Fleet World June 2018

June 2018

FLEETW RLD All that matters in the world of fleet

UNMISSABLE Fleet’s biggest names under the spotlight at this year’s Silverstone Fleet Show...

Interview Nick Laird of SsangYong

Lightening the load Why now is the time to talk about your drivers’ mental health

Idle control How fleets can monetise unused vehicles

Driven Jaguar I-Pace

fleetworld.co.uk

THE FIRST EVER BMW X2.

5IF 趑 STU FWFS #.8 9 JT QBDLFE XJUI UIF MBUFTU #.8 UFDIOPMPHZ JODMVEJOH UIF JOOPWBUJWF #.8 $POOFDUFE%SJWF %JHJUBM TFSWJDFT BOE ESJWFS GPDVTFE UFDIOPMPHJFT LFFQ ZPV DPOOFDUFE XJUI UIF PVUTJEF XPSME FOIBODJOH UIF DPNGPSU BOE FOUFSUBJONFOU ZPV DBO FYQFDU GSPN UIF 9 SBOHF FROM:

UP TO:

118g/km

28% 62.8

$0 FNJTTJPOT

#*,

.1( DPNCJOFE

0G趑 DJBM GVFM FDPOPNZ 趑 HVSFT GPS UIF #.8 9 SBOHF 6SCBO NQH M LN &YUSB 6SCBO NQH M LN $PNCJOFE NQH M LN $0 FNJTTJPOT H LN

BMW 'MFFU #VTJOFTT 4BMFT The Ultimate Driving Machine

FEEL CONNECTED. 5IF 9 GFBUVSFT UIF MBUFTU HFOFSBUJPO #.8 /BWJHBUJPO TZTUFN XJUI ѷ NPOJUPS #.8 5PVDITDSFFO DPOUSPM BOE BDDFTT UP #.8 $POOFDUFE XIJDI QSPWJEFT B EJHJUBM CSJEHF CFUXFFO UIF DBS BOE ZPVS TNBSUQIPOF .BLF FWFSZ KPVSOFZ IBTTMF GSFF XJUI 3FBM 5JNF 5SBG趑 D *OGPSNBUJPO 355* XIJDI FOBCMFT ZPVS #.8 9 UP TIPX ZPV UIF GBTUFTU SPVUF "T QBSU PG UIF #.8 $POOFDUFE%SJWF GFBUVSFT B DVTUPNFS JOGPSNBUJPO DFOUSF XJMM BOTXFS ZPVS RVFTUJPOT BCPVU UIF MPDBUJPO PG BOZ EFTUJOBUJPO BOE TFOE UIF BEESFTT EFUBJMT EJSFDUMZ UP ZPVS #.8 9 ѳT /BWJHBUJPO TZTUFN

Find out more at bmw.co.uk/X2

'JHVSFT BSF PCUBJOFE JO B TUBOEBSEJTFE UFTU DZDMF 5IFZ BSF JOUFOEFE GPS DPNQBSJTPOT CFUXFFO WFIJDMFT BOE NBZ OPU CF SFQSFTFOUBUJWF PG XIBU B VTFS BDIJFWFT VOEFS VTVBM ESJWJOH DPOEJUJPOT

contents June 2018

18

24

DRIVEN: Jaguar’s first EV sets its sights on Tesla.

Katy Medlock explains how Drivy turns idle vehicles into money-makers.

FLEETW RLD All that matters in the world of fleet

UNMISSABLE

Interview

Fleet’s biggest names under the spotlight at this year’s Silverstone Fleet Show...

Nick Laird of SsangYong

Lightening the load Why now is the time to talk about your drivers’ mental health

Idle control How fleets can monetise unused vehicles

Driven Jaguar I-Pace

fleetworld.co.uk

Director Jerry Ramsdale jerry@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Editor Alex Grant alex@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Business Editor Natalie Middleton natalie@fleetworldgroup.co.uk

34

Content Editor Jonathan Musk jonathan@fleetworldgroup.co.uk VFW Editor Dan Gilkes dan@fleetworldgroup.co.uk

Why fleets need to talk about mental health.

Fleet Consultant Steve Moody steve@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Account Directors Claire Warman claire@fleetworldgroup.co.uk

38

Yvonne Wright yvonne@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Kevin Gregory – Van Fleet World kevin@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Account Executive Darren Brett darren@fleetworldgroup.co.uk

Fleet Show 2018: recapping on this year’s highlights.

Circulation Manager Tracy Howell tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Head of Production Luke Wikner luke@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Designers Dan Bennett dan.bennett@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Tina Ries tina@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Dan Desta daniel@fleetworldgroup.co.uk

Published by Stag Publications Ltd, 18 Alban Park, Hatfield Road, St Albans, Herts, AL4 0JJ tel +44 (0)1727 739160 fax +44 (0)1727 739169 email fw@fleetworldgroup.co.uk web fleetworld.co.uk

48

SsangYong GB MD, Nick Laird, outlines the brand’s fleet plans.

VAN FLEETW W RLD

59 DRIVEN: Renault Trucks Master 4x4 Ford Transit Custom MS-RT ---------------------Fleet Software

04 / fleetworld.co.uk

To subscribe to Fleet World visit: www.fleetworldsubscriptions.co.uk Certified circulation Jan – Dec 2017 18,001

fleetreview In a month where carmakers have lined up to announce they’ll drop diesel engines, editor Alex Grant wonders if it’s supply, rather than demand, that could pose the bigger problem...

Part of the toolbox Thank you to everyone who came along to our Fleet Show event at Silverstone last month. Good weather and a spread of suppliers, manufacturers and industry experts mean we’ve had plenty of great feedback and we hope you had a useful, informative day out of the office. We are, in so many ways, in uncharted territory these days, and there’s really no substitute for having those face-to-face conversations to help plan for the year ahead.

From my patch of this vast industry, I don’t envy those of you who are making long-term vehicle decisions. May was punctuated with yet more news of manufacturers discontinuing diesel engines in Europe over the coming years and, as I write this, FCA Group is the latest in that list. The common thread; uncertainty, bad press and a resulting waning in consumer interest.

Who can blame end-users – private, or business – for being cautious? London, perhaps a barometer of what’s coming elsewhere, seems to be tightening its deadlines on clean air zones, and local authorities seem to be keen to follow suit. We’ve seen how quickly Government can impose an anti-diesel tax burden and have no idea of how WLTP-based banding will shape up from April 2020, including whether it could be backdated to cars which have the data. Could you be sure either way?

Yet diesel remains a key component in the fleet toolbox. Regardless of any shortterm political agenda, the long-term picture is one of declining CO2 emissions and improvements to the technology which are now delivering in the real world. Governments in the UK and elsewhere should be keen not to drive such radical change that short-term political victories undermine longer-term wins. Especially as the knockon is steadily declining supply – and at what seems to be an accelerating pace.

But we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. There’s a huge amount of interest in Jaguar’s first EV, the I-Pace, which you can read about on page 24, and for those who can’t opt for a car at that price bracket, that toolbox has never been more diverse. More reason than ever to talk through the options.

06 / fleetworld.co.uk

Don’t miss out on all the latest daily news!

Visit our website fleetworld.co.uk

Wish to be kept up-to-date with all the latest industry news?

Simply visit fleetworldsubscriptions.co.uk

to edit your newsletter preferences today.

THE ALL-NEW JEEP COMPASS WHATEVER YOUR DESTINATION

FROM UP TO 22,780 MPG 70.6 MPG BIK 28%FROM P11D £FROM CO2 117g/km For more information contact our business centre on 0808 168 5840 or visit Jeep.co.uk/fleet

MODEL SHOWN: ALL-NEW JEEP® COMPASS 1.4 LIMITED MULTIAIR II 140 HP 4X2 6 SPEED MANUAL INCLUDING VOCAL WHITE BICOLOUR PAINT AT £29,095 OTR. OFFICIAL FUEL COMSUMPTION FIGURES FOR JEEP RANGE MPG (L/100KM): EXTRA URBAN 47.9 (5.9) – 70.6 (4.0), URBAN 32.5 (8.7) – 54.3 (5.2), COMBINED 40.9 (6.9) – 64.2 (4.4), CO2 EMISSIONS: 160 – 117 G/KM. Fuel consumption and CO2 values are obtained for comparative purposes in accordance with EC directives/regulations and may not be representative of real life driving conditions. Factors such as driving style, weather and road conditions may also have a significant effect on fuel consumption. Jeep® is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.

inbusiness

New cars

C

itroën is bringing the fight to models such as the Nissan Qashqai with the reveal of the European version of its flagship C5 Aircross five‐seat SUV. Based on PSA’s EMP2 platform, the new C5 Aircross will launch in Europe at the end of 2018 and will be the first Citroën with a plug‐in hybrid power‐ train at the end of 2019.

Comfort is a key focus helped by its Advanced Comfort programme, Progressive Hydraulic Cushions suspen‐ sion – which is said to deliver a ‘magic

carpet ride’ effect – and Advanced Comfort seats; unique to Europe.

It also brings practicality in the form of three individual sliding, folding and reclining rear seats – again unique to Europe – and claimed best‐in‐class boot space of 580 litres to 720 litres.

Engines will cover petrol and diesel units from 128bhp to 178bhp and offering Citroën’s new EAT8 auto‐ matic gearbox. The PHEV version will bring a range of 37 miles in zero‐emis‐ sion mode.

Kia Sportage

Mazda CX-3

T

M

he Kia Sportage is to get a mild‐ hybrid diesel drive‐ train, as well as new technologies and a fresh design follownig a new update.

On sale in Europe during Q3 2018, the car will launch an efficient EcoDynamics+ 2.0‐litre diesel mild‐hybrid that Kia says can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 4% under WLTP, while proving significantly cheaper than full hybrids.

The revised powertrain line‐up also includes a new 1.6‐ litre diesel that replaces the existing 1.7‐litre CRDi and will be available in 113 or 134bhp variants, the latter available with all‐wheel drive and seven‐speed double‐clutch trans‐ mission. All powertrains will be fully compliant with the Euro 6d‐TEMP standard.

Other changes include upgraded infotainment and active driver aids and modifications to ‘GT‐Line’ models.

Citroën C5 Aircross

azda has launched its updated CX‐3 compact SUV in Japan ahead of its European arrival this summer.

Upgrades comprise new rear lights, an additional paint colour and a new wheel design and an electric parking brake for the first time.

The brand’s new 1.8‐litre diesel engine replaces the 1.5‐litre and produces 114bhp (up from 105bhp) with the same 199lb.ft torque, but available over a wider rev range.

Mazda claims the new diesel unit offers better real‐world fuel economy, while also meeting the latest Euro 6d‐TEMP emissions standards, and complying with the still‐optional Real Driving Emissions Step 1 on‐road test. The engine is likely to feature in the next Mazda3, and could also be intro‐ duced as an entry‐level unit for the Mazda6.

trading places

in

in

in

Citroën UK names new MD Citroën has named Karl Howkins as its new UK MD, replacing Bek Hassan who has transferred to a senior position in Paris for the PSA Group.

British-born Howkins started his career at a Vauxhall dealership and was most recently managing director of Opel Switzerland.

BVRLA appoints first female vice-chair The BVRLA has appointed Avis Budget Group MD Nina Bell as its first female vice-chair.

Replacing Simon Oliphant, Bell will support chairman Matt Dyer for one year, then take up the role as BVRLA chair for two years before reverting back to vice-chair.

Telematics specialist joins Lightfoot Lightfoot has appointed telematics industry specialist Kevin Hennelly as its new head of sales. He brings nearly a decade of experience in telematics and will work closely with Lightfoot’s national sales team, overseeing the sales team’s growth as the businesses expands to meet demand.

10 / fleetworld.co.uk

inbusiness

New clear air consultation launches

A

new air quality consultation asking for input on new ways to cut air pollution in ‘third‐wave’ local authority areas has been criticised by eco experts who say it shows the Government is “out of ideas”.

Opened by the Department for Envi‐ ronment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the consultation follows the publication last year of the Government’s latest air quality plans as a result of ongoing legal battles with environmental law firm ClientEarth, and a subsequent High Court defeat by ClientEarth over the

“unlawful” nature of such plans.

As a result of this defeat, new plans are due by 5 October outlining measures to tackle illegal levels of pollution in 33 towns and cities as soon as possible – and it is these measures that Defra is now consulting on.

Open until 26 June 2018, the consul‐ tation asks if there are any other measures – and ways of assessing them – that should be considered in order to help achieve compliance with legal limits for NO2 in the shortest possible time within these areas.

New safety tech to be mandated by EU

A

dvanced safety features such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and intelligent speed assistance (ISA) will be fitted as standard on new cars by 2021 under new European Commission plans.

Part of a package of measures to drive road safety, the proposals would see 11 different systems, also including alcohol interlock installation facilitation, drowsi‐ ness and attention detection and acci‐ dent data recorders, be required on new cars within the next three years. With the exception of AEB, all of the technologies

would be standard on vans too while trucks and buses would also get various safety features including a focus on vulnerable road user detection.

In addition, as part of its so‐called third mobility package, the European Commis‐ sion also published an overall outline of the road safety strategy for the decade to 2030 – including setting a new EU target to halve road deaths, and for the first time, serious injuries in the decade to 2030 – and updated rules on road infras‐ tructure safety management and a strategy for automated driving.

FCA calls time on diesel engines

F

iat Chrysler Automobiles will stop selling diesel passenger cars in Europe by 2021, citing a harsh regulatory environ‐ ment related to emissions.

Announced during the group’s Capital Markets Day event, the plans will involve an investment of more than €9bn (£7.9bn) in hybrid and fully electric drivetrains and 30 new electrified models launching by 2022. Diesel engines will only be offered in its commercial vehicle range, though all except the Doblo are supplied through partnerships with other manufacturers.

Plug‐ins will be distributed across its separate brands as the group fills ‘white spaces’ in its product offer – from Europe’s first electric Fiat 500, to Tesla‐baiting, long‐range, high‐performance electric Maseratis, including the Quattroporte luxury saloon, Levante SUV, and forth‐ coming Alfieri two‐seater sports car.

Alfa Romeo will cut the Mito supermini

from its line‐up, introducing a new Giuli‐ etta hatchback and equivalent SUV, as well as a flagship SUV positioned above the Stelvio. Plug‐ins will be offered throughout the range, including a new 8C supercar and GTV Coupe.

Jeep will introduce fully electric drive‐ trains in the Renegade, Compass and Cherokee segments, while extending the line‐up to include seven‐seaters, a pickup truck and a model positioned under the Renegade. Plug‐in hybrids will be offered across the range, though it’s not clear yet which models will come to Europe.

FCA joins a growing list of mainstream manufacturers confirming they will begin phasing out diesel engines. Toyota will only offer petrol and hybrid models by the end of this year, Suzuki has stopped importing diesel engines into the UK, while Nissan and Volvo are planning to discontinue diesel as new models launch.

in brief

2020 Proposed start date for Zero-Emission Zones in London’s town centres Mayor of London

Volvo first with WLTP data Volvo Car UK has become the irst carmaker to re‐test its entire model range under the new WLTP fuel economy standard. The resulting ‘NEDC Corre‐ lated’ igures bring a number of changes, including CO2 emissions for the 118bhp V40 D2 manual rise from 94g/km to 122g/km (a 30% increase), equating to 29% BiK, versus 23% before.

Check recalls with new service The SMMT has launched a leet‐dedi‐ cated version of its Vehicle Safety Recall Service to help irms check for outstanding safety recalls on vehicles.

Developed in 2015 for consumers, the service is now being rolled out with speci ic leet features, including a bulk tool that allows up to 100,000 vehicles to be checked in one go.

PSA drops Vauxhall OnStar service PSA Group is pulling the plug on the Vaux‐ hall/Opel OnStar service in Europe, which remains a subsidiary of General Motors, despite PSA Group acquiring Vauxhall and Opel last year. Opel said it would intro‐ duce a new system based on PSA tech‐ nology, named Opel Connect, debuting on the all‐new Corsa in 2019 and due to be rolled out across the range by 2024.

UK to face ECJ over air pollution The UK and ive other countries are being referred to the European Court of Justice over ongoing failures to tackle air pollu‐ tion. The action applies to failure to respect limit values for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in France, Germany, and the UK and for failing to take appropriate measures to keep exceedance periods as short as possible.

fleetworld.co.uk / 11

business inb

A pointless pursuit?

With the DfT publishing its long-awaited analysis, does the National Speed Awareness Course actually curb re-offending rates? Natalie Middleton and Alex Grant look at the data.

What’s the background?

For some 11 years, drivers caught speeding in certain police force areas have been offered the chance to undergo training as an alternative to the use of Fixed Penalty Notices. Now, new research – carried out by Ipsos Mori and commissioned by the Department of Transport – has been greeted by many as showing the lasting benefits of the courses on drivers.

But there’s some difference of opinion of the significance of the results.

How does the course work?

The course – which is classroom-based and lasts four hours – is one of a number managed under the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) on behalf of police forces by UKROEd Ltd, a private not-for-profit company.

Not every police force runs the course – it’s at the discretion of the Chief Constable in each area.

And not every motorist caught speeding qualifies to go on an NSAC, only drivers caught for low-end speeding and those who have not attended a speed awareness course in the last three years.

The course has been designed to change driver behaviour and help prevent them from reoffending. Drivers completing the course don’t get points on their licence and don’t have to pay the Fixed Penalty Notice, although they do have to pay to go on the course.

What has the research found?

The study examined data from 13 police forces, comprising 2.2 million drivers caught speeding between 2012 and 2017. Of those drivers, 1.4m undertook the NSAC, while 192,000 refused the course.

The research has been greeted by many as showing the effectiveness of the course at cutting reoffending rates. Of those who took part, 5% were caught speeding again within six months rising to 13.4% within three years and 21% after three years, compared to 7%, 15.5% and 23% for those who turned the course down.

The report concludes that: “The findings from this evaluation suggests that among eligible drivers, participation in the National Speed Awareness Course has a larger effect in reducing speed reoffending than the penalty points and fine associated with Fixed Penalty Notices.”

And the data suggested that drivers who were more likely to

12 / fleetworld.co.uk

reoffend were also more likely to be involved in a collision.

However, this study did not find that participation in NSAC had a statistically significant effect on the number or severity of injury collisions.

The research has been greeted by many industry bodies, including UKROEd itself. A spokesperson said: “We have always thought that the course was successful in successfully bringing about a change in driver behaviour, so it is good to have this confirmed by robust, independent evaluation.”

Des Morrison, director of police & public sector contracts at DriveTech, added: “Whilst most road users’ reaction to be being caught speeding is to feel resentment and anger, the opportunity to attend an informative and positive educational course rather than be punished with points and a hefty fine, means they have the opportunity to appreciate why speed limits exist and how they might change their own behaviours on the road.”

