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Škoda connects with Amazon Alexa
The Škoda Connect app is now integrated with Amazon’s Alexa virtual personal assistant in both the UK and Germany, meaning owners can gain access to

BlaBlaCar acquires urban carpooling company Less
French car sharing firm BlaBlaCar has acquired urban carpooling company Less for an undisclosed amount.

Roland Meyer takes over as head of LeasePlan Germany
Roland Meyer has been appointed as the head of LeasePlan Germany with immediate effect.

Avis to add 11,000 PSA cars to connected fleet
Avis Budget Group is rolling out 11,000 Peugeot, Citroën and DS vehicles to its connected car rental fleet in Europe by the end of this year.

Alphabet France names new CEO
Stephane Crasnier is to assume the role of chief executive officer at Alphabet France from 1 July 2018.

Hydrogen fuel cell EVs go on trial with European fleets
A major project to demonstrate commercially viable use cases for hydrogen fuelled vehicles in high-mileage urban fleets is being deployed in Europe.

Autorola expands Indicata into France
Autorola’s Indicata software platform for used vehicle management is now available in France.

DS line-up to go electric or hybrid by 2025
All future DS models will be either hybrid or electric by 2025, the French brand has revealed.

Grandland X gets new diesel ahead of PHEV launch
Opel has updated its Grandland X with a new 1.5-litre diesel taken from parent firm PSA’s stable.

Road Test: Range Rover Velar
If you’ve outgrown your Evoque, the Velar might be just what you need, says Alex Grant.

Seat deploys electric carsharing fleet
A fleet of electric Seat eMiis are now on the road in Barcelona to provide employees at the SEAT Metropolis:Lab Barcelona and the Pier 01

Toyota spin-off to develop mobility services for European fleets
Toyota’s connected car enterprise with Microsoft has launched a spin-off firm to develop mobility solutions tailored to the European market.

Road Test: Volkswagen e-Golf
A longer range and more power make the electric Golf even easier to live with, explains Alex Grant.

European CV demand remains upbeat despite March downturn
Demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU remained positive for the first quarter despite a slowdown in March.

German company Bar Cargolift re-enters UK tail-lift market
German tail-lift manufacturer Bar Cargolift has partnered with Revival Solutions Group to reignite its UK expansion plans.

Toyota reveals multiple electrified models
A new battery-electric C-HR, plug-in hybrid Corolla and Levin models have been revealed by Toyota.

Company veteran to lead ARI plans for growth
ARI has appointed a number of new executives to lead the fleet and automotive services group’s plans for growth.

Fraikin Group acquired by consortium
Fraikin Group has been acquired from CVC Capital Partners by a consortium led by Alcentra and Verde Partners for an undisclosed amount.

Refreshed Hyundai i20 axes diesel
Hyundai has updated its i20 supermini with new safety tech and a seven-speed dual clutch transmission as it also axes diesel from the line-up.

Volvo plans 50% of sales to be electric
Volvo Cars aims for fully electric cars to make up 50% of its sales by 2025, the company has announced.

EU car sales at record high but diesel continues fall
The European car market has posted its highest Q1 performance since 2000, despite car registrations falling in March, but diesel registrations were hard hit again.

Ikea partners with Renault for car sharing service
Ikea France has signed up Renault Mobility to provide a car sharing service across its stores.

‘Breakthrough’ Bosch technology could provide future for diesel
Bosch has developed new technology that it says could stop, once and for all, the debate about the death of diesel and ensure a future

No diesel for Lynk & Co range
Lynk & Co has unveiled its first Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), due in Europe in 2020, as well as plans that will see an

Amazon introduces in-car delivery for GM and Volvo customers
Amazon Prime customers in various US cities can now receive parcels direct to the boot of their GM or Volvo models.

Electric BMW iX3 and future plans revealed
BMW has presented its latest electric vehicle, the BMW Concept iX3, as well as laying out future electric plans.

