October 2014
FLEETW RLD All that matters in the world of fleet
FOCUS!
Paris Show The best cars on display
New look for fleet’s best-seller
spotlight
Discovery Sport
Wheeler dealers
Revealed: Which brands have the best business dealer network
Driven Golf GTE Lexus NX fleetworld.co.uk
The new C-Class Estate. Practically engineered. Only 109 g /km* CO2.
A Daimler Brand
The numbers work.
Official government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the new C-Class range: urban 40.4 (7.0) –72.4 (3.9), purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. *Model featured is a new C 220 BlueTec Sport Estate at £33,205 on-the-road with optional metallic paint at availability. Prices correct at time of print 10/14.
extra urban 61.4(4.6)–83.1(3.4), combined 51.4(5.5)–78.5(3.6). CO2 emissions 133–94 g/km.
Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison £645 (on-the-road price includes VAT, delivery, 12 months’ Road Fund Licence, number plates, first registration fee and fuel). Some combinations of features/options may not be available. Please contact your local Retailer for
contents 18
October 2014
32
FLEETW RLD
Behind the wheel of New Focus.
All that matters in the world of fleet
FOCUS!
New Apple Watch could mean more distractions for drivers.
Paris Show The best cars on display
New look for fleet’s best-seller
spotlight
Discovery Sport
Wheeler dealers
Revealed: Which brands have the best business dealer network
Driven
Golf GTE Lexus NX fleetworld.co.uk
Managing Editor Ross Durkin ross@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Publisher Jerry Ramsdale jerry@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Editor Steve Moody steve@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Deputy Editor Alex Grant alex@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Business Editor Natalie Middleton natalie@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Features Editor Katie Beck katie@fleetworldgroup.co.uk VFW Editor Dan Gilkes dan@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Sales Director Anne Dopson anne@fleetworldgroup.co.uk
44
Sales Executives Darren Brett darren@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Claire Warman claire@fleetworldgroup.co.uk
This month’s spotlight falls on the new Land Rover Discovery Sport.
58
Circulation Manager Tracy Howell tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk
The UK’s fleet dealer network by brand.
Head of Production Luke Wikner luke@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Designers Tina Ries tina@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Samantha Hargreaves sam@fleetworldgroup.co.uk
Published by
50
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
We reveal the stars of the show at Paris
VAN FLEETW RLD
85
Transit Courier, Renault Master Hanover Show, LCV software.
04 / fleetworld.co.uk
102
LCV telematics and the potential for data overload.
STAG Publications
®
To subscribe to Fleet World visit: www.fleetworldsubscriptions.co.uk Certified circulation Jan – Dec 2013 17,985
Ford NEWS New Ford Focus gets 1.5-litre EcoBoost THE new Ford Focus will be the first vehicle in Europe to offer Ford’s new 1.5litre EcoBoost petrol engine and will also be available for the first time with Ford’s 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine. When the new 1.5-litre TDCi engine is introduced, Focus will be available with all engines meeting Euro Stage VI, except a Euro Stage V 1.6-litre TDCi unit available until April. Ford’s new Stage VI engines provide more power, with lower CO2 emissions than Stage V engines, and fleets will no longer need to consider using an AdBlue additive for their cars. Fuel-saving technologies including Auto-Start-Stop, Active Grille Shutter and Smart Regenerative Charging help achieve significant reductions in CO2 emissions across the full range of petrol and diesel engines. The 95PS version of the 1.5-litre TDCi will deliver 98g/km CO2 emissions – a ten per cent improvement over the Stage V 1.6-litre TDCi - with up to 74.3mpg fuel efficiency when mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Ford vehicles across both car and CV ranges are benefitting from the introduction of Stage VI engines before legislation due next September. The new Transit, for instance, is available already with optional 125 and 155PS Stage VI TDCi engines. New Mondeo will have a range of Stage VI engines when it is launched later this year and the new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX will have an entirely Stage VI engine line-up when launched early next year.
Brand new engine range for Kuga THE Ford Kuga has been given a brand new range of engines that are fully compliant with Euro Stage VI emissions, offering improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions with improvements in power and engine refinement. The engine in every Kuga model – both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive – is now Euro Stage VI compliant. Front-wheel drive Kuga variants are available with a 2.0-litre TDCi engine delivering 150PS and just 122g/km of CO2, putting it below the 130g/km threshold. It means zero vehicle excise duty in the first year and a reduction of £20 a year afterwards; the previous 2.0-litre 140PS Stage V engine with 139g/km CO2 emissions cost £130 in the first year. The change means the front-wheel drive Kuga with 2.0-litre TDCi 150PS engine will now become eligible on many fleet policy lists from which it was previously excluded.
For further information on any vehicle in the Ford range please contact the Ford Business Centre on 03457 23 23 23, email info@fordfleet.co.uk, or visit www.ford.co.uk/fordfleet
Ford News Feature // 05
inbrief
40 Transit Custom vans for Ogilvie Group Ford has delivered 40 Transit Custom vans to Ogilvie Group which is celebrating both its 60th anniversary and 60 years of doing business with Ford; they replace Ford Transit models Ogilvie Group, which started life as a construction company in Scotland, has grown into a company with six divisions and a turnover of more than £200 million. The new Ford Transit Custom 2.0 TDCi 125 Trend panel vans and double cabs, replace Ford Transits and will be operated for up to four years. Ford national contract hire and leasing manager Ian Mills, said: “We at Ford are proud of our long and successful partnership with the Ogilvie Group, and we are delighted by the confidence shown by the company in our products over the remarkable period of 60 years. “We feel sure that Ford’s new Transit Custom, which set the benchmark for technology, fuel efficiency and load space in this market sector to secure International Van of the Year in 2013, will prove safe, reliable and hardworking in service.” Ogilvie Fleet purchasing manager Nick Geldart, said: “We have forged a very strong relationship with Ford over 60 years and have every confidence in their products. Over the years the Ford vans we have operated have proved themselves to be reliable, fit for purpose with excellent whole life operating costs and strong residual values.”
fleetreview This month, editor Steve Moody on the proliferation of impressive new models at the recent Paris Motor Show, and why Audi and Mitsubishi have cause for cheer...
Ford’s expanding product line-up Ford’s product explosion at Paris was very impressive: revised C-MAX, new Mondeo, facelifted Focus, new S-MAX, the Edge SUV and a Mustang too. I’ve probably missed something but it’s a firm releasing so many new products that it’s hard to keep up. And MD Mark Ovenden reckons there’s more to come in the next few years too and on top of that, a big expansion of its Ford Lease division is planned as well. Currently it has a fleet of about 10,000 cars and vans, but backed by Ford Credit and ALD he can’t see why it shouldn’t expand further. To put it in context, he said that in retail 80% of its car sales are funded by Ford Credit, but in fleet it is the polar opposite. Clearly not 80% of its fleet vehicles would end up being leased through Ford Lease (which would at a stroke make it the biggest leasing company in Britain), but Ovenden thinks there are some big opportunities. Looking at its increasingly impressive range of vehicles, it’s not hard to see why.
Audi to protect RVs Audi has had a tremendous year in the UK, and with sales of more than 150,000 units reckons it is now the number one premium manufacturer. According to UK director, Andre Konsbruck, the firm will continue to grow but one of his main focuses is on preserving, and ensuring in the future, strong residual values. There are now so many used Audis out there, that Konsbruck reckons it
06 / fleetworld.co.uk
will not be long before the network will be selling around 100,000 a year. He says he’s committed to ensuring that the brand still commands high prices for its defleeted cars. So there are a number of remarketing programmes in place to ensure good stock comes back into the network, that dealers have invested in enough space to display them properly and that the used car customer still gets a premium experience when they are buying the car, and having it serviced. It’s all part of the firm developing from an quickly growing brand to an established market leader, protecting its position (and that of its fleet customers) for the long-term, rather than trying to win short-term gains. As Konsbruck said: ‘Strong residual values are the centre of everything we do. If we have this then we help our fleet customers and our dealer network to have long-term foundations with us.’
Mitsubishi’s PHEV is flying When Mitsubishi launched the Outlander PHEV it was hoping to make some inroads into fleet with its low BiK tax proposition. But talking to managing director Lance Bradley in Paris, it has wildly exceeded even their expectations. 3,000 orders in the first three months of sales, with fleets accounting for about 35% (and likely to be at 50% by next year), the PHEV has revitalised the business, with sales up across all models and footfall hugely increased at dealers and an expanded fleet sales team in place. It seems there is a growing appetite for EVs out there, and Mitsubishi is ideally placed to take advantage of it.
Don’t miss out on all the latest daily news! Visit fleetworld.co.uk
inbusiness
Fleets reassured over Vauxhall warranty change
V
auxhall UK managing director, Tim Tozer, has said that all major fleets which signed terms with Vauxhall on the the back of the lifetime warranty, which is to be dropped, had been contacted before the announcement was made public. He said they will be offered extension deals to cover their fleet cycles for new cars coming onto fleet. Vauxhall announced it is to drop its current Lifetime Warranty by the end of the year saying that it ‘reflects the changing needs of car buyers.’ The move sees the carmaker drop the current warranty of 100,000 miles and an unlimited amount of time for the first owner of the car and instead move to the standard three-year/60k warranty with options for extension. The new warranty will apply to all new cars and vans, with the exception of the Vivaro and Movano, which have a three-year/100,000-miles warranty. However, existing vehicles with Lifetime Warranty will continue to be covered for up to 100,000 miles whilst the vehicle remains with the first owner, subject to annual validation. Vauxhall has blamed its decision on the rise of PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) and other tempting financing offers, which now account for 65% of new car sales. In response, Warranty Direct said it could prompt other manufacturers to turn their back on promised long-term cover.
Skoda announces Fabia pricing
S
koda has announced its third-generation Fabia will be priced from £10,600 OTR and will bring high equipment levels across the range and the largest boot capacity in the sector. Set to start UK deliveries in January 2015, the 18-model Fabia range arrives in the UK in January and is offered in three trim levels: S, SE and Elegance. Entry-level S models include six airbags, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth, Stop/Start and electric front windows as standard, while SE models (from £12,760 OTR) add manual air-conditioning, alloy wheels, Front Assist, Arkamys surround sound package and Bolero radio with telephone control, Mirror Link, USB and SD card connections. SE models also include a three-spoke leather steering wheel, height adjustable driver and passenger seat and a Maxi-DOT trip computer. Range-topping Elegance models (from £13,610 OTR) add even more features including, 16-inch alloy wheels, climate control air-conditioning, Light Assistant, cruise control and KESSY – keyless entry system. The third-generation model will also offer an all-new engine line-up with four petrol and three diesel engines, with a 91.1mpg, 82g/km GreenLine model to join from late 2015.
Trade body to provide driving licence data
A
new trade body, the Association for Driving Licence Verification (www.adlv.co.uk), has been launched to help fleet users with the issue of getting responsible and secure access to DVLA driving licence data. Formed in part as a response to the upcoming abolition of the current driving licence paper counterpart, members of this new association are already established providers of driver licence checking through the DVLA’s Electronic Driver Entitlement Checking Service [EDECS]. Working on an online batch e-processing basis, subject to consent from the licence holder, ADLV members will supply customers with full licence details, have the ability to schedule data re-checks and monitor licence holders dependent on updated driver risk profiles.
10 / fleetworld.co.uk
fleetweet a few soundbites from a month in fleet
@evoDeanSmith Dean Smith, automotive photographer
October 1 will go down in history amongst UK car photographers as a bloody good day. Good riddance to the tax disc!
@TheEIU Official Twitter account for The Economist Intelligence Unit
The UK is the largest single market for #German cars, taking 31% of all exports in Europe.
@QuentinWillson Quentin Willson, motoring journalist & lead campaigner for FairFuelUK
Any govt or party tries to outlaw cars will crash and burn. Only London has public transport. UK road economy needs cars vans trucks.
@Real_Business Official Twitter account for Real Business, the UK’s most-read SME website
The UK new car market is enjoying its 30th consecutive month of comparative growth.
@vplus Vaughn Sterling, senior producer, CNN
I wonder what #AppleWatch means for distraction & driving. You can’t even keep the notifications in your pocket soon. Always right there…
@AAPresident Edmund King, president, The AA
The #Motorway still raises questions about “smart motorways” which don't appear too smart when drivers with a blow out can't stop.
@mrgeorgell Georg Ell, UK and Ireland country manager, Tesla Motors
2 UK superchargers opened this week: Edinburgh and Green Park business park, on the M4. London to Bristol and back now possible with 1 stop.
Let’s clear the air this October
Save thousands and stop smoking with petrol full hybrid Poor air quality kills*. Reduce CO 2 and NOx emissions and eliminate particulates whilst saving thousands of pounds by switching from diesel to petrol hybrid. Challenge us to prove it with our personalised fleet financial health check.
