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Carmakers to face fines for missing CO2 targets, suggests report
According to PA Consulting Group’s annual forecast, Volkswagen, BMW, Hyundai-Kia and Jaguar Land Rover are set to miss their 2021 EU emissions targets, which leaves

National Car Rental launches Priority Service at over 25 European airports
Previously run in North America, the service has now been launched in Europe following a pilot at a small number of locations. Priority Service

Honda and Hitachi trial portable alcohol detector for smart keys
The prototype has been designed to be tamper-resistant and provides results within three seconds. The two companies have also developed a system that can

15% rise in global drivers achieving GreenRoad Fleet Elite status
GreenRoad, which provides driver and fleet performance management solutions, created its Fleet Elite Programme to motivate drivers and help fleet managers and owners reward safe

CHP Consulting publishes Lease Accounting Whitepaper
The publication on ‘Lease Accounting Reform: The Systems Impact for Asset Finance Lessors’ reflects the final standards published by the IASB and FASB, published earlier

Toyota's new Prius Plug-in to offer emissions of 32g/km
Built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA)-based platform, it’s the second generation of the Prius to be available with a plug-in hybrid drive.

First Drive: Kia Optima
SECTOR: Upper Medium PRICE: From €24,990–€35,990 FUEL: 4.2–7.5l/100km CO2: 110–175g/km The Optima’s runaway success when it was launched in North America five

Operational leasing… finance for the future
While big corporations are well aware of the advantages and drawbacks of operational leasing – often referred to as contract hire or full‐service leasing if

ARI to run free webinar on driver safety and risk management
Rich Radi, director, ARI Global Driver Excellence, will present the free webcast to discuss minimising workplace driver accidents that impact employee welfare and an organization’s

Winners of 2016 World Car of the Year awards announced
The MX-5 beat fellow finalists, the Audi A4 Sedan/Avant and the Mercedes-Benz GLC, at the awards and also scooped the World Car Design of the

Genesis takes wraps off Hybrid Sports Sedan Concept at New York Motor Show
The model gives an insight into the brand’s design direction, which it says is centred on “driver-focused luxury”. Features include a full leather interior with

Interview: Steve Zanlunghi, head of Jeep brand for EMEA, on forthcoming developments
The Jeep Renegade, launched in autumn 2014 has helped to transform the US brand’s fortunes throughout Europe. Annual sales by the end of November 2015

EU demand for commercial vehicles increases for 14th consecutive month
ACEA found that growth was sustained across all segments of commercial vehicles. Looking at the largest markets, Italy recorded the highest upturn (+30.4%) followed by

Europe’s car safety framework needs ‘overhaul’, says ETSC
In its report, the ETSC says that new data shows only around half of new vehicles sold in 2013 had been awarded five stars by

Kwik Fit to expand into Italy with opening of 200 service centres
The automotive repair and servicing company and tyre retailer has signed a franchise agreement with CDG-ONE, part of Segema S.p.A., a leading tyre distribution group

US driving safety specialist acquires Interactive Driving Systems
Interactive Driving Systems, which provides fleet driver safety management solutions through its Virtual Risk Manager (VRM) platform, has been acquired by US online driver education

Holistic, cross-disciplinary approach to cybersecurity needed, says security specialist
In a statement issued in partnership with the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US, the FBI

European new car registrations buoyed by SUVs, finds JATO
JATO found that the month’s increase was more than double the rise posted in January 2016, and six percentage points higher than the growth seen

Mexico City named ‘Most Traffic Congested City’ in world
The results are from the TomTom Traffic Index 2016, the annual report detailing the cities around the world with the most traffic congestion, which also

Alphabet passes 600,000 leased vehicle milestone
Alphabet has reported continued growth in 2015, as it expanded its fleet of leased cars and light commercial vehicles to over 600,000 for the first

Europe risks falling behind US on vehicle safety, says Thatcham
The call comes from Thatcham Research following last week’s decision by the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Insurance Institute

Fleet Logistics implements preferred dealer network initiative with view to European roll out
The network, which comprises just 11 dealer groups and dealerships, covers all major marques and with a set of new contractual agreements. The new

Vehicle manufacturers offer first drive opportunities at Silverstone Fleet Show
There are 20 individual vehicle manufacturers’ brands represented this year so far at the Silverstone show, on Wednesday,11 May, comprising: Alfa Romeo, BMW, Chrysler, Citroen,

Sodexo acquires Dutch startup XXImo
The XXImo Mobility Card provides a single solution for journeys by car, taxi, train, tram, bus, car share, public bike share and plane and also

Focus on Austria's new car market
According to ABA-Invest in Austria the automotive sector in the country generates €43 billion in revenues annually and employs some 370,000 people in 700 companies.