New Leaf earns five stars in tougher NCAP tests
The new Nissan Leaf has scored a five-star result in Euro NCAP’s more stringent crash safety ratings.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class Saloon to launch late 2018
Mercedes-Benz is to launch the first-ever A-Class saloon later this year, as part of plans to extend its popular small car line-up from five variants

Q&A: Olivier Ferry, Hyundai, corporate sales & remarketing director
Hyundai has increased its presence in Europe thanks to aggressive growth that now includes 40% sales going to fleet. Jonathan Musk catches up with Olivier

How OnStar has changed the way fleets, drivers and vehicles interact
The global rollout of OnStar has changed the way fleet drivers can interact with their vehicles and how managers can extend their duty of care.

LeasePlan USA and Lyft partnership to enhance fleet mobility
LeasePlan USA and ride-hailing firm Lyft have partnered to bring fleets a joined-up mobility solution.

French true fleet market up 9.4% in Q1
A small upsurge in French true fleet registrations last month helped drive the market to a new record value.

moDel-VM brings major efficiencies for vehicle logistics firm
UK-based logistics company Vehicle Connections has streamlined its vehicle collections and deliveries with the help of the moDel-VM solution from Ebbon-Dacs.

Road Test: Škoda Karoq
The Yeti’s larger successor has the market’s best crossovers in its sights, explains Alex Grant.

ABAX appoints David Norton as CFO
David Norton, ex Fleetmatics senior finance executive, has joined Norwegian telematics company ABAX as its chief financial officer.

Challenging month for Germany’s true fleet sector
The German true fleet market was hit by the early start of the Easter holidays in Germany and two missing working days compared to last

Skoda teases China-only city SUV
Skoda has published design sketches of its new city SUV, which will debut at the Beijing Motor Show.

EU car registrations struggle against record 2018
New car demand in the EU fell for the first time in March as momentum started to slow in some markets.

Mazda signs up ALD for fleet leasing solutions
Mazda has appointed ALD Automotive to provide white-labelled operational leasing services for fleets and private drivers through its dealer network in the Netherlands.

Road Test: Hyundai Kona
Beneath that bold design, the Kona is a game-changer in waiting, reckons Alex Grant.

High impact: How technology is raising repair costs
New technology is driving collision repair costs upwards. Dave Moss finds out why and what can be done to stop the trend.

Chevin launches fleet software for SMEs
Chevin has launched a new fleet management software package that brings SMEs the benefits of fleet management software but with much lower costs, the firm

Long-term rental drives Italian true fleet market
The Italian true fleet market posted growth in March despite a total market tumble, according to latest research by Dataforce.

Lexus range to expand with ES compact hybrid saloon
Lexus will launch a compact hybrid saloon car below the IS in its European range later this year, likely to preview some of the technology

Arval CEO Philippe Bismut outlines new global services
Arval, under chairman and CEO Philippe Bismut, is transitioning from a funding company to a mobility provider. Curtis Hutchinson met him in Paris as the

Opel re-works fleet dealer network
Opel has clarified plans aimed at widening the service it offers fleet and retail consumers, and improving profitability for franchisees.

Stockholm ranked best European city for mobility systems
Stockholm has been ranked as highest European city for mobility in the global top 10 in a new study carried out by Arthur D Little.

Volkswagen Group to introduce autonomous parking from 2020
Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles are taking part in a Hamburg Airport trial of autonomous parking that could see the launch of a new service

Here developing live updates for autonomous vehicle mapping
Here Technologies has opened a new R&D facility in Boulder, Colorado, USA, to further develop high-definition constantly updated mapping for autonomous vehicles.

World’s first public EV recharging road goes live
A 2km long stretch of public road that can charge electric commercial and passenger vehicles on the move has gone live in Sweden.

Sygic platform could aid development of traffic management apps
A new Smart Mobility Platform that could be used to develop integrated traffic management apps within cities has launched from Sygic.