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Opel Astra emissions fall to 94g/km
Launched in April 2014 to replace the previous 1.7-litre diesel, the 1.6 CDTi is available in two power outputs – with 110PS and 136PS. CO2

Mercedes-Benz starts work on new passenger car plant in Brazil
Mercedes-Benz is investing a total of BRL 500m (€159m) in the Iracemápolis plant near São Paulo with an annual capacity of 20,000 vehicles. The plant

Passenger car demand in Western Europe to grow 2.1% in 2015, predicts IHS
The firm said that after seeing growth in 2014, the Western European passenger car market has recorded further gains in January, according to IHS Automotive

Subaru Levorg sports tourer to make European show debut at Geneva
Already on sale in Japan, the Levorg sports tourer will be demonstrated in its European spec model prior to its European launch later this year.

European fleets increasingly utilising mobile device integration for fleet software
So says Chevin Fleet Solutions, with Paul Verkinderen, sales director Europe & MEA, explaining: ‘Especially among commercial vehicles fleets, we are seeing smartphones being used

UK new car market to grow 1.7% in 2015, forecasts IHS Automotive
Newly released SMMT data shows that January registrations got off to a strong start, with registrations within the fleet sector up 18.1% to 89,640 units.

Major UK fleet associations support Silverstone Fleet Show
The three main trade associations, the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO), the Institute of Car Fleet Management (ICFM) and the British Vehicle Rental and

Suzuki to reveal concept duo at Geneva
Little details have been released but the iK-2 (main picture) appears to be a C-segment hatch rather than a replacement for the Swift. Suzuki added

Volkswagen debuts new Caddy
The latest Caddy brings a redesigned front and rear end along with new-look front and rear lights and an upgraded interior. Engine line-up is also

Infiniti to reveal Evoque rival at Geneva Motor Show
An important addition to the carmaker’s European range, the QX30 will give Infiniti a rival to other big-selling premium crossovers, such as the Audi Q3,

Mazda CX-3 to make European debut at Geneva
Marking the carmaker’s fifth model launch in six months, Mazda's first small SUV will be offered in AWD or FWD format when it goes on

EV registrations rise 37% in EU, reports ACEA
The provisional 2014 sales figures show that 75,331 ECVs were registered in the EU – up 37% on the 2013 figure of 55,142, although it

French government announces April start for diesel scrappage scheme
Speaking with Le Parisien, Ségolène Royal,France’s Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, said the country had joined the fight against air pollution too late,

Auto-Interleasing turns to Miles from Sofico to meet customers’ green fleet needs
Auto-Interleasing began using Miles 10 years ago as it needed one common fleet management platform to be able to run its three branches more efficiently

Auto industry growth to continue in 2015 but at slower pace, says ACEA
Last year, new passenger car registrations were up 5.7% on the previous year, reaching 12.6 million units. ‘This is significant because it was the EU’s

DS 4 gains three new engines & extra kit
Under the changes, the DS 4 gains a new petrol engine, the THP 165 S&S EAT6, and two new diesels, the BlueHDi 150 S&S 6-speed

AlertDriving launches new website
The new website, www.alertdriving.com, comes as the firm increases its presence to over 70 countries. Besides improving user experience, the new website also offers simplified

German passenger car market in 'stable phase of gradual growth', finds IHS
The January figures from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority show that January sales were up to to 211.337 units. Around two-thirds of these sales

15% of all new cars to have hybrid powertrain by 2025, says Bosch
Speaking at the Car Symposium in Bochum, Germany, Dr Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, also predicting that hybrid powertrains

New Lexus concept to get world premiere at Geneva
No details have been released about the car but according to reports it could be a successor to the LFA supercar. Geneva will also see

Skoda reveals first interior image of new Superb
Previewed in December, the third-generation Superb is based by the “Skoda VisionC” show car shown at Geneva last year and brings clear geometry, contoured surfaces, sculptural

Hyundai to show new global Tucscon SUV at Geneva
Set to be debuted at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, the new model (see teaser video here) marks a return to the Tuscon name, which

Record number of vehicle manufacturers at sell-out Silverstone Fleet Show
Newcomers to this year’s Show on Tuesday, May 12, include fleet market-leader, Ford Motor Company, and the Fiat Group, with its four main brands: Alfa

Too many features? Too much data?
By no means all fleet operators worldwide need an all-embracing telematics system that does everything but make the coffee. All many of them really

Renault Kadjar C-segment SUV revealed
The bigger brother to the Captur model, the Kadjar will rival models such as the Nissan Qashqai and Ford Kuga and is said to bring

