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Alphabet International shakes-up management after ING Car Lease acquisition
From now on, the company will be led by two CEOs, Norbert van den Eijnden and Ed Frederiks. This division is in line with German

ADAS Goes Mainstream: Frost & Sullivan Projects Nearly 40% of Compact Vehicles in Europe to Have ADAS by 2018
According to Frost & Sullivan, technological developments such as the integration of radar and camera as well as sensor fusion between multiple applications are enabling

Honda President and CEO announces plans to expand luxury Acura brand
The demand for large, luxury, performance vehicles in these markets perfectly matches the Acura brand attributes. It is planned to introduce the Acura brand to

Sixt opens fourth US branch at Orlando International Airport, Florida
The new regional outlet will be the European rental provider’s fourth location in the United States, supplementing branches at Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale Airport

ACEA assigns Harrie Schippers as chairman of commercial vehicle board for 2012
Harrie Schippers was elected President of DAF Trucks in 2010 and is Vice President of parent company PACCAR. Since he joined DAF Trucks in 1986,

2012 new car demand to fall in Czech Republic, says new report
So says BMI in a new report entitled “Czech Republic Autos Report Q1 2012”. In the report, available through companiesandmarkets.com, BMI comments that although it

Suzuki SX4 4WD
As extreme European winters become more widespread, the popularity of cars that can adequately handle such conditions grows. Not everyone wants a full-blown 4×4 off-roader,

Enterprise Rent-A-Car launches mobile booking sites for European operations
This follows a 155% increase in mobile site viewings and a massive 238% increase in reservations made through Enterprise via mobiles from 2010 to 2011.

From management tool to an omnipresent technology
The move means that not only will fleets be able to use telemetry to optimise vehicle running and for security, but that the technology will

A business solution that stacks the decks in your favour
This autumn saw the confessions of self-proclaimed London-based market trader Alessio Rastani make him an overnight internet sensation. Jaws collectively dropped when Rastani appeared on

Jordi Vila Onses, General Manager of Nissan Europe discusses the company's growth strategy
For a brand that’s already achieving a 2.9% market share in the European fleet market, Nissan is far from being a minor player. But as

European Leasing Markets Enjoy a Stable Quarter
Forecasted residual values remained consistent across the six nations surveyed in the latest experteye European Leasing Index. Portugal reported the highest rise, albeit at only

Enhanced service and expansion: Alphabet and ING Car Lease’s merger priorities
Announced in July last year, Alphabet’s acquisition of ING Car Lease is set to create a goliath in the European leasing sector. The transaction gives

Different horses for different courses
Looking across Europe there is a plethora of methods employed by the industry to remarket used vehicles within the trade, without taking into account all

Predicting the Future – a focus on the Middle East
In my last column I talked about the challenges of residual value forecasting and management in the Middle East and how that contributes to limited

The evolutionary path towards global mobility
In a presentation to a number of large national and international fleet owners recently, Fleet Logistics’ Tobias Kern outlined six natural pillars of fleet evolution

Efforts in crisis management: the Spanish fleet sector
Scroll back a few years and the outlook for the Spanish company car market was a highly positive one. Despite being a relatively immature sector,

Hyundai i40 Tourer
Good to look at, but tough to gauge the size of – the i40 has fine lines that suggest it is compact, yet inside it

AEGFA shows the way
Run by president Victor Noguer and director Jaume Verge, AEGFA has main objectives of representing the group of car fleet managers, facilitating their professional duties

Basel III: the implications for the leasing industry
The European Commission announced in July 2011 that they issued the final draft version of the Capital Requirement Directive IV, more commonly known as Basel

Romanian manufacturer, Dacia to expand family with Lodgy MPV
Lodgy will deliver the brand’s hallmark combination of outstanding cabin space and a range of essential features tailored to meet the specific demands of Dacia’s

Toyota front of the pack in Europe with lowest fleet-wide CO2 average
The fleet-wide CO2 average for TME was 112.2g/km (comprising of both Toyota and Lexus vehicles), well below the industry average of 140g/km and some 16

Volkswagen looks for 25% reduction in factory emissions by 2018 as part of new initiative
'Through the growing efficiency and productivity of our plants, the Volkswagen brand is already making a key contribution to the achievements of Group strategic targets

Lexus to present LF-LC concept in Detroit on January 9
Lexus has crafted the LF-LC from a clean sheet of paper, combining high technology and organic shapes to achieve a close connection between driver and

Kia Ray becomes first Korean EV released to mass market
For supply exclusively to the domestic Korean market, the Kia Ray EV is a close relative of Kia's 1.0-litre gasoline powered Ray CUV, which went

Christmas cheer for Honda as Swindon boosts factory output
He is nevertheless "very confident" that the recruitment process, starting immediately, will be a success. He was speaking at the launched of mass production of

