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Masternaut to develop portfolio & enter new markets under UK government fast-track programme
The Future Fifty looks to find 50 high-growth companies and offers public and private sector support to aid growth, create jobs and deliver significant economic

BMW i3
Sector: Lower medium Price: €34,950 – €39,450 Range: 130 – 300km CO2: 0 – 13g/km With that badge on the bonnet, the BMW i3 was

Austria weathers the storms
Austria is one of the smaller European countries, a member of the European Union, with a population of around 8.5m. The country is bordered

West European car market to pick up in 2014 and beyond, LMC Automotive says
In its latest European Monthly Sales Report, LMC Automotive shows that Western Europe's car market selling rate in November stood at 11.7 million units/year; not

Toyota backs wireless electric vehicle charging
The carmaker has just announced an intellectual property license agreement with Massachusetts-based WiTricity, which will mean next generation Toyota plug-in vehicles will be compatible with

IRU-IRF collaboration to address truck driver safety in India
Said to be a unique collaboration between the road infrastructure and transport operator industries, the partnership sees the launch of informative safety cards in Hindi,

NAFA publishes Business Management Guide for fleet managers
The guide, which draws on the knowledge of a dozen well-respected fleet experts, including leading corporate and government fleet managers and consultants, consists of five

European police kick-start week-long campaign to crack down on drink & drug-driving
Co-ordinated by TISPOL (the European Traffic Police Network), the campaign will see officers carrying out alcohol and drug checks at any time of the day

US: New research says trucks are a significant cause of severe accidents
Previous research has revealed little other than that severity of crash bears a direct relation to abuse of drink and drugs, or inattention whilst driving.

PSA’s Philippe Varin elected as new president of ACEA
The announcement was made today (6th December) following a meeting of the ACEA Board of Directors. Mr Varin will lead ACEA until the end of

Chevrolet exit from Europe will not have significant RV impact, says EurotaxGlass’s
In a statement, GM said that it is to withdraw the brand from Europe from 2016 due to a ‘challenging business model and the difficult

GM pulls Chevrolet out of Europe
Instead GM will focus its efforts more on the Opel and Vauxhall brands whilst tailoring the Chevrolet its presence to offering select ‘iconic’ vehicles –

ALD Automotive reaches online milestone with sale of 200,000th vehicle
The milestone was reached in October 2013 and comes as ALD launches a website dedicated to mobile devices, with two mobile applications designed for Apple

China gives green light to Renault-Dongfeng joint venture
The 50/50 joint venture is expected to produce 150,000 multi-purpose vehicles and engines a year and will be called Dongfeng Renault Automotive Co Ltd. Renault

Seeking strategic growth
Alain Visser joined Volvo Cars as vice president sales operations within Marketing, Sales and Customer Service in September 2012 after working at both Ford

ALD Automotive and Wheels, Inc sign global framework fleet deal with MSD
The agreement covers 33 countries and nearly 15,000 vehicles for MSD – known as Merck in the United States and Canada – and its affiliates,

Audi to add Q1 to model line-up
‘The Audi Q1 is part of our broad-based SUV strategy. It is designed on the basis of the modular transverse engine concept and will round

Saab 9-3 production restarts at Trollhättan
The petrol sedan model is being produced in the high-spec Aero trim with the 220PS 2.0-litre turbo engine and is being produced at an initially

New Opel Meriva to be priced from €15,990
Featuring a new frontal design bearing the characteristics of the new Opel Insignia, the Meriva wears a chromed front grille and redesigned lights with LED

Ford Tourneo Connect
Sector: MPV Price: €14,160 – €24,280 (approx) Fuel: 4.6 – 8.0l/100km CO2: 120 – 184g/km Ford’s array of MPVs is impressive – B-MAX, C-MAX, Grand

Balanced brand is key
Incoming SEAT chairman Jurgen Stackmann (pictured) has arguably landed at the Spanish VW Group division at the right time. The company is going through an extensive

Toyota adds BMW diesel to Verso line-up as part of wider collaboration
Available from early 2014, the Verso 1.6 D-4D offers 113PS with torque of 270m from 1,750rpm to 2,250rpm and will deliver CO2 emissions of 119g/km.

