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BMW global sales continue record year
Figures released by the carmaker, show that deliveries of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles increased 6.8% to total 177,741 in the last month. Meanwhile,

Toyota extends airbag recall
Last year saw carmakers including Toyota, Honda, Nissan Motor Co and BMW recall about 3.6 million vehicles because of issues with the Takata airbag inflators

China vehicle market up 8.5% in May 2014
In total, 1.91 million vehicles were sold last month, with 1.59 million passenger car sold – up 14% compared to May 2013. Year to date,

New car and LCV sales down 12% in Russia
In total, 201,487 new vehicles were sold last month; 28,019 fewer than in May 2013. The market has been badly hit by Russia’s troubled economy and

E-NV200 to prove "gamechanger" for LCV fleets, says Nissan
Built in Europe and available as an LCV or five-seat passenger car, the model is billed as combining class-leading cargo volume with award-winning zero-emission technology.

New 1.5-litre diesel to give Mazda2 market-leading fuel economy
The engine produces 105PS, in line with similarly sized diesels from rival manufacturers, and could be a vital addition to its model line-up, particularly in

AVIS Fleet Services Ireland implements bynxFLEET across fleet operation
bynxFLEET replaced an incumbent system, in place for ten years, that wasn’t integrated with any other elements of the business or financial and operational aspects. Brian

Supply chains: preventing a weak link
Supply chains are the backbone of the global economy. However, with their complexity comes risk. The automotive sector is one example where continuity is key,

Average age of vehicles on the road in US remains steady at 11.4 years
The firm, which incorporated Polk into its business last year, based its findings on a snapshot of vehicles in operation taken 1st January 2014 The

Carmakers should make greater use of telemetric and big data streams to improve fuel efficiency
The firm says that the impending arrival of tougher fuel efficiency tests – the World Light Vehicle Test Procedure – is expected to see the

TomTom launches open developer portal for TomTom Bridge business terminal
The new portal gives developers, integrators and value added partners an open platform to build business apps. Developers will get access to Software Developer Kits,

Fuelling the alternatives
Though petrol and diesel have long been the most popular motor fuels worldwide, alternatives have been available for many years. Convenience, taxation or distribution

Third-generation Iveco Daily is launched internationally
Completely revamped, with 80% of components redesigned, the new Daily retains its classic ladder frame chassis structure, offering benefits including maximum bodybuilding flexibility for chassis

BMW launches Smart Charging app
The Smart Charging app determines optimal times for charging electric vehicles based on rates and calculates the cost accordingly. Developed by the BMW Group and

West Europe on track for new car sales of 12m units, says LMCA
In its latest report, the firm said West European car sales grew by 4.6% last month, with the UK, Spain and Germany largely responsible for

NAFA announces new dates for International Fleet Academy
Originally scheduled for 14-16 July at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, NAFA’s IFA will now take place 5-7 November 2014 at the same hotel.

Study indicates eco tyres deliver little benefits at urban speeds
UK-based Emissions Analytics carried out preliminary tests on two contrasting sets of 175/70 R14 tyres on the road. One set was a standard tyre with

Toyota and Panasonic working on linking cars to home appliances
Last June, the two companies agreed to co-develop services for next-generation telematics systems that link cars to home appliances. Since then, the companies have developed

Ongoing investment in software is highly worthwhile, suggest fleets
The company says that it has a small number of major users who set aside an amount of budget every year in order to continue

Road Test: Toyota Verso 1.6 D-4D
Sector: MPV Price: €23,550–€26,990 Fuel: 4.5l/100km CO2: 119g/km When Toyota updated the European version of its Verso MPV last year, the end result was so

NAFA calls for presentations for 2015 Institute & Expo
The 2015 I&E will take place April 14-17 in Orlando, Florida, with the association once again encouraging its Members and Affiliates to recommend ideas for topics

Hino Trucks & Telogis partner on telematics solution
Powered by the Telogis platform, Hino INSIGHT 2.0 is intended to provide improved total cost of ownership and better vehicle uptime and is said to

2014 TISPOL Conference to focus on “Road Safety in Europe – Achieving 2020 Target”
Taking place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Manchester Airport in the UK on Tuesday 30th September and Wednesday 1stOctober this year, the conference boasts a

New BMW X6 revealed
The new model is expected to build on the near-250,000 sales of the first-generation model. The third-generation X6 features increased dimensions of 4,909mm

EU U-turn on lorry safety causes conjecture
The European Parliament previously voted to allow lorry makers to introduce changes to lorry cabs, intended to improve visibility and reduce the impact of crashes