US carmakers agree to make automatic emergency braking standard by 2022
A total of 20 carmakers in the US have agreed to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars by 2022.

Volkswagen joint venture completes sale of stake in LeasePlan for €3.7bn
Volkswagen and fleet management firm Fleet Investments have completed the divestment of their 100% shareholding in LeasePlan to a consortium of long-term investors for €3.7bn.

Enterprise Exotic Car Collection expands into Swiss market with new Zurich branch
The branch is sited to serve Zurich’s financial district, and just a short distance away from high-end shops, restaurants and hotels, including the five-star Park-Hyatt,

European True Fleet Market sees double-digit growth in four out of five markets
The firm noted that the figures built on the already strong performance seen in January. France, Germany, Italy and Spain reached growth rates between 13.7%

Arval launches Active Link telematics service in Spain
The leasing and fleet management specialist said commercial and operational activities for the solution have been in place since 5 February. The first phase

Genesis previews four-door sedan with New York Concept
The concept, which will be revealed at the New York Motor Show next week, sets out the brand’s future design direction. Manfred Fitzgerald, head

First Drive: Suzuki Vitara S
SECTOR: Crossover PRICE: €22,670–€24,170 FUEL: 5.4–5.5l/100km CO2: 127–128g/km It is less than a year since Suzuki launched the latest Vitara range, giving the company’s

90 million global car market in 2016?
Incremental volume growth in the US and Europe is forecast to be solid but less spectacular, while on the other side of the balance sheet,

Renault issues teaser image of Russian Kaptur 4×4 crossover
The carmaker said the new model has been renamed from its Captur cousin due to its local research carried out when the Kaptur was designed,

EU passenger car registrations up 14.3% in February
Latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, ACEA, show that the market in February recorded the 30th consecutive month of growth and totalled 1,056,902

BP rolls out cleaner, more efficient Ultimate fuels
The new BP Ultimate fuels include ACTIVE technology based on patented technology specially designed to actively fight dirt and protect against it building up.

GM to accelerate autonomous development with Cruise Automation acquisition
General Motors has acquired San Francisco-based start-up Cruise Automation to accelerate its work in autonomous vehicles.

Nicolas Maure named new CEO of AvtoVAZ
The announcement was made by Alliance Rostec Auto BV, the joint venture between Renault-Nissan and Rostec State Corporation (Rostec), which oversees AvtoVAZ, which also confirmed

ALD Automotive grows global fleet 9% to 1.2m vehicles in 2015
The leasing and fleet management giant said that its partnership activity largely contributed to this success with the signing of new contracts with car manufacturers

UK leasing industry helping to drive ultra-low emission vehicle take-up
That’s according to latest quarterly figures from the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association which show almost one in 20 (4.7%) of all new leased

First Drive: SEAT Ibiza 1.4 TDI
SECTOR: Supermini PRICE: €16,280–€20,660 FUEL: 3.4–3.8l/100km CO2: 88–102g/km Ibiza celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015 and the 4th generation model got a

Data driven: a solution to remarketing needs in Austria
Business cars account for around half the new registrations in Austria, a market that saw ups and downs in 2015. It began slowly, according to

Adapt business vehicle programs to meet changing employee needs, finds US research
That’s the finding of research by fleet management solutions provider Runzheimer in the US. The research finds that almost all (90%) organizations have a

Lexus starts sales in Turkey
The new dealership is located in Maslak in Istanbul, with showrooms planned in other major cities, such as Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya and Adana and

Decline in Russian new car market shows signs of slowdown
Sales of new passenger cars and LCVs in Russia decreased by 13.4% in February 2016 to 111,145 units. Year to date, 193,072 units were sold

Global growth in car sharing to have minimal impact on new vehicle sales
The report find that the largest car sharing market is currently the Asia-Pacific region, with 2.3 million users and 33,000 vehicles, although Europe boasts the

Renault signs letter of intent on smart-charge systems for electric transport
The partnership with the Dutch Utrecht City Council, ElaadNL and LomboXnet would launch a car sharing scheme where vehicle batteries are used as backup storage

Number of connected cars to grow to 160 million by 2020
That’s the finding of new research by Statista that outlines the number of connected cars will rise to 160 million vehicles worldwide by 2020.

ABAX Triplog telematics sales increase sixfold
In addition to its domestic market, the company operates in the UK, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands and offers GPS tracking, fleet management platforms,

PASSango toll badge to be extended to Belgium and Austria
The scheme, which is run by TOTAL and its AS24 affiliate, will also see the badge become useable in Austria and on the bridges linking

Interview: Linda Jackson, CEO of Citroën
Quirky – adjective (quirkier, quirkiest) having peculiar or unexpected habits or qualities – Derivatives: quirkily or quirkiness. So says the Oxford English dictionary.
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