Ref. CA4241 Our client is a highly respected and well established PLC in the
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Commercial Vehicle Contract Hire sector. The Company have
Contract Hire & Fleet Management - North/East Midlands prospered by innovative thinking and putting original ideas into
£30K Basic • £45K OTE • Excellent Benefits practice. To continue this trend they are seeking a Sales Director who
Established over 30 years ago, our client is a Top 50 UK leasing company with a name is a high achiever and will lead from the front with an entrepreneurial
recognised for its reliability and cost effective solution offering. They wish to strengthen
their successful team with a dynamic salesperson. You will deliver contract hire and fleet
approach to providing practical solutions to customer needs.
management solutions to customers operating fleets of up to 300 vehicles. This is an
exciting opportunity for a proven relationship builder to join a business with a supportive As a dynamic leader of the Sales operation who thrives on continuous
infrastructure and ambitious growth plans. Ref. CA5490 improvement, you will build, drive and maintain a team to deliver
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER positive results across four defined but interlocking business areas:-
Broker Leasing - Flexible location
£25-30K Basic • £45K OTE uncapped • Car • Health • Pension • Home Based
Contract Hire– Purchase and Leaseback – Fleet Management –
(flexible territory) Workshop Services
As an industry leading finance broker our client offers a complete range of flexible financial
solutions, by working in partnership with some of the UK’s largest leasing organisations. You The role therefore calls for experience and a broad understanding of
will focus on developing funding & fleet management opportunities within the SME sector: the constituent parts of the business and a person who has managed
typically 15-100 fleets (with flexibility). Home based, you will manage your own diary and
will have the added advantage of planning and managing your own territory. Ref. CA5323 a National sales force in a similar field.
NORTH SOUTH This is a Main Board appointment and the rewards are
Manchester
Marc Bridges/Claire Anderson
High Wycombe
Will Gardner/Gregg Dampier
commensurate with that position; the successful candidate will
0161 601 7766/7760 01494 538866/538855 receive an excellent Basic Salary + Commission + Share Options +
manchester@dwc.co.uk fleet@dwc.co.uk Executive Car. For a confidential talk about this role please call
daniel williams consultancy Derek Webb 01889 591791 Direct or
Sales and Marketing Recruitment Specialists e-mail derek.webb@nicholasrecruitment.co.uk.

www.dwc.co.uk www.nicholasrecruitment.co.uk

32 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
 A more individual approach

Corporate Sales Development – Up to £35k Basic + uncapped OTE

From an office/home base in the Midlands, the successful candidate will be
responsible for opening new Contract Hire corporate accounts. This is an exciting
opportunity to join a significant, well established and fast growing Contract Hire
business with great career growth potential.

Corporate Sales Executives – Midlands and Home Counties Up to £40k plus

Commission
The ideal candidates will possess experience in Vehicle Contract Hire with a
proven track record in New Business Development and Relationship
Management. These are major appointments for our PLC client which is reflected
by the package

Fleet Services Manager – Tyne and Wear - £30k Basic plus Bonus, Benefits.
Our client, an FN top 20 Contract Hire business is seeking a Fleet Services
Manager. Managing a team of 8 Maintenance Controllers in authorising dealer
repairs on contract hire vehicles as well as planning and implementing a
maintenance strategy which includes the use of “1 link” platforms.

BDM – Finance, Large Ticket- M4 Corridor - £30k basic + OTE + Bank Benefits
Something quite different - the ideal candidate will have a full understanding of
asset finance products including contract hire and ideally daily rental vehicles.
Working from a home base but with National support to provide funding for major
fleets. As a well established Bank brand, our client can offer successful people,
real career growth opportunities..

Enquiries@Nicholasrecruitment.co.uk
For a confidential discussion ask for Derek Webb on
A L A S TA I R A M E S
01889 591554
Mention always
For on line application and more vacancies go to the right
www.nicholasrecruitment.co.uk FleetNews person
for the job
when
To advertise here call calling
Daniel Bragg on 01733 468271 Specialist Search and Selection
To view a variety of current positions visit our website www.alastairames.co.uk or ring for details.
Tel 0207 917 1855 Fax 0207 917 1856 alastair@alastairames.co.uk 211 PICCADILLY, LONDON W1V 9LD

Don’t risk it, take

the right route
The Fleet News Risk in Fleet conference focuses on two
key areas – financial risk and corporate risk. The event is
intended to attract fleet managers at all levels who are
looking for a detailed briefing on the key issues facing
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Why attend?
1 Learn about the new Corporate Manslaughter Bill and
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3 Discover fresh thinking from some of the industry’s
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4 Share ideas and issues with like-minded fleet operators
5 Find new ways to manage employees with safety
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6 Prepare your fleet for the impact of financial
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7 Investigate what potential suppliers have to offer
8 Exploit ideas for potential savings from more
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For more information, contact