However, the Association of British Drivers (ABD), which has long argued that the NSAC has no real-world benefit beyond raising money and is renowned for its outspoken viewpoints, was more sceptical. In its blog, the association said that the small reduction in reoffending was “hardly surprising because drivers might simply take more care about speeding after being caught for one offence because you cannot be offered a second NSAC within three years”.

It added: “We suggest speed awareness courses should cease to be a moneymaking industry for ex-police and road safety officers and should only be offered to people who are actually convicted of speeding offences. Otherwise they are just a way to bribe the police to look the other way when an offence is committed – a waiver of prosecution as they call it.”

Certainly the margins between the figures are narrow.

However, Ipsos Mori said it had used two different statistical approaches that seemed to further show that the course was the causal factor determining differences in reoffending rates, rather than other factors such as differences between drivers who participate and those who do not. It added the effect of the course also appears to persist over time, with an impact still visible up to three years following initial participation.

So are the courses a genuine means for drivers to learn the error of their ways? Or really a buffer for drivers to accrue an extra three points without getting a ban? The jury is out.

THE NEW

PAY LESS BiK. GET MORE SUV.

NEW GRANDLAND X TECH LINE NAV BiK FROM 24% | P11D FROM £22,535 CO2 FROM 109G/KM | UP TO 67.3MPG Imagine an SUV with more, that costs you less. New Grandland X has more smart infotainment technology, more enhanced safety features and a more elevated ride. Yet it combines these with low CO2 and BiK. All of which makes every journey just a little more… grand.

Book your Grandland X 3 Day Test Drive today.

Visit threedaytestdrive.co.uk Fuel consumption information is official government environmental data, tested in accordance with the relevant EU directive. Grandland X range fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km): Urban: 44.1 (6.4) – 64.2 (4.4), Extra-urban: 57.6 (4.9) – 74.3 (3.8), Combined: 51.4 (5.5) – 68.9 (4.1). CO2 emissions: 128 – 108g/km.

Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. 2018/19 tax year.

Vauxhall Motors Limited does not offer tax advice and recommends that all Company Car Drivers consult their own accountant with regards to their own tax position. Grandland X Elite Nav 1.2 (130PS) Turbo Start/Stop model illustrated (P11D of £26,885) features Topaz Blue two-coat metallic paint (£565), silver-effect roof rails (£150), Premium LED Adaptive Forward Lighting Pack (£1,100) and black roof and door mirrors (£320), optional at extra cost. 3 Day Test Drive terms and conditions apply and vehicles are subject to availability. Please call 0330 587 8221 for full details. All figures quoted correct at time of going to press (June 2018).

business inb

Opinion With a growing number of benefits, even the smallest car fleets can make savings from use of telematics, explains Simon West-Oliver, director of sales and marketing at Drive Software Solutions. elematics has been used by commercial van and truck fleet managers to unlock an array of operational and financial benefits for decades. As access to telematics technology has been extended onto the smartphone and increasingly, via the cloud, into highly visual and usable dashboards viewed via any connected device, it has become cost-effective to extend the technology into car fleets.

One of the key reasons that telematics is now being deployed in business cars is not just to reduce insurance premiums, but also for business fuel and business mileage fraud detection. Highly cost-effective telematics, combined with intelligent fleet management systems, can now be set up to spot expenses claim discrepancies.

According to the Department for Transport, as much as 6% of all fuel charged to businesses is for private use and is therefore fuel fraud.

Losses associated with mileage fraud are arguably even higher where your company car users are reimbursed on an HMRC-recommended pence per mile basis for business travel . A Webexpenses global study carried out last year found that 47% of business travellers admitted falsifying or exaggerating their travel costs. It’s commonplace in some businesses for claimants to ‘round up’ distances travelled in expenses claims.

A typical comment from the survey’s respondents was: “I don’t claim for anything crazy, just add a few extra miles onto journeys.” But even the smallest individual losses, when multiplied across a company, accumulate to become a serious drain on firms.

Telematics offers a route to stopping mileage fraud in its tracks. Telematics information displayed on our fleet management dashboard now offers a central repository for all travel mileage by vehicle and driver. If driver travel expenses claims are significantly larger than mileage being logged by the telematics device as business journeys attributed to that driver’s car, then systems could be configured to flag up an alert to designated fleet managers. If a business trip includes a long non-work detour, it’s easily spotted, and claims can be adjusted downwards accordingly.

And as car fleets move to hybrid and pure electric vehicles (EVs) over the next few years, we believe telematics is

T

14 / fleetworld.co.uk

going to become even more important for the management of car fleets because tight monitoring of mileage becomes ever more important with these types of vehicles.

If you read the reports from early adopters of hybrid fleets, fuel efficiencies from these vehicles are only fullyrealised over optimum daily journeys of up to 60 miles.

Some hybrids have electric-only maximum distances below 30 miles. The highest efficiencies come from stopstart, city-based driving where the vehicle is purely running on electricity.

Telematics capabilities, which are increasingly built into the next generation of hybrids and EVs, reveal whether efficiencies are being realised or whether some types of jobs still demand combustion engine poweredvehicles to gain higher fuel efficiency.

Bear in mind that pure EVs of even the top-of-the-range Tesla can manage a maximum of 400 miles before recharging. And battery life reduces mileage limits by as much as 5% in the first 10,000 miles. Battery efficiency deteriorates more slowly after that. EVs’ mileage limits can be reduced considerably by cold weather (falling by as much as 50% of quoted numbers), as well as by repeated rapid acceleration.

Clearly battery performance is something that telematics solutions will be able to monitor to assess if performance is moving outside manufacturers’ promises. If specific models are found to have poorer battery performance this will impact already unpredictable, and in some cases, downright poor EV residual values, which car fleet managers of the future will need to keep an eye on.

Telematics, if combined with highly modular, responsive and affordable cloud-based fleet management software, offers a very cost-effective way for smaller fleet managers to gain access to back-office efficiencies, ensuring cost savings, as well as reducing the risk of fleet capacity being lost due to accidents, driver fatigue or misbehaviour or vehicle failures.

In short, the technology is now here and is payable via small monthly subscriptions well below the cost of running a mobile phone. It means that sophisticated telematics and fleet management capabilities are being democratised – spreading the benefits from larger commercial van and truck fleets only, to even the smallest ones leasing just a few cars.

Q &A

The ever-growing European plug-in car market is changing, with new player Tritium hoping to capitalise on the boom; a charge point manufacturer that admits choosing EVs today can be difficult for fleet operators, but this may be about to change. Dr Dave Finn, CEO and co-founder explains…

Why was a European base so important?

The advantage for us is across the board including for our leet channel and other customers. A lot of our customers put great faith in us and that’s based on our product of course, but supplying that from the other side of the world can be a dif icult thing to do. Our of ice is more than that, it’s actually able to manufacture and do inal assembly to lower lead times for our customers and we’ve a spare parts store there, so that lowers our time to react to faults. That’s valuable for our customers.

Also it gives us more expertise on the ground, like support engineers, who give us 24/7 coverage across three different time zones. We can also undergo compatibility testing with new vehicles introduced in Europe there.

What is Tritium’s USP in Europe?

Our USP in Europe is the same as that in the US. We still spend time thinking about what an owner of the charging station would really want to see and what the user would want to see approaching the charging station, and the user conditions we’re interested in.

We designed the charger back in 2012 and I think we were quite forward‐thinking in understanding what the use case would be. We realised early on that these things don’t need to be tied to a location; they can be anywhere. But they needed to be installed, self‐contained and intuitive to use and not need a large instruction manual on how to operate it. So we’ve paid a lot of attention to those details, but it’s taken the market a little while to appreciate those things we’ve added to the product.

We’re still the only product that’s liquid cooled and that’s enabled us to cope with cold weather and be successful in the Scandinavian market – so there’s lots of those kinds of details that become apparent as the market gets more sophisticated.

How will Tritium manifest itself in Europe?

Tritium is a designer and manufacturer, not a network operator, so we provide our services and products to charge point oper‐ ators. So if, for example, Fastned want to do a compatibility test then we’re quite happy to offer that facility. We have a 350kW offering, so we are offering that to charge point operators.

Obviously that’s not going to come out over the next few weeks, but that’s a very exciting product for us. We’ve always had the vision that 50kW is great around town, but once you head up into that 350kW range, you do the numbers and see that suddenly the product has mass market appeal and can be a replacement for petrol in terms of how you use your vehicle; drive across Europe, drive 1,000km, and ill up twice. That’s not really changing your behaviour or how you use your vehicle – it gives you the same freedom.

How will rapid charging affect fleets?

It also opens up some other interesting options, such as how the vehicles are offered in the market place. It’s a hard sell for a leet sales person to go out there and say we like the whole idea of an EV but we now have to do infrastructure too. That’s actually not the same person you’re selling to and it has made the whole process so complicated now. Manufacturers were just selling to leet operators but now it’s the case they need to talk to facilities people as well – so it makes them sound very complicated and it may not even be their building that they’re wanting to put infrastructure into. So with 350kW or even 150kW, we’re getting to the point where the leet operator can make their initial assessment and continue using their fuel card or whatever they’re using at the petrol station around the corner.

16 / fleetworld.co.uk

For the latest EV news, visit evfleetworld.co.uk

Nissan to ditch diesel as EVs gather pace

N

issan has become the latest manufacturer to con irm it will drop diesel engines from its line‐up, as it pushes ahead with plug‐in hybrid and fully electric alternatives.

Although both Toyota and Suzuki have already announced they’re pulling the plug on diesel engines in the wake of declining sales, Nissan’s approach is longer‐ term. A spokesperson told Fleet World: “We do not anticipate its sudden end in the short‐term. At this point in time, and for many customers, modern diesel engines remain in demand and continue to be available within Nissan’s powertrain offering.”

But, he added: “In Europe, where our diesel sales are concentrated, our elec‐ tri ication push will allow us to discontinue diesel gradually from passenger cars at the time of each vehicle renewal.”

Given a typical seven‐year lifespan, this would mean Nissan’s diesel engines will be discontinued by the mid‐2020s.

Electric Kia Niro revealed with 300-mile range

K

in numbers

ia is equipping the Niro compact SUV with a fully electric drivetrain, with the longest‐range version travelling almost 300 miles between charges.

Previewed at an event in Korea ahead of its sales launch later this year, the Niro EV will be offered with the same choice of battery options as the Hyundai Kona Electric – offering capacities of 39.2kWh and 64kWh, with a range of 150 miles and 236 miles respectively according to domestic‐ market data.

Kia Europe claims a range of almost 300 miles for the 64kWh battery – matching the Kona – but hasn’t revealed further details. Expect the drive‐ trains to be similar; the low‐capacity battery paired with a 133bhp motor, while performance for the 64kWh model rises to 202bhp. Hyundai is offering 100kW charging capability – twice the speed of today’s rapid chargers – enabling 80% of that range to be recovered in less than an hour, which is also likely to be shared with its sister brand.

The Niro EV features a unique bodykit with deeper bumpers and side skirts, aerodynamic 17‐inch alloy wheels and a closed grille in which the charging point is located. Euro‐ pean‐market versions will be shown at the Paris Motor Show in September.

325

Number of all-electric Volkswagen e-Golfs being added to the Zipcar Flex fleet in London.

in brief Plug-in Grants extended Ministers have con irmed that the Plug‐in Car and Van Grants will be extended until October 2018 to help drive uptake.

Previously the Government had said that the car grant would end in April 2018 but the latest announcement sees it remain in place at current levels until October 2018, and in some form until at least 2020.

Vattenfall expands into UK Swedish energy company Vattenfall is expanding into the UK with the launch of InCharge, its ‘any‐driver‐can‐use’ infras‐ tructure network concept. The company hopes to install its irst ‘charging poles’ in the UK in June 2018 and is targeting all three charge point demographics – home, work and public. It is currently building an e‐mobility team in Great Britain and a country director will join in June.

V2G/V2H charging solution on cards A new charging solution that could lower electricity bills for EV drivers while reducing peak grid demand is being explored by Franklin Energy and Powervault. The solution would provide full Vehicle‐to‐Grid (V2G) / Vehicle‐to‐ Home (V2H) services, optimising the low of energy between homes, electric vehicles and the grid.

Cayenne to get E-Hybrid Porsche has added plug‐in hybrid power to the Cayenne SUV model range. The Cayenne E‐Hybrid sports a 335bhp V6 petrol engine combined with a 134bhp electric motor, with a system output of 465bhp and a combined fuel economy of 83‐88mpg.

Emissions start from 72g/km CO2.

60%

Percentage of vehicles in London to be electric by 2030.

Source: Volkswagen

Source: Centre for Economics and Business Research

fleetworld.co.uk / 17

inbusiness

Q &A

Katy Medlock, UK managing director at car sharing scheme Drivy, talks about the firm’s new service that enables fleets to hire out idle vehicles.

What are the benefits of the scheme for fleets?

For fleet owners, Drivy can provide the benefit of reaching a wider and larger demand than their own marketing might not ordinarily reach. Fleet owners listing on Drivy are able to rent their fleets without their customers needing to visit a bricks and mortar branch – thus reducing operational costs. The check in and check out is all on a mobile app. This also provides flexibility as fleet owners can make their cars available to rent closer to where the demand is – i.e. on residential streets rather than fixed branch locations. This in turn enables them to increase the occupancy rates for the cars and maximise revenue opportunities.

There are also benefits with business support. We are one of the few car sharing companies providing insurance for our rentals. We also provide best practice and recommendations relating to fuel, maintenance, parking and location expertise.

How many vehicles do you currently have in the UK? We have over 450 well-located cars in London. We are continually working with fleet owners to make sure their cars are placed in the best locations to meet hirer demand.

What sort of technology do fleets need to install for the scheme?

We recommend that professional owners install our Drivy Open technology, as in the UK we're seeing this increases rentals seven-fold. In order to do this, we install a telematics device into cars, which enables car drivers who have a confirmed booking to complete the entire pick-up process for the vehicle with their smartphone without the car owner present. Most cars support this, but we do have a criteria that all cars listed on the platform are six years or younger. The Drivy website has a tool that allows owners to test if their car is compatible.

It is also possible to list cars on the Drivy platform without the Drivy Open technology.

How are vehicles opened if the Drivy Open tech isn't used?

When cars are not equipped with the Drivy Open tech, the car pick-up process is more similar to more traditional rental agencies. The owner and driver must be present to exchange keys, sign the contract then the car goes out for its

18 / fleetworld.co.uk

trip – same again on return. This is a traditional peer-to-peer model that some of our business is still based on, however we are focusing more and more on professional supply.

Is there any sort of incentive for fleets signing up to the scheme? What commission does Drivy take?

We take a 15% commission and in some instances, there are bespoke sign-on incentives available.

Do fleets set the rates themselves?

Typically, yes, but we advise on prices based on time/date/location/type of car. Owners are in full control of prices but we set a minimum of £37 and maximum of £202 in the UK. Our platform has an algorithm that recommends a price for a vehicle that is uploaded – the owner is then able to choose if they price in accordance with this. Our account management team will also reach out to those who could better optimise their pricing and offer assistance..

Do fleets update the vehicles’ available times through the app?

Vehicle availability can be set by the owner on the platform via the app or the website. Drivy keeps it very userfriendly and in favour of owners, giving them almost full control of every aspect of their cars and trips. It's also very easy to set available times for different cars.

What's included for hirers?

Mileage, 24/7 roadside assistance from the AA and insurance by Allianz are included in the hire.

How can hirers benefit from using the scheme?

For hirers/drivers, we offer very affordable prices and cars that are located just around the corner. Car drivers also have the benefit of Drivy Open and Instant Booking cars – in this instance the car driver doesn't need to wait around, do excessive paperwork or meet someone – they can just unlock the car with their smartphone and drive away.

Can you say where the scheme will launch next in the UK? We will be open for both private and professional fleet owners to list their fleets on the platform across the UK from mid-May but will focus on one key city at a time.

inbusiness

Striving to win With unprecedented competition, manufacturers’ fierce fighting for market share is good news for fleet and retail customers alike, writes The Insider.

Competition – 20 years ago I’m reminded of the slightly manufactured ‘Battle of Britpop’ 20 years ago between Blur and Oasis to be the biggest band. In 1995, after many years of mutual success, both bands decided to launch their latest products – in their case, the singles ‘Country House’ and ‘Roll with it’ respectively – and the media industry created headline stories about Blur and Oasis being enemies while stimulating consumer demand. Blur triumphed, but both bands won commercially.

In the UK car market around the same time, Ford, Vauxhall and Rover had more than a 50% share of the industry. Along with mainstream brands like Volkswagen, Peugeot, Renault and others, this left less than 10% of the competitive pie for premium brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar, and even less for the emerging brands like Škoda, Hyundai and Kia. Competition was still hot though. In the lead up to the all-important August new plate change market, manufacturers built special editions by the thousands, investing more marketing incentives for private customers in the shape of 0% finance, extra equipment and unique trim names. Customers were targeted with models like the Escort Finesse, Astra Premier, 306 Roland Garros (my Dad bought one of those) in a bid to win those extra sales during the August buying frenzy.

In the company car sector, competition was red hot too. Many of us will remember aspiring to models like the Cavalier SRi, a Rover 620i or a Granada Scorpio.

And a CD player.

And discount levels were rather different then too.

A fleet manager who was able to negotiate a discount of 10% from a manufacturer for a commitment to buy say, a few hundred cars over a three-year period had achieved a great deal.

And what about the premium and emerging brands? Without resorting to Google, I can’t honestly picture an image of an emerging brand’s car of the time, though many of us might recall terrible jokes

20 / fleetworld.co.uk

about Škodas. I do remember though that BMW charged extra for alloy wheels, Mercedes-Benz had recently launched its first C-Class and Audi its first A4.

And the only discounts available were typically negotiated through the dealers and their trading margin.

I don’t think Paul Weller wrote ‘The Changingman’ about company car drivers of the 1990s, but changing they certainly were. I remember visiting an IT company operating about 400 user-chooser cars in 1995 and the fleet manager told me that BMW was now the most popular brand on their fleet. And the momentum of competition hasn’t ceased.

Competition – today Competition in the UK motor industry has changed the landscape so dramatically in 20 years and it’s quite incredible when one acknowledges the change over time. Ford and Vauxhall now claim about a quarter of the UK market and sadly there is no Rover any more. Adding the premium brands together means they achieve over 25% UK market share. And the emerging brands are emerging no more – their combined share represents about 15% of the UK market.

And the pressure to gain or to win is enormous.

One can only imagine the stress on the sales teams at Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz – who all sold around 175,00 cars last year – in the race to be the number one brand.

But the true winner is us, the consumer. If you’re a private customer today, you may be tempted by massively discounted PCP offers of around £200 per month for a Focus or an Astra. Or a Karoq. Or a Tucson.