Desirability Reliability Rangeability
Sustainability Serviceability Affordability
Tackle your fleet smoking habits this October, call 0344 701 6186 or visit brilliantforbusiness.co.uk The new Lexus NX from 116g/km CO 2
brilliant for business *5000 premature UK deaths a year due to combustion exhaust. Environmental Science Technology – Public Health Impacts of Combustion Emissions in the United Kingdom 21/03/12 (COMEAP – Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution).
inbusiness
What dealers really think Dealers are the public face of the car brands they represent, but what do they really think of their manufacturer partners? Motor Trader editor Curtis Hutchinson reports
C
ar manufacturers invest considerable fortunes to bring new cars to market. The work on new models starts many years prior to launch, involving countless man hours in R&D, secrecy, testing, launches and advertising. Then it's pretty much over to the dealers to place the vehicle centre stage in their showrooms and create some local ballyhoo to entice private buyers, fleet managers and user-choosers. For most customers the dealer is the public face of the car manufacturer. Yet few car brands in the UK, with the notable exception of Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Citroën and Renault, actually own and operate their own showrooms. This is why most marques impose high corporate standards for the franchised partners who sell their products. It's an expensive business to be in and one where the carmakers have the upper hand. The relationship between dealers and carmakers is every bit as complex as a marriage from the initial wooing and hitching up, to the honeymoon period, the inevitable compromises, leading to the perfect union or parting of the ways. But what do the dealers who supply and service your cars really think about the car brands they represent? Twice a year this question is answered in the National Franchised Dealers Association's Dealer Attitude Survey. The NFDA's recent summer survey is its most comprehensive to date with participation from over 40% of dealers representing 29 car brands across the UK. Responses are anonymous, giving dealer bosses a forum to say exactly what they think. With new car sales powering ahead year-on-year you would expect dealers to be pretty content with their lot at the moment but that is not the picture painted by the survey. Participating dealers are asked questions covering key aspects of their operations with responses invited on a scale of 1 to 10. Specific questions deal with profit potential of the franchise, volume potentials, investment levels, targets and much more. The big question is the overall rating of the brand. It's a fly on the wall glimpse into what dealers really think of the brand over their doors and some of it makes for unpalatable reading in manufacturer head offices both here and abroad. It's not unusual for UK managing
12 / fleetworld.co.uk
directors to have bonuses pegged to their NFDA scores. Scores seem to be down pretty much across the board, especially in the overall brand ratings, a curious result in a booming market which could be a reflection of dealers not seeing enough of their profits go to the bottom line, possibly as a result of high levels of preregistration and investment requirements. ‘Dealers have found that there has been a slight decline in the overall franchise value in this year’s survey results with the average score down from 7.2 to 6.6,’ said NFDA director Sue Robinson. ‘With the declines in scores for certain key questions, there is still scope with certain manufacturers to develop their relationships with their dealer networks as some still fall well below average in many areas of the survey,’ she said. Land Rover retained its position as the top performing brand scoring 8.8, followed by Mercedes-Benz (8.7) and Kia (8.6). Other high flyers included Audi (8.5), Suzuki (8.4), Mini (8.1) and BMW (8.0). However, even Land Rover appeared to have lost some of its appeal, dropping 0.8 points since the winter survey. Indeed all these brands dropped points apart from Suzuki which upped its rating. There's further surprises at the other end of the rankings with three brands, normally associated with being best in class, languishing in the doldrums. Honda emerged as the lowest rated brand among its dealers with a score of just 4.6, closely followed by Volvo (4.7) and Toyota (5.1). SEAT (5.2) and Skoda (5.4) completed the bottom five. NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey Summer 2014 Top franchises 1. Land Rover 2. Mercedes 3. Kia 4. Audi 5. Suzuki Bottom franchises 1. Honda 2. Volvo 3. Toyota 4. SEAT 5. Skoda
inbusiness
Things I hate to hear When you’ve worked in fleet for as long as The Insider, you have pretty much heard it all….
I
’ve been in fleet a long time now so for a change, I thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve really hated hearing over the years. All of them actually happened, for different employers. Many of them were avoidable, providing valuable lessons for me and the driver. ‘Why should I pay the insurance excess – I was only there for work so the accident wouldn’t have happened otherwise.’ ‘Company car tax is so high’ – I think they were paying about £120 a month but didn’t figure that if they had taken the allowance they would have handed over at least £220 monthly to HMRC. ‘I’ve done something really silly’ – a drink drive charge. ‘You did put my car on the congestion charge autopay system before I drove into the zone all last week, didn’t you?’ Am I telepathic? ‘It’s only a little bump ....’ ‘HR here – we have a new starter joining us tomorrow. What cars do you have lying around?’ Any weather forecast with the word “snow” in it, or “ice”, unless it’s immediately followed by “cream”. ‘It’s the lease company here. Your employee’s car is uneconomic to repair so we are taking it back from you now. His personal stuff is at the garage. Please ask him to collect it.’ ‘Mr F’s car is ready for delivery,’ immediately followed by a second phone call from a second and unrelated source telling me the same thing. I ordered a car through our normal channels; the driver ordered the same thing from his broker friend. He and the broker subsequently fell out. ‘My car has been stolen.’ It was a four year old high-mileage diesel Ford Escort estate, for goodness’ sake. There’s no accounting for taste. ‘I can’t find the spare wheel.’ It was in the usual place in the boot, under the false floor. ‘I’ve lost the key to my husband’s company car and he is away for a week.’ OK, use the spare key we gave you. ‘Well we lost that three months ago but we never quite got around to replacing it.’ ‘Our company credit has run out on the toll crossing and I have no cash or cards with me.’
14 / fleetworld.co.uk
‘I have filled up with fuel and my company fuel card has been refused – and I have no cash or cards with me. And they won’t allow us to use details of yours over the phone.’ ‘We have arrested your driver following the accident as they had a bald rear tyre.’ ‘I didn’t think the water was that deep.’ ‘My sat nav told me to go that way.’ ‘The handbrake failed.’ ‘The 2.0-litre car which your driver ordered seven months ago and which has just been registered for delivery is actually a 1.6.’ HR again. ‘We’ve terminated so-and-so’s employment so you can have her car back. Unfortunately she has hidden it, and we don’t have her current address either.’ Note – reporting the car as stolen doesn’t wash with the police; she gave it back the day the MOT expired. ‘Unfortunately we are refusing to service your employee’s car as their dogs appear to have been living in it and have completely chewed up the back seats. It stinks.’ ‘The engine has stopped and I don’t know what to do. I had a funny red light flashing on the dashboard for the last week.’ The car was out of oil. The driver paid for the resulting new engine, in instalments. ‘Your director’s new Audi which you waited for for six months has arrived alongside at the port of entry. Unfortunately it then fell into the water.’ The chairman on delivery of his new BMW: ‘My wife doesn’t like the colour, I don’t want it.’ ‘My new car has turned up as an automatic.’ Yes, that’s what EGC means. ‘Oh, the dealer just said it was lower CO2. I’ve never driven an automatic.’ ‘The car I ordered as a hatchback with a spoiler has just turned up as a saloon with a spoiler. It looks really stupid.’ It did, too. ‘Your employee has written off our hire car in an accident. She didn’t take the full CDW so we are charging you 12,000 euros.’ This was in Germany; and they didn’t. Experience, good and bad, still teaches you the most. At least a job in fleet isn’t boring.
renault.co.uk
100% electric RENAULT zoe
100% Electric Renault ZOE Dynamique Intens No fuel bills. No road tax. No congestion charges. No brainer. • Best in class range* • Less than 2p per mile fuel cost** • Zero CO2 emissions whilst driving
• Rapid charge in just 30 minutes • R-Link controlled 7" touchscreen navigation • Z.E. interactive: remote battery charging and remote climate control from your smartphone
Renault Business Quality Commitments • Like for like vehicle replacement • Pro+ specialist fleet network • Free collection and delivery T&Cs apply. For full list of commitments visit renault.co.uk/business for details
Visit renault.co.uk/business or call the Renault Business Team on 0800 040 7344
Model shown is ZOE Dynamique Intens with optional metallic i.d. paint. CO2 while driving: 0. MPG: N/A
*Actual consumption and range may vary: Renault ZOE can travel up to 130 miles on a single charge, based on the new European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Renault also publish real life ranges of 63 miles (winter) to 94 miles (temperate conditions), reflecting range variations from driving style, road conditions, heating and other external factors. **Equivalent to 2p per mile based on (i) overnight electricity costs (British Gas Clear & Simple Economy 7 unit rates for a customer paying by direct debit as at 1 April 2014, assuming 7 hours of charging at the night rate and 1 hour on the day rate), and (ii) a range of up to 126 miles per full charge (based on 95% efficiency and 17˝ wheels). 26p per day standing charge applies.
THE BMW 5 SERIES NOW WITH EMISSIONS FROM 109G/KM.
The BMW 5 Series range is now a more compelling executive choice than ever before. New engines inspired by BMW EfficientDynamics technologies emit lower emissions and achieve even more impressive fuel economy, keeping Benefit in Kind down to as little as 17%. The new more efficient engine in the BMW 520d Saloon emits just 109g/kg CO2 while achieving fuel economy of 68.9mpg (combined). Coupled with a high level of standard specification, including BMW Business Advanced Navigation system, Dakota leather upholstery and front and rear Park Distance Control, this is an executive decision you will definitely want to make.
To find out more visit www.bmwcorporate.co.uk or call 08081 280034 . Official fuel economy figures for the BMW 5 Series Range: Urban 22.8 - 57.6 mpg (12.4 - 4.9 l/100km). Extra Urban 38.7 - 76.3 mpg (7.3 - 3.7 l/100km). Combined 30.7 - 68.9 mpg (8.8 - 4.1 l/100km). CO2 emissions 214 - 109 g/km.
Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions. BMW EfficientDynamics reduces BMW emissions without compromising performance developments and is standard across the model range.
RANGE.
BMW Corporate Sales
bmwcorporate.co.uk
The Ultimate Driving Machine
inbusiness
Watch out for a new fleet risk… I
t might have been launched to great fanfare, but Apple’s new Watch will present a new risk for fleets trying to stop their employees from becoming distracted while driving. The Watch allows wearers to see social media messages and emails, and respond to them, and constantly in their eyeline while driving, it could prove hard for motorists to ignore. Diarmuid Fahy, manager, fleet risk services at Alphabet warned: ‘Using a smartwatch while driving is senseless. To operate one would pretty much require you to take both hands off the steering wheel; this makes them even more dangerous than mobile phones, which could be used onehanded. Drivers might think that there is no specific legislation in place prohibiting their use, but the same argument was made when mobile phones first became popular, it was pointed out that laws are in place to prohibit driving without due care and attention. Legislation describes the devices covered by the act as; ‘A ... device, other than a two-way radio, which performs an interactive communication function by transmitting and receiving data.’ This obviously covers smart-watches so they are 100% in scope of the law.’
18 / fleetworld.co.uk
Fahy said businesses should have clear policies prohibiting this kind of activity while employees are driving on company time. He added: ‘This is a great chance for fleet managers to remind all drivers about the rules and guidance the organisation has in place, with a message clarifying that smartwatches should not be used while driving.’ Research conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists on smartphone use between 2006 and 2010 found distraction from a mobile phone was a contributory factor in 1,960 road accidents which resulted in injuries; this figure includes 110 fatal accidents. Having a wristwatch linked to users’ mobile phones only suggests a higher proportion of drivers’ performance will be significantly impaired, Neil Greig, IAM Director of Policy and Research reckons. He said: ‘The Watch has the potential to be just as distracting as any other smartphone device. Indeed more so if you have to take your hand off the wheel and your eyes off the road to interact with it. ‘Enforcement will be difficult for the police, but powers exist to seize and interrogate devices in the event of a serious crash. The very device that distracted you also has the power to convict you.’
SIMPLE TO LOVE CONTEMPORARY AND STYLISH, ALL NEW CITROËN C4 CACTUS PRESENTS A DISTINCTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO THE CONVENTIONAL C-SEGMENT HATCHBACK. PURE AND NON-AGGRESSIVE LINES COMBINE WITH RUGGED BODY PROTECTION, LARGE WHEELS AND PLENTIFUL COLOUR OPTIONS TO CREATE A CAR THAT STANDS OUT IN ANY CROWD, JUST AS A CITROËN SHOULD.
CRÉATIVE TECHNOLOGIE
ALL NEW CITROËN C4 CACTUS
SIMPLE TO LIVE
BENEATH CHIC STYLING, EVERY COMPONENT OF ALL NEW C4 CACTUS IS DESIGNED TO KEEP RUNNING COSTS TO A MINIMUM, BUT WITHOUT IMPACTING ON DAY-TO-DAY PRACTICALITY.
Class-leading fuel economy of up to 91.1mpg with CO2 emissions of 82g/km, returning up to 900 miles on one tank of fuel.
Washer nozzles built into the wiper blades halve the Magic Wash fluid needed to clear the screen.
Lightweight platform and widespread use of aluminium parts cuts weight to 965kg – 200kg less than a C4 hatchback.
Low pricing, strong residuals and optimised servicing help cut ownership costs by up to 20%, over three years, compared to rivals.
All-digital dashboard across the range, with Easy Push button-operated drive selection on ETG6 versions.
Distinctive styling can be personalised with 10 body colours, three interior schemes and four hues for the Airbump®.
AIRBUMP® A new and inno vative feature fro m Citroën, Airb features air-filled ump® pockets of tough plastic to protect areas of the bo vu ln erable dywork from th e rigours of ev Available in four eryday life. colours to compl ement or contrast of the body, Airb with the rest ump® radically sim plifies and reduce repairs, if they ar s the cost of e needed, helpin g to minimise in surance costs.
940 CALL 08457 940 , N O TI A M R FO IN FOR MORE ONNECT.CO.UK C ËN O R IT C T@ EE OR EMAIL FL
ALL NEW CITROËN C4 CACTUS
SIMPLE TO SHARE THE BEST ALL NEW C4 CACTUS COMBINES E AGILITY PARTS OF A CROSSOVER WITH TH K. AND COMPACTNESS OF A HATCHBAC
WITHIN urban-friendly and manoeuvrable dimensions, it offers a bright, design-rich cabin with leather strap door pulls, comfortable sofa-style front seating and a heat-protected panoramic glass roof, tailored to a relaxed and easy driving experience. Useful technology is abundant, with an all-digital dashboard grouping not only media, navigation and telephony functions to its 7-inch touchscreen, but climate control and internet-connected Citroën Multicity Connect apps too. Drivers can also add assistance systems including a semi-autonomous Park Assist function, Hill Start Assist and a reversing camera to make urban life even easier. Relocating the airbag to a space above the windscreen frees up a generous 8.5-litre glovebox in the top of the dashboard, which joins compartments throughout the cabin for life’s essentials. Boot space, at 358 litres, is among the best in its class, and can be extended by folding the rear bench. Simplicity, without sacrifice.
out of urban PARK ASSIST takes the effort sized parking driving, quickly identifying suitably , while the spaces and taking control of steering kes. driver operates the throttle and bra
“WITHIN URBANFRIENDLY AND MANOEUVRABLE DIMENSIONS, IT OFFERS A BRIGHT, DESIGN-RICH CABIN.”
