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Planned fuel-tax increases would be "crippling" for UK economy and consumers – Bryan Madderson, RMI Petrol
Although the previous Government’s “escalator” will be replaced by a “fair fuel stabiliser”, the precise mechanics of this new scheme have yet to be announced.

EC adopts proposal for EU core transport network
The new core TEN-T network will use a comprehensive network of routes, feeding into the core network at regional and national level. The intention is

Kia begins production of Venga, cee'd family and Sportage models at Zilina plant
The B-segment MPV model was previously built at its sister company plant in the Czech Republic before production was moved to Zilina. TUV NORD, has

Solaire Generation sign deal to provide EV charging canopies for Inovateus Solar LLC
Under this partnership, Inovateus Solar, a national solar power distributor and integrator, will be the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for integrated solar carport charging stations

Navman Wireless fleet-management facility to be made available to Telstra customers
This marks the first time that Telstra has offered fleet management technology to customers in this way, and comes as a direct response to the

Toyota signs three-year European agreement to recycle EV batteries
The agreement with the Société Nouvelle d’Affinage des Métaux (SNAM) will run from 2011 to 2014. Toyota has sold some 370,000 Toyota and Lexus full-hybrid

ABB installs first network of fast-charge EV charge points in Austria
ABB recently installed the first three Terra 51 charge stations in Schruns-Rodund in the Montafon Valley, at the site of the Austrian Automobile Association (OAMTC)

Impact of Thai floods on auto industry limited to short term, says Frost & Sullivan
A total of 26 of the 90 provinces in Thailand have been affected by floods, and automotive assembly plants and parts maker factories located mainly

Navman Wireless range look to give businesses a competitive edge
The company says its new product range “Essential”, “Fleet+”and “Complete” has been designed to offer choice and flexibility through a customized approach to specifying vehicle tracking

Lysanda attracts £10m investment
Newly appointed executive chairman, Geoffrey Finlay (Inset), who invested alongside the syndicate and has a background and expertise in building software businesses internationally, said: ‘Lysanda is extremely

Enterprise grows airport business
Enterprise now operates 15 onsite fully-owned branches at UK airports, including a brand-new, state-of-the-art rental operation at Heathrow. This branch was earlier this year awarded

Vauxhall wins major police contract
After winning four-year contracts for six police regions in a tender process initiated by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), 37 (or 71%) of the

Car Charging Group extends partnership with Coulomb Technologies prior to US EV charge-point roll-out
Car Charging Group has agreed to purchase and install charging stations across the United States including major metropolitan areas: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles,

Fiat Professional appoints new director
He returns to the UK from his previous role as area sales manager based at Fiat’s headquarters in Turin during which time he was responsible

Infiniti set to launch super-crossover designed for Formula One champion, Sebastien Vettel
The star of Infiniti’s stand at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the FX Sebastian Vettel version featured design, engineering and aerodynamics upgrades inspired

Mark Group chooses Ctrack to help manage 500-strong UK commercial fleet
The Ctrack solution will enable Mark Group to access useful business and operational intelligence in order to reduce fleet costs as well improve productivity and

New study highlights total cost of insuring Europe's fleets
While this market grew very little between 2007 and 2011, Finaccord forecasts that it will increase to more than EUR 18bn by 2015, for motor

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,
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