Or an A-Class. And similarly high manufacturer discounts exist with leasing companies and brokers to tempt company car drivers and fleet operators.

One of my favourite songs of recent years is ‘Under the Pressure’ by War On Drugs. I’m sure many motor industry leaders don’t always relish the omnipresent competitive pressure to win or gain, but it certainly makes the car market super competitive and we consumers all benefit from that.

Help David Out. Leverage all the beneďŹ ts ďŹ nance lease has to offer to your advantage.

ReduceFleetCost.co.uk

inbusiness

Making the right connections Peugeot plans to significantly grow its SME business with the rollout of dealer-based initiatives for local car and van customers.

Curtis Hutchinson reports.

P

eugeot is on a roll. The brand is back in the sweet spot of the new car market with high demand for its award-winning 2008, 3008 and 5008 crossovers, ahead of this autumn’s introduction of the already well-received 508, a model it is confident will breathe life into the dormant D-segment.

Meanwhile its van sales go from strength to strength with the all-new Expert helping to make Peugeot the third best selling CV brand ahead of a further boost in September when the Rifter replaces the Tepee.

This year the PSA brand has a clear focus on building its fleet business and that comes right from the top.

In a recent interview with Automotive News Europe, Jean-Philippe Imparato, the brand’s global CEO, outlined Peugeot’s ambitious aspirations in fleet, which could see a return to the heady days of the 1990s and noughties when the brand jostled with Ford and Vauxhall (now, of course, its sister brand) for market share.

“I have two targets for Peugeot in Europe this year. The first is that in each country, I want the market share for sales to business fleets to be above our passenger-car market share by two percentage points,” he said.

His other target is increasing van sales.

“Second, last year we had a really good year in LCVs, but we can target 10% more, I would say one point more market share.”

These are bold objectives but indicative of Peugeot’s new-found confidence. While it continues to make headway in the large fleet sector, it expects to make significant ground in the SME market where it can utilise the local knowledge of its 210-strong dealer network.

Peugeot’s head of business sales, Louise Neilson, believes SMEs offer a real growth opportunity for the brand and maintains that confidence amongst small businesses is high despite ongoing economic and political uncertainties.

“We’re not seeing a downturn as a result of Brexit.

We’re having a lot of really positive meetings with SMEs; confidence certainly seems to be there which is an encouraging sign,” she said.

Peugeot is ideally placed to grow its SME business with plenty of new product either in the showroom or in the pipeline across both car and LCV line-ups.

“Dealers tell me they are seeing more owners of SMEs than ever before looking at our car range, changing from other brands into the 3008 and 5008 and then looking at vans for their businesses; these owners are driving change for us.”

Potentially the brand has a lot to lose in the ongoing

22 / fleetworld.co.uk

demonisation of diesel, but as an early adopter of electric vehicles it also has much to offer fleets in terms of plug-ins and hybrids.

The forthcoming 508, which will be sold primarily into the business market, should see the plug-in hybrid version accounting for a third of sales if the brand can prove to fleets the total cost of ownership is comparable with a diesel.

This future-proofing makes sense in the current climate. If a business has ruled out diesel then there is the potential to open conversations about petrol, hybrid or EV alternatives.

According to Neilson, this makes Peugeot ideally positioned to demonstrate its agility in terms of being a fleet mobility supplier. This was shown last year when Royal Mail bought 100 Partner Electric vans for delivery services, the first major fleet order for the newly launched CV. A major part of the Royal Mail sourcing criteria acknowledged a need to reduce its carbon footprint with fleet director Paul Gatti citing a desire to be “on the frontfoot for future changes in emissions legislation.”

With the high visibility of Royal Mail and local authorities running Peugeot’s EVs, Neilson expects this to generate interest amongst SMEs. This will be helped by more of Peugeot’s 60 Business Centres becoming EV specialists; not just those based in metropolitan areas, with fully trained sales and aftersales staff as well as charging points. Furthermore, dealers outside of the Business Centre network are also being encouraged to grow their SME business.

“We’re working with the whole network to make sure they can all engage with SME customers. We’re keen for SMEs to have a relationship with their local Peugeot dealer for sales and servicing; it’s about the whole network being engaged.”

Peugeot’s investment has seen the recent introduction of Live Chat on its websites specifically for SME owners who can have questions answered at any time by a trained business specialist.

Peugeot dealers are also actively offering SMEs PSA’s Free2Move leasing and mobility solutions. This service is effectively a group-wide umbrella for the old Peugeot Contract Hire and Citroen Contract Motoring brands but with added fleet management tools including the newly launched Connect Fleet service which integrates with vehicle telematics and can be used across cars and vans.

“I see connected services as another way for us to add value to SME businesses as they’ll be able to save money through better real-time fleet management.”

THE CHANGE YOUR FLEET DESERVES D i s c o v e r m o r e a t f o r d . c o . u k /n e w -f o c u s o r c o n t a c t t h e F o r d B u s i n e s s C e n t r e : 03 4 5 7 2 3 2 3 2 3 | f l i n f o r m @ f o r d . c o m

P11D

BIK

C0 2

COMBINED MPG

£28,630 - £17,730

28% - 22%

123 - 91g/km

55.4 - 80.7

Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the All-New Ford Focus range: urban 45.6 -74.3 (6.2- 3.8), extra urban 62.8- 85.6 (4.5 - 3.3), combined 55.4 - 80.7 (5.1- 3.5). Official CO2 emissions 123- 91g/km.

The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results (EU Regulation 715/2007 and 692/2008 as last amended), are provided for comparability purposes and may not reflect your actual driving experience. Information correct at time of going to print.

Jaguar I-Pace Does Jaguar’s first electric car meet expectations? Jonathan Musk finds out…

SECTOR Small SUV PRICE £58,995-£81,495 (after Plug-in Car Grant) RANGE 298 miles WLTP CO2 0g/km

W

ith up to 20,000 I‐Pace destined for autonomous treatment courtesy of Waymo (formerly Google’s self‐driving car project) and a further 200 to be used around Heathrow Airport, Jaguar has already managed to make its electric mark in the world of fleet. If anything, it’s just the start.

This isn’t a conversion. Similar in footprint to an F‐Pace, short overhangs and a 90kWh battery mounted between the axles mean Jaguar can claim XJ‐like interior space from its newcomer. Fit and finish is a cut above the brand’s other models, too, with a regular two‐plus‐three layout and similar boot capacity to the F‐Pace with the rear bench upright.

Features such as a 10‐litre central storage bin you can fit your arm in, shelves under the rear seats and a small compartment under the bonnet are unusual but practical additions.

S trim spec makes the most sense, with no immediately discernible difference other than a few missing toys compared to SE, HSE and the range‐topping First Edition.

As with most modern cars, there’s too much tech to list.

Conspicuous by its absence is any sort of pioneering range in colder climes using grid power to warm the battery autonomous tech, aside from radar‐controlled adaptive cruise before setting off. An additional 30 miles range can be control that also offers traffic driving. AEB, 360° parking attained from the smart heat pump that scavenges energy camera and matrix LED headlamps are also stan‐ from outside, even in sub‐zero temperatures. dard. Jaguar’s “most connected car” includes High and low regenerative braking settings FLEET FACT Amazon Alexa and HomeLink connectivity, as allow for single‐pedal driving or coasting as well as a 4G Wi‐Fi hotspot, six USB ports and desired and further energy recuperation, three 12V sockets too.

High or low regen although in high mode it won’t hold itself on a Unique to I‐Pace is a redesigned TouchPro Duo allow single-pedal hill like Nissan’s e‐Pedal can. system with sat nav that takes weather, traffic, Charging is via a CCS port on the nearside or conventional climate control and charge into its calculations front wing, providing convenient compatibil‐ driving. to provide relatively accurate charge level gues‐ ity with thousands of charge points across timations at waypoints and your final destina‐ the UK and Europe. I‐Pace supports charge tion, alleviating some range anxiety. Not that you’ll have any, rates up to 100kW, or roughly 60 miles range per 15 with the car’s impressive 298‐mile WLTP rated range. What’s minutes plugged in. more, preconditioning can provide an additional 60‐miles F‐Type bucket seats ensure a sporty but comfortable ride, which is silky smooth and our car’s air suspension managed to hide the 2,153kg weight well. Height adjustment can either lower I‐Pace by 40mm for easier access, or +50mm for off‐ road driving – where it is impressively capable and has a wading depth of 500mm. The car also lowers automatically by 10mm at high speed to improve efficiency and stability.

Jaguar’s usual pop‐up gear selector is absent; replaced by simple gear‐select buttons. Prod “D” for drive and away you go. The I‐Pace is relentlessly quick in a straight line, with 395bhp and 512lb.ft that’s hardly surprising. What is surpris‐ ing, is it’s also quick around corners thanks to much of its weight being kept low in the chassis, giving a centre of grav‐ ity 113mm lower than that of an F‐Pace. The result is SUV looks with sports car handling.

The I‐Pace is an impressive electric vehicle but a normal car and perhaps that’s Jaguar’s greatest achievement here.

However, with its high asking price and lack of dedicated infrastructure, TCO will play a larger role than usual for any fleet decision.

24 / fleetworld.co.uk

what we think With its useful real-world 300-mile range and low TCO, the I-Pace should appeal to fleets in a way conventional Jaguars cannot. However, EV infrastructure may prove to be Jaguar’s biggest sales hurdle.

highlights 298-mile WLTP-rated range easily achievable.

100kW charge rate allows 60-mile range in 15 minutes.

0-62mph in 4.8 seconds.

key fleet model Jaguar I-Pace S

fleetworld.co.uk / 25

Volvo V60 Volvo continues to do what it does well as it plays to its traditional strengths, says Craig Thomas.

SECTOR Compact Executive PRICE £31,810 – £40,670 FUEL 42.5 – 64.2mpg CO2 117 – 154g/km

I

f you asked a selected sample of the British population smartphone or tablet (i.e. almost all of us) will appreciate.

– perhaps for a TV programme like Pointless – to There’s lots of space up front and in the rear – where describe Volvo cars, chances are that ‘safety’ and ‘estate’ there’s enough headroom and copious legroom for most would be the most popular words used. adults – plus a class leading boot capacity by some margin So when assessing the safe, new V60 estate, it would be compared to the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant. fair to say that Volvo is on‐brand, playing to its strengths, Initially, the engine line‐up comprises two 2.0‐litre putting in a solid, Volvo‐like performance. diesels – a 148bhp D3 and 188bhp D4 – plus a 247bhp T5 But it would also be considerably underselling a car that 2.0 petrol, but a T4 petrol, and T6 and T8 plug‐in demonstrates yet again that the Swedish carmaker has its petrol‐electric hybrids will bolster the line‐up in 2019. The mojo back (thanks, in part, to some serious, and well used, only engine we’ve been able to drive to date is the more investment from parent company Geely). powerful of the two oilburners, the D4, The V60 – a compact executive estate which has enough power to make it that does everything well – is a perfect usable on a day‐to‐day basis, enabling it example of this. to cruise comfortably and quietly, while Starting with the first impressions, the at the same time having enough urge to V60 is another example of how Volvo has overtake when called upon. The auto‐ parlayed minimalist Scandi design into matic transmission we tested was a little something even more stylish. The hesitant on a twisty road, but on the proportions of an estate are often a motorway, it’s well‐mannered and strong basis for elegant looks and the smooth.

The official combined side profile of the V60 is an object lesson consumption of 64.0mpg and 117g/km in how to use simple lines and largely of CO2 means running costs are under unadorned surfaces to maximum effect, control, too. while the wide, shallow grille, air intakes It might not be as dynamically and array of lights at the front also high‐ engaging as a 3 Series Touring, or even With the V60, what you light how this is a car for people with a an A4 Avant, but that’s not what Volvos see is what you get: clear idea of what good design looks like. are about: this offers comfortable and stylish, solid and technoIt’s the same story inside, where a fuss‐free driving, with no drama and a spacious cabin is filled with quality feeling of dependability. logically advanced. materials, high standards of fit and Oh, and there are all the requisite Throw in efficient and finish, and a clean, unfussy and focused safety features, too, including Volvo’s safe, and you have a design. It’s a relaxing place in which to sit prototypical semi‐autonomous driving convincing, all-round and the Sensus touchscreen‐based info‐ experience, Pilot Assist, which tainment system has a straightforward upholds the company’s reputation for executive estate package. user interface that anyone who uses a leading‐edge safety tech.

what we think

26 / fleetworld.co.uk

VOLVO’S COMMITMENT TO ELECTRIFICATION From next year every new Volvo model launched will have an electric motor – marking the end of decades of reliance solely on the internal combustion engine as a means of power.

VOLVO’S plug-in hybrid vehicles are branded Twin Engine – because they have two power sources, combining an efficient internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The electric motor drives the rear wheels via a high voltage battery mounted in the transmission tunnel to offer optimised weight distribution for better ride and handling characteristics.

Volvo’s range of plug-in hybrids is one of the most comprehensive in the market and it aims to help large corporates, SMEs and company car drivers understand more about how these cars can fit into modern-day car policies.

The manufacturer’s ambitious electrification strategy is spearheaded by the range of four-plug-in hybrid models currently available – the S90 and V90 executive challengers and the XC60 and XC90 premium SUVs. Badged as Twin Engine models, these four vehicles offer the best of both worlds with the ability to operate in zero-emission, fully electric mode in towns and cities, or as a regular petrol car on longer journeys. This gives plug-ins a distinct advantage among business drivers who need the ability to have a vehicle with a healthy range, yet also can comply with the growing number of clean-air zones

being introduced in towns and cities across the UK. The new Volvo S60 saloon will be the first Volvo to be produced without a diesel engine, highlighting Volvo’s commitment to electrification.

Last month, Volvo Cars reinforced its electrification strategy by stating that it aims for fully electric cars to make up 50 per cent of its global sales by 2025. The announcement was made at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show, positioning it as a powerful player in China, the world’s leading market for electrified cars.

The all-new S60, a premium mid-size sports saloon, is based on Volvo’s in-house-developed Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, which also underpins Volvo’s award-winning new 90 series and 60 series cars. The S60’s estate sibling, the V60, was launched earlier this year in Stockholm.

Production of the all-new S60 will start this autumn at Volvo Cars’ brand-new manufacturing facility outside Charleston, South Carolina. The S60 will initially be available with a range of four-cylinder Drive-E petrol engines as well as with two petrol plug-in hybrid versions. Mild-hybrid versions will follow next year.

MODEL

XC60 T8 Twin Engine R-Design XC60 T8 Twin Engine R-Design Pro XC60 T8 Twin Engine Inscription XC60 T8 Twin Engine Inscription Pro S90 T8 Twin Engine R-Design Pro S90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription Pro V90 T8 Twin Engine R-Design Pro V90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription Pro XC90 T8 Twin Engine Momentum XC90 T8 Twin Engine Momentum Pro XC90 T8 Twin Engine R-Design XC90 T8 Twin Engine R-Design Pro XC90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription XC90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription Pro

advertisement feature

Price (P11D) £53,800 £58,500 £55,800 £59,700 £57,250 £58,000 £59,250 £60,000 £62,500 £65,500 £66,000 £70,250 £66,400 £71,300

MPG (Comb) 122.8 117.8 122.8 122.8 128.4 128.4 128.4 128.4 108.6 108.6 108.6 100.9 108.6 100.9

CO2 (g/km) 52 55 52 52 48 48 49 49 59 59 59 63 59 63

BIK % (2018/19) 16 16 16 16 13 13 13 13 16 16 16 16 16 16

EV range miles) 26 26 26 26 27 27 27 27 23 23 23 23 23 23

VED rate (1st year/Std) £15/£130 £15/£130 £15/£130 £15/£130 £0/£130 £0/£130 £0/£130 £0/£130 £15/£130 £15/£130 £15/£130 £15/£130 £15/£130 £15/£130

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VOLVO’S HYBRID FOR BUSINESS RANGE: VOLVOCARS.CO.UK/ HYBRIDFORBUSINESS

Audi A6 Audi turns up late to the new executive party, but it plays a strong hand, reckons Kyle Fortune.

SECTOR Executive PRICE TBC FUEL TBC CO2 TBC

E

veryone wants SUVs, right? Not everybody, reckons Audi, and the executive sector is still strong enough to warrant the carmaker and its competition throwing billions at it. The result is the new A6, which follows in the impressive wake left by the latest Mercedes‐Benz E‐Class and BMW 5 Series with which it’ll compete.

It might be last to the party then, but it’s dressed, well, typically Audi but with enough visual flourish. There’s standout presence then, particularly if you opt for it in S‐Line specification – as almost everyone will – which brings bespoke front and rear bumpers, side skirts and suspension that sits some 10mm lower than standard.

So, outwardly it’s onto a good thing but it’s inside where the Audi gains, and we’re not just talking about space.

We’re used to Audi’s interiors impressing, but the A6 moves the game forward again. There are screens, three of them if you option the Virtual Cockpit instrumentation, all housed in a dashboard that, although it may ape a conven‐ tional shape, does nothing as ordinary as having anything Admittedly that sports element will have to take recognisable as a button. Actually, that’s not entirely true, a back seat in the UK – very nice back seats too, with as there are a few – one for starting the engine, another for more head and legroom – as we’ll be more interested the parking sensors and another for the active in the business, and hence costs, angle. As safety systems. such Audi reckons the 2.0‐litre TDI will be FLEET FACT It’s all very chic, the haptic feedback touch the big seller with fleets still likely to want screens are all largely easy to navigate and the cost advantages that TDIs have tradi‐ understand, with enough screen space to allow tionally offered.

Mild hybrid things like the ventilation controls to be How much that’ll be with the 201bhp A6 tech improves displayed all the time, rather than hidden away 2.0 TDI, now badged 40 TDI, we’ll have to emissions in in sub‐menus. guess for the time being, as Audi is yet to all A6 models.

As Audi itself admits, it’s trying to be three reveal figures. It is aided by a mild hybrid things with this car: a sports saloon for the US, system; as the 40 TDI is a four‐cylinder, this a business/fleet one for Europeans and a technological is based on a 12‐volt system while its six‐cylinder rela‐ leader for China. And actually, as difficult as that expansive tions gain 48‐volt electronics. Mild hybrid means brief might be, it’s fairly adept in every area. extended stop‐start and coasting ability rather than elec‐ tric drive, but it’ll be enough to make sure the 40 TDI is at least as good as, if not better, than its key rivals in the mpg and CO2 stakes. Think around 65mpg and 112‐115g/km, though, perhaps understandably, Audi is being cagey about announcing figures for now.

To drive, it’s as you might expect; Audi’s work on quieting it all down is apparent, refinement is high and the 40 TDI is smooth and hushed. The steering is crisp, the ride – on the smooth roads we drove on the launch at least – is adept, while the 2.0 TDI is usefully quick and the seven‐speed S tronic automatic transmission is slick.