ALL NEW CITROËN C4 CACTUS
SIMPLE TO CHOOSE “A clever and distinctive new entrant with the potential to dramatically improve Citroën’s presence in the C-segment.” Fleet World “Citroën has broken the mould to create a comfortable, fashionable and affordable small car – a return to what it’s good at.” Auto Express
“A beautiful piece of true design, wrapping function and desirability into a distinctive form.” TopGear.com “We drove C4 Cactus on the motorway, in villages, across country and it felt rock solid and safe. It felt like a much larger and heavier car.” Martin Ward, CAP “Good value packaged with a bit of flamboyance and imagination.” Autocar
“A cleverly thought-out small car that’s stylish, relaxing, spacious and surprisingly cheap to buy and run.” What Car? “It has plenty of kerbside appeal, as well as novelty value in its quirky design in a sector dominated by plain-looking hatches.” Fleet News
inbusiness
fleetonfleet Tim Watts, fleet consultant at Perfect Circle, talks to Liz Hollands. You’ve worked on both sides of the fence previously, running a fleet and then for a leasing company. What was it like branching out on your own? I have been very fortunate in that I have had a career that has allowed me to gain perspective of our industry from a number of viewpoints. The knowledge I have gained has given me a unique value to my clients in transferring that knowledge into tangible actions to help improve their business efficiency. The challenge of going it alone to sell that skill set has been at times pretty scary but ultimately one of the most rewarding decisions I have ever made. Do you purely provide consultancy or do you run outsourced fleet management for your clients? When we started the business it was pure consultancy, which has evolved so that we now offer both consultancy and a strategic vendor management solution, allowing us to provide guidance and feedback at board and operational level. When you meet a new client, typically what are the three areas where you are able to save them the most money? We prefer to focus on efficiency. If you get the efficiencies right then the money savings will follow as a natural by-product. Every client has their own challenges and objectives, no two are exactly alike. Making sure we understand exactly what we are dealing with is always a priority. Clear transparency of data so that the full cost of fleet and how these can be influenced is essential. After all, if you can’t see it, you can’t manage it. My presumption is that it is much easier for you to work with a client who has retained someone inhouse with a financial and practical interest in and knowledge of fleet? Is that right? Yes, absolutely, it’s becoming rarer for the client to employ a dedicated fleet manager, this is where Perfect
Circle Management really adds value as we are able to offer a missing level of knowledge and expertise. What’s the next big thing we should all be worrying about in fleet? That’s an interesting question. The UK fleet sector is a very exciting and dynamic one, where we are used to seeing constant change in every aspect, from the vehicles we drive through to regulations impacting both drivers and their employers. At times I am sure it can feel very daunting for fleet operators when planning for their future. The challenge of operating a fleet that meets business objectives, keeps drivers happy, all within a framework that seeks constant business improvement through lower costs and meeting compliance is still mainly rooted around three things. That is the vehicle, the driver and the journey. What’s your greatest success story? To have built a career working in every aspect of motor vehicle transport, including franchised dealerships, HGV distribution, rental, leasing, accident and fuel management and to have pulled all of this experience together to offer my clients tangible value and efficiencies through my own company. I truly consider myself blessed to be doing a job I love in a dynamic and exciting industry surrounded by talented, hardworking and resourceful people. Time for a hobby outside of work? Managing a business challenges the ideal work–life balance but when time allows I’m a keen amateur musician. I’ve played and recorded drums in various bands over the years, including everything from a Blues Brothers tribute band to original bands playing festivals all over the UK. Perhaps it was those early years trying to get our broken down van going again on the way home from gigs that got me interested in fleet! I’m also a keen if not fast runner and am currently training to run the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London next month.
fleetworld.co.uk / 19
inbusiness
your
Try running 30 bespoke Rolls-Royce Phantoms… One of the most expensive fleets in the world has been ordered by Louis XIII hotel in Macau. Owner Stephen Hung has placed an order for 30 Bespoke Extended Wheelbase Phantoms, each of which has been extensively customised by Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke design team at Goodwood. Newly created bespoke elements have been applied extensively both to the interior and exterior of the cars including bespoke clocks designed and created by Graff Luxury Watches. The two most expensive Phantoms will additionally feature external and internal gold-plated accents. Rolls-Royce has also helped to design the parking and driveways to house the fleet at Louis XIII and will train Louis XIII’s chauffeurs from Macau in the appropriate driving and handling of these unique vehicles. A “base” Phantom costs more than £300,000. Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, chief executive officer of RollsRoyce Motor Cars, said: ‘We at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are delighted and honoured that Mr Hung has commissioned Rolls-Royce to provide the largest single order of Phantoms in history. The Louis XIII fleet of Phantoms promises to be one of most impressive sights ever seen in Macau when they arrive at the Louis XIII hotel in 2016.’
20 / fleetworld.co.uk
BAROMETER Making sense of the surveys
We’ve pulled together the pertinent points from the myriad of research done in the fleet industry this month to give you a clearer view of what’s really going on...
motorway fatalities New figures published by the Department for Transport (DfT) reveal that total UK road deaths decreased in 2013, but there were increases in motorway fatalities and vans/LGV fatalities. Total road deaths decreased 2% according to the Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2013 (RRCGB) Annual Report – the lowest figure since national records began in 1926. The number of serious casualties also decreased by 6% compared to 2012. Cyclist fatalities were also down by 8% on 2012’s total. However, fatalities on motorways increased by 14% from 88 to 100, whilst vans and LGVs fatalities increased by 12% from 33 to 37. In addition, motorcycle fatalities on motorways increased by 250% from 4 to 14, child pedestrian fatalities increased by 30% from 20 to 26 and KSIs for all road users in deprived areas increased by 5%.
‘It is vital the Government keeps a close eye on these casualty figures as the Highway Agency rolls out its programme of widespread hard-shoulder running as opposed to proper motorway widening,’ commented Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research. ‘Driver error was once again the top cause of crashes. We want to see more use of training opportunities and partnerships to improve both skills and attitudes.’ Source: Department for Transport
tax discs Over a third of British motorists are unaware of the scrapping of paper tax discs on 1 October, according to a recent survey conducted by the RAC. 36% of the 2,000 motorists surveyed claimed they were unaware of the changes. 47% were aware of the reform, but were uncertain of when it would take effect. 66% said they were concerned that the removal of paper tax discs could result in a rise in the number of untaxed cars on the roads. And a further 44% believed it would actually encourage people to break the law. From 1 October it will no longer be necessary to display a paper tax disc in the windscreen as payment will be logged within the DVLA database, and automatic number plate recognition cameras will catch motorists trying to evade payment. It will also no longer be possible to transfer the residual VED to the new owner when a car is sold. There will be an immediate obligation for the new owner to purchase VED and the previous owner will automatically receive a refund of VED paid for complete calendar months after the date of sale.
22 / fleetworld.co.uk
Source: RAC
driving in Europe Fleets are being urged to ensure that drivers going to Europe brush up on local regulations following the publication of new research that suggests an alarming lack of awareness on European motoring laws. 79% of motorists surveyed by Venson Automotive Solutions were unaware that carrying a breathalyser in their car is a legal European requirement. 59% also didn’t know that it is required by law to have an original V5 or Vehicle on Hire Certificate VE103 with them in a car when driving in Europe. 64% said that it is a requirement to carry a First Aid Kit– which is not the case in the majority of European countries. Only Austria and Croatia require this by law. Simon Staton, director of client management at Venson Automotive Solutions, said: ‘Our survey suggests that many motorists drove in Europe this summer and unwittingly broke the law. It's crucial that fleet drivers familiarise themselves with the motoring regulations and laws if they are planning to drive their company vehicle abroad at any time of year. If they don't they could find themselves having to pay a hefty on-the-spot fine or worst case scenario, their car could be confiscated.’ Source: Venson Automotive Solutions
company cars as benefits
Source: GE Capital Fleet Services
Businesses that provide company cars are more likely to retain employees than those that reimburse personal vehicle usage for work purposes, a recent GE Capital Fleet Services survey indicates. 87% of current company car users and 63% of personal vehicle users surveyed said they would not consider another company if it did not offer a company vehicle. 64% of company vehicle users said their ability to drive company vehicles while on the job made them less likely to want to leave their current role. 97% stated that they prefer using a company vehicle provided either individually or via a shared pool to their own car. 64% of grey fleet drivers said that they would prefer their employer to provide a vehicle for business use. ‘With the impact of not providing a company vehicle being felt in both human resources and on the bottom line, businesses should evaluate if a company-provided vehicle can better contribute to their combined cost-saving and employee retention goals,’ commented Tim Mundahl, senior strategic consultant at GE Capital Fleet Services.
for the latest daily news from the fleet industry, visit fleetworld.co.uk fleetworld.co.uk / 23
CUT YOUR FUEL NOT YOUR BOOT SPACE NEW PEUGEOT 308 SW
1.6 BlueHDi 120 FAP 6-speed manual stop start
CO2 MPG Boot space
from 85g/km up to 88 up to 1775 litres
SENSATIONS EXTENDED You CAN have it all. The lowest CO2 for this kind of car – and no road tax to pay. The biggest boot in the market, with one-touch folding seats and a flat boot floor. Excellent driving dynamics due to a strong, light chassis. And inside a sleek, technologically-advanced interior including the Peugeot i-Cockpit with 9.7" touchscreen+. The 308 SW is your new business leader. To find out more please visit business.peugeot.co.uk/308sw or call 02476 884 644 for more information. Official Fuel Consumption in mpg (l/100km) and CO 2 emissions (g/km) for the 308 SW range are: Urban 43.5 (6.5) – 78.5 MPG figures are achieved under official EU test conditions, intended as a guide for comparative purposes only, and may not reflect actual on-the-road driving conditions. Model shown is
NEW PEUGEOT 308 SW
business.peugeot.co.uk /308sw
(3.6), Extra Urban 64.2 (4.4) – 94.2 (3), Combined 54.3 (5.2) – 88.3 (3.2) and CO 2 119-85. a 308 SW Feline with 18” Saphir alloy wheels. +9.7” touchscreen and satellite navigation available on Active level and above.
inbusiness
What I’ve learnt The Miles Consultancy’s managing director Paul Jackson talks about change, being challenged and customer satisfaction.
That people are “lazy” Everyone has times when they know they could make a change for the better but they end up giving into the temptation to stick with the devil they know. It is just human nature and it happens all the time in business. It’s understandable if there’s a risk involved. Say because the cost benefits aren’t 100% certain at the outset. But I’ve learned to live with the times when we go in with a solution that ticks all a prospect’s boxes, including cast iron cost-savings, only to be told ‘We’ve decided not to move’ or ‘I’m not going to recommend this.’ When that happens it is often because the company isn’t really incentivising the manager to save money. We humans are “lazy” in the sense that we typically make an effort to change things only when we expect to receive satisfaction or recognition. There is a lot of low-hanging fruit out there in terms of fleet fuel and mileage cost savings at the moment. But businesses need to be receptive to making changes to achieve them. You get what you give In life you get what you give, and vice versa. When I’m the customer, I expect to receive high standards of service as a matter of course. What you expect for yourself sets the tone for what others can expect from you. TMC’s approach to customer service works the same way. We choose people who join us because they want to look after customers. We reward exceptional performance frequently because we don’t just want to stand out from the crowd, we want to be head and shoulders above it. On successful partnerships Personal contact is still at the heart of business relationships. It is hard to work successfully with
UK connecting the UK’s fleet community ~ Formerly Fleet Academy
26 / fleetworld.co.uk
other businesses over the long term purely through formal meetings. If you’re in a partnership you need to make sure you can get away from the office every once in a while and meet them over a beer for a couple of hours. If you can’t do that, there’s little chance the relationship will succeed. To stand up for myself When you’re building up a new business or operation from small beginnings, large competitors and prospective customers often put pressure on you to make decisions that would push you off course. Don’t allow yourself to be bullied or overawed. It’s hard to say no at the time but the pay-off when you reach your next goal is worth it. To invest in work time We employ a driver at TMC because it allows my colleagues and I to get more done. It means we can work and make calls safely while travelling. Say I’m doing two or three consecutive meetings, or I could fit another meeting in because I have a driver, or it’s a lengthy day, then that’s what makes the decision. At other times I’ll ride my motorcycle. People are always amused when I take my onesie off with my suit underneath. Then my briefcase comes out of the pannier and I’m ready to go. If you love doing something, you'll excel at it As they say, ‘If you love what you do you’ll never work another day.’ I still wake up every Monday morning excited about our business and the week ahead. Having said that, if you’re running your own business and you think you have a work-life balance you’re sadly mistaken. The phone’s always on and you’re always on call. You literally live it. Happily I’m married to someone who’s ready to live it with me!
