Latest news
International news

Over half of people would use a driverless vehicle, finds global LeasePlan survey
That’s according to a global survey from LeasePlan, which also found a further 14%, predominantly male, would have absolutely no problem at all. The

Amarok to be first VW model to get diesel remedial measures
Last month saw Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) approve Volkswagen’s proposed measures for repairing vehicles affected by the diesel emissions scandal. The carmaker

German car market up 3.3% in January
Latest VDIK data shows that January recorded 218,365 new passenger car registrations, an increase of 3.3%. Diesel registrations accounted for more than 106,000 units,

SUVs become best-selling segment in Europe for first time
The research by JATO Dynamics shows that SUVs outsold the traditional subcompact and compact segments, posting an increase of 24% at 3.2 million units.

ECB gives green light to LeasePlan acquisition
LeasePlan said it had been informed of the move by its current 100% shareholder Global Mobility Holding BV – a joint venture of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft

Skoda previews SUV concept ahead of Geneva debut
The concept hints at how a future Skoda SUV could look, with the brand saying that it’s looking to broaden its range of models within

Infiniti Q60 and QX30 to make European debut at Geneva
Previously shown at the Detroit Motor Show, the Q60 brings a new 405hp V6 twin-turbo engine with an all-new electronic suspension system, Dynamic Digital Suspension

Honda rated as most reliable manufacturer in survey of over 30,000 European drivers
The survey saw over 30,000 European drivers surveyed on 178 different models. Honda received a reliability rating of 93/100, with a further 79% of survey

Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car launch in Luxembourg
The brands will operate from shared locations at Luxembourg Findel Airport, the business centre of Luxembourg City and in the city of Diekirch. The

Dongfeng Renault opens first plant in China
Based in Wuhan in the Hubei Province, the plant for Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC) includes a vehicle and powertrain plant together with an R&D

Global light vehicle sales rise 2.0% in 2015
The data from LMC Automotive shows that market strength continued in December, which rose 5.2% and saw an estimated selling rate of circa 96 million

Renault to ‘considerably intensify operations’ in Iran
The group said it’s been active in Iran for over 10 years with its Iranian partners, SAIPA and Iran Khodro and has produced close to

Finalists for 2016 World Car Awards announced
The prize-giving ceremony will be hosted by the New York International Auto Show on Thursday 24 2016 when the winners of the 2016 World Car

Fleet Logistics to expand into US
The firm said it closed last year with a contracted fleet of more than 180,000 vehicles and a year-on-year growth rate of almost 25% –

PSA Peugeot Citroen signs JV agreement with Iran Khodro
The deal comes one week after international sanctions were lifted and restores contractual relations concerning the manufacture of Peugeot-branded vehicles currently produced in Iran. Earlier

Intelligent Speed Assistance should be standard fit on all new vehicles in Europe, says ETSC
The five-minute video includes a demonstration of the system by Oliver Carsten of the University of Leeds in a production Ford Galaxy factory-fitted with ISA.

Tesla president global sales and service to speak at 2016 Geneva International Fleet Meeting
The event, which is supported by International Fleet World, takes place on 2 March at the Geneva Motor Show and brings pre-eminent speakers along with

EU proposes overhaul of type approval rules following emissions scandal
The major overhaul of the EU type approval framework would build on the current rules where national authorities are solely responsible for certifying that a

NAFA's 2016 FLEXY Awards receive record number of nominations
The Fleet Excellence Awards (or FLEXY for short) are intended to spotlight those who have impacted fleet management in both the corporate and public fleet

Toyota retains crown as world’s biggest carmaker
The figure puts it ahead of Volkswagen in second place with 9.93m vehicles and GM in the third slot with 9.8m cars. However, Toyota’s

Italy and Spain help drive 9.3% increase in European new car registrations for 2015
The data also shows that the increase was driven by Spain and Italy and other smaller markets. The market benefited from the last two

Modest growth predicted for Iranian automotive sector following UN sanctions removal
Released at the same time as DS Automobiles announces the launch of its first store in Iran, the latest IHS light-vehicle forecast for the market

Fact sheet produced for US commuters around 2016 IRS standard mileage rate
The information has been published by Runzheimer, which provides mobile workforce solutions, to debunk five common misconceptions around reimbursement. To access the free tip

VW to have emission values of its vehicles certified by external inspectors in future
The announcement was made by CEO Matthias Müller at the company's traditional New Year reception in Brussels as he also said that Europe needs to

Octo Telematics reaches milestone of four million worldwide connected users
The firm, which claims a 36% of the market in terms of active Usage Based Insurance (UBI policies, has signed a number of new partnerships

EU commercial vehicle registrations up 12.4% in 2015
The data shows a 12.4% rise for the year as a whole, marking the third year of growth. In total, 2,079,322 units were registered.. During