Mercedes-Benz Announces 109g/km E-Class Hybrid
On sale next year, European markets will be offered an E300 BlueTEC Hybrid, with a Euro 6 compliant four-cylinder, 201bhp diesel engine and a 27bhp

Volkswagen Golf retains European "top-spot" in November – JATO Dynamics
The Volkswagen Polo, with sales up 1.2% in November, retains second place while Ford’s Fiesta claims third, despite sales decreasing 13.5% in November. Within the top

TomTom's WEBFLEET system reaches new European milestone
The landmark achievement represents a 30% increase on the 134,000 actively managed vehicles at the start of the year. As a result of TomTom's organic

EU new car registrations fall 3.5%, reports ACEA
According to the organisation's data new car registrations in the EU decreased by 3.5% in November, amounting to 1,030,414 units. Eleven months into the year,

Nissan continue record-setting sales figures in Europe with strong November
Last month in Europe Nissan achieved 59,681 unit sales. This is more than 8,000 up on November 2010 and takes calendar year-to-date sales above 637,500

Demand in company cars set to rise in new year – ACFO chairman
Despite company car benefit-in-kind tax increases for most drivers in 2012/13, the UK’s premier organisation for fleet decision-makers believes that careful vehicle selection aided by

Masternaut bolsters pan-European executive management team with new hires
The senior hires, who, together bring more than 80 years of senior management experience within the high-tech and telematics arenas, mark an important period in Masternaut’s corporate

Arval confirms sale of fuel card subsidiary to FleetCor Technologies
AllStar is the UK fuel card business subsidiary of Arval, a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas. Inherited from a 2000 acquisition, the UK fuel

Renault Kangoo Z.E. voted International Van of the Year 2012
This is the first time that an electric vehicle has won the title and follows the International Car of the Year 2011 accolade, which was

Online used car sales to double in next five years – Autorola
Currently around 15% of used cars are sold online trade to trade in the UK, but that will increase to nearer 30% by 2016. According

Vauxhall announces new year leadership shake-up
Having taken Vauxhall from strength to strength over the past two years as Managing Director, Vauxhall Motors, Duncan Aldred will take on – in addition

Volkswagen Fleet Services commit to three-month trial of "MoDel" delivery and collection software
This is the first manufacturer-sponsored trial of its kind in the UK and runs until the end of March, involving leasing companies Hitachi Capital Vehicle

Mitsubishi commence first North American fleet delivery of i-MiEV
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation's United States subsidiary, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) announced that they have commenced the delivery of i-MiEV next-generation electric vehicle in

Navman Wireless listed as "one of America's most promising companies" by Forbes
'We are delighted that Navman Wireless has been recognised on Forbes' just-released list of America's Most Promising Companies,' Neill said. 'The Forbes announcement is a

Audi AG on course to meet 1.3m sales target after strong November performance
In Germany, Audi's domestic market, the sales figures for November rose again by 13.8% to 25,093 cars – primarily thanks to the success of the

Lease accounting changes to hit fragile US economy, finds new report
The association’s comments follow the publication of a new study, “Economic Impacts of the Proposed Changes to Lease Accounting Standards”. Conducted by information and analysis

TISPOL to begin week-long European drink and drug driving enforcement
The European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) is again urging drivers to not to drink any amount of alcohol before driving, and warns of the great

Fleets and vehicle suppliers urged to invest despite tough economic climate
That’s the New Year message from Jason Francis (Inset), managing director of fleet management software specialist, Jaama, who believes public and private sector organisations should

Used-car prices fall slightly in November, corporate fleets expected to downsize in new year – VRA
The search for those rare two to four year old "ready to retail" lower mileage vehicles is clearly getting harder and there are signs that

BMW Group sales up 7.7% on previous year for November
Global sales of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles rose to 1,510,862 (prev. yr. 1,319,808) units in the first eleven months of the year, 14.5%

Fleet Logistics reports significant pan-European growth in 2011
During the year, Fleet Logistics Group grew its managed fleet throughout Europe to over 100,000 vehicles, offsetting the loss of one major customer with the

Advantage Rent a Car opens eight new locations across Europe
The new locations include Amsterdam Schiphol (Netherlands), Bergamo (Italy), Brussels (Belgium), and Luton (UK). Advantage has also opened at the Grenoble, Lyon and Orly airports

Mitsubishi announces delivery of 1000th Norwegian i-MiEV
The ceremony to celebrate the delivery of the 1,000th i-MiEVwas held in Oslo on December 5 (local time) with participation of Mr. Erik Solheim, Norway's Minister

Commercial vehicle and engine manufacturers establish global secretariat
The Global Secretariat will provide stronger administrative support for the activities of the annual Global Commercial Vehicle Industry Meeting and its objective of global harmonisation of

PSA Peugeot Citroen inaugurates assembly line for new Three-Cylinder petrol engine at Trémery plant
PSA Peugeot Citroën has decided to conduct an in-depth overhaul of its small engine line-up, in a project that is just as important as its
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