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Leasing professionals invited to take part in Leaseurope/Invigors Business Confidence Survey
Carried out by Invigors EMEA twice a year, the survey continues the Invigors Business Confidence Survey that has been conducted since 2008 and is intended

True Fleet Market in Russia on the rise
Latest figures from Dataforce show that private registrations in May fell 14.0% but actually rose 0.2% for True Fleets. For the January to May

BMW alliance to develop series-production self-driving cars by 2021
The firms said the partnership will lead in the near term to trials of a highly automated driving (HAD) prototype, with a fleet of vehicles

Road Test: Mercedes-Benz E 220 d
Sector: Executive Price: €47,124–€53,431 Fuel: 3.9–4.3l/100km CO2: 102–112g/km While it’s not uncommon for new launches to reset segment benchmarks, the moments where a newcomer

Focus on South Africa: Slow growth, high potential
South Africa has produced motor vehicles since the 1920s, mainly through assembly operations for overseas manufacturers and this is the basis of the motor industry

Daimler Financial Services acquires Athlon Car Lease International
Daimler has bought European leasing firm Athlon for €1.1bn from the Dutch firm Rabobank. The consolidated fleet operations will operate under the Athlon brand and will strengthens

Volkswagen publishes teaser images of new Crafter
Due to be launched this autumn, the new Crafter shows the brand’s latest design language, which will be rolled out across all new commercial vehicle

Addison Lee acquires Tristar Worldwide
Addison Lee has announced the acquisition of Tristar Worldwide, creating “Europe’s largest executive car service” and providing it with a route into the US market

Business travellers unprepared for driving abroad, finds Enterprise Rent-A-Car
The analysis of 556 business people in the UK, France, Spain, Germany and the Republic of Ireland by Enterprise Rent-A-Car found that a third (32%)

Renault Alaskan one-tonne pickup revealed
Based on the Alaskan concept unveiled in September 2015, the new model joins an expanding array of pickups, including sister model the Nissan NP300 Navara,

PSA Group acquires interest in French parking and car rental start-up
The investment forms part of the carmaker’s ‘Push to Pass’ strategic plan which saw it announce last April that it would commit €100m in venture

Brexit to impact on global car market through to 2018, predicts IHS Automotive
That’s the prediction from IHS Automotive, following the referendum result. The firm said the UK is, unsurprisingly, anticipated to bear the brunt of the

Citroën reveals new C3
Built on the PSA Group A platform, the new model is slightly longer and wider but lower than the current model, with a length of

Driving in Sweden
If you are required to drive in Sweden for business, you will be lucky enough to drive in a country with excellent roads, comprehensive signage

Car registrations in Europe show best May results since 2012
Latest figures from JATO Dynamics show new car registrations during May were 15.1% higher than the same month in 2015. A total of 1.33 million

CHP Consulting supports increased presence in US with new strategic partnerships
The business is now a member of various key committees at the Association of Consumer Vehicle Lessors (ACVL), the trade association of major retail automobile

PSA Group and TomTom partner for fleet management services
The service goes live from the next quarter and will be offered in France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Under the partnership, WEBFLEET will

Significant growth reported for True Fleet Market in Eastern Europe
In the Czech Republic, the True Fleet Market has been consistently growing over the last a couple of years. Between 2013 and 2015 this segment

First Drive: Hyundai i20 Active
Sector: Crossover Price: €16,900–€22,200 Fuel: 4.5–5.1l/100km CO2: 106–119g/km The doomsayers would have us believe that diesel power is on the way out for smaller

Internet of Things? What about the Internet of Cars?
That’s the question being posed by Ralf Lenninger, head of system development, innovation and strategy at Continental’s interior division. Recent onroad trials of eHorizon, Continental’s

Mitsubishi teases PHEV SUV concept prior to Paris debut
Few details have been revealed and the carmaker has made no mention of which segment it will sit in but has confirmed that it will

UK car and fleet industries ready selves for impact of Brexit
With a 52% majority, the Out campaign triumphed, leaving concerns over the impact on car production in the UK and the wider picture for UK

May figures for True Fleet market in Europe show highest growth rate in 11 months
The figures from Dataforce also show that the cumulative year-on-year growth has reached +10.5%. In France, May brought a remarkable result for the True

EU commercial vehicle registrations up 16.4% in May
The data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) show that May marked the 17th consecutive month of growth for the sector, with total commercial

Nominations open for Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards
Established in 1987 in the UK and now fully international, the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards recognise achievement and innovation in road safety worldwide.