Join the debate... theukfleetforum.co.uk
ASTRA 1.6CDTi
WELCOME TO THE QUIET REVOLUTION Whispering diesels are now powering Vauxhall’s quiet revolution. Refined, smooth and quiet, they’re a new generation of lightweight and compact aluminium 1.6 litre turbo diesels that are worth shouting about. FROM
P11D £17,680 FROM
CO2 97g/km† FROM
BiK 15%* COMBINED
UP TO
MPG 76.3mpg†
Book your FREE** 3 Day Test Drive at www.vauxhall3DTD.co.uk or call 0870 240 4848
VAUXHALL FLEET Call 0870 010 0651 | visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/fleet
Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO 2 emissions (g/km). Astra 1.6CDTi: Urban – 58.9 (4.8)-72.4 (3.9). Extra-urban – 74.3 (3.8)-80.7 (3.5). Combined – 67.3 (4.2)-76.3 (3.7). CO 2 emissions 110-97g/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. * = 2014-15 tax year. General Motors UK Limited, trading as Vauxhall Motors, does not offer tax advice and recommends that all Company Car Drivers consult their own accountant with regards to their particular tax position. ** = Excludes fuel and lubricants; congestion charges; parking and speeding fines and the £250 insurance excess (if applicable). 3 Day Test Drive vehicles are subject to availability and terms and conditions apply. Please refer to www.3daytestdrive.co.uk for full terms and conditions. Drivers must be 25 years or older and is available for Mainland UK only. All figures quoted correct at time of publication (October 2014).
OPEN MORE DOORS FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
THE NEW MINI 5-DOOR HATCH.
Official Fuel Economy Figures for the MINI 5-door Hatch Range: Urban 35.8-65.7 mpg (7.7-4.3l/100km). Extra Urban 58.9-88.3 mpg (4.8-3.2l/100km). Combined 47.9-78.5 mpg (5.9-3.6l/100km). CO2 Emissions 136-95 g/km. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions.
We’re excited to announce that later this year the new MINI 5-door Hatch will be joining the MINI line-up. Building upon the MINI 3-door Hatch the same distinctive styling and go-kart handling is delivered, but with the added benefit of 5 doors. MINI customers can benefit from increased legroom plus bags more luggage space, taking it to a generous 278 litres. As well as all this extra space, the new MINI 5-door Hatch sets itself apart from competitors with the wide range of MINI technologies available. Standard specification includes Keyless Go, USB audio interface, Bluetooth and On-Board Computer. With impressively low CO2 emissions and superior performance, the new MINI 5-Door Hatch provides fleet drivers with a proposition that’s truly hard to refuse. The new Cooper D, for example, offers combined fuel economy of 78.5mpg while CO2 emissions start from only 95g/km, resulting in a BIK rate of only 15%. For more information, please visit www.mini.co.uk/corporate or call 08081 280034.
J Fuel economy: from 78.5mpg (combined) J CO2 Emissions: from 95g/km J BIK: from 15%
MINI Corporate Sales
g fleet e k
Relonch Camera for iPhone
Saeco GranBaristo Avanti This is the world’s first app-controlled coffee machine. Connected via a Bluetooth connection, users can choose from 18 coffee varieties and over 6,000 drink combinations via easy-to-use sliders within the app, which can also teach how to optimise each cup to suit individual tastes. Set recipes can even be shared on social media. Price: £TBC see saeco.co.uk for details
This unique iPhone case transforms the smartphone into a stylish compact digital camera. Slot the phone into the back and, with no setup process, the large aperture lens at the front bypasses the standard camera and shoots pin-sharp, high quality images loaded into the phone’s memory and iCloud. It can also top up the phone’s battery while you shoot. Price: £306 from relonch.com
NomadKey
Swivelcard
Designed as an alternative to carrying a metre-long charging cable, the NomadKey slips onto a keychain and means you’re never without a way to top up. It’s made from tough polycarbonates and elasticated materials for the rigours of pocket life, and available with scratchresistant ends to suit Micro USB or Apple Lightning connectors. Price: £18 from hellonomad.com
Customisable business cards with a built-in USB drive and an optional data connection for analytics and updates even after it’s been handed out. Tear the perforations, fold the card and it slots into a standard USB port, while the Mini versions have a low-tack adhesive to avoid them getting lost. It’s a Kickstarter project at the moment, but due for market shortly. Price: From $319 (200 cards) see intellipaper.info for details
apps of the month
Post-it Plus
Instapaper
LinkedIn Pulse
A new use for familiar technology, this can capture up to 50 square Post-it Notes onto an iPhone or iPad, digitally recognising each one and allowing them to be grouped or organised. Because it’s all digital, the files can be shared between groups of people, combined with other sessions or shared in common file formats to make life easier. Price: Free from iTunes Store
A quick way to filter information from the internet, Instapaper allows you to save content to your phone, stored so it can be read later even without a data connection, complete with highlighted quotes and points of interest. It’s also cloud-based, so everything you find gets pushed to all of your other devices too. Price: Free from Google Play and iTunes Store
Tailored to your LinkedIn profile, Pulse selects the insight and articles most relevant to your career to keep you in the know. It picks out information from the world’s best-known titles, as well as the site’s list of top business influencers, broken down into a bite-sized format that’s easy to read on the go, and quick to share with others too. Price: Free from Google Play
30 / fleetworld.co.uk
Ford Focus A substantial update for the global best-seller has improved all its weaker areas, says Alex Grant. SECTOR Lower Medium PRICE £13,995–£25,585 FUEL 44.8–74.3mpg CO2 98–146g/km
M
id-life refreshes don’t come much more important than this. Now sold in 140 global markets, the Ford Focus is the world’s best-selling car, and only outsold in the UK by the Fiesta. To give you some idea of perspective, UK year-to-date sales of this one model are larger than Citroën's entire range. It's also worth noting that this is a major update. Just under four years after the launch of the outgoing car, it hopes to answer criticisms pitched at its predecessor, which had the hard task of catering for diverse global tastes under Ford’s “World Car” strategy. It feels like this newcomer has taken its lead from European customer feedback, and that’s a good thing. Simplicity is the keyword here. It’s a predictable transition to the chrome-barred grille from the Fiesta and forthcoming Mondeo at the front, while the rear lights which used to melt over the bodywork like a Salvadore Dali clock are now smaller and neater too. This is a much more coherent, less fussy-looking car than its predecessor. But it’s the interior which has changed the most. The awkand is more conversational than most similar systems. It’s wardly large Z-shaped handbrake ratchet of old is now an actual driver aid, rather than something to swear at a shorter and tucked in beside a new centre console, featuring few times and never use again. clever cupholders with moving dividers capable Beneath the aesthetic updates, Ford has of holding a large water bottle, and there’s a conadded rigidity to the front end, in turn enabling FLEET FACT sistent use of satin aluminium accents throughthe suspension and steering setup to be reout which all helps it feel more upmarket. tuned. The Focus lives up to lofty ride quality Soon the That mosaic of unncessary buttons has also claims, even on rough roads, yet it corners with gone. Ford has cut physical buttons down to the agility of a smaller car and responds quickly petrol EcoBoost basic climate control and audio functions and, and naturally to steering inputs, aided by a new Focus will be on the 94% of UK cars which take Zetec trim traction control system which can anticipate and sub-100g/km. levels or higher, relocated most controls to an correct skids. A little extra steering feedback and eight-inch touch screen. weight would’ve made it more involving, though. For a small premium, drivers can also add Ford’s latest Diesel engines now follow the Fiesta and B-Max, shedding SYNC 2 voice controls. This can decipher accents, recogthe 1.6-litre TDCi engines for a pair of new 1.5-litre low-fricnises even the fastest instructions with incredible accuracy tion units with 89bhp and 118bhp. Both emit 98g/km and return 74.3mpg, but were unavailable to drive on the launch. Instead, we tested the 148bhp 2.0-litre TDCi, now 15% more fuel efficient than its 138bhp predecessor, and significantly more refined than before thanks to improved noise suppression up front. All diesel engines are Euro 6 compliant, and feature a maintenance-free NOx trap rather than an additive, to keep a lid on servicing costs. The perky 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol, which takes up 45% of UK volume, is unchanged but will soon enable the Focus to become the UK’s first sub-100g/km non-hybrid petrol in this sector. User-choosers with more of a need for speed will also enjoy the new 1.5-litre EcoBoost, again downsized against its predecessor, which offers a wide spread of torque and 180bhp, with CO2 emissions of 127g/km. With CAP indicating residual values said to be close to the benchmark Golf, and improvements to the driver assistance systems likely to shave a little off fleets’ running costs, the Focus has all the right ingredients to set an example for the rest of the segment.
32 / fleetworld.co.uk
what we think
highlights Much simpler dashboard with intuitive voice controls
Ford has systematically addressed all of the old car’s weakest points, introducing more coherent styling, an improved driving experience and simpler controls to its best-seller. It’s a refinement of a successful formula, which has tuned it back to European tastes.
Improvements to comfort, refinement and steering settings New downsized petrol and diesel engines
key fleet model Ford Focus 1.5 TDCi (120PS) Zetec fleetworld.co.uk / 33
Volkswagen Golf GTE Alex Grant finds out whether a plug-in hybrid can also be a frugal GTI alternative. SECTOR Lower Medium PRICE £28,000 (after £5,000 Plug-in Car Grant) FUEL 188mpg CO2 35g/km
V
olkswagen is no stranger to extending the Golf GTI concept. It’s almost 35 years since the first GTD was launched, and from November the GTE will mix those hot hatch ingredients with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. There’s an obvious niche for this car to fill. With surprisingly high economy for the power available, a quarter of all Golfs registered in the UK this year have been the GTI, GTD or R. Significant numbers for one of the country’s biggest-selling models. The GTE taps into that market, but with potentially even lower running costs, particularly for the business users who are likely to make up a large share of UK sales. The drivetrain is shared with the A3 e-tron. It’s a combination of a 148bhp 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine, six-speed DSG gearbox and an electric motor which, at 100bhp, is itself almost as powerful as the e-Golf ’s. Flat out, using both power sources, the GTE produces 202bhp and can reach 62mph in 7.6 seconds from a standing start. Convincing hot hatch numbers. On the more pragmatic side, a full charge of its lithiumalong with both motors disconnected at low loads. ion battery, which takes between 2.5 and 3.5 hours That’s not unimpressive for a car at this power level, depending on what it’s plugged into, will allow it to travel which is just as well. Unlike the e-Golf, this can’t be rapid 31 miles without burning a drop of fuel. So charged, so there’s no option to claw most of the GTE is the most efficient Golf with a fuel the range back while you stop for a break. So FLEET FACT tank, equating to CO2 emissions of 35g/km. while it’s ultimately more versatile, because As with all plug-in hybrids, the environit’s not wholly reliant on battery power, the Plug-in hybrid mental and cost benefits vary enormously shorter range and longer charging times depending on its use. A 5% Benefit in Kind means it’s harder to make the most of the brings the Golf liability, exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty greener side of its drivetrain. drivetrain range and London Congestion Charge are all useful, It’s otherwise very clever though. If there’s to five options. but the biggest gains mean spending as much power in the battery, the GTE is unusually time as possible driving it on electricity, only reluctant to activate the petrol engine, even on using the petrol engine for bursts of acceleration or steep climbs, and it shares its additional driving modes longer trips. Volkswagen claims it’ll average 62.8mpg with other Volkswagen Group plug-in hybrids. So it’s posonce the battery is depleted, helped by its ability to coast sible to save the electric charge for driving in urban areas, trash the fuel economy by using the petrol engine to charge the battery, or simply let it do everything automatically, with the option of a more aggressive drive with a unique GTE mode, which sharpens responses and gives a sportier soundtrack for enthusiastic driving. Some of the extra weight is offset by the lighter platform of the new Golf, but this weighs 172kg more than a GTI and 147kg more than a GTD with a DSG gearbox, most of which is the battery over the rear axle. It has that familiar Golf solidity on the road, and performance is lively in GTE mode, but it’s predictably not as much fun on a good stretch of road as the other hot Golfs. Arguably these are its biggest threat. Long-distance drivers are still better off in a GTD, and impressively low running costs for the GTI and R mean they’re increasingly viable too. But the GTE does what the original GTD did – it satisfies the need for a hint of the GTI, but without the costs, and offers a pretty clear view of where this sector is likely to be heading.
34 / fleetworld.co.uk
what we think highlights Hybrid drivetrain produces 202bhp, reaches 62mph in 7.6 seconds Able to “coast� at low loads, saving fuel and battery range Charging takes 2.5 hours on a wallbox, giving a 31-mile range
Volkswagen is cautiously predicting sales of 1,000 units in its first, incomplete, year on sale, but with the potential to outstrip those early figures significantly, particularly in fleet. All dealers have to do is divert drivers away from the default GTD.