Volvo launches world's first large-scale autonomous driving pilot scheme
Titled “Drive Me – Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility”, the pilot is intended to show the benefits of autonomous driving and is being run by

ARI names new executives
Under the appointments, Chris Conroy has been named executive vice president, global operations; Bob White has been named executive vice president, fleet management and Steve

EDF takes 100,000th converted Master from Renault Tech
The van was customised to meet the firm’s needs at the Renault Tech workshop, which is located right inside the Renault plant in Batilly, France,

UK's Leasedrive sold to HgCapital
Berkshire-based Leasedrive was established in 1983 and merged with Velo at the start of 2007 to form one of the largest independent privately-owned vehicle management

US: Latest ALG Residual Value Award winners announced
ALG’s Residual Value Awards honour the vehicles in each segment that are forecast to retain the highest percentage of MSRP after a three-year period. Award

European Parliament targets 456,000 electric vehicle charging points by 2020
A draft directive has been endorsed by the Transport and Tourism Committee this month setting deadlines to establish publicly accessible infrastructure for hydrogen, natural gas

Truck fleets see fuel savings of almost 10% using “Green Tyres”
Independently verified by TÜV Rheinland, the road test has shown a fleet of 300 trucks could save £1.3m a year in fuel costs by switching

EU commercial vehicle registrations see welcome boost in October
Latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, the ACEA, show that commercial vehicle registrations were up 8.1% last month to a total of 158,960

Australia’s asset finance market rides the challenges
While the rest of the developed economies suffered the effects of the global financial crisis, Australia held relatively firm. No domestic financial institutions went under

European road safety & automotive professionals call for improvement in road maintenance standards
The call comes from the Féderation International de l’Automobile (FIA), the European Road Federation (ERF), the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the European Automobile

5-star roads needed for 5-star cars
The "Roads that cars can read report says that inadequate maintenance and differences in road markings and traffic signs are now a major obstacle to

BF Forecasts expands into UK
Based in Berkshire, BF Forecasts (UK) Ltd will be headed up by Tim Lewis as MD. Lewis brings over 20 years’ experience in the UK

Mazda3, 308, Q50 & Outlander PHEV score five-star Euro NCAP ratings
Five-star winners included the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which was awarded a score of 86% for adult occupant protection, 84% for child occupant protection, 64%

€1.82m deal with Toyota/Lexus to create first major all-hybrid fleet in UK
The deal for more than 60 Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles comes as the firm looks to reduce its emissions by 50% over the next five

Fleets warned of higher UK car prices as KPMG advises manufacturers to adopt shrewder pricing models
The accounting giant says that car firms have managed to weather the recession in the UK by sacrificing margin through lower prices but as the

Mazda embarks on ‘unprecedented product offensive’ with five global launches
Whilst the actual models haven’t been confirmed, according to reports, they are likely to include a replacement for the current Mazda2 and Mazda5 as well

Banco Volkswagen do Brasil launches integrated operational leasing & fleet management
Banco Volkswagen do Brasil’s strategy was to stimulate sales by offering a new Operational Leasing and Fleet Management (OLFM) product to the Brazilian market and

Volvo Cars signs $800m loan agreement with China Development Bank
The new loan is for $800m with a maturity in 2021, with the funds to be used by the carmaker for further developing its product

Data driven
Simply installing a package that tracks your vehicles and leaving it at that does not mean that you have a comprehensive fleet management system in

Opel Insignia
SECTOR: D-segment hatchback, saloon and estate PRICE: From €19,000 (approx) FUEL: 3.7 – 11.0l/100km CO2: 95 – 259g/km It’s hard to believe that the Opel

Volkswagen e-up!
SECTOR: A-segment hatchback PRICE: €26,900 FUEL: n/a CO2: n/a The Volkswagen e-up! made its debut at the Frankfurt Show in September, with sales due

NAFA to hold 2014 International Fleet Academy in Orlando
NAFA’s International Fleet Academy was created to demystify global fleet management with experts and panel discussions that provide valuable cost-saving strategies, offer strategic overviews of

Arval launches new digital communication initiative in UK as part of global roll-out
The Arval Smart Experience is said to be a response to changing expectations from customers, with 60% of the UK’s population now using smartphones, 20%

Ford counts down to unveiling of Europe’s first Mustang
The new model will make its debut worldwide on four continents and in six cities, including Barcelona where a special “Go Further” event will introduce

Fuel cell Hyundai gets spring 2014 US launch
The Tucson Fuel Cell is the same as the ix35 FCEV now being leased to European fleet customers, and offers a 300-mile range from a

ARI plans for continued expansion as it celebrates 65-year milestone
Founded in 1948 by Steward Holman, the global fleet management and services specialist currently ARI manages more than one million fleet vehicles in North America,

Kwik Fit set for European expansion
Best-known for its presence in the UK and the Netherlands, fast-fit specialist Kwik Fit is planning to use the franchise route to expand into other

Free pan-European truck parking app highlights over 10,000 parking options
Launched by transport software specialist PTV Group, the Truck Parking Europe app not only details the official parking spaces available for trucks but also provides

Tokyo Motor Show: BMW 4 Series Cabriolet premieres
The 4 Series Cabriolet follows the Coupe launched just a few months ago, while the high-performance M4 Coupe Concept, which made its debut at Pebble Beach
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