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Hyundai outlines global strategy at 2011 Fleet Festival
Over 800 fleet customers from 18 countries participated in the 2011 Fleet Festival event, which took place between 19 September and 7 October. Attendees were

Self Driving vehicles could be ready by end of decade – GM
These advances in autonomous vehicle technology are built on leading-edge advanced active safety systems, Taub told the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Orlando on

ITF Policy Brief addresses environmental and safety benefits of scrappage schemes
That’s the verdict of the latest Policy Brief published by the International Transport Forum at the OECD. The latest Policy Brief follows on from previous

First dedicated Fleet Management course in Australia open for business
The tailor‐made, nationally recognised course has been jointly developed by the Australasian Fleet Management Association and Swinburne University, and designed to equip Fleet professionals with

Skoda to roll out new Rapid model starting in India
As part of a move to increase sales within the region, the model will be built at the factor near Pune and adapted to meet

Saab gains financial lifeline
The loan was announced on 12 September and will see Saab borrow €70m from Youngman in exchange for offering non-exclusive rights in its Phoenix architecture

More models and extended times to be offered under VW car-sharing scheme
The Quicar scheme kicks off in Hanover from November and will enable drivers to access short-term rental from a fleet comprising a total of 200

LeasePlan inks deal to offer Opel Ampera to European customers
The leasing firm is to take up to 650 vehicles for early delivery in 12 European markets before the end of 2012 as part of

IBM partners EKZ to launch "convenient" EV charging smartphone app
This near real-time information will also help utility providers better manage power grid loads during peak charging times – a challenge that is set to

Cordiant backs expansion of Turkey's largest vehicle leasing firm with €115m loan
Cordiant’s $26.6 million loan to Intercity will help expand the company’s 25,000 car fleet, create new jobs and make hybrid vehicles more widely available to

US-based company sets up Electric Vehicle conversion firm
The company is a merger between two electric vehicle companies, the original Electric Vehicle Enterprises, started by Lizardi (Inset, Left) and his son-in-law in Pasadena,

Seven major manufacturers collaborate in effort to standardise International EV charging
The system is a combined charging approach integrating all charging scenarios into one vehicle inlet/charging connector and uses identical ways for the vehicle to communicate

Walgreens cuts ribbon to launch first EV charge point in Orlando, FL
The drugstore chain is working with Car Charging Group, an owner and provider of EV charging stations, to offer convenient and accessible charging sites at

Rise in demand against a shortage of stock leads to strong September for Remarketing sector
Six months on from the Japanese tsunami, the effect on worldwide car production is now easing with deliveries starting to return to normality. With many

Texting doubles driver’s reaction time, says new report
The study reveals how the texting impairment is even greater than many experts believed, and demonstrates how texting drivers are less able to react to

40% of 25 plus vehicle fleets not using fuel cards – MIB Data Solutions
The company asked 616 companies how they acquired fuel and received the following responses. The results do not total 100% because some use more than

Tesla finalises lithium-ion battery agreement with Panasonic as demand rises for Model S
The agreement supplies Tesla with Panasonic's lithium-ion battery cells to build more than 80,000 vehicles over the next four years. It guarantees the availability of

Shell announces euroShell card agreement with M6toll
Shell is one of the first card issuers to co-operate with M6toll and the new offering will enable customers from all fleet sizes and vehicle

BMW launches Real Time Trafiic Information (RTTI) to beat congestion
The system is available on all new BMW models and comes at no additional cost when customers order the BMW Professional navigation system and Bluetooth

Renault-Nissan to invest $1.bn in Brazilian expansion
The manufacturer is to build an all-new manufacturing facility in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The Nissan factory is scheduled to begin production in

European OEMs to promote EV Ready technical standard
Originally launched by Renault and Schneider Electric, EV Ready aims to guarantee interoperability between the charging infrastructure and electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles in the

Florida holds summit to discuss mainstream adoption of Electric Vehicles
Communities will soon be able to take full advantage of energy-efficient electric vehicles with the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt available now, and almost every

New MD at Mazda Motor Poland
He replaces Masaharu Kondo who has taken up a new challenge as director product communications, public relations, at Mazda Motor Europe. Mr Paździor joined Mazda

Alphabet and ING formally merge
As announced in July, Alphabet has acquired ING Car Lease for the sum of €637m, and the transaction was completed on 30 September 2011. Alphabet

2011 ALD Automotive / Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon begins on October 5 and 6
With participants set to cross the starting line in Cirencester on October 5 and 6, the MPG Marathon will provide businesses and consumers with an

TomTom launches International Traffic Foundation as part of ongoing pledge to tackle congestion
The move, one year on from TomTom’s commitment to reduce congestion for all in its Traffic Manifesto, will bring together key stakeholders from academia, industry

New TISPOL president pledges to improve safety on European roads
Kemppainen, a chief Superintendent in the Finnish National Traffic Police, began his one-year term as President on September 29, succeeding outgoing president Roar Skjelbred Larsen

