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Kia publishes official sketches of new Sportage ahead of Frankfurt debut
The fourth-generation model will up the ante against rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai, helped by a “bold, progressive design”, as well as an updated

Mercedes-Benz reveals C-Class Coupe
Set to make its debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the Coupé joins the saloon and estate models launched last year, with a Cabriolet

Ford to debut world-first knee bag on new Mustang
The new technology will be debuted on the Mustang and will bring benefits including more room for front seat passengers and improved fuel efficiency thanks

Week-long European speed enforcement campaign starts 17 August
The purpose of the operation, which is co-ordinated by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL), is to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding, and

Budget Car Rental opens more than 200 new locations across Europe
In France, Budget has nearly tripled its number of rental facilities by opening 208 new locations, including Paris, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. In Italy, five new

German order books open for new Audi A4
The new model weighs up to 120kg less compared with the predecessor model and also brings economical four-cylinder power units and high-torque six-cylinder engines delivering

DriveNow adds 400 BMW i3s to Copenhagen car sharing fleet for Arriva scheme
The vehicles will be available to hire from 3 September under a franchise scheme being run by DriveNow, the joint car sharing venture of the

Global light vehicle demand slows markedly in July, reports LMCA
According to new data from LMC Automotive, last month saw the US and Western Europe continue to make progress. However, China sales slipped back by

Alphabet investigates trademark concerns following Google announcement
The Google news was announced in a blog by CEO Larry Page, who said: “Our company is operating well today, but we think we can

Russian roulette
If you have been asked to go to Russia for business it is likely your employer will have hired a driver for you. However, if

Opel Vivaro, Movano and Combo gain Euro 6 diesels as part of model year 2016 updates
“The new, ultra-modern diesel engines further increase the efficiency of our light commercial vehicles. This and the extended equipment options make Vivaro, Movano and Combo

Opel joins ‘Ko-HAF’ autonomous research initiative
The research initiative began in June 2015 and will run until November 2018. The project has a budget totalling 36.3 million euros and is supported

New plant in Slovakia to play key role in Jaguar Land Rover expansion plans
The carmaker said it had considered a number of other locations, including elsewhere in Europe as well as the United States and Mexico, in line

Suzuki Baleno to receive world premiere at Frankfurt Motor Show debut
The debut of the full production version follows on from the iK-2 Concept seen at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. The Baleno’s new

Mazda set to unveil new Koeru crossover concept at Frankfurt
The name Koeru, Japanese for ‘exceed’, or ‘go beyond’, has been selected for Mazda’s latest venture into the growing crossover market. Designed using the KODO

Thatcham Research provides repair expertise to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The partnership has already led to a week-long visit from a delegation led by engineer Hani Dahhan from the Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers –

SmartDrive appoints Aidan Rowsome as head of European operations
Mr Rowsome brings over 25 years of experience and is a recognised expert in the application of SaaS and cloud solutions for fleet and risk

Western European car sales up 8.8% in July
The selling rate for July stood at 13.1 mn units/year, not far off the June level, and LMC Automotive claims this continues to reflect generally

Chevrolet says 90% of Volt journeys will be electric
The manufacturer’s data showed owners of the outgoing car were able to cover 80% of their journeys in electric mode, with an average of 1,000

First Drive: Toyota Avensis
Sector: Upper Medium Price: €23,640–€36,340 Fuel: 4.2–6.5l/100km CO2: 108–149g/km Toyota reckons word of mouth plays a big part in Avensis sales, and they’re probably right.

Rise of the machines
Autonomous cars have some test history in Japan and in the US, but large vehicles have also been quietly assembling the technology bank required to

Unbalanced surge in European plug-in sales during H1 2015
Helped by a package of incentives for owners, Norway continues to be the biggest market for electric and plug-in vehicles. Registrations totalled 16,990 units during

IM Group acquires Citroen Motors Ireland
IM Group, which also has operations in the UK, Nordic and Chinese markets, has 30 years’ experience in the Republic of Ireland, where it is

Country profile – From Russia with love
At the mercy of everything from international sanctions to currency devaluation, political uncertainty, and only partially successful vehicle scrappage schemes, in the last eighteen months

Tesla Model S gains new autonomous functions
Announced on Twitter, co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said the update – which will be delivered via an over-the-air download to cars with the Autopilot

California hydrogen network reaches Sacramento Valley
Expected to become one of the most advanced hydrogen fuel cell markets in the world, California has eight publically accessible refilling stations spread between West

