Latest news
International news
Roller coaster ride continues for true fleet market in Germany
True fleet registrations in Germany saw positive growth in July, continuing the roller coaster ride seen so far this year.
Ford appoints inaugural director of smart mobility in Europe
Ford has named Sarah-Jayne Williams as its first director for Smart Mobility in Europe.
BMW to run Euro-4 diesel scrappage scheme as VW Group mulls benefits
BMW is to run a scrappage scheme targeting diesel-powered Euro-4 and older vehicles from any brand in the UK as the VW Group says it’s
July brings tough conditions for UK true fleet market
The UK’s true fleet market fell 13.1% in July, marking its second month of double-digit negative growth this year.
First Drive: MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4
Combining crossover cachet and low CO2, MINI’s first plug-in can’t go far wrong, reckons Alex Grant.
Shell Future of fleet survey – the results
In the first in a series of exclusive surveys, Shell and International Fleet World questioned 231 fleet executives about their attitudes to a host of
ALD global fleet up 9.1% year on year
ALD’s total managed fleet grew 9.1% year on year due to organic growth, latest results show.
Ultra-efficient Mazda petrol could beat diesels on fuel economy
Mazda is to launch a new petrol engine using compression ignition to bring similar or better fuel efficiency than its current diesels.
Daniëlle Pos stands down at LeasePlan
Daniëlle Pos has resigned her position as chief legal and compliance officer at LeasePlan Corporation NV after helping reposition the group’s legal and compliance functions
True fleet in Spain continues growth
True fleet registrations continued to rise in July, albeit with slightly more muted growth, latest Dataforce figures show.
New CEOs at Alphabet Netherlands and Alphabet Belgium
Alphabet has appointed new chief executive officers to head up its Netherlands and Belgium offices.
Renault boosts presence in Iran with new JV
Renault has signed a new joint venture deal in Iran to boost its presence in the country.
Toyota and Mazda to co-develop electric vehicle tech
Toyota and Mazda are to jointly develop technologies for electric vehicles as well as connected cars under a new agreement worth 50 billion yen (380
Volkswagen Group to recall millions of diesels for NOx fix
The Volkswagen Group is to run a pan-European software update for Euro 5 and some Euro 6 diesel vehicles from group brands to cut NOx
Ford Chariot transit service to provide commuting solution in New York
Ford is expanding its crowd-sourced Chariot shuttle service to New York to provide in-app ride booking for commuters.
German carmakers to cut NOx from over 5m diesel cars
BMW, Daimler, Opel and Volkswagen are to offer free software updates for more than five million cars in Germany, claimed to cut NOx emissions by
Moovel Group expands capabilities under new acquisition
Daimler’s moovel mobility platform subsidiary is bolstering its development team with the acquistion of Familonet GmbH, provider of the Familionet locator app.
Road Test: Skoda Octavia
Sharper styling and upgraded technology keep the Octavia a cut above, says Alex Grant.
LeasePlan USA expands business development team
Michael Croft has joined LeasePlan USA as regional vice president for the expanding business development team.
2018 diesel car ban on the cards for Stuttgart
The city of Stuttgart could implement a diesel ban in less than six months after a judge ruled that the local government’s draft air quality
TÜV SÜD Group streamlines fleet consultancy division
TÜV SÜD Group has reorganised its fleet consultancy division by amalgamating the legal entities behind the TCOPlus and FleetVision brands into the Fleet Logistics Group.
H1 European registrations back to pre-crisis levels
European car registrations put in their strongest H1 performance since 2007 but there are signs of a slowdown in growth.
PSA completes acquisition of Opel/Vauxhall
GM has closed the sale of Opel/Vauxhall to the PSA Group for €2.2bn, creating the second largest carmaker in Europe with a market share of 17%
EU commercial vehicle registrations rise 4.2% in first half
EU demand for commercial vehicles saw modest growth in June, helping to drive the first half market up by 4.2%.
White Clarke Group appoints new EVP operations for Americas
Nick Ockwell has joined White Clarke Group as executive vice president of operations for the Americas. Ockwell’s appointment is part of the Group’s renewed focus
Electric MINI hatch due in 2019
MINI will launch its first electric vehicle in 2019, based on the three-door hatchback.
