Latest news
International news

EU CO2 rules force motoring execs to focus on optimising engines over new technology, says KPMG report
The survey revealed that since 2013, the top priorities have remained unchanged but have increased in importance: Market growth in emerging countries (2013: 43 %;

West European car market grows 4.7% in 2014, reports LMCA
So says LMC Automotive, which adds that the 2014 result still leaves the market 2.7 million units below the 2007 result, highlighting the scale of

Euro NCAP announces Best in Class Cars of 2014
The vehicles have been recognised for not only achieving the organisation’s five-star maximum rating but for also achieving the highest overall scores in their respective

TomTom expands its traffic service in Latin America
According to TomTom’s Traffic Index, Mexico City ranks fourth in the world for overall congestion. During the evening rush hour, a commute anywhere in the Mexican

UK fleet market sees strong growth in 2014 as new car sales reach 10-year high
Latest SMMT data shows that fleet sales rose 8.7% over the whole of 2014, reaching a total of 1,178,416 units compared with 1,084,279 for 2013.

Mercedes unveils F015 self-driving luxury sedan
The concept uses a futuristic design with a low-slung front end, streamlined roof line, flat front windscreen along with a saloon-door-style door system featuring rear-hinged

Toyota gives free access to fuel cell technology
Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, the carmaker will enable interested parties to use 5,680 fuel cell vehicle patent

Dollar Thrifty adds extra 116 rental branches in major German destinations
The recently launched Dollar Thrifty airport and downtown branches are based in some of the most important German destinations such as Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne

Volkswagen selects TomTom maps
The system will be introduced across multiple car lines, including the Jetta, Passat and Beetle. By combining professional map-making methods with a community of hundreds

First Drive: Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive
Sector: Compact MPV Price: €39,151 Electric range: 200–230km CO2: 0g/km It’s just over two decades since Mercedes-Benz first showed the potential of its sandwich floor

Hyundai to build two more plants in China
The plants will be built by Beijing Hyundai Motor Company (BHMC), a 50-50 joint venture between Hyundai Motor Company and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co,

Leon opens doors for SEAT with major corporate fleets
Speaking in Austria at the fleet launch of the new Leon X-PERIENCE, SEAT head of international fleet sales, Giuseppe Tommaso told International Fleet World that

Daimler announces plans to grow smart brand in 2015
In a statement, smart boss Annette Winkler said: ‘Smart fortwo and smart forfour had a strong start in the market at the end of November. In 2015 we

Infiniti reveals Q60 Concept
Featuring a 2+2 coupe seating layout that’s said to bring more leg room for rear passengers thanks to the use of genuine sports seats, the

Expanded Audi investment programme to bring new models & eco technologies
Audi is further expanding the biggest investment program in its history. From 2015 through 2019, the Ingolstadt-based company plans to invest €24bn, €2bn more than

Putting the spotlight on work-related safety
Held in Brussels, Belgium, the programme included contributions from leading occupational health and safety experts and the awarding of the PRAISE road safety winners in

New Sprinter provides basis for next generation UPS delivery vehicles
The basis of the cooperative development between UPS, Spier and Mercedes-Benz is the new Sprinter 513 BlueTec with its 95 kW-strong Euro 6 engine and long wheel

Germany’s controversial infrastructure levy will bring benefits, says VDIK
The so-called infrastructure levy will come into effect from 2016 at which point foreign drivers will need to pay for the use of German highways

NAFA opens submissions for 2015 Fleet Excellence Awards
Open to everyone in fleet management, the FLEXYs are awarded in the fields of sustainability, safety, and overall fleet management achievement. Three finalists for each award

Extra space at Silverstone Fleet Show going fast!
Next year’s Show on 12 May at the world-famous Grand Prix circuit and exhibition centre sold out last week, prompting organizers to create an additional

EU agrees deal for safer, cleaner lorries
In a statement T&E said that the agreed law allows lorrymakers to produce new designs but industry lobbyists secured a ban until 2022 even though

IHS Automotive comments on outlook for foreign OEMs in Russia
Tim Urquhart, principal analyst, said: ‘OEMs are increasingly looking at their business risk in Russia as a result of the collapsing value of the currency.

New EU rules to provide road users with up-to-date traffic info
The real-time traffic information will cover expected delays, estimated travel times, information about accidents, road works and road closures, warnings about weather conditions and any

EU commercial vehicle market slows in November but remains up YtD
Latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, the ACEA, show that total registrations last month numbered 152,744 units. Only the light commercial vehicle and

European new car market set for ‘fantastic full calendar year of sales growth’
That’s the finding of the latest market analysis from JATO Dynamics, which shows that European new car sales grew 1.3% in November compared to the

Business Lease Group’s Philip Aarsman moves to new Romanian business
The deal, which the firm says has been made in a move to consolidate its position in Central and Eastern Europe, sees Philip Aarsman, current