Lexus NX 300h
As exciting as it is to look at, the Lexus NX 300h never quite delivers on its promise, says Ryan Borroff. SECTOR Compact premium SUV PRICE £29,495–£42,995 FUEL 54.3–56.5mpg CO2 116–121g/km
W
car; 0-62mph takes an unhurried 9.2 seconds. In the real ith hybrid versions of its existing five models world it feels slower, in part due to the quite disagreeable representing 95% of UK sales, it’s hardly surnoise made by its powertrain due to its CVT transmission. prising the first compact SUV from Lexus sports This is immediately apparent when driving with any a hybrid powertrain. The Japanese manufacturer has gamsense of urgency. Press on the accelerator and you hear a bled almost all of its chips on hybrid cars and this new NX labouring, whirring noise. Lift off the throttle and the model may never be offered with a diesel option. sound continues for moments more. In order to lessen Thanks to the low emission tax advantages of hybrids, this drone somewhat Lexus has incorporated an artificial Lexus has sold well in the company car market. This NX engine note to reduce the auditory effects of the real one too offers a tax advantage, thanks to a CO2 figure as low as and if you switch between the four drive settings this is 116g/km and combined cycle fuel economy as low as clearly apparent. 56.5mpg. With a backdrop of increasing sales in the comThe Eco mode is the best, most pact SUV segment, the NX is clearly an important product for Lexus. relaxed and relaxing setting. In Normal mode the artificial engine noise lags Lexus claims three year cost of ownbehind the real engine about as far as ership is lowest for NX compared to the car’s rivals: Audi Q5, BMW X3, Range the revs lag behind the accelerator pedal. In the Sport and Sports + setting Rover Evoque and Volvo XC60. But will you get a fake sports car noise which the “arresting” looks of the NX300 tempt company car drivers away from increases in pitch, racing car style. This results in an uncomfortable aural disthe competition? sonance that removes any sense of fun Only two powertrain options will be offered in the UK: the petrol-electric – and more worryingly refinement – from the driving experience. hybrid which has a 2.5-litre petrol Clearly the NX300h should be driven engine combined with an electric motor driving the front wheels and an addiless urgently, when it becomes a quite agreeable car. The car’s handling is tional electric motor driving the rear Good fuel economy, low good helped by its AWD system though wheels too when needed. Output is wholelife costs and CO2 195bhp. There is also a front-wheel the NX doesn’t at any time feel fast. figures should attract Though it is refined, comfortable and drive version in entry-level S trim only. luxurious if you can forgive it three furA faster turbocharged petrol model will drivers to the hybrid SUV, come in 2015, which Lexus says it will ther flaws: an infuriating infotainment although not the most trackpad input system, and a Mark sell comparatively few of. fun to drive and looks Levinson audio system that doesn’t The hybrid offers good figures for may divide opinion. emissions and economy but there’s a quite live up to its name. The ride is less than premium too. consequence. The NX300h is no driver’s
what we think
fleetworld.co.uk / 35
Volkswagen Touareg
Danny Cobbs drives the revised Volkswagen Touareg, which is a surprisingly large fleet seller. SECTOR Large SUV PRICE £43,000–£47,500 FUEL 40.9mpg–42.8mpg CO2 173–180g/km
Y
ou might be amazed to learn that the fleet market end of the market, the Touareg tries to make a case for gobbles up 77% of all the Touaregs sold in the UK. itself by creating a sense of exclusivity. There’s now a Clearly it’s a favourite of corporate buyers, and it’s choice of wood trims – either “Sapelli Mahogany” or just been updated with a mid-term facelift. The grille has “Engineering Ebony” – while the seats are covered in been restyled, as have the bumpers, both front and rear, “cricket” leather upholstery. The switches and knobs none of which are hardly worth a mention, yet the introhave been upgraded too; replacing the old plastic ones duction of a new and more efficient version of the 3.0with little pieces of turned-aluminium art. An 8-inch litre V6 TDI engine does demand further discussion. touchscreen dominates the dashboard and becomes the It’s Euro 6 compliant and available in a choice of two control centre for things like SatNav, DAB radio, Blueoutputs. Engine Stop/Start and battery regeneration tooth connectivity and 2Zone climate control, all of which technology comes as standard on both, with a coasting come as part of standard package. function fitted to the eight-speed Volkswagen has also upped the automatic gearbox, that decouples the safety equipment too. Front and Lane engine from the gearbox for better Assist are now supported by Side efficiencies. And, whilst on the subject Assist and Sign Assist, and the cruise of efficiencies, the smaller of the two control profits from radar-controlled outputs, the 201bhp, has had its emisstop and go. The bi-xenon headlights sions reduced by 11g/km to 173g/km, (another new standard feature) receive putting it in a lower VED band and Dynamic Lights assist, which automatmaking for a 2% BiK reduction. Econically dims full-beam when it detects an omy is better too, improved by 2.4mpg oncoming vehicle. to 42.8mpg. All of the above, however, does come Although the higher-powered at a cost (the clue here is in the word 258bhp version – up from the previous “premium”), and if you take the 241bhp – also shows cuts in emissions, Touareg in its not-so-basic form, as the down by 15g/gm to 174g/km, with 3.0 V6 201bhp SE, then expect to pay The one facet the Touareg 40.9mpg, there seems little reason to £43,000. Opt for the best selling R-Line holds above and beyond choose this one over the 201bhp. The trim, and that price will move nearer its market rivals is exactly difference in performance 0-62mph figthe £47,000 mark. ures are negligible; 8.7 seconds comThe Touareg is compelling on so the same beguiling pared to 7.3 seconds of the 258bhp, and many different levels. It offers the sort quality found with the unless it’s going to be used for serious of luxury expected at this end of the VW Golf; no one will ever hauling or off-roading no one is going market, and, equally as important, is judge you for driving it. to miss the extra power. more than accomplished both off and Like all premium SUVs vying at this on road.
what we think
36 / fleetworld.co.uk
advertisement feature
Infiniti Q50
The inspirational alternative With stunning concept car-inspired looks, an inspired luxury interior and leading-edge technology, the Infiniti Q50 brings something completely new for fleets in a sector hitherto marked out for its predictability. FOR fleet operators looking for something that injects a new philosophy of design, luxury and technology, the Infiniti Q50 is the missing ingredient. Recently launched, the Q50 breathes life into the premium mid-size saloon with its seductive looks, intuitive new technologies and Infiniti’s performance-first ethos. Combined with its highly competitive prices and generous standard equipment, the Q50 is set to establish Infiniti as a key player in the premium market alongside many of the traditional German brands. Whilst Infiniti is a relatively new brand for fleet operators in the UK, it brings a prestige performance history. First established in 1989 the company started producing vehicles in Japan solely for the USA market. Infiniti is now making tracks in establishing itself as a global brand by expanding into nearly 50 different countries worldwide and moving its headquarters to Hong Kong. Meanwhile its global brand awareness is continually being raised through the partnership with the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One race team. However, some fleet operators may still not be aware of the brand’s appeal for independently-minded private and business drivers seeking an entirely fresh premium alternative that does not compromise on pleasure of driving or pride of ownership. And this is where the Q50 comes in.
Designed with the European market in mind, the Q50 brings a unique customer focused experience, as shown by the world’s first ever steer by wire arrangement known as Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS) and bringing more precise control, and the Infiniti InTouch system that has two large high resolution touch screens delivering more communication possibilities than ever before. Engine technology also shows a “no compromises” approach. The latest entrant to the line-up takes the form of a powerful and economical 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and joins the 2.2-litre direct injection turbo-diesel engine and the celebrated highperformance V-configuration hybrid powertrain. The new unit forms part of the continued expansion of powertrain options across the Infiniti range – over the next five years, the company will increase its model range by 60% and more than double the number of its powertrains. In any form, the Infiniti Q50 has all the credentials needed to be the inspirational alternative to the familiar user-chooser choices in the business car sector, with highly competitive whole-life costs. Low CO2 emissions and attractive pricing ensures competitive tax liability while the high technology systems available for the Q50 make it both an accomplished mobile office and relaxing motorway car for long distance drivers.
Book your test drive now at infiniti-instinct.co.uk
Coming soon... The new Q50 Eau Rouge concept underlines Infiniti’s design prowess for high-performance vehicles and future models.
Nissan Pulsar Nissan is back in the family hatchback market with the Pulsar. By Steve Moody. SECTOR C-segment hatch PRICE £15,995–£20,345 FUEL 55.4–78.5mpg CO2 95–119g/km
A
decade or so ago, Nissan stopped making worthy but dull cars, reasoning that the modern buyer wanted something with a little more character that fitted in with the multi-faceted lives they lead. The firm effectively revolutionised the car market by introducing the crossover, firstly with the Qashqai, and then with the smaller Juke. The new Nissan Pulsar, though, is a C-sector hatchback to compete against Korean rivals and established fleet volume brands. New Pulsar is a car that doesn’t really break the mould in any particular way, but it is an important, tactical addition to the Nissan range. It is not that it is a bad car as such, and when all the component parts are added up, it is likely that fleets with a large number of job-use cars will find that it fits the bill in terms of price, fuel-economy and reliability. Nissan seems to tacitly acknowledge that the Pulsar almost has been invented to allow them to sell more Qashqais. Nissan expects to sell around 10,000 units a year, choice is the staple 115 dCi Renault-Nissan motor, and is which is not huge volume, and considerably less than the as refined in this as in any car and offers lowish, if not Qashqai. Managing director James Wright explained the class-leading, CO2 emissions of 94g/km. There is also a firm’s thinking: ‘We have found that in a lot of the larger cornew 113bhp 1.2-litre DIG-T petrol unit which porate fleets, we need to have a C-sector offerrevs healthily without offering too much in ing or we cannot get our cars on choice lists. So FLEET FACT the way of acceleration. having the Pulsar will allow us to do that. The Thanks to the longest wheelbase in the C-segment is still a very important market, The Nissan class (2,700mm), the Pulsar offers considerespecially for fleets, and when we looked at our ably more rear legroom and shoulder room lineup, despite the success of the crossovers, Pulsar offers than its sector rivals. Indeed, with 692mm of there was a hole there so we need this car.’ CO2 emissions leg space – the Pulsar boasts more rear But there are, after all, a lot of people who from 94g/km. legroom than the average D-segment offering don’t want a high crossover type-machine, or – as much as a Skoda Superb, it seems. a car that is the last thing in handling, but do There is also some useful, if occasionally intrusive, want a faithful car with a lot of space and some handy kit. equipment such as Nissan’s Safety Shield which incorpoFor those people, the Pulsar delivers. rates blind spot indicators, pedestrian detection, lane The diesel engine, which will be the principle fleet keeping assistance and automatic emergency braking although the plethora of beeps and warnings of perceived dangers is wearing after a while. Unfortunately, most of this only comes in the top of the range Tekna model, although the emergency braking makes an appearance on Acenta models and upwards. Price-wise, the Pulsar is competitive with the cheaper brands in this sector with the pretty basic Visia entry model starting at £15,995 but the more usefully equipped Acenta priced at £17,645. Nissan is well aware that buyers in this class are perhaps more concerned with value and reliability than handling and performance and have pitched the new Pulsar as a worthy contender in this highly competitive sector. The cabin is sufficiently contemporary to compete with rival models from the volume manufacturers and in that sense, the Pulsar feels like it could make a useful jobneed car rather than the user-chooser bait the Qashqai or Juke might be.
40 / fleetworld.co.uk
what we think The Pulsar won’t set your drivers’ pulses racing, but it is a steady, practical hatchback at a good price.
highlights Class leading rear legroom New DIG-T petrol engine Four specs: Acenta, Visia, n-tec and Tekna Range starts from £15,995 OTR
key fleet model Nissan Pulsar 110 n-tec
fleetworld.co.uk / 41
flashback a look back at the company cars of yesteryear
model Citroën CX
A
era 1974-1991
s the luxurious CX celebrates 40 years since its debut at the Paris Motor Show, it represents a heritage which Citroën is keen to recover. This year marks the first time that DS has appeared as a standalone brand in Paris, aiming to re-launch French motoring back into the premium sector the CX once occupied. At the time, Citroën was taking its first steps under the PSA umbrella, and the industry was still feeling the after-effects of the 1973 oil crisis. So the replacement for the iconic DS was a timely car, fitted with the brand’s most efficient engines and, with its wedge shape, wheel covers and concave rear window, aerodynamic excellence was engineered into the heart of the design. Even the name, CX, was derived from the French term for drag coefficient. As radical as the exterior was, the early cars were just as unusual inside. All cars featured a futuristic dashboard with Citroën’s trademark rotating drum speedometer and key controls grouped on either side of the instrument cluster – designed so that drivers wouldn’t have to take their hands off the single-spoke steering wheel. Technologically, the CX borrowed heavily from the rest of the range. It inherited a new version of the selflevelling hydropneumatic suspension fitted to the DS, the variable speed-sensitive, self-centering power steering setup from the SM, and the C-matic clutchless manual transmission from the GS, but went on to become the first French car to feature anti-lock brakes and one of the brand’s first turbo-diesel engines – later
42 / fleetworld.co.uk
UK sales 45,972*
successor Citroën XM
uprated to offer 118bhp and 57.6mpg. French sales meant production was split almost equally between the two fuels. Petrol engines ranged from 102bhp to 138bhp and electronic fuel injection was available on the 2400 starting in 1977. Citroën even produced a high performance GTi version, originally with 128bhp but later equipped with a turbocharged 168bhp unit capable of reaching 60mph in less than eight seconds. The range comprised three body styles, with the fastback saloon version accounting for the bulk of sales. The Break estate, sold as a Safari in the UK, had a completely flat-folding rear bench and could be fitted with third-row seating, while the Prestige featured a 250mm longer wheelbase and raised roof and formed the basis of the Limousine – one of the first luxury cars with a diesel engine. Some of its unique style was lost when the CX, alongside the BX, was heavily updated in 1986. It moved from stainless bumpers to large plastic body protection, while the interior was normalised to include conventional circular clocks and an anti-theft immobiliser keypad on selected models. CX production ended in 1991, with 1.2 million global sales under its belt. Citroën had replaced it with the similarly wedge-shaped XM two years previously, and its bloodline has continued into the radical C6 and DS 5 since. Four decades from its launch, the newly independent DS brand will be looking to rekindle that same sense of luxury for the modern buyer.
*SMMT figures
SPOTLIGHT Land Rover Discovery Sport
Disco-tech Land Rover’s Freelander replacement offers style, quality and low emissions to the compact SUV sector, says Steve Moody. DESIGN Although a replacement for the Freelander, the Discovery Sport’s progressive new design approach will have more in keeping with the rest of the new Discovery. A 5+2 seating configuration means it will be much larger inside than the current car. The cabin features high-quality materials and a strong vertical centre console graphic to reflect the premium design of the exterior, while the core Discovery value of versatility is evident everywhere.