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www.riskinfleet.co.uk
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 33
 Fleet services Call Dee Kennedy: 01733 468275
email: dee.kennedy@emap.com

Leasing

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34 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
LETTERS ■ Email: fleetnews@emap.com. Please include name, job title, company and address
Leasing firms should
share grey fleet blame
I read with interest your recent
article (January 3) highlighting
the fact that one third of grey fleet
drivers who lease cars without
maintenance are failing to have
vital safety work carried out.
The finger was being pointed at
the bedroom brokers. However,
many of the biggest leasing
companies are fuelling these
problems by giving these cheap
rates to brokers in the first place.
Ten to 15 years ago, brokers
found it harder to gain entry to
the market. Only the best brokers
had access to contract hire prod-
ucts. But as the banks have
entered the market and the pres-
sure for growth increases, stan-
dards appear to have lowered.
Brokers, who often have no
more than a fancy website, are
given access to the major leasing
company rates, and, by finding
out a customer’s allowance, are
selling them a rate to maximise
their commission. Excluding
maintenance may increase
commission by £700-£800.
If the major bank and manufac-
turer-owned leasing companies
do not improve the way in which
Finding the right solution to road risks
We have around 230 vehicles on
our fleet, which is 80% commer-
cial vehicles.
For the past 18 months we
have been reviewing desk-based
solutions to address our expo-
sure to road risks.
We have followed the advice
of the Health and Safety Execu-
tive to assess our risks as the
first step and decided on a desk-
ONLINE POLL
Have you seen an
increase in the
100
number of drivers Do your grey fleet drivers adhere to
running out of fuel, the same policies and standards as
80 your company car drivers?
possibly as a result
of the decline in 60
numbers of filling
stations? If so, vote 40
60%
“yes” in our online
poll at the bottom of
the homepage at
20
0 in association with Bauer Automotive
Fleetnews.co.uk
they vet and control brokers,
there will always be people willing
to offer grey fleet drivers non-
maintained, cheap deals to the
maximum of their allowance.
And while the companies
employing these drivers have a
duty of care towards their employ-
ees, what are they expected to do
when a driver turns to them and
says that they have spent their
allowance and cannot afford
necessary repairs or, worse still,
decide not to tell their employer
and continue to drive the car with
based solution for this. Having a
licence check was very impor-
tant.
Some of the systems on offer
have given us nothing but laughs
at just how inconsistent they
are.
We tried nine systems until we
happened to come across the
new Roadmarque system by
chance after attending a Safe and
LAST WEEK’S POLL
40%
YES NO
defective and illegal tyres.
Many of the major leasing
companies will tell you that it is
part of their strategy to use
brokers to enable them to reach
the small fleets. While it has never
been our policy at Sandicliffe
Motor Contracts to work with
smaller brokers, I understand the
role the better ones play.
But we will see the emergence
of more bedroom brokers encour-
aging drivers to take out non-
maintained deals to the maximum
of their allowance.
Sound seminar. I was delighted
to find that this software gives us
incredibly accurate results on
individual risk, a direct licence
check with the Driver and
Vehicle Licensing Agency and
carbon footprint per driver data,
which was a bonus.
I can study the results and
work out a cost-effective plan to
reduce my risks moving forward.
FleetNews
It’s not uncommon these days
to get in a bit of a panic when
we can’t find a filling station.
Modern cars tell you how
many miles to go before you
will run out of fuel so we tend
to run them closer to empty
when we might have previously
filled up “just in case”.
And despite the gradual
decline in the number of filling
stations in the UK, we still
If you turn to a financial adviser
for a mortgage, they have a duty
to ensure you can afford the
repayments before they arrange
it for you.
Isn’t it high time that the major
leasing companies insisted on
similar best practice from their
brokers, striking off those who
do not comply?
IAN MIDDLETON
Managing director,
Sandicliffe Motor
Contracts
It costs less than of a set of wiper
blades per driver.
This is a big headache
removed and leaves me to
concentrate on other important
areas of my fleet.
DOMINIC KEEBLE
Fleet & facilities
manager, Coinspinner
Entertainments Group
COMMENT
expect to see one around the
next corner.
So when we round that curve
to see the forecourt blocked by
heaps of broken Tarmac, we’re
in trouble.
Between the profits of the oil