If we’ve got a complaint, it’s the over‐active intrusive‐ ness of the safety systems, the lane‐keeping assist seem‐ ingly desperate to wrench the steering from your control, though find the correct bit of a screen to prod, and it’s serenity itself. If the numbers associated with it are good enough then the A6 has everything to take the fight to its rivals, and perhaps even convince some others that they don’t need an SUV after all…

28 / fleetworld.co.uk

what we think Audi’s A6 should provide some strong competition in the executive sector; good looks and tech play in its favour. But Audi needs to reveal the numbers to see if it’s a real winner.

highlights Smart interior can feature as many as three screens, two being standard.

Drivetrains will be either front-wheel drive, or Audi’s quattro four-wheel drive, with Ultra tech enabling good economy and emissions.

Optional rear-wheel steering not only aids agility, but reduces the turning circle by one metre.

key fleet model A6 40 TDI S Line fleetworld.co.uk / 29

Suzuki Swift Sport Lighter, longer and more powerful, the new Swift Sport aims to upset the apple cart, discovers Jonathan Musk.

SECTOR Supermini PRICE £17,999 FUEL 50.4mpg (NEDC) CO2 125g/km (NEDC) 135g/km (WLTP)

S

uzuki is a company on the move. Both smaller and it’s immediately noticeable how light the doors are, but the lighter than its predecessor, the humble new Swift gave rest of the car appears to remain untouched aside from obli‐ Suzuki’s car range the boost it needed and today fleet gatory ‘sporty’ red accents and cossetting bucket‐type seats. numbers are up and continue to climb in the direction of a This means that practicality remains unchanged, including targeted 10,000 sales by 2020. The new Swift Sport builds a 25% larger, 256‐litre boot than the previous Swift Sport. on that success but is both lower and 50mm longer than the Suzuki has built something special. Out on the road, it’s standard car. Its engineers aimed for “ultimate driving an engaging drive that entices, complements and then excitement” and only the best ideas made it off the table. inspires confidence. At pace, this is as good as it gets with‐ The 1.4‐litre Boosterjet petrol turbo engine is the same as out risking your licence. It’s not fast enough to worry that used in larger Suzukis, like the SX4 S‐Cross, and pumps anything big and German, but it’s exactly the right blend of out a modest 138bhp but with an impressive max‐torque of performance meets usable enjoyment. The chassis is so 170lb.ft – 44% more compared to its sorted that flying over weather‐beaten predecessor – and available from a low mountain roads is coped with little more 2,500rpm. than a wobble. Quick but weighted steer‐ Attached to a short‐throw six‐speed ing provides driver feedback at any manual and an uprated clutch to cope speed. Turbo‐lag is conspicuous by its with the torque increase, the Swift Sport absence and yet settling down for a has all the ingredients to deliver a warm motorway jaunt is relaxing. This really is hatch demeanour. a do‐it‐all and do‐it‐well car.

Additional welding and the use of Nitpicking; the gearbox could be ultra‐high tensile steel have strengthened smoother and have an even shorter the standard Swift’s ‘Heartect’ platform throw to enhance the experience and the to make the chassis more stiff and the exhaust note could be more aggressive, body a full 40% lighter than the previous although likely at the expense of around‐ generation Sport, contributing to a town manners. This is a truly impressive feather‐light total weight of 975kg – 70kg little car that belies its cost and humble The Swift Sport offers lighter than before. origins; hats off to Suzuki. old-school charm and All these enhancements combine to The only thing standing in Suzuki’s way fun in a thoroughly deliver 14% better fuel consumption and is quality competition from the likes of 15% improved emissions, yet greater the Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen Up modern, efficient and performance over the outgoing model; an GTI, but the Swift Sport is good enough to capable package, but appealing option for those with more give each of those a headache. And, while its price may put flexible choice lists, or the ability to take the Up GTI undercuts the Swift Sport on some off. a cash allowance. paper, it lacks the same practicality and Jumping into the car for the first time, standard equipment.

what we think

30 / fleetworld.co.uk

Advertisement feature

SUZUKI DRIVES BUSINESS FORWARD Suzuki’s award-winning “Fit for Fleet� model line-up provides today’s businesses with a unique formula of great value, exceptional reliability and strong residual values, which all combine to deliver a very competitive low cost of ownership proposition.

Swift and Vitara are two models that spearheaded Suzuki Business sales success in 2017, and this trend is on track to continue. Launched in June of last year, Swift has become renowned for being great to drive, thanks to its agile handling and fun persona. With a P11D value and BIK tax band starting from only ÂŁ11,819 and 20% respectively, Swift is powered

“Our vehicle range has never been more perfect for the Fleet sector with Ignis, the little car that seeks big adventure, the Vitara with its rugged SUV style and our latest model, Swift. There is definitely something for everyone.�

Graeme Jenkins, Head of Fleet at Suzuki GB PLC.

The next 12 months are set to be an exciting time for Suzuki and its customers, with the arrival of the third-generation Swift Sport supermini in June and the all-new Jimny 4x4 in

by the very efficient three-cylinder 1.0 and 1.2-litre petrol

early 2019. The former will supply hot hatch performance

Dualjet and turbocharged Boosterjet engines, which return

courtesy of a 1.4-litre Boosterjet powerplant, and a kerb

a high level of fuel economy for owners. Furthermore,

weight of only 970kg, which is an impressive 80kg less than

Suzuki’s HYBRID system (available exclusively on the SZ5

its predecessor.

grade) produces ultra-low CO2 emissions of 97g/km and fuel consumption of just over 8p per mile.

Introduced in 2015, the spacious and well-equipped Vitara compact SUV is Suzuki GB’s best-selling model, and is another compelling formula for business users.

With a P11D starting at only £15,779, and an equivalent BIK RI WKH IUXJDO 9LWDUD EHQH˸WV IURP ORZ UXQQLQJ FRVWV DQG emissions of just 123g/km. Similarly, drivers benefit from an uncompromised on-road performance, and exceptional versatility off-road when using the four-mode ALLGRIP system.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SUZUKI “FIT FOR FLEET� PRODUCT LINE-UP AND THE BUSINESS CHARTER, PLEASE VISIT CARS.SUZUKI.CO.UK/BUSINESS

Volkswagen Touareg The new tech-laden Touareg aims to continue its fleet appeal. By Jonathan Musk.

SECTOR Large SUV PRICE £49,000 (est.) FUEL 40.9mpg CO2 182g/km

I

t might surprise you to learn that in 2017, 85% of the 12‐inch driver’s display and a curved 15‐inch central outgoing Touareg went to fleets – with no hybrids or touchscreen to replace every physical button bar volume. four‐cylinder diesel engines to tip the balance. And, UK standard equipment lists are yet to be formalised, but while retail volumes are expected to grow, 60% of the new Matrix LED headlamps, infrared ‘Night Vision’, trailer‐ third generation are destined for fleet, with diesel expected assist, air suspension and four‐wheel steering are all to outsell petrol 4:1. impressive options.

Resting on a new platform and with more aggressive Safety features range from Front Cross Traffic Assist, to styling – particularly at the front‐end – plus permanent Proactive Passenger Protection. There’s also Traffic Jam all‐wheel drive, the new Touareg has its sights set on the Assist and adaptive cruise control with sat nav‐based speed Volvo XC90, BMW X5, Jaguar F‐Pace and Volkswagen alteration that allows the car to reduce speed automatically.

Group rivals.

While none of the tech is hugely innovative, like Heinz For Europe, the only engine currently baked beans, Volkswagen has executed available is the impressive Euro 6d‐TEMP them uncommonly well. compliant 282bhp 3.0‐litre diesel, with a On the road, and despite its obvious fleet‐friendly 228bhp unit to follow. A bulk, it’s a better drive than most of its further 335bhp V6 petrol and range‐ immediate competition. The 3.0‐litre TDI topping 415bhp V8 diesel will be added V6 provides impressive economy and to the European line‐up thereafter. silence off‐boil, or is accompanied by a Finally, a 362bhp plug‐in hybrid will also pleasingly petrol‐esque exhaust note on be available in China next year. hard acceleration with only the occa‐ Despite being a mobile super‐ sional low‐rev diesel grumble. 0‐62mph computer, Touareg managed to lose a takes a brisk 6.1 seconds and, matched remarkable 106kg overall weight yet add with the latest DSG transmission, it’s diffi‐ 113 litres more luggage space when cult to fault aside from an occasional hesi‐ compared to its predecessor. tancy if driving more enthusiastically.

The UK market will get SEL, R‐Line and The new Touareg is light years ahead of Great though it is, the R‐Line Tech customisable trim options. its predecessor and a class‐leading new Touareg isn’t likely Unfortunately, the new Touareg lacks the contender, but XC90 owners won’t be to ruffle the feathers of typical practicality associated with an SUV, jumping ship just yet. Assured quality is with unusually small cabin stowage. Rear the new Touareg’s real strength while strong competition in occupants are well catered for aside from much of its most impressive technology this sector but as an a slightly uncomfortable bench seat and remains optional. But, if you don’t need impressive all-rounder, boot capacity is generous, although there’s seven seats this should certainly be it is well worth a look. no seven‐seat option. amongst your top three. First UK customer A new Innovision Cockpit combines a deliveries are expected by end of June.

what we think

32 / fleetworld.co.uk

FEATURE Mental Health

“ Commonly cited causes

of stress include long working hours, lone or remote working and lack of support from colleagues or managers.�

TIME TO LIGHTEN THE LOAD Society is starting to make real progress in opening up about mental health. Craig Thomas looks at how occupational drivers can identify and address any issues.

34 / fleetworld.com

W

e’ve come a long way when it comes to our attitudes to mental health issues. As the subject increasingly becomes a normal part of our public discourse, helped by public igures being open about their experiences, we are all more aware and better informed.

But there’s much more work to be done, as highlighted by latest research. A survey carried out by Mercedes‐Benz Vans to support the Mental Health Foun‐ dation’s recent Mental Health Awareness Week found more than half (56%) of van drivers and owners still say there is a stigma attached to discussing mental health at work. Among the reasons for this was that fears over job security and career progression made talking about mental health taboo.

The research also showed 28% of managers said an employee had spoken to them about mental health concerns, although female managers were more likely to have experienced an employee talking about mental health concerns than male managers (32% vs 26%).

Over half (57%) of those who say a colleague or employee has spoken to them about a mental health issue felt ‘glad they could con ide in me’, but one in four admit‐ ted they felt uninformed, 21% said they felt embarrassed and a further 17% did not feel equipped to know what to do or say.

The figures highlight that there’s still work to be done in addressing mental health issues at work – and especially for those who drive as a function of their job and have to contend with the stress of life on the road.

From the leet manager’s perspective, it’s important to note that The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal to discriminate directly or indirectly against people with mental health problems in public services and functions, access to premises, work, education, associations and transport.

Because the link between stress and mental health is a tangible one, so tack‐ ling one can lead to improving attitudes of the other, as Chris O'Sullivan, head of workplace at the Mental Health Founda‐ tion, explains: “By tackling stress we can go a long way to tackle mental health problems such as anxiety and depres‐ sion. But in order to confront these issues we need to eradicate the stigma, some‐ thing that the Mercedes‐Benz Vans research shows is still widespread among drivers.”

Mental health charity Mind is also working hard to raise awareness of the relationship between stress and mental health issues, and their impact on working life.

Emma Mamo, Mind’s head of work‐ place wellbeing, told us: “Stress and poor mental health are commonplace in most workplaces. According to recent research

by Mind and YouGov, more than half (56%) of workers ind work very or fairly stressful. Although stress itself is not a mental health problem, prolonged expo‐ sure to stress can lead to or worsen mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

“Commonly cited causes of stress include long working hours, lone or remote working and lack of support from colleagues or managers – all things people who drive for a living are likely to experience. Unsociable or long shifts make it dif icult to establish a regular routine and sleep pattern, particularly if you have to it non‐work‐related tasks around early starts and late inishes. All of these can affect your mental wellbeing.

“With the pressures associated with working alone, it is understandable that when left unsupported, drivers may experience a deterioration in their health and changes to their performance.

“In addition, employees who spend much of their working day on the road might ind it dif icult to maintain a healthy diet or ind the time to take exer‐ cise throughout the day. Poor diet and lack of physical activity can both impact on our physical and mental health.”

fleetworld.com / 35

→

FEATURE Mental Health

STRESS: HOW YOU CAN HELP YOURSELF The Mental Health Foundation has top 10 tips for dealing with stress.

→

As you might expect, Mind has lots of useful advice for occupational drivers with concerns about their mental health and what to do about it.

Mamo adds: “Becoming aware of the causes and symptoms of unmanageable stress, and letting family and friends know what signs to look out for, are both important. If you feel that ongoing work stress is having a negative impact on your mental wellbeing then speak to somebody about it.

“Speaking to your GP might seem daunting, and an extra thing that you have to worry about, but it’s the irst step to getting the help and support that’s right for you.

“There are also lots of small things we can do to improve or maintain good mental health and wellbeing. Eating healthily, sleeping well and making time for exercise are all important. If you think you might be struggling with your mental health, take some time out for yourself and do something that you ind relaxing.

It’s also very important to open up about how you feel to someone you trust.

Bottling things up only makes them worse.”

We can also support friends and colleagues if there are concerns about them.

“If you are worried about an employee or colleague’s mental health, you could start by talking about their general wellbeing and letting them know they can talk to you if they need to,” suggests Mamo.

36 / fleetworld.com

“Everyone’s experience of mental health problems is different, so focus on the person, not the problem. Staying silent is one of the worst things people can do and opening up and talking about how they’re feeling can in turn help them feel more relaxed about seeking help.”

Ford has also launched a national awareness campaign that encourages people to speak more openly about mental health and to find safe, non‐ confrontational spaces to talk. Working with mental health campaigning group Time to Change, Ford is working to “break the silence on mental health” including highlighting the need to find safe, non‐confrontational spaces to talk – in this case, a Transit, because research conducted by Ford found that two‐thirds (67%) of people said they were more comfortable talking about issues when in a vehicle.

Such initiatives, along with the support of manufacturers such as Ford and Mercedes‐Benz, are important steps to eradicate the stigma around mental health. But so is recognising that if we have issues and facing them, talking to people about them and seeking help.

And for employers, it's important to recognise that staff are vulnerable – especially if their jobs involve coping with stressful situations such as driving – and offering as much support as possible.

We’ve come a long way in our attitudes to mental health – but there’s still work to do. For all of us.

REALISE WHEN IT IS CAUSING A PROBLEM AND IDENTIFY THE CAUSES REVIEW YOUR LIFESTYLE BUILD SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS EAT HEALTHILY BE AWARE OF YOUR SMOKING AND DRINKING EXERCISE TAKE TIME OUT BE MINDFUL GET SOME RESTFUL SLEEP DON'T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF For more information on these visit: mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stress In the event that drivers feel they’re not getting the support they need from their employer, advice is available from Acas or Mind’s legal line on 0300 466 6463 (lines open Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm or email legal@mind.org.uk).

Employees can also find information and practical steps to promote wellbeing, tackle stress and poor mental health at work by visiting: www.mind.org.uk/work

38 / fleetworld.co.uk

ONE DAY.

ONE INDUSTRY. ONE UNMISSABLE EVENT. Bringing the biggest names in fleet together for one action-packed day, Fleet Show 2018 offered unparalleled insight into an ever-changing industry.

A

n established highlight in the leet industry calendar, the Fleet Show offers not only the chance to discover the most important new cars, vans and motorbikes, but also the opportunity to ind out about the latest leet solutions and services – all against the backdrop of the iconic Silverstone racing circuit.

This year, the outdoor exhibition in the Paddock area once again provided direct access to outstanding track driving opportunities on the Stowe, National and International circuits, covering everything from the sporty Kia Stinger, Fiat 124 Spider and Abarth products, popular SUVs such as the Ford EcoSport, Seat Arona and Ateca – and the acclaimed new Volvo XC40. Impor‐ tantly, leet experts were on hand to talk visitors through the latest features on the vehicles as well as carmakers’ new leet services.

Outdoor action was matched by a bustling indoor exhibition area, bring‐ ing key suppliers and industry bodies under one roof and offering break‐ out areas for networking. Facing unprecedented change, the leet industry has never been more diverse.

→

→

ACFO

Allstar

Fleet decision‐makers attending ACFO’s stand – as well as chairman John Pryor’s talk in the seminar sessions – were urged to sign the association’s recently launched petition calling for HMRC to publish Advi‐ sory Fuel Rates for plug‐in cars.

The petition is part of ACFO’s ongoing work to expedite ‘e‐AFR’ rates, which it believes could help drive leet take‐up of plug‐in vehicles. ACFO also highlighted its switch some 10 months ago to a new struc‐ ture that has seen it replace twice‐a‐year regional meetings with webinars.

The fuel card provider has launched Service‐ Point from Allstar, delivering direct access to a network of thousands of franchised and independent garages for vehicle repair. Pre‐ negotiated rates promise savings of 20‐30%, yet there is no cost at all to customers. The garages pay a monthly subscription to take part in the Allstar scheme, offering service and repair for cars, vans and trucks. The ServicePoint app is now being made avail‐ able to all vehicle users, not just the larger leets that use an Allstar card.

Autoserve Activa Contracts Activa Contracts announced it had added to its sales team. The vehicle leasing and leet management company has created two new management positions, added an area sales manager and promised further recruits in the pipeline.

“Activa Contracts is expanding due to delivering industry‐leading leet products and solutions to customers backed up by a consultancy approach and a willingness to ensure whatever clients require they receive to improve the ef iciency and oper‐ ational effectiveness of their transport oper‐ ation,” said Activa Contracts’ sales and marketing director, Lisa Temperton.

Alfa Romeo “Dramatic change is underway at Alfa Romeo,” says Simon Wheeler, UK leet marketing manager at FCA, adding that the company’s line‐up is more leet‐friendly now than it has been for a long time; especially with the growing SUV market and Stelvio’s introduction. And, despite being “real drivers’ cars” with top‐level elements like carbon ibre prop shafts and rear‐wheel drive, Alfa Romeo’s latest models also focus on low Bene it in Kind thanks to small engines and overall TCO from a leet perspective, adds Wheeler. “Alfa Romeo really is on a leet resurgence and we’re on many more choice lists than we’ve ever been on.”

The focus this year was on the company’s recently launched range of leet manage‐ ment packages, covering the Service Card, Fleet Card and Guaranteed Maintenance.

Standard features on the Service Card include discounts on servicing costs and free collection/delivery, 24hr driver helpline and warranty claim handling. The Fleet Card builds on this with a wide range of extra bene its including discounted fuel card, acci‐ dent management and duty of care.