Melanie Schillinger named new COO at Alphabet International
Alphabet International has appointed Melanie Schillinger as chief operations officer with effect from 1 September.
Audi to offer software update for 850,000 diesels
Audi is running a voluntary recall of up to 850,000 diesel cars worldwide to install new software on V6 and V8 TDI engines.
Spotlight: Mercedes X-Class makes its worldwide debut
Mercedes-Benz has taken the covers off its all-new 4×4 double cab pick-up, the X-Class, and it goes on sale in the UK this November with
Volvo takes steps towards electric future with Geely tie-up
Volvo is to set up a new technology joint venture with Chinese car group Geely to accelerate plans to develop cars fully or partly based
BMW’s Ian Robertson to retire in 2018
Ian Robertson, current Board of Management member for BMW sales, will hand over responsibilities to Pieter Nota in January 2018, after nearly a decade of service.
Road Test: Skoda Kodiaq
Skoda practicality in a fashionable SUV – the Kodiaq can’t go far wrong, says Alex Grant.
Calls for non-compliant diesels to be decommissioned
Transport ministers across Europe are being warned that they need to take more action on non-compliant diesel vehicles, including removing them from sale, to curb
Daimler to offer NOx-reducing software update for 3m diesels
Daimler will offer a free software upgrade for around three million diesel vehicles, said to curb harmful nitrogen-oxide (NOx) emissions in real-world use.
Shell to offer EV charging in the Netherlands and UK
Selected Shell service stations in the Netherlands and the UK are to gain rapid charging points for electric vehicles, due to go live by the
Manheim boosts presence in Brazil with auction centre aquisitions
Manheim has acquired Pacto São Paulo aution centre, located in Ibaté, approximately 250 km from São Paulo, Brazil. The company has also formed a commercial
Vehicle tracking trial could accelerate US fleet management market
A new vehicle tracking solution believed to be ready to transform the fleet management market in the US has gone on trial.
SEAT pilots shared mobility initiative
SEAT has partnered with start-up Shotl and transport operator Moventis to test a shuttle service for a month near Barcelona.
Europcar faces €33.8m repair overcharge scandal
Europcar has admitted it may have overcharged consumers by around €33.8m in the UK following alleged repair overcharges.
Esso Card to cut time taken for VAT reclaim
Esso Card fuel card customers could receive VAT and excise duty reimbursements in just two weeks from receipt of their invoice – rather than months – under the launch of a new system.
Jaguar E-Pace crossover to rival Evoque
Jaguar is to enter the compact crossover class later this year, with the new E-Pace challenging cars such as the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and
Hyundai: 30 new models by 2021, 14 electrified vehicles by 2020
Aiming to become the number one Asian car brand in Europe, Hyundai Motor is planning a large-scale model offensive over the next five years, targeting
LeasePlan USA names senior vice president of operations
Juan Perez has been appointed to lead LeasePlan USA’s operations team as senior vice president of operations.
German true fleet market continues roller coaster ride
The 2017 vicissitudes of Germany’s true fleet market continued in June, which saw a slight dip according to Dataforce.
EU car registrations put in best performance in a decade
Car registrations across the EU saw modest growth in June but volumes are almost back to pre-recession levels and show the market’s best performance in
TomTom and Cisco partnership to generate real-time roadside data
TomTom and Cisco are working on what they call “ultra-fast lane level traffic technology” that will provide real-time roadside data to cut congestion and aid
European new car market to be all-electric by 2035, report claims
All new passenger cars sold in Europe could be electric by 2035, with driver concerns with charging infrastructure, range anxiety and pricing about to be overcome,
Opel Astra scoops ‘Best Economical Diesel 2017’ trophy
The Opel Astra 1.6 CDTI has taken the title of ‘Best Economical Diesel 2017’ as well as scooping the Green Mobility Trophy 2017.
Spanish true fleet registration record highest growth rate of the year
The Spanish fleet sector continues to see double-digit growth with the June rate of 19.5% marking the highest growth rate for the year so far.
Goodyear designs concept tyre for autonomous electric vehicle fleets
Goodyear has unveiled a concept tyre designed for future-generation autonomous electric ride-sharing vehicles in urban areas.
Facelifted Ford Transit Custom gets 148g/km Econetic model
Ford has updated its Transit Custom van for 2018 with new styling as well as the launch of a 148g/km Econetic version that paves the