DRIVING Supple long-travel suspension, and innovative rear axle ensures the Discovery Sport should be comfortable, refined and rewarding to drive on-road, while retaining the breadth of all-terrain capability for which Land Rover is world-renowned. In fact, with approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, Terrain Response technology, and the ability to wade to 600mm, Discovery Sport offers class-leading capability in all conditions, Land Rover claims.
44 / fleetworld.co.uk
ENGINES From launch in the UK, the new Discovery Sport will be equipped with a 2.2 litre SD4 turbodiesel engine producing 190 PS featuring stop-start technology, high-pressure direct injection, low-friction internal components and smart regenerative charging for outstanding performance and economy. Both 9speed automatic and 6-speed manual transmissions are available. Later in 2015, a highly efficient two-wheel drive eD4 turbodiesel engine will join the range with CO2 emissions from just 119g/km.
PRICING UK pricing will start from under ÂŁ30,000 for eD4 variant later in 2015 and ÂŁ32,395 (SD4) from January 2015.
FLEET FACT Discovery Sport has autonomous emergency braking up to 50mph as standard.
WHAT WE THINK... The new Discovery Sport is a classy new entrant to the user chooser market, and while not likely to be as iconic as the Evoque, offers more practicality and versatility than its Range Rover sibling, at the same price point. SM fleetworld.co.uk / 45
Sponsored feature
High time to review run-flats I
n theory, run-flat tyres have always been popular – tyres with reinforced sidewalls which in the event of a blowout or puncture maintain their basic shape, allowing motorists to maintain control of their vehicle and drive safely to the nearest garage. However, in recent years the real-life reputation of run-flats has been fairly poor, with complaints centred on the tyres offering a less comfortable ride due to their extremely stiff sidewalls as well as reduced fuel economy. However, times have changed. And so has the technology. Michelin has just launched a new generation of run-flat tyres that have none of the problems of their predecessors, but all of the benefits. A combination of the design and rubber compound present in the new Michelin Zero Pressure (ZP) tyres has significantly improved wet braking and ride comfort, while at the same time reducing rolling resistance so improving fuel economy. In fact, one of the UK’s leading business mobility providers, Alphabet, believes the majority of drivers would now struggle to know the difference between driving run-flats and standard tyres. Alphabet’s Operational Services Manager Andy Williams explains: “The comfort compromise everyone used to associate with run-flats has disappeared with the latest technology of tyres. I have tried Michelin’s new Zero Pressure (ZP) range and trust me, you can’t tell the difference from standard tyres. “Yes, there have been critics of run-flat tyres in the past, but Michelin has answered all of them. It is high time fleet managers start to embrace the new technology as it has so much to offer. “The combination of a smooth ride and the increased safety is something they just can’t afford to ignore. The fact that a tyre
keeps its shape when it loses pressure could be life-saving in the event of a tyre blow-out. No driver wants to be stuck at the side of the road, or worse still a motorway, with a flat tyre – not least because most people these days wouldn’t have a clue about how to change a tyre on their own. But for fleets, it’s even more problematic as that downtime can mean the day job doesn’t get done. It’s also about duty of care.” As well as launching the new ZP tyres, Michelin has ensured a strong level of supply and competitive pricing, as the tyre manufacturer believes demand will continue to increase given the domination of German cars in fleets across the UK. Michelin’s Head of Fleet Andy Fern said: “At one time it wasn’t clear whether or not German car manufacturers were going to continue using run-flats but they are now favouring them as original equipment in increasing numbers, so their proliferation across UK fleets is only going to rise. “Where the market share was once driven by BMW, now Mercedes and Audi are turning to them as well. “It makes sense from the manufacturer’s point of view. There are cost, space and weight benefits for any vehicle that doesn’t need to carry a spare tyre. And where run-flats were once thought of as a compromise, that’s no longer the case. “We listened to feedback on our previous generations of run-flat tyres, invested heavily in research and development, worked alongside the manufacturers, and we are proud of the results we have been able to achieve. “Our aim was not just to create tyres that are fit for purpose, but tyres that exceed expectations. The new compounds are high performance and allow for a much smoother ride and the feedback we have had so far is really promising. “In terms of tyre labelling alone, I think the results have been really remarkable in just one generation. Compared with standard tyres it’s now a like-for-like comparison.” He added: “The impact for fleets is really significant because run-flats really do help firms with their duty-of-care obligation. The fact fleet users can drive their vehicle to a safe place for the tyre to be replaced is so valuable, not least because so few people are able to change a tyre themselves these days. And the fact the tyre pressure monitoring system will alert drivers to any loss in tyre pressure will also reduce tyre-related downtime.”
If you are a fleet manager and would like more information on Michelin’s new Zero Pressure Technology, or support with your tyre policy, please email michelin-contact@uk.michelin.com
“We listened to feedback on our previous generations of run-flat tyres, invested heavily in research and development, worked alongside the manufacturers, and we are proud of the results we have been able to achieve.” Andy Fern, Michelin’s Head of Fleet
“The comfort compromise everyone used to associate with run-flats has disappeared. I have tried Michelin’s new Zero Pressure range and trust me, you can’t tell the difference from standard tyres.” Andy Williams, Alphabet
SWOTTeam This month the SWOT Team analyses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the new Renault Twingo against its closest rivals. Here is what they have to say...
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
AC Twingo’s high seating position is useful in and around the city, as is the class leading 8.59m turning circle. Boot space is the smallest here, but the folding passenger seat and high volume with the seats down mean it’s as usable as the rest.
AC Some of the interior quality isn’t quite as good as the Hyundai i10 or the Volkswagen up!, but it is still pretty good and a nice place to be. Rear passenger space is reasonable, but again not as good as the Hyundai i10 and the Volkswagen up! Only the top spec Dynamique gets Stop/Start and sub-100g/km CO2.
AC A great little city car with its super tight turning circle, compact dimensions and fun looks. It will certainly take the fight to the competition in this very competitive segment. For a competitive £299 there is also a four-year service package available for a little more peace of mind.
AC Threats come from everywhere. This segment is a highly competitive one and is only going to get more so with the new Smart coming out as a sister car to the Twingo.
MJ Fresh, modern and arguably cute looks should serve it well. Room for four adults, and it’s quite economical. Good range of personalisation, and Sport Pack cars should turn heads. Joint development with Smart won’t hurt! Four year, 100,000 mile warranty. MW What a great bunch of cars! The Twingo, like the rest, is such a great looking, sexy small car. The public have so much choice now – decisions will probably be made on monthly payments.
48 / fleetworld.co.uk
MJ Interior plastics are hard in places, and the boot is slightly restricted due to rear engine layout, but remains a very useable space. At 62.8mpg, the Twingo is slightly behind the rest. Unlikely as a company car – at 105g/km the BiK would be 2% higher than the rest. MW The Twingo has to overcome any objections to the fact it is rear engine, and rear-wheel drive.
MJ Renault needs Twingo to build on the success of Clio bringing new buyers into dealers. After aggressive range rationalisation two years ago, Renault has used new Clio to rebuild volumes and has achieved a significant recovery – Twingo will help further. MW The small hatch has certainly grown up in the past couple of years with some really good cars available, and these might just attract some buyers from some larger more expensive cars.
MJ The old Twingo was never priced correctly to succeed in the UK, so there is a limited volume of existing owners to target. Plus, as usual, the scale and standard of the competition is frightening! Nevertheless, Renault’s small car track record is strong. MW The main threat in this sector is that there are just too many on offer, the choice is huge, and all are really great cars. The threat is from within this sector, they are all chasing the same customers with similar offers and similar monthly payments.
Martin Ward (MW) Manufacturer Relationship Manager, CAP
Renault Twingo
Alan Senior (AS) Head of Valuations, MyCarCheck Trade Valuations
Mark Jowsey (MJ) Commercial Director, KeeResources KwikCarCost
Strengths AC Good visibility and versatile luggage area with folding passenger seat. MJ Economical and spacious, good looks and personalisation help. MW Strong entrant in a grown up segment.
Strengths
Toyota Aygo x-play 1.0 (5dr)
AC Fun styling, personable. MJ Bold styling should lower the average age of buyers. Predictable RVs, warranty. MW Grown up – light years ahead of the previous car.
Standard equipment: • Radio with Bluetooth/USB/Aux • Speed limiter • Electric windows (front) • Manual air conditioning • Leather multifunction steering wheel • Split folding rear seats • Immobiliser and central locking Optional equipment: • Metallic paint £495 • Rear parking sensors £250 • Sat nav £394
AC Interior feels a little cheaper. MJ Personalisation may not appeal to existing customers. Rear seat room and boot space aren’t great. MW Lots of personalisation, but it might be a bit too complicated.
OTR: £10,195 P11D: £10,140 Fuel: 68.9mpg CO2: 95g/km RV*: £3,950 (39%) BiK: 12% SMR: £1,835 Fuel costs: £5,099 Insurance: £1,650 Finance: £1,369 NI: £588 VED: £0 Cost per month: £466
Strengths
Hyundai i10 1.0 SE BlueDrive
AC Spacious, good drive and great all rounder. MJ Good looks, refinement, lots of equipment. Warranty of five years/100,000 miles. MW Fantastic interior quality.
Standard equipment: • Radio/CD with USB/Aux • Cruise control with speed limiter • Electric windows (front/rear) • Climate control • Stop/Start • Immobiliser and RCL • Split folding rear seats • Trip computer Optional equipment: • Metallic paint £495 • Heated seats and wheel £195
AC Not quite as funky for some. MJ Interior still a bit hard to touch in places. Bluetooth is an odd omission at this level. MW Not the prettiest of the bunch.
OTR: £9,910 P11D: £9,855 Fuel: 65.7mpg CO2: 98g/km RV*: £3,525 (36%) BiK: 12% SMR: £1,265 Fuel costs: £5,347 Insurance: £975 Finance: £1,330 NI: £571 VED: £0 Cost per month: £441
Strengths
Volkswagen Move up! 1.0 60PS BMT
Weaknesses
Volkswagen up!
Standard equipment: • DAB radio with Bluetooth/USB/R&Go • Speed limiter • Electric windows (front) • Manual Air conditioning • Split folding rear seats Optional equipment: • Metallic paint £495 • Parking sensors (rear) £150 • 15-inch alloy wheels £250 • Panoramic fabric sunroof £850 • Heated seats/front ISOFIX £250
AC Stop/Start only on top spec Dynamique trim. MJ Economy is slightly behind the rest, so BiK is too. MW Has to overcome objections to rear engine, rear-wheel drive.
Weaknesses
Hyundai i10
Renault Twingo Play SCe 70 OTR: £9,995 P11D: £9,940 Fuel: 62.8mpg CO2: 105g/km RV*: £3,425 (34%) BiK: 14% SMR: £1,735 Fuel costs: £5,597 Insurance: £1,200 Finance: £1,342 NI: £658 VED: £40 Cost per month: £476
Weaknesses
Toyota Aygo
Andy Cutler (AC) UK Car Editor, Forecast Values Glass’s
AC Great to drive, feels grown up inside MJ The car to beat in this group, up! Does most things very well. MW A good all-rounder.
Weaknesses AC Maybe a touch plain for some. MJ Arguably the Citygo and Mii group stablemates look sufficiently similar to risk buyers giving them serious consideration. The up! is the most expensive in this group. MW Seems a bit expensive, not everybody will pay for the badges.
OTR: £10,405 P11D: £10,350 Fuel: 68.9mpg CO2: 95g/km RV*: £3,900 (38%) BiK: 12% SMR: £1,353 Fuel costs: £5,099 Insurance: £975 Finance: £1,397 NI: £600 VED: £0 Cost per month: £442
Standard equipment: • DAB Radio and CD player • Electric windows (front) • Manual air conditioning • Stop/Start • Split folding rear seat Optional equipment: • Metallic paint £500 • Parking sensors, cruise control, trip computer £365 • Sat nav £325 • Panoramic roof £680 • 15-inch alloy wheels £665
* 3yr/60k
fleetworld.co.uk / 49
Paris 2014 Highlights
Two days in Paris...
Steve Moody and Alex Grant reflect on the highlights of the 2014 Paris Motor Show.