CityEV From home user charge points to solutions for business premises and local authorities, CityEV can provide the full spectrum. This includes its Cityline 100 Smart Charging Street unit – designed as the ideal modern street EVSE (electric vehicle supply equip‐ ment) – which provides a lamppost solution for local authorities looking to save time and money deploying charging.

Able to be fully integrated into a wide variety of street furniture, the latest proto‐ col version of the Cityline 100 offers both local smart charging and central smart charging, ensuring it integrates into a vari‐ ety of existing networks.

Crystal Ball Cantrack Cantrack arrived at Silverstone with its tracking technology and to showcase the company’s ‘Beat The Thief’ initiative. With a 169% increase in commercial van theft – and when nearly 100,000 vehicles were stolen in 2017 – effective and ef icient vehi‐ cle tracking systems are essential for compa‐ nies of all sizes. The Cantrack technology can detect when a system is being jammed by would‐be thieves and can automatically switch to an alternative location technology.

Cantrack reported a lot of interesting conversations with visitors and customers.

Chargemaster Chargemaster’s big push for EVs in leets is focused on reducing emissions and costs, according to Tom Callow, director of commu‐ nication and strategy. “We’re keen to promote the fact that we can give leets a single monthly bill. We can also provide all the solutions leets need; home, workplace and public charging.” Coming next, Charge‐ master has some exciting developments: “At the tail end of this year, or perhaps the begin‐ ning of next year, we’re working on 150kW chargers that will support vehicles like the new Jaguar I‐Pace and Audi e‐tron.”

Chevin Fleet Solutions Chevin Fleet Solutions provided Licence Checking for all drivers at this year’s Show, delivering a quick, ef icient service to

40 / fleetworld.co.uk

vsitors looking to get on the track.

Chevin updated its FleetWave Forms app‐based form illing solution. Ideal for remote workforces, FleetWave Forms is available across most smartphone plat‐ forms, allowing companies to create elec‐ tronic forms that suit their individual business requirements.

It was a busy show for Crystal Ball, with a constant stream of visitors and potential customers on the stand – all keen to learn about the telematics company. Last year’s Fleet Show proved very fruitful for Crystal Ball, as it won a contract with the Maybourne Hotel Group and the company’s Tara Singh was hoping for more of the same this year. She revealed that the company continued to grow and that there had been a lot of discussions with insurance compa‐ nies and brokers about installing Crystal Ball’s technology into their cars. A lot of work had been done with large utility providers, including Af inity Water, who were keen to get involved with the product.

eVolt EVolt wants to support leets and leet managers with turnkey charging infrastruc‐ ture. Myles Barker, business development manager at APT Technologies, said: “If you’re trying to switch from diesel to elec‐ tric or plug‐in hybrid, some aren’t quite sure

about the technology yet. We work with telemetry to see what vehicles are suitable for switching.”

Fiat

managing director Andrew Leech said: “We think that the market in response to a misinterpretation of customer demand has become too commoditised. We believe leet management should be a value‐add service where the partner should be an expert in everything from vehicle sourcing through to increasing the green motoring.”

Ford

FuelMii Eliminating fuel cards and fraud are high on the agenda at FuelMii, which offers an inno‐ vative app‐based refueling service.

Murray McDonald, COO, said: “The driver can log in and say where they’ll be at a certain time and we go along to ill the car up overnight. We offer that in London already and we’re rolling out nationally.” The company also offers leets competitive fuel bulk sale, such as onsite containers, due to the way FuelMii is able to buy fuel direct from the terminal.

Green Penny The Fleet Show once again provided a great opportunity for Fiat to showcase its prod‐ ucts and meet existing and potential customers. Having had a very busy show last year, according to Simon Wheeler, UK leet marketing manager at FCA, the Italian marque was popular once again in 2018.

Wheeler reported that the Fiat 500 and Tipo models were performing well and also highlighted encouraging growth from the Abarth brand. There was a lot of talk about the company’s investor day in June, which would set out the vision for the coming ive years, including a focus on larger leets and the need to make products more competi‐ tive in terms of emissions and economy.

Fleet Evolution Already a specialist in salary sacri ice and car bene its, Fleet Evolution recently launched a standalone leet management service to all leets.

Explaining how the company differs in its approach to others in the marketplace,

Ford was demonstrating its sporty ST‐Line range, now available on every car model.

“It’s incredibly popular, taking up to a third of our sales in some of our lines,” said Owen Gregory, Ford UK’s director of fleet operations.

ST‐Line certainly seemed in demand, barely standing still between test drives, while Mondeo Hybrid was also creating plenty of interest as leets assess broader powertrain options. But Gregory was quick to defend the irm’s diesel models. “The latest generation of diesels are fantastic.

Diesel is not bad,” he said.

Ford was one of many manufacturers offering vans among its test line‐up, with Transit Courier Sport and Transit Connect in demand on the track and the new Fiesta Sport Van taking pride of place on the company’s stand.

TIME TO CLEAN UP YOUR ACT? MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE AND BENEFIT TODAY. Our exceptional choice of world-leading hybrids helps you reduce emissions and save money.

For a test drive or more information call 0344 701 6186 or visit toyotalexusfleet.co.uk/cleanup

A nationwide expert in leet driver training and taxi driver assessments, Green Penny provides a complete training and assess‐ ment solution, covering the whole leet spectrum, from company car to grey leet drivers and van leets, including licence checking. The company also works with businesses who have telematics in place but no training provided and is open to part‐ nership with insurance irms.

Honda Honda doesn’t see its long‐term future in diesel, but the Civic 1.6‐litre i‐DTEC was a highlight on its Fleet Show stand.

David Lythgoe, major leet account manager, said it is the fuel of choice for a lot of his customers, despite uncertainty over its future. “The new diesel will be the last one we do, but we can’t just stop the production and not offer the diesel model because it still ticks a lot of boxes,” he said.

“We’re talking to a lot of customers about hybrids and alternative powered vehicle solutions that will meet their leet needs.”

→

→

ICFM The Fleet Show provides an important plat‐ form to meet potential members, says Peter Milchard, ICFM board member, adding: “There’s a lot of uncertainty in the market and lots of questions about the type of vehi‐ cle to buy, procurement methods and there are still a lot of unanswered questions.”

ICFM received plenty of interest from prospective members at the Fleet Show who are trying to make the right leet buying decisions for their business.

Jeep Jeep has become an increasingly important leet brand within FCA. Building on the strength of traditional models such as Cherokee and Renegade, the new mid‐size Compass SUV is rapidly becoming a popu‐ lar choice within the leet market. Jeep has focused on the luxury side of the sector, without compromising the brand’s legendary off‐road heritage and, in a market that is increasingly turning towards SUVs in place of traditional saloons and hatchbacks, Jeep is well placed to capitalise on the growth of off‐road style vehicles.

most popular. Elsewhere, the GLE and E‐ Class models were getting a lot of attention.

It was also revealed that the C‐Class saloon and estate were to be refreshed, with a choice of one diesel or two petrol engines, 9G‐Tronic gearbox as standard and three trim levels. The German manufacturer expects a lot of interest in the traditional models, despite a growing number of customers looking to SUVs as an alternative.

Mercedes-Benz

Nexus Vehicle Rental continues to expand its offer, increasing the availability of heavy goods vehicles, alongside its car and van proposition. The company has enjoyed 20% growth year‐on‐year across the board and has recently launched a Management Infor‐ mation Suite within its rental booking and management system. An improved report‐ ing module provides clients with a broader range of data and allows users to identify trends to boost operating ef iciency.

Renault

42 / fleetworld.co.uk

Seat is rapidly becoming a force to be reck‐ oned with in the leet market, with a strong line‐up offering leets low total cost of ownership and much improved driver appeal. In a market that is currently down around 13% so far this year, Seat’s true leet sales have risen by an incredible 41%, prov‐ ing the popularity of its cars.

Ateca and Arona continue to grab the attention in the small and mid‐size SUV markets, while the updated Leon and Ibiza are appealing to new business users in the small hatchback and estate sectors.

Selsia This was far from Renault’s irst time at the show but it did mark the irst time that the marque had both electric cars and vans available to test.

Not only were attendees able to drive the Renault Zoe but also the Van Fleet World award‐winning Kangoo Z.E.33, marking the Show debut for Renault Pro+ Commercial Vehicles. The Kangoo Z.E.33 also featured in the Award Winners area on the Van Fleet World/VansA2Z stand after taking the 2018 Best Electric/Hybrid Van title.

Also present were the revised Mégane range and the full range of Renault crossovers, from the Captur and Kadjar to the Koleos.

Rolec With such a broad product range, it was dif icult for Mercedes‐Benz to decide which models to bring to the Fleet Show, but the AMG‐GT – despite not being the most obvi‐ ous contender for a daily driver for leet managers – was unsurprisingly one of the

Seat

Nexus Vehicle Rental

Kia Following a record‐breaking 2017 that saw Kia post UK registrations of more than 92,000 cars, the brand was back at this year’s show with an even wider line‐up.

This included smaller cars such as the newly launched Picanto and Ceed along with crossover options in the form of Stonic, Sportage and Sorento. Meanwhile the new Optima Sportswagon PHEV, as well as the Niro HEV and PHEV, showcased the brand’s advancements in electric car technology ahead of the launch of the fully electric Niro.

Providing something to really quicken the pulse, the Stinger GT was also available to test.

chargers to be used. Rolec reported that there were now 80,000 of its chargers in operation around the UK, with some 8,000 domestic units. It also revealed partner‐ ships with vehicle manufacturers, leasing companies and leet providers as it looks to further expand the business.

With a lot of activity around electric vehi‐ cles, Rolec was keen to talk about its new streetlight charging systems that have been designed for new developments, but can also be retro itted. The company was also showing off a new commercial charging unit, that allowed the complete range of

Selsia highlighted its growing focus on centrally managing accident repairs for HGV and specialist‐bodied vehicles. The company now has a strong network of the leading commercial vehicle accident repair centres on its network and is managing some of the UK’s largest business‐critical leets. In addition to cost savings from stan‐ dard rates and a repair‐over‐replace philos‐ ophy, leets using Selsia’s services are making signi icant cost savings in the administration and management of acci‐ dent repairs.

SMMT Ensuring leet vehicles are up to date with recall work can be a complex and time‐ consuming task but a new leet‐dedicated version of the Vehicle Safety Recall Service from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) puts paid to all that.

Developed in 2015 for consumers, the service has now been enhanced with speci ic leet features, including a bulk tool that allows up to 100,000 vehicles to be checked in one go.

Strongs Plastic Products Strongs’ stand inside the Silverstone hall displayed a striking Hilux on its stand, which demonstrated the capabilities the company offers in plastic bodies and panels.

The company reported that it continues to go from strength to strength, with more than 85% of ire engines in the UK featur‐ ing plastic bodies and production is up to seven or eight vehicles a week.

Show stand was busy with potential customers keen to try out the latest itera‐ tions of the technology. “Hybrids are becoming more and more popular and we are winning a lot of business from diesel drivers,” said a company spokesperson.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from people at the show, especially from people who are keen to drive a hybrid, but are limited to manufacturers that either don’t offer one or don’t have a broad enough range.”

Suzuki Vauxhall

Suzuki was one of the stars of the show, offering leet buyers an early opportunity to try the latest Swift Sport before it arrives in dealer showrooms in June. The company’s cars have become increasingly popular with leets, as company car buyers opt for down‐ sized hatchbacks, smaller SUVs and crossovers. Indeed, Suzuki’s head of leet Graeme Jenkins reports a 45% growth in leet sales for the irm, with leets buyers accounting for 10,000 sales in 2017 and a hoped for 12,500 registrations in 2018.

Toyota/Lexus Two marques bene iting from the uncer‐ tainty of diesel are Toyota and Lexus. With an all‐hybrid lineup, the company’s Fleet

For Vauxhall, the 2018 Fleet Show was all about Grandland X. The company’s third SUV model, sitting alongside the smaller Crossland X and Mokka X, the Grandland X joined the line‐up in January and is already seeing growing demand, particularly with the irm’s latest 1.5‐litre CDTi diesel engines.

Of course, leet stalwarts Insignia and Astra continue to offer a strong proposition for leet drivers and buyers, particularly the attractive Insignia Sports Tourer. That focus on BiK and TCO for leets remain the main drivers behind Vauxhall sales, but a full line‐ up of SUV/crossover models will do much to further boost demand.

REDUCED BUDGET GIVING YOU HEADACHES? CHOOSE WISELY, AND TAKE AWAY THE PAIN. Meet your budget by switching to our world-leading hybrids See how much you can save by calling 0344 701 6186 or visit toyotalexusfleet.co.uk/cost

Volvo

Volvo’s head of business sales, Steve Beattie was excited to be back at Silverstone and to have the opportunity to showcase another new model: the V60. Fleet Show 2018 also provided the chance for potential customers to get behind the wheel of the XC60.

“V60 provides us with a big opportunity for the leet market,” he said. “The bootspace is close to that of the V70 and there are a number of great technologies onboard. Sales of our more traditional models are doing well, but it is clear that the fastest‐growing segment for us is SUVs. We’ve had some customers who have moved from XC90 to XC60 but a lot are from elsewhere in the Volvo range as well as customers from other manufacturers who want something that is premium, safe and spacious.”

Wex Europe Services Fuel card specialist Wex Europe Services says that by October this year, parent company Exxon Mobil, through the Esso brand, will offer customers a bigger service station footprint than BP or Shell across the UK. All of its sites will provide the latest Synergy fuels. Wex is also developing into a number of new areas, including partner‐ ships and membership clubs.

→

→

Van Fleet World/VansA2Z Awards 2018 winners bring expertise to Fleet Show Fleet operators attending this year’s Fleet Show were able to see the latest award‐ winning vans in the metal on the Van Fleet World/VansA2Z Awards stand in the paddock outside.

Announced this March at an exclusive ceremony at Twickenham Stadium – the home of English rugby – the awards recog‐ nised both the van manufacturers them‐ selves and wider service and suppliers.

Manufacturers recognised for their work included Renault, for its leading position in the electric van sector, while the Ford Tran‐ sit Custom was named Van of the Year and

BTCC CHAMPION HEATED UP SHOW

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles took the Manufacturer of the Year crown.

Representatives from all of the winning manufacturers were on hand to talk through developments in the LCV market with visitors, providing a wealth of indus‐ try experience for leet managers.

“It was great to see so much interest in the van market at this year’s Fleet Show,” said Van Fleet World editor Dan Gilkes. “With such a diverse range of vehi‐ cles on offer, it is essential that leet buyers have the opportunity to compare vans and to get expert advice from manufacturers.”

Visitors to the Show were given the chance to meet British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) driver Matt Neal and experience a track ride with him.

The three‐time BTCC champion took part in an exclusive Q&A with visitors, giving fans the opportunity to ask him any burn‐ ing questions. Attendees who completed a Honda test drive were also given the chance to be entered into a draw to jump into the passenger seat for a hot lap of the iconic Silverstone circuit with Matt.

READY TO BREAK WITH CONVENTION? ACT NOW AND HAVE YOUR SAY. The choice is yours from city cars, to SUVs, executive coupés and more.

Put our world leading hybrids to the test and call 0344 701 6186 or visit toyotalexusfleet.co.uk/convention

→

→

Fleet 2023 Seminars Expert speakers at the Fleet Show 2018 Seminar Sessions cast a spotlight on current and future issues for fleets and their advice.

WLTP: With just months left to go until the official introduction of the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) – aimed at providing a more accurate reflection of a car’s fuel economy and emissions – Beth Davies, who heads up Cap HPI’s WLTP work – looked at the true implications of the new test cycle for fleets.

“We are going through the migration from all vehicles having to be tested from 1 September 2017, these are going to be recor‐ related back using a CO2MPAS tool to an NEDC comparison igure. These are feeding in now from manufacturers. We are already seeing some signi icant differences in the values between the NEDC and NEDC Corre‐ lated. It’s ranging across manufacturers but the impact is being that we’re seeing more than one tax band potentially moving. This is driving some challenges for leets.”

One careful owner?: As a recent Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruling on alleged mis-selling of exfleet cars – as well as multiple court cases under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 – open the floodgates to possible compensation claims on used cars, Dean Bowkett, Bowkett Auto Consulting Ltd, looked at the implications.

“What is the cost to the industry for all this? Well in 2017, there were roughly 1.1‐ 1.2m cars sold to retail buyers, a similar number to leet buyers and about 300,000 to the daily rental industry. Well, even if

you’ve got, even at the lowest end, a £1,000 per car loss of value because it’s ex daily rental, that’s £300m. If you are very conser‐ vative, and say ex‐ leet cars are now worth £200 or £300 less, on that volume, that’s another £300m. So you’re looking at £600m per annum of loss in used car values because of a court and because of an Advertising Standards adjudication that has no basis in fact whatsoever and is not supported by any evidence.”

Future-proofing your fleet: In the wake of Dieselgate and with WLTP, BiK changes and Clean Air Zones all on the horizon, John Pryor, chairman of ACFO, looked at the challenges for today’s fleet vehicle choices and what fleets should be doing.

“Fleets need to look and see what the vehicle is being used for. In the old days it used to be that everyone rushed to diesel.

But these days you’ve got a wide range of fuel type choices and you do need to be much more careful when you’re looking to put your leet policy together – what do you want it to do?

“It’s making sure you’ve got the right vehicle in the right place at the right time.

And if you have to change it, then that’s what you have to do.”

“It’s making sure you’ve got the right vehicle in the right place at the right time.”

BULK

CHECK YOUR FLEET

Data Rich?: Jan O’Hara, LEVL Telematics – which is partnered with US telematics giant Geotab, which has a million users worldwide – looked at Neutral Vehicle data and the social economic benefits of telematics data.

“The platform is built for ultra‐high data volumes – two billion data records a day – and only a third of that is GPS data. The rest of the data we collect is engine data, vehicle engine diagnostics etc, and all of that infor‐ mation goes into our platform. It’s one of the latest expanding data lakes in the world that is provided currently.

“In the transportation sector, data is oxygen, so we’re looking at using our data to reduce traf ic, reduce accidents, fuel costs and obviously reduce carbon emissions.”

Thinking multi-modal: A growing number of fleets are now looking at switching to Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

Matt Dale, ALD Automotive, looked at the many considerations for businesses adopting such an approach.

“However it ends up, this is going to be a completely new learning experience for everyone who turns from the historic, ‘I’ve got a car, I use it to get everywhere’ to just having an app and sharing transport with everybody. There’s going to need to be mobility experience to learn whether it works for you. It won’t work for every‐ body – simple fact – but it will fundamen‐ tally change the way we travel versus what we do now.”

SM MT V E HICL E S A F E T Y REC A L L SER V ICE SMMT provides a one-stop check for all participating brands.