Volkswagen Looks to an Electric Future
It’s been all change at Volkswagen since the emissions scandal, so Craig Thomas spoke to Jürgen Stackmann, the new board member responsible for the brand’s

Giulia, Ateca and Tiguan gain five-star Euro NCAP ratings
Under the new dual rating scheme launched by Euro NCAP at the start of this year, cars can receive two safety ratings – a default

Global fleet saves over €1m in acquisition costs
The fleet client, which is one of the world’s largest consumer product suppliers, operates a fleet of over 15,000 cars, light vans and pick-ups across

Car2go car sharing scheme to launch in Brussels
Daimler’s car-sharing subsidiary will run 300 vehicles – comprising 250 smart fortwo vehicles and 50 Mercedes-Benz A Class – in an area covering around 50km²

Volvo reveals S90 & V90 R-Design models
Both performance-inspired models are built on a modified sport chassis and also bring a new front-end design with a bespoke grille and matt black alloys

Ford unveils production version of Kuga Vignale
As with the existing Mondeo Vignale, the Kuga Vignale builds on the standard model with a signature Vignale hexagonal grille and dark gloss details. It

Paul Hunt appointed MD of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Ireland
Mr Hunt brings a high level of experience in sales, marketing and dealer operations. He was previously head of sales & planning at Volkswagen Ireland

Alphabet appoints Nick Brownrigg as new UK CEO
The move follows the departure of Richard Schooling to the newly created role of chief commercial officer at Alphabet International. Brownrigg joins the company

New Citroën crossover to start production in 2018
Few details have been announced of the car but PSA did confirm that it will be based on the EMP2 platform. It is also likely

European insurance telematics market to reach 25.8m policies by 2020, says Berg Insight
According to a new research report from the analyst firm, the number of insurance telematics policies in force on the European market reached 5.3 million

ARI opens new Technology and Innovation Center in New Jersey
ARI president Chris Conroy explained: “This new building represents our company’s steadfast commitment to investing in both our people and the latest technologies to the

PSA Group signs final JV agreement with Iran Khodro
The firms’ 50/50 joint venture is expected to invest up to €400m over the next five years in manufacturing and R&D capacity, which will be

Police cuts across Europe impacting on road safety, finds ETSC
So says the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) as it publishes two new reports on road safety. According to the ETSC annual road safety

Richard Schooling becomes chief commercial officer of Alphabet International
The move comes as part of a reorganisation of the management team following CEO Ed Frederiks’ retirement announcement in December 2015. In his new

First Drive: DS 3
Sector: Supermini Price: €15,890–€26,340 Fuel: 3.4–5.6l/100km CO2: 87–129g/km It’s six years since the DS 3 made its first appearance, wearing Citroën badges, and since then

UK's BVRLA publishes leasing industry best practice guide for connected car data
Following lengthy consultation with members and vehicle manufacturers, the document on ‘Data Principles: A Statement of Best Practice’ covers personal data, vehicle-specific data, asset security

Volkswagen announces electric strategy
Announced as part of the ‘Together – Strategy 2025’ initiative, proposed by the Board of Management and approved by the Supervisory Board, the Group will

Both large and small engines can hit Euro 6 NOx targets, says Emission Analytics
The firm has released details of the latest engines to be awarded an A rating for low NOx emissions under its EQUA Air Quality Index,

Sofico reaches new milestone with Miles software platform
The technology, said to be the first hybrid fleet/retail contract management software system that is able to meet the needs of captives and leasing companies,

LeasePlan to revamp IT systems
LeasePlan Information Services has signed a deal with HCL Technologies Partners that will provide IT solutions in various domains such as core leasing platforms, business

EU passenger car registrations up 9.9% for YtD
The data from the European Automobiles Manufacturers Association (ACEA) shows that registrations during the month grew by 16.0% compared to May 2015, reaching 1,288,220 units.

EU supports agreed timetable for new WLTP test cycle
The test cycle is being proposed as a replacement to the current NEDC regime to provide stricter test conditions and more realistic CO2/fuel consumption values

European Commission opens public consultation on operator licensing
The consultations follow the adoption of Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 and Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 by the European Parliament and the European Council on 21

BMW's Ian Robertson on the future of car sharing
One thing for certain is that the business model is changing. Most carmakers are now into, or getting into car sharing or alternative mobility. Jaguar

New VW navigation feature provides congestion alerts on regular routes
Dubbed ‘Regular Routes’, the feature is standard on the latest generation of the Discover Media and Discover Pro radio-navigation systems from Volkswagen. The system

Skoda publishes design sketches of Kodiaq large SUV
Based on the VisionS concept shown at Geneva, the Kodiaq seven-seater will sit above the Yeti and is based on the Volkswagen Group's MQB platform
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