Used values & diesel share to remain stable, reports EurotaxGlass’s
These are some of the findings of the 2014 Q3 Automotive Market Report published by EurotaxGlass’s. In the report, chief editor Dean Bowkett comments that

Enterprise comments on plans for National and Alamo brands
The announcement follows the outcome of arbitration between Enterprise and Europcar, which has seen Enterprise terminate the Master License Agreement (MLA) that Europcar held to

Government tax schemes have considerable impact on EV uptake, finds new research
Published by environmental NGO T&E, the final part of its “How clean are Europe’s cars 2014” report finds that countries with the lowest levels of

Belgian NGOs call on government to end favourable treatment of company cars
As reported by environmental NGO T&E, the three NGOs, including T&E member Bond Beter Leefmilieu (BBL), collected 25,000 signatures for the petition protesting about a

Clean Fleets targets European public sector fleets with new guide and Life-Cycle Cost tool
Launched in 2012, the Clean Fleets project supports public authorities and transport operators with the implementation maximising the potential of the requirements outlined in the

Sofico to build on success with further business investment in 2015
This year has seen a number of new go-lives for the company’s Miles system, multiple ongoing implementation projects and the strategic acquisition of Car Systems

Europcar ends links with National and Alamo brands within EMEA
In a statement issued today (17 December), Europcar said that it is to focus its business exclusively on its two core brands: Europcar and its

New PSA head of fleet to cover Citroën, Peugeot & DS brands in UK
The move means that he will replace current Citroen fleet director Martin Hamill. A spokesman for the company said that Hamill would take on another

IHS comments on Volvo decision to cut back on motor shows & promote e-commerce
Under the changes, as Volvo seeks to increase its profile and sales, it is looking to leverage a more innovative approach. The move comes as

Business Lease Group expands into Romania with acquisition of Fleet Management Services
The takeover agreement, which has been made for an undisclosed amount, was signed yesterday (15 December). Fleet Management Services SRL (FMS) is one of the

Russia’s GAZ Group starts sales in Georgia
GAZ Group, part of diversified industrial group Basic Element, has announced the start of GAZ vehicles sales in Georgia. GAZelle Next LCVs will be supplied to

EU passenger car registrations up 5.7% YtD
Last month marked the 15th consecutive month of growth with a total of 953,886 units sold. Looking at the largest markets, the demand increase was

Profile: Toyota
Manufacturer: Toyota Total sales: 2013 8,871,000 Headquarters: Aichi Prefecture, Japan Global market share: 11% Hybrid success story Since the launch of its first-generation Prius 17

BMW reveals new fully automated parking technology
Featured on an i3, the technology uses four advanced laser scanners to assess the environment. If the vehicle approaches a wall or a column too

Revised cross-border road safety enforcement rules welcomed
A European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in May said that the existing rules, which only came into force in November last year, had been

Jaguar to give drivers 360o view with transparent pillars
A screen would be embedded in the surface of each pillar inside the car and would take a live video feed from cameras covering the

Fleet Logistics launches QuickScan benchmarking service for large fleets
Called QuickScan, the product has been developed in response to requests from large fleet operators to discuss how their fleets compared with others of similar

Alphabet launches AlphaElectric & AlphaCity in Australia
The AlphaElectric four-stage electrification consultancy is Alphabet fleets comprehensive eMobility approach for corporate fleets. It simplifies electric vehicle integration because customers receive a complete package,

New Audi Q7 to bring sub-50g/km plug-in hybrid drivetrain
With a kerb weight of 1,995kg (for the 3.0 TDI) – 325kg less than the previous model – the new Audi Q7 is the lightest in its

AutomotiveGlassEurope alliance expands into Spain
This appointment brings the total number of AGE partner companies to 15, providing vehicle glazing services throughout Europe from 1450 fitting centres. All AGE partners

One in five US fleets plan on increasing in size in 2015
The fleet specialist has released a national survey of 409 executives at middle market companies (ranging from $10 million – <$1bn in sales) who have

Safer lorry rules suffer setback
Representatives of EU member states, the European Parliament and the European Commission met last night (11 December) to hammer out an agreement on new legislation

New Fiat Doblò unveiled
On sale in 29 countries in the EMEA area and produced in Turkey, the new Doblò will arrive in Fiat showrooms starting from February. The

2015 Citroën C4 revealed
Like the current model, the facelifted C4 brings a 2.61m wheelbase, split foldback rear seats, and a boot volume of 408 litres, said to set

Infiniti reveals Q60 concept prior to Detroit debut
Believed to preview the replacement to the current Q60 coupe, the premium sports coupe concept brings muscular lines and “full-sized wheels” placed out at the
Recent Posts
- Autorola UK celebrates 20 years of online remarketing innovation
- Global fleets ditch diesel and petrol as EV transition hits scale
- Ford and Geely ink major joint venture to build EVs in Valencia
- Range Rover showcases first-ever all-electric GT
- Visa selects Rightcharge as exclusive home EV charging partner for European fleets