Audi, BMW and Daimler to co-acquire Nokia mapping subsidiary
Audi AG, the BMW Group and Daimler AG have acquired mapping company HERE from the Nokia Corporation, aiming to create an open platform for next-generation

Double‐hit on Chinese passenger vehicle sales leads to escalating market adjustment
Sales of locally‐made passenger vehicles in the month fell by 1.4% on last year, bringing YoY growth down to 2.8% in Q2 and to 7.2%

Country profile – Russia: Down but not out
Three years ago, when the Western European car market was still suffering from the European economic crisis, Russia offered hope for struggling European manufacturers looking

Connectivity is the future
Technology looks set to take more and more of the decisions made by drivers out of their hands on both safety and environmental grounds as

Last chance to submit Prince Michael International Road Safety Award nominations
The awards recognise achievement and innovation that will improve road safety. To view all previous winners, click here. Award categories are based on the five

Chevin US expands into bigger office premises
The new premises continue to be based in Fitchburg, MA but are four times the size of the previous property. They include expanded office and

Tanguy van de Werve leaves Leaseurope to join AFME
Mr van de Werve has been appointed as managing director, advocacy and head of AFME’s Brussels office. Simon Lewis, chief executive of AFME, said: “We

LeasePlan Italy inspected by local competition authority
The company said the inspection forms part of an investigation among a number of companies active in the Italian long-term renting industry. The news comes

Fleetio launches fuel tracking app designed specifically for fleets
Free for all Fleetio users, the app allows drivers to log fuel in seconds using a mobile phone or tablet and provides fleets with comprehensive

First Drive: Fiat 500X
SECTOR: Compact crossover PRICE: From €13,600 FUEL: 4.1–6.4l/100km CO2: 109–147g/km Fiat has been quite clever with the design of the 500X, first seen at

Daimler and Renault-Nissan establish Mexico JV plant
Located in Aguascalientes in central Mexico, the new JV is called COMPAS (Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes) and is owned 50:50 by the two firms. The

Syngenta appoints Fleet Logistics to manage APAC fleet
Syngenta, which is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, employs 28,000 people in 90 countries worldwide. It is dedicated to the purpose of ‘Bringing Plant Potential to

EU CV registrations up 12.9% in H1
Latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, the ACEA show that 1,030,140 commercial vehicles were registered for H1. During the same period, Spain (+36.8%),

Road Test: Mazda6
SECTOR: Upper-medium PRICE: From €19,250 FUEL: 3.9–5.9l/100km CO2: 106–137g/km I t was clear from launch that Mazda had a winner on its hands with the

US regulators hit Fiat Chrysler with record fine
The carmaker will also offer to buy back nearly half-a-million of the vehicles it has recalled. Fiat Chrysler has also agreed to being monitored for

European police catch over 16k drink drivers in week-long campaign
In total, 1,104,879 breath tests were carried out in 26 countries between 1 and 7 June, with one in 66 drivers tested being over the

International Diesel Service opens 30 new fuelling stations across Europe
The move sees IDS, part of the Kuwait Petroleum Company, expand its presence in emerging markets such as Croatia and Slovakia where it has already

All carmakers have duty to protect drivers from security threats, says specialist
Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller recently remotely hacked into a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, proving that they could disable the SUV’s engine functions and take control

Strong June performance pushes European True Fleet Market to excellent first half-year
The data shows that the performance of True Fleets in Spain (+32.0%) and Italy (+19.4%) was remarkable. In addition, France, Germany and the UK saw

Cyber security solutions long overdue, says IHS Automotive
Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller recently remotely hacked into a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, proving that they could disable the SUV’s engine functions and take control

LeasePlan sold to consortium of investors for €3.7bn
Volkswagen and German bank Metzler have sold their shareholding in LeasePlan to a consortium of investors for €3.7bn.

Road Test: MG6
SECTOR: Lower-medium PRICE: From €14,560 FUEL: 4.6l/100km CO2: 119g/km It may only be available in the UK at present, but MG is planning to launch

Hackers expose vehicle security flaw
Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller recently remotely hacked into a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, proving that they could disable the SUV’s engine functions and take control

Ford recalls 8,000 vehicles in North America due to parking brake issue
The recall affects 7,165 vehicles in the United States and federalized territories, 799 in Canada and one in Mexico. The vehicles may be subject to

Jaguar Land Rover launches Corporate Fleet & Business Sales Program in North America
The new program is aimed at both end-user fleets and drivers who receive a vehicle allowance as part of their compensation package. Eligible customers will
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