Q 100,000 vehicles or more can be checked in a single batch

Q The most time efficient method The SMMT VEHICLE SAFETY RECALL for checking safety recalls in bulk SERVICE (VSRS) is our bulk lookup Q Ensure every vehicle in your fleet service and is fully automated with is up-to-date and compliant results usually returned within the hour.

For more information www.smmt.co.uk/vsrs | vsrs@smmt.co.uk | 020 7235 7000

#HÆ‚PKV[ %CTU

Rewarding personal car leasing.

Looking for a fantastic way to reward your employees?

9KVJ #HƂPKV[ %CTU HTQO #EVKXC [QWT UVCHH ECP CEEGUU OCTMGV NGCFKPI NGCUG FGCNU QP C JWIG TCPIG QH DTCPF PGY XGJKENGU CNN CXCKNCDNG YKVJ ƃGZKDNG OQPVJN[ KPUVCNOGPVU 9JCVoU OQTG KV YQPoV EQUV [QWT DWUKPGUU C RGPP[

Easy for you

And great for your employees

Improves staff motivation

Employee retention

Customer support team

Personalised car plans, tailored to their budget

An unrivalled range of new cars

No administrative burden

Easy to implement

No cost to your business

Collection at the end of the lease

Access to a selection of retail offers

Free delivery in the UK mainland

A dedicated support team on hand to help

6JGTGoU PGXGT DGGP C DGVVGT YC[ VQ UJQY [QWT GORNQ[GGU JQY XCNWGF VJG[ CTG 9J[ PQV Æ‚PF QWV JQY #HÆ‚PKV[ %CTU ECP JGNR [QWT DWUKPGUU!

Get in touch t 01908 288400 e info@activacontracts.co.uk w activacontracts.co.uk

@Activa_UK

Activa Contracts

INTERVIEW Nick Laird, managing director, SsangYong

Keeping it Simple New products and top-level changes are driving renewed interest in fleet at SsangYong Motor UK – and managing director, Nick Laird, reckons it’s playing to the brand’s biggest strengths. By Alex Grant. ith a heavily retail‐weighted 4,000 UK registrations last year, SsangYong has traditionally been a bit of an unknown in fleet. But that might be about to change.

With new management, and a refreshed product line‐up en route, it’s aiming at least double 2017’s volume over the next three years – a third of which, or most of that incremental growth, will be sold to business users.

UK managing director, Nick Laird, admits it’s a big step: “Our sales to date have been predominantly retail,” he explains. “We have had some fleet relationships, but they haven’t been as good or as tight as we would have liked. So what we’re trying to do is both develop [our retail strength] and a credible fleet operation.”

It follows changes at the top for the UK operation. Laird joined the company in January, working alongside new UK chairman Jim Tyrrell, who replaced outgoing CEO Paul Williams last autumn. In turn, Vanessa Cox was appointed earlier this year to look after PR and key accounts, helping to put a fleet strategy in place and get wheels in motion, supported by Natalie Leslie who was promoted in March.

Conversations are already under way with dealers, and the mood is positive, he says.

That infrastructure goes beyond head office. The network is set to expand from 65 to 90 sites over the next three years, with open points in locations likely to attract B2B‐savvy deal‐ ers. While there won’t be a ‘burdensome’ fleet programme for dealers to opt into, SsangYong will introduce a more struc‐ tured approach to engaging with local SMEs – which is where most prior fleet business has gone – and the network will support a strengthened central contract hire operation too.

“We, as a brand franchise in the UK, are trying to be easy to do business with,” explains Laird. “Mainly to make it so that we’re not asking dealers to adhere to umpteen standards and reports, turn themselves in knots and incur cost into their business. The kind of fleet business we’re looking to generate is relatively light on standards and does the basics, but does them really well.”

Likewise, the company is aiming for a simple, cost‐effective contract hire and leasing specialism. A focus on finding between four and six funding partners with a specialism in the sort of vehicles they sell, as a good fit for the brand and its dealers.

“It’s about finding the right partnerships, which are good for them and good for us, and not being everything to everybody.

We don’t have the resources to support every contract hire company. Therefore, we’d rather do a smaller number well, and not try to partner with those for whom we’re a tiny part of their business, or where we’re a 10th or 20th choice.”

W

48 / fleetworld.co.uk

They’re foundations to make the most of a renewed SUV range. The compact Tivoli and XLV SUVs have both broadened SsangYong’s appeal, while the flagship Rexton was renewed last year. Laird sees big fleet opportunities for the now car‐ derived Musso pickup, which comes to the UK imminently, and further ahead for the next Korando, which renews its presence in the Qashqai‐defined C‐SUV segment.

“We don’t want to compete with big players in the fleet market, who do a very professional job, we want to be different,” he says. “Because we’re an emerging brand, we know we need to be a bit cheaper and better specified than the competition. And because we’re small we can have better relationships with our customers, whether that’s a dealer or end customer.”

Of course, exposure to those products will be vital. And that’s not just about end‐users, he explains. “We’ve done some work internally on making sure we’ve optimised our SMR where we can, but I don’t think we’ve done a great job communicating that well to those who need to know it.

So we’re working much closer with companies like KeeResources and Cap HPI, to let them know much more clearly what our SMR costs are. The basics were good, but the communication could have been better.“ Taking a value‐led proposition to fleets – Laird says retail customers often end up buying larger vehicles than planned, because there’s a limited price increase for doing so – will also mean focusing on residual values. Not because they’ve been weak, he explains, but because most cars come back through the dealer network rather than going through open sales, meaning there’s very little published information about trade‐in values.

“We’re feeding the values our dealers are achieving at a retail sale for those vehicles back to the guides and fore‐ casters, allowing them to take a more data‐informed view of what a realistic trade‐in value might be, and therefore the residual values over two, three or four‐year periods.

We’re making good progress, we know it’s something we need to do over the medium term and we’re doing it model by model as we go through.”

In essence, he says, while it’s a major operation, it’s play‐ ing to long‐established brand strengths: “Our dealers have superb relationships with their customers. We need to continue to build on that tightness of relationship and the speed of being able to respond to requests, because we’re a tighter organisation. It’s a balance of going cleverly where we have strengths, and avoiding where others are strong.”

“Because we’re small we can have better relationships with our customers, whether that’s a dealer or end customer.”

SsangYong’s expanding fleet line-up e-SIV concept is a hint of the next Korando, and 2020’s EV

The lifestyle pickup The new Musso pickup is car-derived, aimed at broadening its lifestyle-user appeal. “We see pickups being a significant proportion of [our three-year] growth. [Musso] is competitive, and if we were able to give customers the permission to buy from a less well-known brand – which pickup customers have been happy to do – then we are very comfortable in our ability to hold a decent share of that segment.”

The C-SUV The new Qashqai-sized Korando launches in 2019, taking styling cues from the e-SIV concept and benefitting from the brand’s quality improvements.

“There’s a huge investment in making sure the range is competitive, and I think that plays very well towards us taking a bigger profile in the C-SUV segment,” says Laird. “We see Korando being very good for making inroads into the fleet market.”

The electric car Mild and full hybrid drivetrains are coming soon, and a fully electric Korandosized SUV will follow in 2020, says Laird. “There’s a clear progression of drivetrains moving towards zero emissions, and the SIV is a statement of intent of where the brand is going in the longer term. It’s full fourwheel drive, and off-road capable, so it’ll still appeal to those who need something more ruggedised and robust.”

fleetworld.co.uk / 49

FEATURE Taxation & Funding

Want to slash your motoring costs? Read on.

Professor Colin Tourick reckons fleets might be missing an obvious trick when it comes to keeping costs under control.

I

f you have run a leet for some time, someone – a friend or family member – has probably asked you the best way to buy a new car. This has happened to me many times.

Sometimes they ask “should I lease a car?” (which normally leads me on to a conversation about the merits of PCP v PCH), or “what car should I buy?” (don’t ask me – I know about leets, not individual models). And I have often been asked “how do you acquire your own car?”, at which point I describe my approach, which lets me drive great cars at minimal cost.

And that’s what I plan to share with you now, because I have just realised that in 35 years of writing articles for publications, I have never covered this topic.

Fleet World is read by people who manage at least 100 vehicles, most of which will be cars. So let’s assume that you run a leet of 150 cars, which you lease over three years; that your leasing company pays your maintenance bills and recharges the cost to you; and that yours is a medium‐sized, creditworthy company that can borrow money (to fund cars or anything else) at, say, 4% p.a.

If the average purchase price across all of your cars is, say, £18,000 and the average residual value is £7,000, each car will depreciate £11,000 over three years.

50 / fleetworld.co.uk

The average capital balance outstanding over three years (the amount you’d have to fund on overdraft or via a lease over three years) is approximately £12,500 [((£18,000‐£7,000)÷2)+£7,000], which at 4% p.a. means your interest cost is £1,500 [£12,500 x 4% x 3 years].

So that’s £12,500 [£11,000+£1,500] of depreciation and inter‐ est costs over three years, or a total of £1,875,000 across your whole leet. There will be other costs, of course – Vehicle Excise Duty, servicing, petrol, etc – but let’s ignore those for the purposes of this article.

I have just sold my beautiful Mercedes‐Benz C180 AMG Coupé, a car with a list price of £35,000. I drove it for three years, had it serviced regularly, and it had 40,000 miles on the clock when I sold it. It depreciated just £6,000 over three years.

Had my interest borrowing rate been 4% p.a., my total interest cost would have been £1,560, so my total depreciation and inter‐ est cost over three years would have been just £7,560. Sounds rather modest against the £12,500 we were a talking about above, don’t you think?

How did I do it? Simple. I bought my car at auction. To be speci ic it was a three‐year‐old model with 20,000 miles on the

“You don’t need to know much about cars to buy with confidence at an auction, because the auction houses go out of their way to make things as easy as possible for buyers.”

clock, and I sold it with 40,000 miles on the clock. (It cost me £16,000, I sold it for £10,000, so the average capital balance was £13,000 over three years. £13,000 x 4% x 3 = £1,560).

Had I bought a typical used leet car for, say, £7,000, held it for three years and sold it for £2,500, the depreciation cost would have been £4,500, average capital balance would have been £4,750, interest cost £570 and my total depreciation and interest cost would have been £5,070 [£4,500+£570]– a whopping £7,430 [£12,500‐£5,070] less than if the car had been new.

“Aha,” I can hear you say, “our drivers would never accept used cars.” Really? Even those who drive a lot of mileage for business?

I’m not suggesting you give them all cars with an original list price of £35,000, but if you’re saving thousands of pounds per car you could certainly offer them something a bit more upmarket than they are getting at the moment, and still enjoy big savings.

“Aha,” you say, “but wouldn’t those more expensive, older cars cost more to maintain than a new more modest car?” Actually, in my personal experience, no. I have bought my last three cars at auction, have had them services at ixed prices by a fast‐ it company and enjoyed hassle‐free motoring with all of them.

But I was probably lucky and yes, the statistics show that more expensive cars cost more to run and that cars cost more to run in years 4, 5 and 6 than in years 1, 2 and 3. But the extra is prob‐ ably less than you think. Cars are much more reliable these days, and if your experience is anything like mine, you’ll sail through three years of motoring without the need for anything more than standard servicing.

“But I don’t know enough about cars to buy at auction,” you say.

As already mentioned, I don’t know much about cars; I know about leets. But you don’t need to know much about cars to buy with con idence at an auction, because the auction houses go out of their way to make things as easy as possible for buyers.

I used the Search facility on an auction company’s website to

ind the model I was interested in and discovered that many were coming up for auction. I identi ied one that seemed perfect. The right colour, exactly the right spec, and ex‐lease (giving me con i‐ dence that it had been well‐maintained). I could see the list price and current trade values, close‐up photographs, a detailed description of every bodywork blemish, and an engineer’s report from a motoring organisation showing the condition of all of the key mechanical and electrical elements of the car. I attended the auction, examined the car, listened to the engine and placed my bid with con idence. I paid trade price plus a buyer fee and drove the car for an hour to ensure it was sound. It was. The next day I had it MOT tested and it passed with lying colours.

“But what about the hassle?” I hear you say. Yes, it’s more hassle to buy a used car than a new one, but not much more.

And you’ll have to sell it eventually, too. I sold mine through one of the online companies that buys any car. There are many such companies offering widely differing prices. I sold to the one offering £1,500 more than the irst offer I’d received. They collected the car and transferred the money to my bank account before they drove it away.

If you could save, say, (let’s be conservative) £5,000 per car, that’s £750,000 over three years. That’s enough to employ a full‐time employee to buy and sell the cars and still have a lot left over. But if you’re only buying and selling about one every week you wouldn’t need a full‐time employee.

In truth, I know that most leet managers won’t start replacing large chunks of their leets with used cars bought at auction, despite the massive savings. But I do wish that leet leasing companies would lease ex‐lease cars to their clients on three‐year contracts. At this time of economic uncertainty it makes sense to minimise costs, and it also makes sense for leasing companies to lease used cars because it reduces their credit risk.

This is a win‐win. I wonder if we could start a new trend?

fleetworld.co.uk / 51

FLEETW W RLD

Are you a rental, leasing or broker company?

How many vehicles does your company operate?

How many rental locations does your company have?

Do you offer flexible medium-term rental?

Does a driver get given a proof of condition receipt on handing back their hire car?

Do you have a rapid check-in system?

Do you have relationships with charging infrastructure supplies for EV’s?

Do you offer an on-line billing facility?

Do you offer an on-line management reporting facility?

Can a driver guarantee a specific make & model of car when booking?

Do you charge a fee for non-cancelled bookings?

Do you charge excess mileage rates on pre-agreed contracts?

Do you offer hybrid & Electric Cars?

Do you offer an hourly rate for hire?

MARKET OVERVIEW Daily Rental

Rental

9.5k

38

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

-

-

✔

✔

-

Key to services

✔

Service provided

-

Service unavailable

Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental

FleetEurope

Nexus Vehicle Rental

Leasing & Broker

Broker

400k+ 1.5k+

550k

2k

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

-

✔

-

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

-

✔

✔

✔

FleetEurope Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental is one of the UK’s largest, independently owned rental companies with over 50 years’ experience providing long and shortterm tailor-made economical fleet solutions.

We have a nationwide, multi-franchise fleet operating in over 35 branches throughout the UK. Close manufacturer relationships mean we can offer competitive rates on a range of up-to-date vehicles.

We have packages to suit all industry sectors, providing fleet solutions tailored to meet each client’s needs.

We have an online booking facility available for retail and corporate clients. Our business customers can also benefit from dedicated online management reporting.

Contact: Sales Team Tel: 0178 646 8700 car.rental.sales@arnoldclark.com www.arnoldclarkrental.com

52 / fleetworld.co.uk

FleetEurope is a multi-award winning, independent shortand mid-term vehicle rental provider. Our extensive network provides access to over 400,000 cars, vans and specialist vehicles from 1,500+ locations nationwide for delivery to your home or office address within two hours. Additional benefits include an industry-leading online booking system, dedicated account management, 24-hour emergency support, one-way vehicle rentals, a market-leading 99% invoice accuracy rate and extensive management reporting to continuously monitor and reduce your rental expenditure. Try our vehicle rental service for free. Visit www.fleeteurope.co.uk and choose from a selection of cars and vans to rent free for a day.

Contact: Rental Team info@fleeteurope.co.uk

Tel: 01494 435000 www.fleeteurope.co.uk

Nexus Vehicle Rental Nexus Vehicle Rental is the UK’s leading tech driven business mobility provider offering access to over 550,000 vehicles, including 100,000 specialist and commercial vehicles and 50,000 HGVs, across 2,000 UK locations.

Nexus offers daily, short, medium and long-term rental through its unrivalled network of suppliers which it has built up to be the largest in the UK. Through its unique online IRIS booking platform, Nexus can source any vehicle, anytime, anywhere, usually within two hours of a booking being made. The system allows improvements in efficiency to be identified, saving customers an average of up to 20% of their rental costs each year.

Contact: Dean Rose dean.rose@nexusrental.co.uk

Tel: 0871 984 1947 www.nexusrental.co.uk

our fleet BMW 740Le xDrive M Sport THE BMW 7 Series has won our award for best luxury car for two years running, reflecting its brilliance as a business express. Several recent additions to the range have helped cement its place – the new entry-level 725d and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the car you see here.

The 740Le xDrive M Sport is a long wheelbase plug-in hybrid four-wheel drive Seven powered by an electric motor and a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine which, combined, deliver 326bhp.

What this amounts to, on paper at least, is a 5.2-metre long luxury saloon which can return up to 113mpg, emit just 54g/km of CO2 (meaning a handy 16% BiK rating) and accelerate from a standstill to 62mph in a whisker over five seconds. Oh, and it can run purely on EV power for, BMW claims, up to 29 miles.

Impressive numbers – as is the price. At £83,340 in stan-

dard guise this is an expensive way to save some money on company car tax. And our car is far from standard – we’ll be exploring the myriad options in later reports and assessing if they are worth the considerable outlay.

Julian Kirk

Peugeot 5008 GT Line BlueHDi 150 WE’VE put some miles on our 5008 over the last month or so and I can safely say that our 148bhp 2.0litre diesel puts out a gutsy performance while the 5008 provides a relaxing drive.

However, I’ve switched off the Active Lane Keeping Assistance (standard from Allure trim upwards) after finding it a bit overeager in correcting my driving on the M3 and M25. Sometimes there was just a faint wobble and the ESC would kick in but sometimes the steering would actually pull quite sharply. I’m not sure whether I was creeping too close to the white lines or if it was picking up on old lane markings, but it made for a somewhat unnerving experience. For me, it’s one that’s nice to have but maybe not activated.

Natalie Middleton

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace SE Nav 2.0 TDI (148bhp) 2WD ANOTHER month with “Tiggy” has passed and its versatility has been put to the test. Filling the seats with friends and family members was an enjoyable experience, for me at least, but one I reckon they’d likely wish to forget, with bizarre contortions necessary to occupy the third row of seats and in so doing making the middle row a touch cramped. Nonetheless, at the front of the cabin, things are a little different and the car is impressively refined. The 2.0litre diesel purrs along, the gearbox is one of the slickest in the business and it’s always a pleasure to drive.

Jonathan Musk

fleetworld.co.uk / 53

our fleet Volkswagen e-Golf AS a naturalised Londoner, I’ve been keen for some time to run an electric vehicle as a daily driver – and with the arrival of a Volkswagen e-Golf, I’ve got my opportunity.

I’ve driven most of the EVs on the market, but it’s always been as a one-off test on a launch, so I’ve never had to think about managing batteries.

Because that isn’t so straightforward. Most EV charging is conducted at home or workplace, but I’m a home-based freelancer – and my home is a terraced house, with no offstreet parking (in common with around a third of UK car users). I therefore have to rely on public charging infrastructure, which is, to put it politely, a tad sketchy in London.

