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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

Assessing alternatives to the company car
The company car is dead. Long live the company car. Each year we have a trend towards or away from the company car. And different

Finding the optimum leasing partner post-crisis
Some two years plus since the onset of the recession, here’s no doubt that the crisis and the downturn in the used car market has

A sound basis for globalising the fleet
Undertaking the process of globalising your fleet policy is not a decision to be taken lightly. Although the benefits can be wide-ranging from a financial,

The advantages of an unbundled approach
Including fleet insurance within a leasing agreement may provide firms with the simplest way to cover their vehicles but general trends of consolidating fleet management

Unravelling the variables in TCO
It may seem a daunting task at first but using total cost of ownership (TCO) modelling as the basis for methodology for the fleet has

Essential elements of the perfect tender
If an organisation undertakes the expensive and time-consuming processes involved in a tender, it goes without saying that it wants to get the best out

GE Capital signs up to major PSA pan-European EV order
The agreement, signed today (September 14) at the Frankfurt Motor Show, will see GE Capital lease EV vehicles across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden,

Nissan launches compact, rapid EV charging stations in Japan
The newly-developed quick charging unit retains the high performance of the current quick charger manufactured by Nissan, which is now on sale with a suggested

Bosch's Singapore EV charging network progresses into "Operational Phase"
After almost three months, around a dozen charge spots are now in operation across the city state. Further charge spots are now being added, and

Renault calls upon TomTom to launch first in-built EV Sat Nav system
The Carminat TomTom Z.E LIVE receives information from the battery on its current state of charge, which is used to determine the available range of

Pan-European fast-fit deals – viable opportunity or wishful thinking?
In a culture of heightening awareness of the benefits of implementing pan-European supply deals, a number of leasing and fleet management firms as well as

Tackling the remarketing issues for EVs
The days of the internal combustion engine may not yet be over but most carmakers, both large and small, are declaring that the electric vehicle

Skoda Auto: SMEs become main focus
Skoda is already heavily involved in the pan-European fleet market, with customers operating in most of the large industries – such as electricity and telecommunications.

The impact of the recession on the Eastern-European markets
The cold wind of recession may have blown very strongly in Central and Eastern Europe but there can be no denying that prior to the

How to reduce “hit while parked” and “driver unknown” incidents
Slow-speed manoeuvring and hit while parked collisions remain amongst the most common collision types reported by fleet drivers around the world. Although the costs of

A high-wire juggling act
It never forms part of the job description but the ability to juggle needs is a key requirement in this industry. Implementing and managing a

Mercedes-Benz and its international fleet strategy
‘We are driving on a multi-lane highway into the future.’ Those were the words of Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the Board of Management of

Lexus brings its quiet revolution to the fleet market
International Fleet World attended the fleet launch of the CT 200h in the South of France to find out more. As the world’s first full

New model review: Citroen C4
Displaying almost restrained styling (for Citroen), with a touch of A3 Sportback around the rear third quarter, the new C4 fits into the dead centre

Progressive plans for fleet
It is far too early yet to assess the consequences of the tragic events that struck Japan recently. How this might affect the Japanese automotive

A harmonious approach to newly acquired operations
Spurred on by improving economic and financing conditions, a growing number of privately-held businesses are once more on the acquisition trail and are looking to

Undoing the damage of vehicle recharges
Always a thorny subject for the fleet industry, the issue of damage recharges has become ever more contentious since the economic crisis and, in particular,

FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: PSA Peugeot-Citroen prepares for tougher times
According to a report in the Financial Times, the carmaker has started to ramp back its shifts and production of some small cars as concerns

Telefónica and Masternaut to jointly market fleet management services
Under the agreement, Telefónica will be given access to Masternaut’s telematics products and services to demonstrate the benefits to fleet operators – according to Masternaut,

An award-winning safety message
“Caring for the world, one person at a time…” That’s the ethos at Johnson & Johnson and it’s applied across the board, including for its

New model review: Peugeot 508 4dr
A new car in a tough sector – traditional rep-mobile territory, this war-zone is no fun for any manufacturer. Yet Peugeot is delivering a stylish

Audi: The reasons behind for the successful global fleet set-up
Look at Audi’s recent financial results and you might find it hard to believe that the global economy is still in recovery from the economic

IFW Focus: the 2011 CVO International Fleet Barometer
While it’s relatively easy to get a snapshot of the state of the fleet market in one country, it’s much harder to get an overview

Masternaut-Cybit merger: Sized to succeed
To say that the last few years have been tumultuous for the vehicle telematics industry is somewhat of an understatement. Still in its infancy, the

Pan-European rental rates continue to rise
The latest experteye European Leasing Index report, which tracks forecasted residual values, maintenance costs and rental rates in six European countries using data supplied by

New model review: Ford Focus
Strategically important for Ford, the new third-generation Focus takes a proven and successful model and adds refinement and greater quality (with pricing to match). Wider

New model review: Mercedes Benz C Coupe
When Mercedes launched the W204 C Class saloon and estate in 2007, the C Sports Coupe was left behind (in the guise of the CLC,

Outlook is bleak for global auto manufacturers, according to Moody's
As a result, the firm has revised its rating for global auto manufacturers from positive to stable and has reduced its prediction for global demand

Legal hurdles push back VW–Porsche merger to 2012
The deal was expected to be concluded by the end of 2011 but in a statement VW said that continued legal hurdles have left it
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