companies and the high taxes,
the folk who sell the stuff are
being squeezed out and more
of us will have to go back to
filling up “just in case”.
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 35
Interface
Insurance
and young
drivers
Regarding your story on intro-
ducing a blanket ban on under-
25s driving company vehicles
(February 14), this may prove
difficult in practice.
Insurance companies can
refuse to insure people under
or over a certain age as they
are not covered by age discrim-
ination regulations.
If all insurance companies
refused fleet insurance on this
basis, it would be possible for
an employer to say that people
under 25 could not drive a
company vehicle as the
requirement for all drivers to
be insured would supercede
that not to discriminate on
grounds of age.
There may, however, be a
problem when only some
insurance companies intro-
duce such a ban. I think it
would then be incumbent upon
a fleet manager to look around
for other insurers and obtain
other quotes.
If they are wildly expensive,
it may be possible to justify the
ban on under-25s – although
normally expense alone will
not amount to sufficient justifi-
cation. It would need to be
tested and I am not aware of
any reported cases.
I would certainly caution
against introducing a blanket
ban just because your current
insurer refuses to issue insur-
ance to under-25s as I think
there is a real risk of being
found to be in breach of age
discrimination regulations if
no further enquiries have been
made.
AMANDA DINGLE
Legal adviser,
Bulfin & Co, employ-
ment law solicitors
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36 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
HELPLINE ■ Do you have a problem with your fleet? Email: fleetnews@emap.com
REMOVING LOGOS
Getting a branded
vehicle ready for sale
Q I’ve just tried to remove
some decals from one of
my vans that was about to be
sold off and I’ve found the
paint is a slightly different
colour where the logos were.
Is it worth my while getting
the van resprayed? It’s a
three-year-old Vauxhall Vivaro
with 90,000 miles on the
clock and other wise in pretty
good condition.
A 1: No, you would not
recover the cost of the re-
spray in the sale price.
Even worse, a re-spray could
lead a potential buyer to suspect
that the new paintwork may have
TYRE ISSUES
Q I read in Fleet News
(Januar y 24) that one
fleet has replaced air in its
tyres with nitrogen. I’m
interested in doing this on
my fleet but do you have to
have special tyres for use
with nitrogen and if not,
where can I actually get
nitrogen from?
A Kwik-Fit Fleet was the
pioneer of tyre inflation
using nitrogen several years
ago.
However, despite offering the
service through a number of
our centres, demand failed to
take off.
Since February 1 we have
offered nitrogen inflation at 32
centres as the concept appears
to be gathering momentum
once again – further details are
available by emailing
info@kwik-fitfleet.com
SMOKING BAN
Q I have banned smoking
in all our vans but I’m
pretty certain most of the
drivers are ignoring this. All
the cabs stink of cigarette
smoke. What can I do?
A Not all vehicles have to be
smoke free. If only one
person uses a van – e.g. there is
no driver’s mate, no sharing of
lifts, no pooling of use, then the
been required to cover damage.
Depending on the colour of the
vehicle, it may be possible to
improve the colour difference
with a good polish.
JOHN FLEET
UK asset director,
Northgate
A 2: Modern preparation
techniques are designed to
get used vehicles looking like
new, so there should be no need
to invest time or the huge cost of
repainting the vehicle.
When vinyl stickers are
removed they almost inevitably
leave ghosting, which if not
Tyre pressures and treads should be checked weekly
The main advantage of
nitrogen being used for tyre
inflation is that as the gas
contains less moisture than air it
does not permeate the inner
liner of the tyre, which holds
the air in.
smoke-free regulations do not
apply. Where the van has to be
smoke-free, the smoke-free sign
must be displayed.
A duty is then placed on
persons controlling or being
concerned in the management of
smoke-free vehicles to prevent
smoking from taking place. That
would clearly include the
employer. It could also include
the fleet manager. The maximum
further treated will potentially be
offputting for potential buyers.
Remember that the next owner
will want to brand the vehicle to
his or her business and will need
clean panels to do so.
BCA offers a complete trade
name deletion service that
addresses and solves this
problem far more cost-efficiently.
Once the vinyl stickers are
removed, the panels are
machine-polished to a consistent
finish.
Further recommended
enhancements to this profes-
sional preparation process of
LCVs can include a cabin valet,
engine clean and degrease and
Permeation can cause oxidisa-