Electric Racebout performance EV sets road-legal lap record around Nordschliefe course
Driven by German race driver, Ralf Kelleners, the average speed for the lap was 88.23mph and the top speed at Döttinger Höhe 147.89mph. Later on

Coca Cola Enterprises sets four-year target to slash corporate CO2 figures of pan-European fleet
CCE, the marketer, distributor and producer of Coca-Cola products in Europe, is utilising the carbon and tax analysis tool, TCOPlus, to accurately measure its carbon

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles appoint Alex Smith as new director
Alex will replace Simon Elliott who recently accepted a new position as managing director of Volkswagen Group Ireland. Alex is currently head of Retail Operations

European Fleets slash C02 emission figures according to GE Capital report
Based on data from GE Capital’s 250,000 vehicle pan-European fleet, the report reveals that between 2008 and 2010 emissions fell by an average of 11g

Fleets risk leaving themselves exposed according to ALD Automotive / YouGov survey
It reveals that 63% of businesses are potentially exposing themselves to an unnecessary level of risk associated with private vehicles being used for business purposes.

European EV uptake "stubborn" despite incentives, according to Jato Dynamics
Analysis of the data finds that only 5,222 Europe-wide EV registrations were recorded in H1 of 2011. Although the uptake of Electric Vehicle’s is not

Tim Zimmerman appointed as new managing director of Peugeot UK
His career started with Peugeot in Coventry in September 1986 and since then he has held various roles in the UK and Europe including Fleet,

Rising demand prompts Kia to add third shift at Slovak plant
Last year, Kia manufactured more than 729,000 vehicles outside Korea, with production in Europe, China and the USA accounting for 34.2% of the global total

New research uncovers future EV charging preferences of North Americans
Coinciding with the launch of its EV Customer Strategy Research Council and Electric Vehicle Programmes Summit, Chartwell has conducted a study that reveals 89% of

Fleet Operations appoints Fleet Industry professional to oversee UK and European growth
With 25 years fleet industry experience, Mike has been appointed managing director of Fleet Operations and the organisation’s sister business, EuroFleeting, with responsibility for day-to-day

Axeon project could reduce "range anxiety" fears with 35% longer lasting EV battery
In 2009, the Technology Strategy Board awarded over £680k of funding to the consortium led by Axeon (bringing the total project funding to over £1.3m),

Saab to cut costs after reorganisation approval
The Swedish court of appeal’s decision to allow the carmaker to seek bankruptcy protection reverses the previous district court conclusion that reorganisation would bring no

Volkswagen Group to invest €62bn in expansion
The carmaker is to invest around €62.4bn in its Automotive Division in the coming five years. Of this figure, investments in property, plant and equipment

JLR solves diesel dilemma with new factory
The new facility will be built at i54 South Staffordshire, a business park near Wolverhampton in the UK's Midlands. Dr Ralf Speth, chief executive officer, JLR, said:

Hubbell Wiring Device Kellems and PEP Stations LLC to roll-out "clean, attractive" EV charge points across US
Hubbell will offer a line of commercial electric vehicle charging solutions that are architecturally appealing and constructed to withstand the most demanding environments. PEP's dual-port

Fleet Alliance announces impressive emission figures for its fleet
Almost two thirds of all vehicles added to Fleet Alliance’s managed fleet of 9,500 vehicles in August were below the 140g/km emission level, with a

Big five European markets record increased car sales in August
The five largest car markets in Europe, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain, all recorded increased sales in August compared to a year earlier.

Nissan looks to accelerate development of European EV "Quick Charge" infrastructure
This agreement between Nissan, Circutor, DBT, Efacec, Endesa and Siemens is expected to result in a dramatic reduction in the price of the units- by

Manheim Remarketing strengthens commercial vehicle presence with senior appointment
James will continue to develop and lead the existing national commercial vehicle team and remain the figurehead of Manheim’s commercial vehicle business. However the new

Sevcon form collaboration project to develop future Hybrid and Electric Vehicle drive train systems
With Sevcon partnering UK-based Cummins Generator Technologies, Newcastle University's Power Electronics, Drives Research Group, the group has secured more than £500,000 in matched UK government

EU registrations up 7.7% in August but still down 1.3% YtD
However, registrations are still down year to date. Eight months into 2011, a total of 8,888,793 new cars were registered in the EU, or 1.3%

EU registrations up 7.7% in August but still down 1.3% YtD
However, registrations are still down year to date. Eight months into 2011, a total of 8,888,793 new cars were registered in the EU, or 1.3%

SPX Service Solutions partner Daimler AG to assist in EV "roll-out"
An announcement of the partnership was made by Daimler AG at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, and the agreement calls for SPX Service Solutions to

IFW Focus: ALD Automotive and the Indian fleet market
The news pages of International Fleet World and its sister title, the International Fleet World Confidential monthly electronic publication – may be filled with announcements
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