Facelifted Kia Picanto to debut at Geneva
On sale across Europe by the end of Q1 2015, the revised three and five-door models gain updated front and rear bumpers along with a

Opel launches new 82g/km Corsa with Easytronic 3.0 transmission
On sale in Germany from March, the new model is marked out for being the most economical Opel presently on the market and the most

BMW Group addresses possible hacking risk with new security patch
The new patch increases data security and has been made in response to a report from the motorist’s association, which had identified a potential security

Global light vehicle sales to rise 2.4% in 2015, predicts IHS
The firm is predicting unit sales of 88.6m units for the global light vehicle market in 2015, an increase of 2.4% over 2014, continuing an

Paragon Software Systems expands in China
The move, which forms part of the company’s ongoing expansion overseas, includes the appointment of Shanghai-based Danvers Dai to Paragon’s business development team. Danvers is

TomTom rolls out global map updates
TomTom’s global map database now covers over 44 million kilometres and 4.2 billion people worldwide, and features full navigable coverage for 126 countries. ‘TomTom continues

Fraikin & Masternaut to target pan-European fleets with new commercial telematics package
The package brings full service telematics, collating vital driving data that can be used to cut costs by optimising fleet management and increasing productivity. The

Two new fleet clients move to Pantonium web-based software system
New clients include Caliber Patient Care, which is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and provides non-emergency medical transportation. This includes wheelchair and para-lift services, as well

Kia teases e-AWD Concept for Chicago Auto Show
Kia says the ‘bold off-roader was conceived by Kia's California design studio and built for city dwellers seeking the ultimate urban escape. Intended to enable

Europcar to accelerate international expansion of low-cost InterRent brand
The brand is already present in over 27 countries on 4 continents, with 119 stations in main airports and train stations, and an average fleet of

Forthcoming VW Golf GTD Estate to offer 4.4l/100km
Like the Golf GTD, the estate features the 184PS 2.0-litre TDI engine, giving a 0 to 62mph time of 7.9 seconds along with a combined

French fleet deploys hydrogen range extended vans
The la Manche region has one of the only hydrogen fuel cell stations in France, which will be used to refill the 1.8kg tank on

Common rules to enable smarter road tolls in Europe
Bulc also stressed that the amount of the fee should be based exclusively on the distance driven and should not be time-dependent, which would bolster

Texas-based Capital City Limousine signs up to Pantonium fleet management software
Based in Austin, Texas, the luxury limousine provider runs a fleet including the Luxury 750 Series BMW, King Ranch edition Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and

Double-digit growth for European True Fleet Market for LCVs
Following the release of strong figures for passenger cars, the Dataforce data also shows that across all five major markets the True Fleet Market (commercial

Honda to unveil production models of new Jazz & HR-V at Geneva
With every model in the range set to be replaced or refreshed in 2015, Honda’s line-up at the Geneva Motor Show will include production models

Hyundai comes on board with expanding European hydrogen fleet project
The carmaker will deliver eight ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles to Oslo in 2015 to make use of the hydrogen fuelling network in the city. The

2014 commercial vehicle registrations rise 7.6% in EU, reports ACEA
The figures – which are released at the same time as a Dataforce report showing a double-digit rise in EU True Fleet registrations for CVs

DHL Express Italia adds 50 Nissan e-NV200s
The logistics company said the van had proved it could cover a typical duty cycle, completing 45 deliveries and 25 collections on a simulated route

Eric Stanley appointed managing director at GE Capital Fleet Services
Eric Stanley brings more than 20 years of sales experience with him to GE Capital Fleet Services. He joined GE in 1998 and has held

Mitsubishi to reveal new plug-in hybrid SUV at Geneva
The carmaker said the 2WD concept crossover is a ‘declaration of intent’ for MMC’s future directions, showing both its next-generation 2WD PHEV as well as

Fleet training returns to sell-out Silverstone Fleet Show
This year’s event, on Tuesday 12 May and sponsored by Barclaycard in association with TMC, will see the morning devoted to workshop-style, interactive and informal

Global LCV growth for Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz sells its Sprinter light CV range in 130 countries worldwide and gave the new, smaller Vito van its public debut at the recent

EU-5 Fleet Market up 12.2% in 2014
The firm’s figures show that volumes of new passenger car registrations in both the Private Market and the Special Channels (manufacturers, dealerships and Rent-A-Cars) outperformed

Mokka & Insignia gain new Opel “whisper diesels”
The changes see the Mokka gain the 136PS 1.6 CDTI four-cylinder unit for an entry-level price of €24,685. The unit will replace the 1.7 CDTI,

Renault Kadjar C-segment SUV announced
No official pics have been released yet but the new model will be revealed via a teaser campaign using social media over the coming days
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