tion of the steel belts in the tyre,
which can go rusty and that in
turn can rust the wheels,
particularly on older cars.
A further benefit of less
moisture is that the tyre runs
penalty for all is £2,500.
It is unlikely that simply
placing a smoke free sign in a
van will be sufficient. The reader
is now on notice that the steps
taken so far have been insuffi-
cient.
If prosecuted, a defence is
available but broadly speaking,
one must show that reasonable
steps were taken to prevent
smoking. The most practical
paintless dent removal.
The aim is to make the van
more saleable.
If the van is in very poor
condition, with an unappealing
specification and in a non-factory
corporate finish, then these
techniques probably won’t add a
lot of value.
But, on the right vehicle, the
result is a van that will stand out
at remarketing time and really
attract the buyers.
DUNCAN WARD
Business development
manager – commercial
vehicles
BCA
drier and cooler and retains
pressure longer. Less heat in
the tyre also means there will be
less rolling resistance on the
road surface and therefore
vehicle carbon dioxide
emissions and fuel consumption
will be at optimum levels.
However, the real world truth
is that if tyres filled with air are
checked regularly, and Kwik-Fit
Fleet recommends weekly, then
exactly the same benefits will be
obtained – optimum fuel
efficiency and emission levels.
In addition, anyone who opts
to fill their tyres with nitrogen
must be aware that, notwith-
standing the new service being
trialled by Kwik-Fit, the network
of facilities to inflate tyres with
nitrogen is extremely limited in
the UK.
MIKE WISE
Head of Kwik-Fit Fleet
solution is to update the vehicle
policy, making it a disciplinary
matter to smoke or to allow
smoking to take place. All van
users should sign this policy.
Spot checks should also take
place to demonstrate that the
policy is being enforced.
PHILIP SOMARAKIS
Senior solicitor, Blake
Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons
www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 37
Interface
FOREIGN
DRIVERS
Q I am thinking of
employing a few Eastern
European van drivers as I
can’t get enough English
ones. Any ideas of what I
should look out for when
giving them an inter view?
A Recent statistical analysis of
road incidents proves that
foreign drivers are responsible
for a disproportionate number of
crashes and collisions on UK
roads. While some of the causes
are no doubt attributable to
employer management failings,
it would appear that the majority
are concerned with the driver as
an individual and it’s vital that
prospective employers tread
warily at the recruitment stage.
An obvious point to gauge is
the command of English that the
candidate has. Although there is
a lot of harmonisation through-
out Europe on such things as
road signs, a large amount of
safety-related information
available to the driver relies on
his being able to understand the
written word.
You must be able to establish
if the driver has any health
problem or other condition that
might affect his ability to drive
safely. The potentially fatal
condition narcolepsy, for
instance, would be very difficult
to establish at the interview
stage if it was denied, as would
any dependence on recreational
drugs. Even some prescribed
drugs can have a detrimental
effect on driving ability if the
conditions of use are ignored or
abused.
Clearly, the driver must have
a licence suitable for the type of
vehicle and a casual inspection
of the bit of paper will not be
enough for even the most
experienced HR professional or
fleet manager. A proper Driver
and Vehicle Licensing Agency
check is highly recommended,
especially in view of the
reciprocal arrangements that
now exist between the EU
member states.
Ideally, once all the above has
been covered, you should make
it a requirement that the driver
takes an on-road driving
assessment with a qualified
assessor. If he is found wanting,
but declared essentially
competent, he could well benefit
from a specific UK familiarisa-
tion course.
STEVE JOHNSON
Director of
communications,
DriveTech (UK)
AND FINALLY...
You couldn’t make it up...
Real-life stories about your fleet’s dimwit drivers
EVENTS
BRAKE DRUGS AND
ALCOHOL FORUM
March 5, Biffa Waste Services,
Cannock. www.brake.org.uk
FLEET NEWS AWARDS
March 10, Grosvenor House
Hotel, London. 01733 468123
www.fleetnewsawards.com
INSTITUTE OF CAR FLEET
MANAGEMENT’S ANNUAL
MEMBERS’ CONFERENCE
March 11, Honda Institute,
Colnbrook, Berkshire.
www.icfm.com
FLEET NEWS RISK IN FLEET
CONFERENCE
April 22, National Motorcycle
Museum, Birmingham.
www.riskinfleet.co.uk
BRAKE FLEET SAFETY
FORUM: THE BUSINESS CASE
April 22, Leamington Spa.
ACFO REGIONAL MEETINGS
Fleet operators’ association ACFO
holds regular regional meetings.
For details, visit www.acfo.org
MY FIRST COMPANY CAR
My first company car was a
1993 Mazda 323 Fastback.
Not overly endowed with