Vauxhall Corsa With pressure mounting on the supermini class, Vauxhall’s new Corsa comes loaded with an extensive list of technology, now including self-parking and accident avoidance systems, IntelliLink infotainment with Siri Eyes free and a new 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine. Behind new styling and an upmarket Adam-like interior, the range has been simplified, prices have rolled back around £2,000 and CO 2 has dropped to 85g/km for the most efficient model. Good news for fleets and drivers alike. AG
Volvo XC90 The outgoing XC90 has survived a turbulent 12 years in Volvo’s history, but its replacement is long overdue. The range flagship is a showcase for Volvo’s latest fourcylinder petrol and diesel engines and scalable platforms, both will be shared with other models, and the new 2.0-litre twin-turbocharged D5 is likely to be the big seller with 152g/km CO2 emissions and 49mpg economy. Prices will start at around £45,000, and the first UK cars will arrive next May. AG
Jaguar XE Jaguar’s heavily marketed re-entry into the compact executive set was shown in all five trim levels, including the sports-styled R-Design shown, giving a clearer indication of the versions most likely to end up on choice lists. One of JLR’s glaring weaknesses has been its clunky infotainment system, which is about a decade out of date. The XE is the first car to get the new InControl system, which company car drivers should find a much cleaner, simpler, more pleasurable experience. SM
50 / fleetworld.co.uk
Paris 2014 Highlights
Renault EOLAB The EOLAB offers the closest indication yet of how Renault’s first plug-in hybrids could function, combining a 1.0-litre petrol engine with an electric drivetrain offering a 41-mile range. Renault says it shows 100 innovations due for production cars by 2020, including active aerodynamics which cut drag by 30% and advanced materials to bring kerb weight down to 955kg. The result is over 282mpg, with CO2 emissions of 22g/km. AG
Ford C-MAX The facelifted C-MAX gets the new Aston Martin-ish grille of the Mondeo, while it hosts new tech including a foot operating tailgate, City Stop anti-collision system and auto parking. The cabin has been spruced up too, with a much less cluttered dash and higher quality trim. It also has Ford’s clever new MyKey system, which allows owners (or fleet managers!) to pre-set speed limits, and the new 118bhp 1.5-litre TDCI diesel four-cylinder engine. SM
Land Rover Discovery Sport The new Discovery Sport is effectively a replacement for the Freelander and ushers in a whole new range of Discovery models over the next few years. Clever packaging is its strength: although shorter than an Audi Q5, it can have seven seats fitted and, while much of the architecture comes from the Evoque, there is noticeably more space. For CO2 conscious fleets, the eD4 version, due in the second half of 2015, should offer emissions of 2015 using the same Ingenium engine as the Jaguar XE. SM
Divine DS DS is now operating independently from Citroën, and the Divine concept is said to embody how the brand sees itself launching French cars back into the premium sector. Shorter and wider than a DS 4, it features quickly interchangeable dashboard and door card coverings and a cockpit-style interior with a roof-mounted touchscreen. Expect that distinctive grille, possibly with the floating gemstones, to offer a hint of the next generation of DS front-ends. AG
Suzuki Vitara Slotting in below the SX4 S-Cross, the Vitara will give Suzuki a foothold in the B-crossover segment as it grows its fleet presence. ALLGRIP four-wheel drive is optional for the first time, with engines including compact diesel and petrol units likely to come close to 100g/km CO2 emissions. AG
52 / fleetworld.co.uk
Paris 2014 Highlights
Volkswagen Passat The Passat is Volkswagen’s biggest selling car globally, and this eighth generation model doesn’t risk upsetting those many millions of buyers. Higher quality and still conservatively styled, it is actually slightly smaller and lighter than the outgoing car, although there is more space inside thanks to the clever MQB platform now used across the Volkswagen Group. SM
Kia Sorento While the Sportage is the big-seller, the larger Sorento has been a real opinion changer for Kia, with sales heavily weighted towards top-spec models. The newcomer is longer and lower than before, promising extra interior space and a sharper drive, and the 2.2-litre diesel has been upgraded for the new car too. AG
Volkswagen XL Sport A surprise addition to the Volkswagen stand, the XL Sport takes the weight-saving, aerodynamic technology from the 313mpg XL-1 hybrid and turns it into a sports car. Sadly it’s essentially a showcase for the new 197bhp Ducati Superleggera superbike engine, which means even a small production run – like the XL-1 – is unlikely. SM
Smart Forfour
Audi TT Sportback Though it looks almost showroom ready, Audi’s third TT-based concept isn’t confirmed for production. However, there’s an obvious niche as a user-chooser option to rival the Mercedes-Benz CLA and the rumoured BMW 2 Series GranCoupe, particularly with the 110g/km, 184bhp diesel used in the new TT Coupe. SM
54 / fleetworld.co.uk
The new Forfour is twinned with Renault’s Twingo, which means rear engine/rear-wheel drive, the ability to turn on a sixpence and three cylinder turbocharged, and naturally aspirated, engines. Although the Renault and the Smart were developed alongside each other, cosmetically they are very different, even if they share engines and underpinnings. As always, funky personalisation options will be key to its appeal, although Proxy is an odd name for an equipment level. SM
Mercedes-Benz B-Class A complementary styling update for the compact MPV, just as BMW enters the sector with a convincing rival. Engine options are almost unchanged, but the refresh introduces the Electric Drive sold in North America to European markets, featuring a 175hp drivetrain developed with Tesla. AG
Honda Jazz and HR-V Honda will completely renew its small car presence in 2015, with a new Jazz and the return of the HR-V as a rival to the Nissan Juke. Sharing a platform, both feature Honda’s clever Magic Seats and a new 1.3-litre petrol, while the HR-V is likely to get the brand’s ultra-efficient 1.6-litre diesel too. AG
Hyundai i20 Now very much up to European standards aesthetically, the second-generation i20 is the third of a 22-model product offensive due by 2017. This will also be the first car to feature Hyundai’s efficient new three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines from early next year. SM
Skoda Fabia Lighter and sharper looking with it, the first all-new Fabia in 14 years features a choice of three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines with CO2 down to 88g/km at launch. There are two body styles, including an estate with 25% more load space and improved storage options over the outgoing car, and Skoda has equipped it with MirrorLink smartphone app control through the dashboard screen. An 82g/km GreenLine version will follow in 2015. SM
fleetworld.co.uk / 55
From strength to strength THE ALL NEW NISSAN QASHQAI n-tec Already a firm favourite with fleets for its blend of striking design and practicality together with advanced intuitive technology and dynamic ride and handling, the All New Nissan Qashqai n-tec is set to offer extra appeal for company car drivers with the latest updates.
Success story... SINCE its launch in 2007, the Nissan Qashqai has been a global success, with over two million vehicles sold worldwide and over 250,000 customers in the UK alone. Now, following the launch of the second-generation model earlier this year, the choice for company car drivers has been further opened with a new trim level plus a new Xtronic DIG-T 115 powertrain. The Nissan Qashqai is already a key choice for fleet drivers. This has been further reinforced this year by the launch of the second-generation model, which brings a dramatic reinvention of the ultimate urban crossover, with defiant new design, advanced intuitive technology, state-of-the-art connective services and dynamic ride and handling.
Enhanced fleet appeal To further emphasise its appeal to fleet buyers and drivers alike, there is a brand new n-tec trim available that completes the Nissan Qashqai line-up. Launched to make Nissan’s advanced driver and safety technology even more accessible and further enhance the vehicle’s overall value proposition, this new grade replaces Acenta Premium in the Qashqai line-up and is positioned between the existing Acenta and Tekna grades. The n-tec grade starts at £21,700 OTR – identical to the Acenta Premium and brings added design and comfort/safety features. Outside, the new n-tec grade features unique 18-inch alloy wheels with a stylish and distinctive black diamond-cut finish. The n-tec also brings advanced safety, comfort and entertainment features in line with Nissan’s passion for bringing new technologies to the broadest possible audience. Taking centre stage is the acclaimed Around View Monitor (AVM) – Nissan’s driving and parking aid that provides driver with a ‘helicopter view’ of the area immediately surrounding the car. AVM is fully integrated into the Qashqai’s latest NissanConnect entertainment system – a collection of technologies that includes smartphone connectivity and advanced satellite navigation
system featuring Google Send to Car route planning. Other comfort features included as standard on the Qashqai n-tec include Nissan’s Intelligent Key with pushbutton start, front and rear parking sensors, automatic folding mirrors and an auto dimming rear view mirror. Customers choosing the n-tec model also benefit from a comprehensive safety package. Nissan’s Smart Vision Pack is fitted as standard – bringing peace of mind for drivers. These include Forward Emergency braking, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning and High Beam Assist. Meanwhile to further demonstrate strong value for money, the n-tec+ trim offers customers a full-length panoramic glass roof and satin silver roof rails, adding to the enhanced design of new Qashqai for just a £550 upgrade from n-tec. Of key interest to fleets is the 1.5 dCi unit launched for the second-generation model. With CO2 low emissions of 99g/km, the new 1.5 dCi Qashqai falls into one of the lowest company car tax bands of just 15% BIK for the 2014/15 financial year and costs nothing in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). Fuel economy of up to 74.3mpg is also a key attraction. The new petrol Xtronic transmission emits just 129g/km and returns 50.4mpg on the combined cycle and costs an additional £1,350 over the equivalent manual variants.
Key n-tec features include: • 18” diamond cut alloys wheels • New Nissan Connect Navigation and Entertainment system (with DAB radio and 7-inch colour screen) • Around View Monitor • Privacy glass • Nissan Intelligent Key • Start Push Button • Auto folding mirrors • Forward Emergency Braking • Auto anti-dazzling room mirror • Traffic Signal Recognition • High Beam Assist • Lane Departure Warning • Front and Rear Parking sensors n-tec+ (in addition to n-tec trim) • Panoramic glass roof • Satin silver roof rails
For more information visit www.nissan.co.uk/qashqaifleet or call us on 0800 294 0579 advertisement feature
FEATURE Fleet Dealers
‘Manufacturers are putting increasing effort into the buoyant fleet sector.’ 58 / fleetworld.co.uk
Business-centric With fleet and business sales accounting for over half of the market, manufacturers are putting increasing effort into providing dealer support for this buoyant sector. But the variations across the industry show there are many ways to cater for the corporate customer, as Alex Grant explains.
AUDI Dealer network: 116 sites Fleet support: All Audi Centres have staff trained to deal with leet and retail channels. Some areas have leet hubs, managed by corporate sales managers, which sell the largest volume of vehicles to the corporate sector. SMEs are also a key target area, and Audi UK has a team of 115 local business development managers across the UK, backed by six staff at head of ice, to cater for this. BMW/MINI Dealer network: 147 sites Fleet support: BMW has a direct sales model, and sets its pricing terms centrally. The entire network is able to transact corporate terms and has requirements for a demonstrator leet, administration support resource and customer contact service levels. There are specialist local business development managers at 110 of BMW and MINI’s retailers, catering for SME customers. CITROËN Dealer network: 186 sites, including 80 Business Centres Fleet support: Launched in 2009, the Business Centre programme is the hub of the brand’s leet activity. All sites feature specialist staff and a large demonstrator leet, including van conversions, used stock, whileyou-wait servicing, a business hotline and courtesy vehicles, including large commercial vehicles. This nationwide network caters for leets of all sizes, including SMEs. FIAT GROUP AUTOMOBILES Dealer network: Fiat 167, Alfa Romeo 60, Abarth 30, Jeep 62, Chrysler 54, including 22 fleet specialists Fleet support: New products such as the Fiat 500X and Jeep Renegade are expected to grow FGA’s leet presence, so Fiat is anticipating some expansion of its specialist network. Dealers are required to prove they have suitable opportunities in their territory, and have a trained leet executive responsible for calling and visiting customers, as well as organising demonstrations.
FORD Dealer network: 525 sites, 75 Business Clubs Fleet support: Ford is rolling out a growing network of Business Clubs targeting growth in the SME sector. Focused on heavily populated areas, these all employ at least one specialist and must meet criteria for facilities, personnel, response times, and participation in health checks and marketing campaigns. The network is supported by 35 staff based at Ford’s Business Centre in Essex. HONDA Dealer network: 187 sites, 49 Corporate Centres, 13 Corporate Centres of Excellence Fleet support: All 49 of Honda’s Corporate Centres are trained to offer objective tax, funding and product advice to leets, with a focus on SME customers where staff tend to have wider responsibilities. The company went through a tendering process at the end of 2013 to appoint 13 Corporate Centres of Excellence, which oversee the rest of the network. HYUNDAI Dealer network: 154 sites, including 33 Fleet Business Centres Fleet support: Launched last year, Hyundai’s Fleet Business Centre network is still growing in line with demand. All sites employ trained Hyundai Business Professionals, target competitive purchase or contract hire rates for SMEs up to 10 vehicles, and offer a free loan vehicle, shuttle service, collection and delivery and free use of WiFi while customers wait.
fleetworld.co.uk / 59
¡
FEATURE Fleet Dealers
¡
Business-centric INFINITI Dealer network: 10 sites Fleet support: Still a relatively new brand in the UK, In initi is targeting 25 dealers each of whom sign up to leet-speci ic standards including ixed price servicing, VIP collection and delivery and access to courtesy cars. Reading already has a dedicated in-house leet specialist, and 60% of the network will have these within six months. JAGUAR Dealer network: 89 sites, including 23 Fleet and Business Retailers Fleet support: Jaguar requires all of its specialist dealers to include a dedicated Fleet and Business Sales manager, trained by the manufacturer, who can offer advice on legal, taxation, purchasing and HR issues, as well as product knowledge. These aim to make it easier for SMEs, and Jaguar offers additional marketing support and demonstration vehicles to sites which participate. KIA Dealer network: 180 sites, including 23 fleet specialists Fleet support: Local businesses are a focus for the entire dealer network, but Kia is aiming for a network of at least 25 specialist dealers in the near future. This sets requirements for dedicated leet sales staff and demonstrator vehicles, as well as targets for customer contact activity and the requirement to operate a corporate standard CRM system. LAND ROVER Dealer network: 118 sites, including 24 Fleet and Business Specialist Dealers Fleet support: Via a network of 24 dealers nationwide, Land Rover aims to offer a dedicated leet specialist, a single, named point of contact for SME customers for sales, aftersales, advice. Each site must have two demonstrators and is required to complete training courses and use speci ic marketing material. Large leets are handled by a six-strong regionally split central team.
60 / fleetworld.co.uk
LEXUS Dealer network: 53 sites, including 36 Lexus Business Centres (and 7 service outlets) Fleet support: All Lexus Business Centre Managers are required to complete annual training, offer demonstrators for extended test drives of up to 48 hours, promote aftersales activities and comply with the manufacturer’s CRM system. Lexus offers national leet service pricing and funding solutions irrespective of volume, and is targeting network-wide business support as its sales grow. MAZDA Dealer network: 136 sites, including 6 Fleet Specialist Dealers Fleet support: Mazda’s leet specialists sign up to minimum annual volume and demonstrator availability, both of which are reported. They must have access to leasing company ordering and delivery systems, be able to trailer cars to end users and are required to attend all central leet meetings. Mazda offers an online quote system for outright purchases or contract hire. MERCEDES-BENZ Dealer network: 125 sites Fleet support: Fleet sales specialists or business development managers are in place across the Mercedes-Benz dealer network. These are supported by 33 regional Fleet Hubs, which are the point of contact for customer enquiries. All dealers agree to two-day appointment turnarounds, health checks, valeting, a while-youwait service for small jobs, and free collection and delivery. NISSAN Dealer network: 220 sites, including 63 business centres Fleet support: As well as employing dedicated staff, Nissan’s business centres commit to rapid response service checks, out-of-hours servicing, collection and delivery and courtesy vehicles for leet customers. Specialist staff are trained to give advice on tailoring a leet which could include cars, LCVs and electric vehicles, and tailor inancing around the customer’s needs.