My nearest charger is a 10-minute walk, but the upside is that there always seems to be one free. Let’s see how that works out.

First impressions of the car itself are favourable. Fundamentally, it's a Golf, with all the attributes of that established

and popular model, but it’s also an EV, with the smooth, quiet operation that works well in an urban environment.

And it’s incredibly relaxing to drive, a really positive quality in a fast-moving, stressful city – and one that should help ease the inevitable range anxiety.

Craig Thomas

Seat Alhambra 2.0 TDI (182bhp) DSG Xcellence MY wife and I have differing opinions when it comes to family cars; I’ve long been a sucker for an elegant estate, she prefers the raised seating of an SUV. But, with the Grant clan recently gaining its fifth member, the debate has become a little simpler. If you have three kids under five, nothing offers a simple life like an MPV. And, in this class, the Fleet World Honours-winning Alhambra remains a benchmark.

People-carriers have had a tough time lately; new-launch seven-seaters tend to be SUV-shaped, smaller MPVs are disappearing, and JATO figures show my wife’s preferences match European demand. At a third of the market in the first

54 / fleetworld.co.uk

four months of 2018, SUV registrations outnumber MPVs five-fold. Even Seat will have its own seven-seat SUV, the Tarraco, by the end of the year.

But the bell has yet to toll for the Alhambra, and this segment is still a compelling proposition. In top Xcellence spec, we’ll be tasking Seat’s flagship with six months of true “multi-purpose vehicle” use. It will have to not only excel at family life, but be just as adept at frugal motorway runs, and as a shuttle for adults and equipment at our own events. A timely test as Seat readies its own alternative.

Alex Grant

Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer SRi 2.0 170PS Auto AS generally excellent as our previous long-term Insignia Grand Sport was – and as capacious as its boot proved to be – there is still no substitute for cubic capacity. Hence swapping the hatchback for Vauxhall’s latest Insignia in Sports Tourer, just in time for our annual Fleet Show at Silverstone.

This involved pushing the 1,665 litres bootspace (not class-leading compared to say, a Škoda Superb estate at 1,950 litres but still very accomodating) to its absolute limit. Exhibition paraphernalia by its nature is bulky and often heavy, but this has the effect of making the rear of the car feel very planted on the road due to the extra weight, and it’s clear Vauxhall’s engineers have done a great job of making the Sports Tourer agile and sure-footed whatever cargo is on-board.

The extra weight obviously didn’t have a positive effect on fuel consumption, but in our short tenure with the Sports Tourer – which in addition to being the more powerful 168bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine (the saloon had the 1.6-litre 110bhp ecoTEC unit) also has an eight-speed automatic transmission – we’ve been averaging early 40s fuel consumption, against a combined figure of 50.4mpg. This compares to 61.4mpg for the 1.6-litre ecoTEC Sports Tourer model in manual form.

That extra cubic capacity (in the engine this time) definitely makes a difference, and the auto makes driving the Insignia as easy as could be, but the 1.6-litre in manual form holds equal appeal and probably represents the sweetspot of the Insignia range – in Grand Sport form at least.

That said, with declining diesel appeal across the board for various reasons, the 1.5-litre petrol options (138-163bhp) would be well worth considering too as they offer lower CO2 emissions, economy not that far behind the diesels, and arguably a nicer all-round driving experience.

If we had to choose between the Sports Tourer estate and the Grand Sport hatchback, our money would go on the Sports Tourer. It hasdesign touches that are distinctly premium – look at the chrome streak running through the rear lights, for example – and edges the practicality of the hatchback in the process.

Luke Wikner

Ford Fiesta 1.0 (125PS) EcoBoost Titanium 97.43mpg... that’s what an otherwise identical new Ford Fiesta managed in the most recent MPG Marathon. So that’s my target.

Right now, it feels somewhat unrealistic as the fiesty 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is only a couple of hundred miles old and the economy driving abilities of its driver – yours truly – may not be quite up there to challenge the best.

A challenge is a challenge, however, and the average fuel consumption is now tickling above the 50mpg mark, which for a petrol engine with 123bhp on tap is still pretty respectable. Doubling that feels quite a long way off.

Engine and fuel economy aside, initial impressions of our new Fiesta are almost all positive. In fact, the only notable thing to change would be the number of doors we have. Sure, three-door cars are a price-point entry level that every range seemingly needs across global markets but really, unless I’m missing something fundamental here, the only purpose of having just two side-doors is the subjective improvement in looks.

Renault’s Clio and Suzuki’s Swift show just how integrated rear doors can be on a 5-door supermini, as they also help negate the following three scenarios: 1) Trying to open the extra-long door in a tight parking space and realising the internal handle isn’t in the right place to balance the door while you exit; 2) Having to stretch too far over your right shoulder to get the seat belt on and; 3) Dealing with the fiddly seat-sliding mechanism when getting either people or packages out of the rear seats.

These £650-extra-to-rectify (the list-price premium for the five-door) issues aside, the Fiesta is simply a brilliant little car. So refined, comfortable, easy to drive and extremely well put-together. No wonder it continues to sell in such numbers. .Luke Wikner

fleetworld.co.uk / 55

our fleet AlphaCity Case Study: B. Braun WITH more than 5,000 products – 95% of which are manufactured by the company – B. Braun is one of the world’s leading providers and manufacturers of healthcare solutions.

The company offers supplementary services along with consulting and needed a cost effective carsharing scheme for its head office staff to use on work trips. The company previously used Alphabet’s hire cars, but transitioned to AlphaCity after it was suggested this could save the company and its employees time, money and effort.

Switching to an online-managed system reduced the need for expensive hire cars to be booked by employees for single-use trips and thanks to the three AlphaCity BMW 1 Series cars parked on-site, vehicles are always present and ready to jump into at a moment’s notice, whereas hire cars needed to be delivered and collected.

Using key cards to unlock the doors and pin numbers to start the engine for each employee has been a learning process, the company admits, but the benefit has been the elimination for the need of car keys that are easily lost, mislaid or need to be passed

around employees as would be the case for pool cars. Additionally, drivers are asked a brief Q&A in the car at the start of each booking before setting off, which helps ensure the cars are kept clean and tidy.

AlphaCity technicians take care of all the maintenance and servicing too, meaning having the cars on-site for B. Braun has proved much like running pool cars without a logistical headache.

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY electric vehicle charging

Bynx Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com

accident management Selsia

Tel: 0845 468 6800 www.selsia-vac.co.uk

Renault Koleos Signature Nav dCi 130 The Koleos has presence, and lots of it. It’s a fine looking SUV and being a Renault, I like the fact that it’s not aggressive and in-your-face, despite the fact that it’s a very large car.

Indeed, size is one of its biggest assets. We’ve found that there is plenty of room for kids in the back and dogs in the boot and in that respect it’s a very willing workhorse, although I would suggest that should you want to use it for lugging a lot of people and stuff about, the the 173bhp engine and an auto gearbox is the way forward.

The manual-gearboxed Koleos we have has

a pretty narrow power band which needs managing, especially when the car is laden, but once up to speed it settles down and travels along very comfortably. The high seating position and pliant ride mean it is an easy motorway cruiser and we’ve done several long trips in it in the month I’ve been running it and I’ve been impressed.

The Koleos uses the same R-Link system as the Megane and while it is housed in not the most pin-sharp of screens, it is very simple to use – like most things with the Koleos.

Steve Moody

fleet insurance insureFLEET Tel: 0333 202 3133 www.insurefleet.com

SMR Autoserve Limited Tel: 0844 888 3001 www.autoserve.co.uk

driver licence checking TMC Tel: 01270 525 218 www.themilesconsultancy.co.uk Chevin Fleet Solutions Tel: 01773 821 992 www.chevinfleet.com

Jaama Tel: 0844 8484 333 www.licence2check.co.uk

56 / fleetworld.co.uk

FLEETW RLD SUPPLIER DIRECTORY contract hire, leasing & finance Venson Automotive Solutions Tel: 08444 991402 www.venson.com

daily rental

Lex Autolease

Tel: 0344 824 0115 www.lexautolease.co.uk

Europcar Tel: 0871 384 0201 www.europcar.co.uk

risk management

fleet management software

Tel: 01484 551060

Bynx Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com

www.virtualriskmanager.net

Contract Hire a Car Tel: 0370 218 8015 www.contracthireacar.com

Maxxia 020 7520 9450 www.maxxia.co.uk

sgfleet Tel: 0845 154 0721 www.sgfleet.com

Promote your company here and online for just £500/year.

Zenith Tel: 0344 848 9327 www.zenith.co.uk

Tel: 01905 887884 www.bespokedrivertraining.com help@bespokedrivertraining.com

ODO Drive Tel: 01438 317731 Novemb

Tel: 01792 222133 www.daysrental.co.uk Tel: 0141 332 2626 www.acvm.com

0845 2172 608

Fourways Vehicle Solutions Tel: 0344 8000 385 www.fvsl.co.uk

daysfleet.com

interview gen

rld of fleet rl orld world wo he w the n th rss in ers te ters tter matt mat at matte at hat that Alll tth

of Michael O’Shea

Volkswa

power stoppingtheir brakes should check

Sofico NV Tel:+3292018040

UPIL MODEL P Behind the

wheel of Tesla’s

www.soficoservices.com

Model S remarkable

2014

rathon MPG Marld driving from real-wo 100mpg in estate? The UK’s a C-segment y event premier economle... possib sees if it’s

ALD Automotive Tel: 0370 00 111 81 www.aldautomotive.co.uk

www.ododrive.com

er 2014

RLD FLEETW Why fleets

Arnold Clark Vehicle Management

Enterprise Software Tel: 0161 925 2400 www.essl.co.uk

Alphabet (GB) Limited Tel: 0370 50 50 100 www.alphabet.co.uk

uk .uk o.u o.u o. ld.co.uk fleetwor

Nexus Vehicle Rental 0871 984 1947 www.nexusrental.co.uk

Jaama Tel: 0844 8484 333 www.jaama.co.uk

fleet management

Full listings online at fleetworld.co.uk fuel management TMC Tel: 01270 525 218 www.themilesconsultancy.co.uk The Fuelcard Company Tel: 0845 073 0873 www.fuelcards.co.uk

Thrifty Car & Van Rental Tel: 01494 751 550 www.thrifty.co.uk

Fleet Operations Ltd Tel: 0844 567 8000

www.fleetoperations.co.uk

Chevin Fleet Solutions Tel: 01773 821 992 www.chevinfleet.com

SHB Hire Ltd Tel: 01794 511458 www.shb.co.uk

fleet consultancy

PVS Ltd Tel: 01278 550270

EV FLEET WORLD Tel: 01727 739160 www.evfleetworld.co.uk

www.puddyvsolutions.co.uk

For more information, please contact Tracy Howell on 01727 739160 or email tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk telematics & tracking

BP Oil UK Ltd Tel: 0845 603 0723 www.bpplus.co.uk

Airmax Remote Limited Tel: 0333 358 3488 www.airmaxremote.com

euroShell Card Tel: 0800 915 6021 www.shell.co.uk/euroshell

Promote your company here and online for just £500/year.

CanTrack Global Ltd Tel: 01908 330385 www.cantrack.com

Tel: 0345 055 8555 Ctrack www.ctrack.co.uk

Teletrac Navman Tel: 0345 604 8813 www.teletracnavman.co.uk www.navmanwireless.co.uk

www.quartix.net Tel: 0870 013 6663

Telogis Tel: 0203 005 8805 www.telogis.co.uk

Fleetmatics Tel: 0800 975 4566 www.fleetmatics.co.uk

Promote your company here and online for just £500/year.

vehicle CCTV & safety TRACKER Network (UK) Limited Tel: 0845 604 6091 www.TRACKER.co.uk

Parksafe Automotive Tel: 01773 746591

www.parksafeautomotive.com fleetworld.co.uk / 57

fleetworld.co.uk

Subscribe now!

For all your fleet needs, visit fleetworldsubscriptions.co.uk to receive Fleet World magazine FREE every month.

8 February 201 2018 February 2018 February 2018

D L D R L R W FLEETW RLD W T T E E E L F E L F All that matters the fleet of fleet detofworld ofinfle rld worl ers in wothe matt that All in the tters t ma haA ha tth Alll tha All

ICIC RR TT CC E EELECTRIC LL EE

EAALLITITYY RREREALITY

Interview

w

y Gurnervie Martin Inte ey Interview PSA in Gurn of Mart of PSA Martin Gurney of PSA

’s an’s . Nissan le.. sty Niss re, mor e style mo tech, More more tech, more... style...

Nissan’s e tech rerange, mor moe, e rang range, tream MoreMor ins m ma main the the for for s aims new Leaf aims for thestrea mainstream Leaf af aim new new Le

allall SmSm ngng ki inThinking ThThi nki e e esSmall Driven the mGame Gam t featur the e Ga fleefleet thIn big big InIn features TheThe ven Dri lity nta tality Hyundai Nexo How gaming mentality The big fleet features en men me ing iv ing gam DrHyundai Nexo thethe How gam for for How headinging

head Nexo re more mo Honda Civic diesel is driving safer, heading , more safer Hyundai safer, g ng drivi is vin tor r for the E secsecto sel l is dri Hon diediese ic ts fleets SMSME CivCivic a da EcoSport SME sector fleefleets HondFord tivetive effec fec t-efcost-effective coscostport EcoS Ford rt Ford EcoSpo

tshow.co.uk k

lee efthefleetshow.co.uk that fleetshow.co.u at the re e at more mor mo t out ouout Find dFind Fin

18 18 20 Y20 9THTH MAY 2018 01 AY MMA TH 99

news from the UK fleet sector

insight from experts into the fleet industry

k fleetworld.co.u fleetworld.co.uk fleetworld.co.uk

advice best practice for running your fleet

VAN

June 2018

FLEETW RLD

at a glance BLUE POWER Is Iveco's Daily range ahead of its time?

DRIVEN • Renault Trucks Master 4x4 • Ford Transit Custom MS-RT

NEWS • LEVC’s new electric van, return of the electric milk float, and more…

vanfleetworld.co.uk

i nbusiness

LEVC range-extended electric van

L

EVC, formerly the London Taxi Company, is to launch a plug‐in hybrid electric van in 2019. Using the bonded aluminium modular chassis that also forms the basis of the irm’s LX1 electric taxi, the van will be electrically driven, with a pure electric range of around 80 miles. A 1.5‐litre petrol engine, designed by sister company Volvo and built by parent company Geely in China, extends that range by up to 300 miles, recharging the batteries while driving.

“We are not deriving the van from the taxi,” said CEO Chris Gubbey. “We developed the architecture for a number of models.”

This means that LEVC is not simply look‐ ing at last‐mile deliveries, but intends that the van will travel outside the city using power provided by the petrol engine, switching to pure electric drive in low‐ emission zones and sensitive city centres.

The company has also looked closely at the range of electric vans on offer and has decided to concentrate on the one‐tonne payload sector, rather than going for the maximum 3.5‐tonne or 4.25‐tonne GVW. The van will therefore be closer in size to the Ford Transit Custom PHEV, than to a full size eSprinter or eCrafter.

LEVC intends to have prototypes of the new e‐LCV with potential customers by the end of this year, with production from the

recently opened plant near Coventry start‐ ing later next year. Initially the focus will be on established leets and business to busi‐ ness users, though no agreements have been signed as yet.

As with the TX1 taxi, the van will be very well equipped, with autonomous emer‐ gency braking (AEB), Lane Departure Warning and Road Sign Recognition as standard. While no exact igures have been given, the aluminium construction is said to offer a similar payload to a conventional one‐tonne diesel van, with a similar load volume. The van will take two Europallets, one through the side loading door and one through the 40/60 split rear doors.

Aluminium construction will also prevent corrosion, leading to improved residual values. Indeed, the company insists that total cost of ownership will be very compet‐ itive against a diesel van, despite an under‐ standably higher purchase price.

Since its introduction last year, LEVC has sold more than 150 TX1 electric taxis and currently has orders for 800 more. The vehicles are not just being sold in the UK either, with sales in the Netherlands, Norway and Germany next on the export list. Within three years from launch, the company hopes to sell 5,000 taxis and 5,000 vans per year, though the factory has a capacity of up to 20,000 vehicles.

inshort bitesize stories from a month in the van fleet world...

'Superheated' market Auction company Manheim saw strong demand from buyers in April, with van sale prices up 5% on March and rising 14% year on year. Vehicles sold at their fastest pace on record throughout the month.

“April’s strong performance once again points to a superheated market place,” said Matthew Davock, head of LCV at Manheim.

“Looking ahead we expect buyer appetite to remain constant, all be it with a little softening against the prior month’s record-breaking highs.”

Ford hybrid trials Ford is extending its hybrid van trials to include a fleet of Transit Custom PHEVs operating with the regional government of Valencia, Spain. The focus of the trial is to investigate how plug-in hybrid vehicles can contribute to cleaner air quality and enhanced productivity.

The company already has 20 hybrid Custom vans operating in London, with a range of customers.

Return of the electric milk float

D

omestic milk delivery service Milk & More has purchased 200 electric StreetScooter EV vans, in a deal worth £6.5m. The vehicles have a 905kg payload and an 8m3 load volume, enough to carry 860 pints of milk.

The electric milk loats boast a 75‐ mile range and Milk & More has seen a 90% reduction in running costs, versus its diesel loats, in the irst month of operation. All of the StreetScooters are left‐hand drive, allowing the driver to enter and exit the vehicle on the kerb‐ side, for improved safety.

“The StreetScooter is an ideal it, from an environmental and noise reduction standpoint, for both us and our customers,” said Patrick Muller, CEO of Milk & More. “As a business we are committed to making this great British

60 / vanfleetworld.co.uk

tradition relevant to 21st century consumers and therefore the delivery vehicles we use must meet those needs.”

Noise reduction is an important consideration for a milk delivery service, as many deliveries are made to domestic premises before 7am. Along with 200 existing electric milk loats, Milk & More has now converted one third of its leet to run on electricity, making it one of the country’s biggest electric leet operators.

Expanded Isuzu fleet HSS Hire Group has ordered 21 Isuzu Forward 7.5-tonne trucks, taking its fleet of Isuzus to 100 vehicles. Supplied by local dealer Warrington Vehicle Centre, the N75.190 rigids are equipped with beavertail or dropside bodies and will be used to distribute tools and equipment throughout the UK.

Iveco Blue Power range Iveco’s award-winning Blue Power range offers three lower-emission alternatives, says Dan Gilkes.

A

s an increasing number of cities work to reduce exhaust emissions on their roads, manufacturers are rushing to launch alternatives to conventional diesel power. Iveco is ahead of the curve, having offered compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric drivelines for some time in its Daily van range. Now the Italian manufac‐ turer has brought all of its alternative drive technologies under one banner – Blue Power – to offer customers a choice of three urban LCV powertrains.