goodies, it had wind-up
windows, no sunroof and no
air-conditioning, but it did
have a 16-valve badge and
NEWS QUIZ
Win a GB Michelin guide
Five lucky winners of this
week’s news quiz will receive a
copy of the Michelin Guide for
Great Britain and Ireland
2008, worth £15.99.
The guide uses a star
system to identify the best
pop-up headlights
scored highly on the ‘cool’
which
factor.
In almost two years, I
covered 85,000 trouble-free
miles until somebody rammed
into the back of it. To add insult
to injury, I was given a Volvo
440 while the Mazda was
repaired.
Simon Cook
Automotive director,
Mondial Assistance (UK)
Interface
‘
I received a call from a
driver asking for
instructions on how to get a
puncture repaired. I advised
CONTACT US
Fleet News, incorporating Company Car, is
that our policy was to use
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www.fleetnews.co.uk 21.02.08 39
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Concept car looks for
new Fiesta
T
aking much of its
exterior and interior
design from the
striking Verve Concept,
the 2008 Fiesta, which will be
unveiled at next month’s Geneva
Motor Show, marks a major
leap forward in terms of style,
craftsmanship and quality of
materials.
The sixth generation of the
Fiesta family, which will be
offered in both three and five-
door bodystyles when it goes
on sale in the autumn, remains
true to Fiesta fundamentals of
practicality, affordability, agility
and safety – in a structure that’s
both lighter and stronger than
before.
It will be available with a range
Futuristic theme continues inside
A Verve Concept interior – the
futuristic, mobile phone-inspired,
human-machine interface
technology of the instrument
panel centre stack – will be a core
feature of the new Fiesta.
The Ford Convers+ monitor
and control system – already
available on Mondeo, S-MAX and
Galaxy models – will also feature,
representing a major step
forward for the small car buyer.
It is just one of several new
features and technologies,
including keyless vehicle
technology symbolised by the
distinctive ‘Ford Power’ button on
the instrument panel.
Connectivity is another new
Fiesta strength.
The new centre console
features a convenient tray for
MP3 players complete with built-
40 21.02.08 www.fleetnews.co.uk
of efficient petrol and diesel
engines. The 1.25-litre (60PS and
80PS) and 1.4-litre (91PS) Duratec
petrol units are joined by a new
Duratec 1.6-litre Ti-VCT option.
This advanced powertrain
provides an additional 15PS over
the outgoing 100PS model but,
thanks to variable valve timing,
with no fuel consumption penalty.
Ford’s economic TDCi
common-rail diesel engines will
continue to be offered in 1.4-litre
(68PS) and 1.6-litre (90PS) guises.
Later in 2008 a Fiesta ECOnetic
with CO2 emissions of less than
100g/km will be available.
All Fiestas will be equipped
with the slick Ford Durashift
five-speed manual transmission,
with automatic available on
in sockets for an auxiliary (AUX)
audio and USB cables, along with
the traditional 12 volt outlet. This
allows the car’s audio system
to control and charge the MP3
player.
Bluetooth® connectivity with
voice control is also offered in the
new Fiesta, along with more big-
car technologies.
Supermini
takes design
cues from
Verve
some models. New Fiesta retains
the MacPherson strut front
suspension and twist-beam rear
suspension layout that has been
one of its traditional strengths,
but the new suspension and
steering system has undergone
significant development.
Ford’s engineers have
enhanced Fiesta’s ride comfort
and isolated road, wind and
powertrain noise from the cabin.
The result is an impressively quiet
drive for a small car.
Focus on training
Electric-Power Assist Steering Ford has ensured that its dealers
(E-PAS) is introduced in the Fiesta are fully prepared for the new Focus,
for the first time. with special training for 2,400 UK
E-PAS provides the right dealer staff at Henry Ford College,
balance of low-speed assistance Loughborough.
and excellent feel and The training combined interactive
responsiveness. classroom sessions with on-road
driving of Focus and key competitors.
The Focus training programme
followed the successful dealer launch
of the new Mondeo at the Henry Ford
College last year.
The Ford “We have taken a different
Convers+ approach with Focus, to emphasise
system the ‘Feel the Difference’ message,”
– already said product specialist Neil
available Wilson. “We have included more
on Mondeo, interactive sessions, where we give
S-MAX and the delegates the opportunity to
Galaxy – will learn and experience the cars for
feature in themselves, and find out key facts on
new Fiesta
the new Focus and why it is a much
improved car.”
For further information on
any vehicle in the Ford
range please contact the
Ford Business Centre on
08457 23 23 23, email
info@fordfleet.co.uk, or
visit www.fordfleet.co.uk