EU-5 fleet markets outperform private sales in 2015
The data shows that the 10.8% fleet growth rate was almost equalled by a 10.8% performance in December. For the year as a whole, the

DS Automobiles opens first store in Iran
The launch follows the October announcement of a deal between DS and ARIAN Group to operate and oversee the automotive brand’s first venture into the

Fleet Logistics to hold inaugural global fleet roundtable meeting in March
The event takes place on Wednesday, March 9 at Jaguar Land Rover’s state-of-the-art Castle Bromwich Plant in Birmingham, UK and is open to delegates for

First Drive: Nissan Navara
Sector: Pick-up Price: €25,900–€35,200 Fuel: 6.3 –7.0l/100km CO2: 169–183g/km Crossover styling meets working truck, in Nissan’s latest NP300 Navara pick-up. Built at the firm’s

Coast-to-coast: What Delphi has learned from its autonomous driving trials
Autonomous driving, where vehicles use sensors and computers to automate the driving of a vehicle is perhaps the ultimate use of telematics. What is certain

Final deadline for NAFA FLEXY nominations
Now in their fourth year, the FLEXYs will once again award in the fields of sustainability, safety, and overall fleet management achievement and the competition

SEAT boosts international sales for third year running
The brand broke through the 400,000 annual vehicle sales barrier for the first time since 2007, with a total of 400,037 units in 2015, up

Anixter Power Solutions implements Chevin fleet software
Chevin’s FleetWave software was selected for its ability to integrate with internal systems, third party applications and the organisation’s numerous service providers. The FleetWave

Fastned opens 50th fast-charging station in the Netherlands
Commenting on the opening, Michiel Langezaal, CEO Fastned, said: “We are the first player to build a network of fast-charging stations which are powered by

2016 to bring more modest increase in European car sales, says ACEA
In 2015, EU passenger car sales grew by 9.3% compared to 2014, bringing the total number of cars sold to 13.7 million units. “But

ALD Driver Experience Challenge helps enhance customer service
ALD Automotive has been given an insight into a number of ideas on how to enhance the driving experience through its Driver Experience Challenge. Launched last September,

GM combines car sharing services under new Maven brand
The global Maven team includes more than 40 dedicated employees from the connected car technology industry as well as ride- and car-sharing professionals from Google,

First Drive: SsangYong Tivoli
Sector: Crossover Price: €15,490–€26,990 Fuel: 4.3 –7.6l/100km CO2: 133–176g/km Korean manufacturer SsangYong is a small player in Europe but, with the Tivoli crossover, it’s

Apps on the move: Alphabet's latest AlphaGuide app
Mobile applications, ‘apps’ have brought a new dimension to telematics for fleet drivers by helping them to find useful information or making bookings on the

DAF opens Used Truck Centre in Warsaw
The centre offers between 100 and 150 low-mileage, quality-approved used DAF trucks, all of which come from the DAF, PACCAR Financial and PacLease organisations. The majority

Renault confirms recall for 15,000 vehicles due to issue with calibration unit
The carmaker didn’t announce which models were affected or in which markets but according to reports, the fix applies to the Captur SUV and has

Prices announced for new Mercedes E-Class
Priced from €45,303.30, the new E-Class will be initially available with three engines at market launch. These include the 148hp four-cylinder petrol in the E200

Real-driving emissions come under focus from MEPs and automotive industry
Under the debate, MEPs discussed vetoing plans to raise car NOx emission limits by up to 110% when the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test procedure

First Drive: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Sector: SUV Price: From €40,480 Fuel: 1.8l/100km CO2: 42g/km Mitsubishi has enjoyed phenomenal success with the Outlander PHEV since it was launched in 2014.

Profile on Mexico: Exporting success
Mexico may be comparatively small compared with its northern neighbour, the United States of America, but it is the fifth largest country on the American

Manufacturer Profile: Hyundai
Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor Corporation Total sales 2014: 4,835,000 Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea Global market share: 6.2% Tucson delivers sales boost Hyundai Motor posted total

Russian car sales down 35.7% in 2015
Total sales for the year came to 1,601,216 units compared to 2,491,403 for 2014 – a drop of 890,187 units. Sales decreased by 45.7%

ALD Automotive France partners with Allopneus for tyre service
Under the contract, customers of ALD Automotive France can now benefit from tyre replacements at home or at work. The mobile tyre fitting service

Leaseurope puts focus on SME leasing with roundtable initiative
The aim is to explore the national SME financing landscape and improve the understanding of leasing as a valuable form of investment finance, as well

EU passenger car registrations rise 9.3% in 2015
Latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) show that registrations were up 9.3% to 13,713,526 units but it added that the trend is