The Daily Hi‐Matic Natural Power is the irm’s irst CNG‐ powered van to be offered with an eight‐speed automatic transmission, combining low emissions and ease of drive‐ ability for urban deliveries. The Daily Electric is an updated version of Iveco’s zero‐emission van for inner city use. The third van still uses a diesel engine, however it is the irst LCV that has been made ready for the 2020 Real Driving Emis‐ sions (RDE) regulations.

“Increasingly, customers are looking seriously at low‐ emission LCVs,” says Martin Flach, Iveco’s alternative fuels director.

“With more and more cities bringing in low‐emission zones and ultra‐low emission zones, Iveco’s Daily Blue Power range is the irst of its kind to offer three choices that anticipate these changes.”

The Daily Hi‐Matic Natural Power brings together two existing technologies for Daily. The CNG engine is a 3.0‐litre unit that develops 136bhp and 350Nm of torque. It complies with 6d‐TEMP standards, creating 76% less particulate matter, 12% lower NOx and 3% less CO2 than the equivalent Euro 6 diesel engine. Using the eight‐speed ZF Hi‐Matic transmission, which currently accounts for 40% of regular Daily sales, reduces that CO2 output further, taking it to 5% below the diesel engine.

To drive, the Natural Power van has plenty of pulling power at 3.5‐tonnes. The engine is much quieter than a diesel and the eight‐speed transmission remains one of the best in the business, slipping quietly between the gears and leaving the driver free to concentrate on the road ahead.

The Daily Electric is more of an acquired taste. Within a congested urban environment, it makes perfect sense, offering up to 124 miles of range and a fast charging time of just two hours. However, move away from traffic‐ clogged city roads and the Daily Electric struggles, with slow acceleration and an Eco‐Power mode that can only be realistically used in stop/start queuing. That, however, is of course exactly what it is designed for, and in the right application the Daily Electric does make sense, particularly with the recent raising of gross weights for alternatively‐fuelled vans.

The RDE‐ready Daily Euro 6 diesel is an interesting proposition. It uses Iveco’s 2.3‐litre diesel engine, with the addition of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) after‐treat‐ ment technology and AdBlue. Start&Stop is standard and with Michelin Agilis+ eco tyres, Iveco claims a 7% fuel improvement over the standard diesel Daily. Of course to drive it is little different to the standard Daily diesel van and as such will suit those operators who need longer distance travel as well as urban access.

“Daily Blue Power really is a range ahead of its time, meaning that UK and Irish leets can future‐proof their transport operations,” said Stuart Webster, Iveco’s UK and Republic of Ireland business director.

“Daily Blue Power, in its natural gas, electric and most advanced diesel versions, give our customers the competitive advantage they need to develop their sustainable businesses.”

vanfleetworld.co.uk / 61

Renault Trucks Master 3T5 Van Renault Trucks will capitalise on its heavy vehicle contacts with its 4x4 van launch, says Dan Gilkes.

R

enault Trucks is hoping that its exist‐ ing truck business in the utility, construction and forestry sectors, will help to promote sales of a new 4x4 LCV range.

The company will offer four‐wheel drive versions of the Master panel van and chassis cab, with conversions through approved part‐ ners that include welfare vans, access plat‐ forms, ambulances and service vans.

Master 4x4 is not totally new to the market of course; it is already available through Renault itself and also as a Vauxhall Movano 4x4. This is however, the first time that Renault Trucks, a division of Volvo Trucks and separate to the Renault car and van business, has had access to the all‐wheel drive models.

The Master 4x4 conversion is carried out

by Austrian off‐road specialist Oberaigner. It is offered on both 3.5 and 4.5‐tonne rear‐ wheel drive vans and chassis cabs, with a choice of single or twin rear wheels. Opting for twin rear wheels does limit the choice of off‐road specific tyres that can be fitted however. Power options include 145bhp or 165bhp twin‐turbo versions of Renault’s 2.3‐litre engine, driving through a six‐speed manual gearbox.

Oberaigner installs a new driven front axle, a transfer case, an additional drive shaft and all of the necessary mountings. The conver‐ sion also provides electronic communication between the Oberaigner control systems and the van’s standard Bosch control unit, so that ESP and ABS braking can be turned off when off‐roading.

There is a simple control panel mounted on top of the dash, with switches for two‐ to four‐

64 / vanfleetworld.co.uk

what we think Existing utility business connections will undoubtedly provide a number of open doors for Renault Trucks dealers.

specification MODEL Renault Trucks Master 3T5 Van BASIC PRICE £35,390 ENGINE 4cyl/2,298cc FUEL INJECTION Common-rail POWER 145bhp @ 3,500 TORQUE 360Nm @ 1,500-2,500 Weights (kg) GVW 3,500 KERB WEIGHT 1,925 PAYLOAD 1,575 MAX TRAILER WEIGHT 2,500 Dimensions (mm) LOAD SPACE LENGTH 3,680 LOAD SPACE WIDTH 1,765 LOAD SPACE HEIGHT 1,798 WIDTH BETWEEN W/ARCHES 1,380 LOAD HEIGHT (UNLADEN) 560 LOAD VOLUME 12.0m3 Cost considerations COMBINED CO2/MPG 212g/km /34.5mpg* FUEL TANK CAPACITY 80 litres *In 2WD

wheel drive and high to low ratio gearing.

Both require the van to be stationary before engaging. The conversion adds 150kg to the base vehicle’s weight, reducing available payload by a similar amount.

Renault Trucks is offering Master 4x4 on medium or long wheelbase models of the panel van, chassis cab or as a minibus. Chas‐ sis cabs also come with single or double cab layouts.

In normal use, the vans operate in rear‐ wheel drive, with only the slightly raised ride height and any off‐road biased tyres indicat‐ ing that this is not a standard Master van.

However, once in all‐wheel drive and with the lower gear ratios engaged, the van delivers impressive off‐road ability.

Specialist leets using this type of equip‐ ment will probably not be phased by the fairly substantial £11,000 premium that the 4x4 carries over a standard rear‐wheel drive Master van. The conversion work at Oberaigner’s base also adds around four weeks to the lead time for vehicle delivery, though again that will probably not be a deal breaker.

Renault Trucks will offer the 4x4 through its Ready for Business Solutions programme, as a van or as tipper, while the Approved Part‐ ner Programme offers plenty of options for individual company requirements.

Buyers can also expect a level of back‐up that comes with a 24‐hour truck sales and service operation, putting the Master 4x4 head to head with the likes of Mercedes’ Sprinter 4x4 and the Iveco Daily 4x4. It may be offered with a choice of badges, but Master 4x4 remains a highly capable ATV.

Does your system provide a workshop management module?

Does your system include a vehicle order tracking function?

Does your system provide variable access/security levels?

Can your system handle multiple suppliers (tail lift, Refrigerated Body, etc) for a single vehicle?

Does your system have any special risk management features?

Can your system download or accept data from a digital tachograph?

Does your system allow pay-as-you-go payment terms?

Do you provide full support & Maintenance cover?

Do you offer a KPI dashboard?

Does your system provide Driver Licence Checking?

Does your system support PDA/Phone devices?

Is your system web based?

Is it smartphone and/or tablet compatible?

MARKET OVERVIEW Fleet Management Software

Bynx

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

-

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

Chevin Fleet Solutions

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

-

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

Jaama Ltd

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

ODO

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

Key to services ✔

Service provided

-

Service unavailable

Bynx

Chevin Fleet Solutions

Bynx is a market-leading developer of software solutions for vehicle fleet, leasing and mobility management. bynx enables leasing, fleet management and short-term rental operators to manage vehicles, contracts, transactions and drivers whilst controlling costs and increasing operational efficiency. Customers retain asset value and engage with stakeholders online. bynx provides a platform, plus the tools and applications required to run every aspect of a vehicle business - whether the fleet is owned or managed on someone else’s behalf. The product utilises functionality to automate and streamline processing and enables greater productivity, efficiency and utilisation. Bynx brings everything online to improve the user experience and communication between dealers, customers, suppliers and drivers.

Chevin Fleet Solutions is the leading global provider of dedicated fleet management software. Their multi-award winning software, Chevin FleetWave®, is a webbased system used by fleet operations across the globe, proven to help businesses measure and reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, reduce administrative burdens, and ensure compliance & risk requirements are met.

FleetWave is designed to meet the demands of any type of operation from any sector, by providing extremely flexible software configurations. The system manages the whole lifecycle of a fleet, from initial acquisition of a vehicle, through to the deployment, operating expenses, incidents, work orders, maintenance, legal requirements and finally disposal. This includes businesses with cars, vans, commercial vehicles, heavy machinery, plant and associated assets. Covering nearly every aspects of managing the vehicles, assets, drivers, workforce and even workshops that make up the operation.

Contact: Gary Jefferies sales@bynx.com

Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com

Contact: David Hemsley sales@chevinfleet.co.uk

Tel: 0177 382 1992 www.chevinfleet.com

Jaama Ltd Jaama’s market leading, multi award winning Key2 Vehicle Management system is a totally integrated vehicle, asset and driver management solution covering all aspects of owning, leasing, hiring, maintaining, repairing, running and disposing of cars, vans, commercial vehicles, plant and asset related equipment.

As the first accredited software supplier for the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) and the FTA's Van Excellence Scheme, as an approved software supplier for the DVSA Earned Recognition Scheme and having made changes to ensure you remain GDPR compliant, Jaama is committed to raising standards and providing practical solutions to commercial fleet operators. Specific modules include defect management; ensuring compliance to VOSA recommendations, electronic driver services; a repository for fleet information allowing drivers to submit expense claims online, and driver quotes; allowing company car and van drivers data to compile their optimum vehicle solutions within pre-set grades and company specified requirements.

Developed in conjunction with leading vehicle operators Jaama have invested heavily to develop a new breed of vehicle management software. Designed for all fleet sizes and budgets, Jaama links users live to data providers, customers, suppliers, vehicle telematics and the DVLA.

Contact: Roy Baynham sales@jaama.co.uk

Tel: 0844 848 4333 www.jaama.co.uk

ODO ODO www.ododrive.com is an online fleet management product that allows business owners, HR Managers, Finance Directors and fleet managers to login, and start managing their vehicles and drivers.

ODO provides a dashboard containing a complete oversight of the fleet and keeps track of vehicle and driver data, including fuel consumption, mileage, servicing and maintenance.

ODO helps fleets stay on the right side of the law, with automatic compliance alerts and reminders. ODO lets fleets take back control, managing costs, stamping out things like fuel fraud and making excess mileage penalties and damage recharges a thing of the past.

ODO is fleet management, made easy.

Contact: Albert Kato Tel: 01438 317731 albert.kato@drivesoftwaresolutions.com www.ododrive.com

vanfleetworld.co.uk / 65

Ford MS-RT Transit Custom When the standard Ford Transit Custom just won’t cut it, the MS-RT version might suit, says Alex Grant.

W

orkhorse, of ice, family car; vans face some of the most diverse uses of any vehicle on the road, particu‐ larly with small business owners. So, it’s hardly surprising to see the latest models becoming more car‐like, more stylish and, Ford says, increasingly weighted towards higher trim levels as end‐users take more pride in what’s parked outside.

MS‐RT takes that demand and runs with it.

Working with M‐Sport, the team behind the Fiesta World Rally Car, the Gwent‐based company is tapping into a long history of Ford motorsport and hopped‐up Transits, dating back to the GT40‐powered SuperVan of the late‐1960s. Except this isn’t a one‐off; it’s a Ford‐approved conversion, sold via selected main dealers, and offered with a three‐year factory warranty.

The Transit Custom is ubiquitous in the UK, but you’ll ind few vehicles at this price point that turn more heads. MS‐RT begins with unregistered, high‐spec vans, direct from the factory, so there’s a choice of single or double cab, long or short wheelbase, tailgate or barn door versions. All completed vans are indi‐ vidually numbered and the kit isn’t available off the shelf, so there’s an RV uplift too, which helps with monthly costs.

We tested MS‐RT’s Transit Custom in three‐ seat, short‐wheelbase, panel van guise.

That the launch is taking place so soon after the facelifted standard van speaks volumes for MS‐RT’s relationship with Ford.

The CAD‐designed bodykit is designed, manufactured and itted in‐house, made from tough, lexible plastic instead of brittle ibre‐ glass, and most of it clips into the factory

66 / vanfleetworld.co.uk

what we think A step-up from Ford’s own Sport trim without losing the Custom’s functionality. Good fun, in an unexpected form.

specification MODEL

Ford MS-RT Transit Custom £33,995 (as tested)

BASIC PRICE

4cyl/1,996cc

ENGINE

Common-rail

FUEL INJECTION

170bhp @ 3,500rpm

POWER TORQUE

405Nm @ 1,750-2,500rpm

Weights (kg) GVW

2,900

KERB WEIGHT

2,100

PAYLOAD MAX TRAILER WEIGHT

800 2,500

Dimensions (mm) LOAD SPACE LENGTH

2,555

LOAD SPACE WIDTH

1,775

LOAD SPACE HEIGHT

1,406

LOAD VOLUME

6.0m3

Cost considerations COMBINED CO2/MPG FUEL TANK CAPACITY

165g/km/44.1mpg 70 litres

mounting points. It’s an aggressive but complementary makeover, with consistent and tight panel gaps and sharply‐creased lines as good as any factory build.

But it’s also designed to work hard. The bespoke, motorsport‐spec wheels are wrapped in 103 load‐rated high‐performance tyres and the payload is uncompromised by the lowered suspension setup. Damage‐prone parts such as the diffusers and side skirts can be replaced easily. All versions feature two sliding doors, a bulkhead, power inverter and LED lighting for the load area, ticking most of the boxes for business use.

Ford’s new cabin is a huge improvement anyway, lifted here by tightly‐wrapped suede and leather upholstery and a re‐shaped steer‐ ing wheel with carbon ibre inserts that feels a bit like a games console controller to hold.

It’s generously equipped too, including touch‐ screen navigation and air conditioning, as you’d expect in a similarly‐priced car. Factor in some protective seat covers for dirtier jobs.

Which makes this a surprisingly entertain‐ ing driving machine. The suspension setup is geared towards better ride quality with little or no weight on board and it’s sure‐footed enough to want deeper seat bolsters on Welsh country roads. But don’t expect a sports car; it’s irmly sprung by car standards and the 170bhp EcoBlue diesel engine’s lively off‐the‐mark performance is quickly reined in by the laws of physics. MS‐RT offers after‐ market ECU upgrades for drivers craving a bit more performance, alongside an amusingly vocal exhaust system and rally graphics for those who really want to stand out. Realisti‐ cally, though, none are needed.

VAN SUPPLIER DIRECTORY FLEETW W RLD daily rental

contract hire, leasing & finance

racking systems

tail lifts

fleet management software

Nexus Vehicle Rental 0871 984 1947 www.nexusrental.co.uk

Arnold Clark Vehicle Management

Tel: 0141 332 2626 www.acvm.com

Bott Ltd Tel: 01530 410600 www.bottltd.co.uk

Penny Hydraulics Tel: 01246 811475 www.pennyhydraulics.com

ODO Drive Tel: 01438 317731

Lex Autolease Tel: 0344 824 0115 www.lexautolease.co.uk

fleetworld.co.uk

Ratcliff Palfinger Ltd Tel: 01707 325571 www.ratcliffpalfinger.co.uk

Promote your company here and online for just £400/year.

DEL Equipment (UK) Ltd Tel: 01993 708811 www.del-uk.com

Bynx Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com

SHB Hire Ltd Tel: 01794 511458 www.shb.co.uk

Full listings online at

accident management Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tel: 01784 221 300 www.enterprise.co.uk

www.volkswagengroupleasing.co.uk

Europcar Tel: 0871 384 0201 www.europcar.co.uk

Venson Automotive Solutions Tel: 08444 991402 www.venson.com

Volkswagen Group Leasing Tel: 0870 333 2229

Selsia

Tel: 0845 468 6800 www.selsia-vac.co.uk

telematics & tracking

www.quartix.net

www.ododrive.com

Chevin Fleet Solutions Tel: 01773 821 992 www.chevinfleet.com

Tel: 0870 013 6663 Teletrac Navman Tel: 0345 604 8813 www.teletrac.co.uk

Tel: 01792 222133 www.daysrental.co.uk

0845 2172 608

Promote your company here and online for just £400/year.

Alphabet (GB) Limited Tel: 0370 50 50 100 www.alphabet.co.uk

Fourways Vehicle Solutions Tel: 0344 8000 385 www.fvsl.co.uk

Zenith Tel: 0344 848 9327 www.zenith.co.uk

daysfleet.com

ALD Automotive Tel: 0370 00 111 81 www.aldautomotive.co.uk

euroShell Card Tel: 0800 915 6021 www.shell.co.uk/euroshell

TMC Tel: 01270 525 218 www.themilesconsultancy.co.uk

Promote your company here and online for just £400/year.

Full listings online at

fleetworld.co.uk fleet management

TRACKER Network (UK) Limited Tel: 0845 604 6091 www.TRACKER.co.uk

Tel: 0345 055 8555 Ctrack www.ctrack.co.uk

CanTrack Global Ltd Tel: 01908 330385 www.cantrack.com

AMBER CONNECT Tel: 01789 774413 www.amberconnect.co.uk

Fleet Operations Ltd Tel: 0844 567 8000

www.fleetoperations.co.uk

STEPS AVS Steps Ltd

Tel: 01939 235900 www.avssteps.co.uk

Full listings online at fleetworld.co.uk van liners

fuel management BP Oil UK Ltd Tel: 0845 603 0723 www.bpplus.co.uk

www.navmanwireless.co.uk

Telogis Tel: 0203 005 8805 www.telogis.co.uk

United Vanliners Ltd Tel: 01778 561900 www.unitedvanliners.co.uk

driver licence checking TMC Tel: 01270 525 218 www.themilesconsultancy.co.uk

vehicle CCTV Exeros Technologies Tel: 020 8303 1188 www.exeros-technologies.com

VAN FLEETW RLD SUPPLIER DIRECTORY For more information, please contact Tracy Howell on 01727 739160 or email tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk vanfleetworld.co.uk / 67

More than just vehicle tracking... • Driving style analysis • Unlimited geofencing • Management dashboards • Expected fuel usage

Special offer

3 months free with

free installation and warranty included RTSYM HTSYWFHYŃŒ|ŃŒ3T FZYT WJSJ\FQŃŒ|ŃŒ+WTR f RYM :MWMXĹ?\\\ VZFWYN] SJYĹ?SV GEPPĹ?

XS WGLIHYPI E JVII HIQS 8IVQW ERH GSRHMXMSRW ETTP]