NAFA announces agenda for 2014 International Fleet Academy
This year’s International Fleet Academy takes place 14-16th July at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando, Florida, with topics ranging from cloud-based location intelligence

UK new car registrations put Europe in the shade, says Deloitte
The comments from the accounting giant come as the latest car registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show a 7.7% increase

UK fleet registrations rise again as new car market shows longest-ever period of growth
Newly released data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that new car registrations increased 7.7% in May to 194,032 units –

Drivers to remain legally responsible for self-driving cars, says Deloitte
Last month saw Google announce the latest developments in its self-driving car at a conference in California, saying that the vehicle will be built by

TomTom research reveals shortcuts are actually "longcuts"
The warning comes from TomTom as its latest traffic data shows that traffic congestion on secondary roads is worse than main roads, and commuters around

VW adds 140PS TDI engine to Transporter and Multivan BlueMotion models
In addition to the 114PS models, the vehicles will now be offered with the 140PS engine, which offers torque of 340Nm over 1,750 to 2,500rpm

FleetCor Technologies & Summit Partners team up to acquire Masternaut
Under the deal, Masternaut’s management team led by CEO Martin Hiscox will continue to operate the business and remain shareholders in the company. Masternaut was

Element Financial to acquire PHH Arval
The transaction will rank Element as one of the leading equipment finance companies in North America, with the addition of more than US$4.6bn of total assets,

China to beat US for luxury car sales by 2016, forecasts PwC
That’s the finding of PwC’s Autofacts latest Analyst Note which finds that China is expected to surpass the US in luxury sales by 2016. Within

New Volvo XC90 to offer “most modern in-car control system on the market”
Following last week's announcement that the new XC90 will be the most luxurious Volvo ever, Volvo has said that one of the most striking changes is

Enterprise Rent-A-Car continues expansion with operations in five new European markets
The new operations mean that the Enterprise brand is currently operating in 19 European countries with more in the pipeline. Over the past two years,

NAFA to run Essentials of Fleet Management Seminar in Orlando
The latest event takes place 8-10 July at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando, Florida, and is designed for new fleet professionals with less

Further potential for Dacia growth, says CEO
Speaking to news agency Headlineauto, Mr Maure said: ‘We have some more capacity in Morocco – maybe as much as 150,000 a year – and

European light vehicle sales up 0.8% in April
Sourced from focus2move.com Mobility Database, which aggregates data from all national carmaker associations or dealers associations, including the ACEA, the report finds that the total of

Japanese carmakers team up for EV charging initiative
The new company, Nippon Charge Service, will look to drive up the number of chargers and will be supported by Development Bank of Japan Inc

Mazda Motor Belux appoints new fleet manager
Mr Hendrickx brings previous fleet experience at Chevrolet, Nissan and Hyundai. In his new role he will look to build on the brand’s work to

Mazda opens national sales company in Colombia
Titled Mazda de Colombia SAS, the new company will import and sell completely built-up vehicles from Japan, Thailand and Mexico and provide after-sales services. Mazda

Audi unveils facelifted RS7 Sportback
On sale towards the end of the year, the five-door coupé features new design details including the single frame grille – seen on the facelifted

Ford to start offering adaptive steering in 2015
The new technology is designed to make vehicles easier to manoeuvre at low speeds and in tight spaces. At higher speeds, the new technology will

First Drive: Kia Soul
Sector: Crossover Price: €16,990–€26,490 Fuel: 5.0–7.3l/100km CO2: 132–170g/km The second generation of the Kia Soul has big shoes to fill. While the original didn’t carve

Fleets invited to test new Transit in US tour
The nationwide Truth About Transit tour will visit 19 cities across the United States from June into October. Participants will test drive models on a

Ford recalls 1.4m vehicles in US
The recall covers around 1.1 million SUVs in the SUVs sold in North America due to a possible loss of power steering. Included a 195,527

Northgate Vehicle Hire launches second site in Dublin
Located on Sandyford Industrial Estate, the new branch sees Northgate sit alongside major local employers Microsoft and Vodafone and is based off Junction 13 on

GAZ Group authorized to sell GAZelle NEXT vehicles in EU countries
In order to receive EU certificate GAZ group specialists have reworked and tested the vehicle for over a year. Certification tests were carried out in

Carmakers gain plaudits for increased use of autonomous emergency braking
In the latest IISH round of evaluations, a total of 21 of 24 cars and SUVs, all 2014 models unless noted, earned an advanced or

AfMA opens nominations for 2014 Fleet Awards
Introducedi in 1996, the awards seek to identify advances in best practice in fleet management and to bring these to the attention of its members
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