¡
The fast way to cut business fuel costs by an average of 25% *
Barclaycard Fuel+, developed in association with The Miles Consultancy (TMC), is the next generation fuel card†, proven to reduce fleet fuel expenses by an average of 25%*. It’s powered by Visa, meaning it’s accepted almost everywhere** and features an award-winning Mileage Capture and Audit system. With no transaction charges and total visibility, you can take full control of your business fuel spend. It’s the clear way to move your fleet forward.
To see how our fuel solution could make a difference to your business visit barclaycard.co.uk/business/fuelplus †
Please note that, at present, Fuel+ is available only to organisations with a business fuel spend of more than £100,000 p.a.
*24.7% saving is based on first year business fuel savings of 24 TMC customers calculated in 2012. TMC is a trading name of The Miles Consultancy Ltd, a provider of Mileage, Fuel and Mobility Management solutions. Registered Office: TMC House, Minshull Vernon, Cheshire, CW1 4RJ. **Please note that a few small fuel retailers with a shop may be classified by their Visa processing bank as a supermarket or convenience store and your card may therefore be declined. Only an outlet classified as a fuel retailer will accept your card. Barclaycard is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register Number: 122702) and subscribes to the Lending Code which is monitored and enforced by the Lending Standards Board. Registered in England No: 1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.
Barclaycard Fuel+. Miles ahead.
FEATURE Fleet Dealers
¡
Business-centric PEUGEOT Dealer network: 228 sites, including 76 Business Centres and 38 aftersales dealers Fleet support: Launched earlier this year, Peugeot set out 35 standards for its network of Business Centres, requiring specialist sales and aftersales staff to give customer advice, as well as providing trained technicians, access to courtesy vehicles and collection and delivery services. The standards enable these sites to cater for large leets and also for local SMEs.
TOYOTA Dealer network: 185 sites, including 70 Business Centres Fleet support: Primarily aimed at SMEs, Toyota’s specialist dealers commit to a Fleet Charter setting out service level agreements, a dedicated manager, showroom staff, administration and account managers, use of a CRM system and a direct invoicing process to manage transactions. Toyota targets larger leets through a direct ield sales team.
RENAULT Dealer network: 148 sites, including 36 Pro+ dealers Fleet support: Renault’s Pro+ network employs specialist sales and aftersales staff and sets targets for training, marketing and demonstration activity in its local area. Workshops must be able to accommodate vans of up to eight tonnes, offer drop-in servicing, quick quotes and access to conversions as part of the commercial vehicle display and test drive offering.
VAUXHALL Dealer network: 412 sites, including 120 fleet specialists and 100 Premier Van Centres Fleet support: Vauxhall operates a large central fleet sales department, which manages lead generation and customer renewals, supporting a self-policing dealer network. Premier Van Centres offer nationwide coverage within 30 minutes, offering appointment-free diagnostics, short lead times, collection and delivery and courtesy vehicles, and accommodate large commercial vehicles.
SEAT Dealer network: 121 sites, including 20 fleet specialists Fleet support: SEAT is targeting up to 30 specialist dealers over the next 12 months as its sales grow. These require a dedicated Business Development Manager and set targets for local business sales growth, supported by marketing and monitored by a CRM system, and access to demonstrators, courtesy cars and collection and delivery services. Marketing and coaching is provided by SEAT.
VOLKSWAGEN Dealer network: 206 sites, including 49 Fleet Business Partner Retailers Fleet support: Supported by a Fleet Sales Excellence Programme, Volkswagen’s key corporate dealers feature a team of sales and key account managers, local business development managers and sales administrators on site. The aim is to provide an extension to the central sales team, while offering advice on management and resource use for local SMEs.
SKODA Dealer network: 132 sites, including 30 Business Centres Fleet support: Relaunched this year, Skoda’s Business Centres all employ a specialist manager provided with needs-assessed training to minimise downtime. All sites have access to a central demonstrator leet and have additional cars on site, and SMEs are advised using a whole-life cost system. Skoda also runs monthly conference calls to give its centres market insight.
VOLVO Dealer network: 106 sites, including 24 fleet specialists Fleet support: Through the Business Sales Academy, the entire network is trained in corporate sales, supported by a newly opened national hub which provides advice and referrals for customers. The Business Centres must have a dedicated team in place, offer access to demonstrators and adhere to delivery standards. VCUK also provides a Co-Pilot advice scheme for SMEs.
62 / fleetworld.co.uk
ontheroad How is it that safety of humans has improved hugely, but animals still roam free in cars, Anthony Ffrench-Constant wonders.
F
or most of my childhood, my grandmother lived in a quayside cottage overlooking a muddy creek on the Fal estuary. Every day at 6.00pm, her seafaring husband would tug the lanyard on a compact but coruscatingly loud canon of the proper Pugwash variety. Stopping clocks and sending stunned wildlife tumbling from the trees, this archaic, tympanic membrane-threatening routine proved consistently effective in extracting a large gin and Kwells from the pantry whilst driving everyone else within a half mile radius quietly bonkers. Naturally, because of the racket, the rest of the family lived as far away as possible. So inordinate hours of my youth were spent alternately tallying salutes from sidecar combo-mounted AA men and throwing up copiously in the back of a maroon and white Morris Oxford estate as it smeared majestically westward at a heady 49mph. Aside from the sporty yellow fibreglass aerial, the best thing about that car was that it boasted both front and rear, tonsil-hockey-friendly bench seats in a mercifully easy-wipe vinyl finish. And the only sure-fire antidote to travel-sickness was to perch up front, unrestrained, on the fold down centre armrest. The fact that, in the event of an accident of any velocity whatsoever, I would pass first through the windscreen and then, albeit briefly, involuntary bonnet mascot status before being quickly re-classified as road kill perturbed no one, least of all my GP father, only occasionally discernible at the helm through choking clouds of Three Nuns pipe tobacco smoke. Relief from said fug was best afforded by sticking my head out of the window, at which point I would invariably and immediately be assaulted by a lump of errant aggregate or head-butted by a bee. A child’s life on board, then, was infinitely more dangerous, but far more fun. Today, human content oven-ready trussed and further cosseted by the threat of a scalding hot pillow in the face
In the 60s, my parents drove to Cornwall with me on the front armrest, a terrier on the parcel shelf and a queasy cat cowering behind the clutch pedal.
64 / fleetworld.co.uk
at the point of impact, the only occupants still afforded such entertaining freedoms are our pets. In the 60s, my parents drove to Cornwall with me on the front armrest, a terrier on the parcel shelf and a queasy cat cowering behind the clutch pedal. This summer, they drove to Cornwall with a terrier on the parcel shelf and a queasy cat cowering behind the clutch pedal. Odd, isn't it, that over the course of half a century this nation of animal lovers has made absolutely zero progress in furthering the preservation of pets on board. There are, it strikes me, two reasons for this. Firstly, it's precisely because we love our animals so much that we allow them the freedom of the cabin. Even the most hopeless dog has a sense of smell 100,000 times more acute than ours, so the olfactory overload associated with simply sticking ones head out of the window must constitute the canine equivalent of you or me attending a Roman orgy at Fortnum and Mason. Secondly, how on earth do you secure a pet on the move anyway? Snakes, tortoises, gerbils and budgies may be simply bunged in the glove box. Cats – notwithstanding the resultant calamitous drain on Elastoplast and Germoline supplies – may always be stowed in elasticated seatback pouches. But dogs...? My inbox is regularly glutted by hilarious images of the latest, Everest assault-complex harness, designed to secure them in positions so unnatural as to be contemplated only by something as stupid as a Red Setter. Thing is, proof of efficacy aside, said contraption is not only always far too large for anything as small and viciously recalcitrant as a terrier, but also takes up an entire seat already designated for human occupation. It can, surely, only be a matter of time before some form of pet harnessing legislation surfaces in earnest. However, the wearing of seat belts became law only after someone had actually invented a satisfactory seatbelt, and I've yet to encounter anything that does the job for dogs. Whoever finally cracks it should become very, very rich indeed... Incidentally, proof, if proof were needed, that a dog really is a man's best friend is actually something of a doddle to come by. Simply shut both your wife and your dog in the boot of your car for an hour and, then, on point of release, see which of them is most pleased to see you.
advertisement feature
For more information, visit www.arval.co.uk
Smart solutions for a modern world The vehicles that we drive are packed with innovative solutions which make them safer, more efficient, more comfortable to drive and more practical. However, for business fleets and their drivers, it is not just in-vehicle technology which should be delivering benefit. Technology has a growing role to play in the decisions that we make and the way that we communicate; smartphone penetration is high, tablet usage is rising sharply and social media is growing in importance. Business, and specifically fleet,
Arval Connect A secure website containing a range of useful information relating to the fleet market and to the fleet managers’ own vehicles. Optimised for tablet, laptop and desktop use, it includes video reviews on the latest vehicle releases, maps of available service and maintenance sites, copy invoices and reports and the latest industry news. It is a valuable resource to support any fleet manager. Arval Fleet View Certain information is crucial to fleet managers. This tablet optimised dashboard quickly and simply displays the most useful metrics providing the most pertinent information at a glance. Information on the composition of the fleet, current costs, vehicle usage and environmental measures combine to keep them informed and allow them to quickly identify areas for further investigation.
shouldn’t be any different. Fleet professionals have less time so need the right information in an easy-to-digest format at the touch of a button. That’s why we launched the Arval Smart Experience, a comprehensive package of tablet optimised content for fleet managers and mobile apps for drivers. It helps our customers to do their job in a way that is convenient to them. It also gives them the flexibility to access the information that they need at the point that they need it.
Arval Mobile+ A mobile app providing useful information that drivers can access remotely via their smartphone irrespective of where they are. Utilising GPS technology, functionality includes a map of the closest service and maintenance sites, drivers can book a service, it shows fuel forecourts in the vicinity and a wallet of useful documentation linked to their vehicle. Arval Drive Challenge Available to all drivers (including those who don’t drive Arval vehicles) Arval Drive Challenge is designed to raise awareness of an individual’s driving behaviour and positively influence it. The tool measures speed, acceleration and braking on any given journey using the GPS on the phone. At the end of the journey, areas for improvement are highlighted to the driver while good performance wins recognition and unlocks rewards. ALL of these elements are underpinned by Arval’s social media presence. Accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and You Tube provide a new method of communication for Arval and the opportunity to share useful information and advice with customers and drivers. The best leasing companies are those delivering practical solutions to support their customers, utilising the right technology to meet genuine customer needs. The Arval Smart Experience is just that, free to Arval customers and their drivers, it is another way for us to add value and another reason for businesses of all sizes to select Arval as their preferred leasing company.
MARKET OVERVIEW Contract Hire, Finance & Leasing
ALD Automotive
Alphabet
ALD Automotive is the second largest vehicle leasing operation in Europe and manages over 1,000,000 vehicles across 37 countries worldwide. Within the UK, ALD finances and manages over 97,000 vehicles, providing customers with total fleet management flexibility from pure financing of cars and vans to comprehensive outsourcing operations. Established in 1958, ALD UK has over 55 years’ experience in vehicle funding and ancillary support services within both corporate and consumer markets. ALD is widely recognised as one of the industry’s leading service providers, with a proven portfolio of innovative, award-winning products for major PLCs, small businesses and individual drivers alike. ALD hold ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accreditation.
Alphabet are a leading provider of Business Mobility. With both car and commercial vehicle funding and management expertise, we are committed to excellence in everything we do. We are driven by creativity, future vision and the passionate commitment of our employees. We help our customers in both the public and private sectors, to enjoy higher productivity and efficiency from their vehicles and drivers. We also offer a wealth of experience in affinity and salary sacrifice schemes, solidly supported by a comprehensive portfolio of products and services ranging from corporate car sharing to risk management and strategic consultancy. Based in Hook, Hampshire and Leeds, West Yorkshire, we manage over 120,000 fleet vehicles in the UK while internationally Alphabet operates in 19 countries and supplies over 500,000 vehicles.
Contact: Ian Turner ian.turner@aldautomotive.com www.aldautomotive.co.uk
Arnold Clark Vehicle Management
Tel: 0870 00 111 81 Contact: Mark Cubbon mark.cubbon@alphabet.co.uk
Vehicle Management
Arnold Clark Vehicle Management is a family run, privately owned vehicle leasing company. We are the largest dealerbased leasing company in the country, and we provide a comprehensive portfolio of funding products and management services to clients right across the UK. As a totally independent business, you can always rely on us to provide sound, unbiased advice. We have a characteristic no-nonsense business style and a reputation for delivering a uniquely personal leasing experience. We help corporate clients, small businesses and Government departments realise genuine savings and improvements in productivity. We listen, and we’d welcome the change to work with you.
Contact: Calum Ewart calum.ewart@acvm.co.uk
Tel: 0845 603 4590 www.acvm.co.uk
JCT600 Contracts Limited JCT600 Contracts provides a range of leasing and fleet management services on a cost effective basis to a broad spread of discerning clients. With a highly trained and experienced team using sophisticated systems the company is able to meet the increasing demands of its customers whilst offering the highest level of personalised service. The company has one of the industry’s leading client retention rates at around 80% demonstrating that its services are widely appreciated. Continuous efforts ensure improved value and the careful development of new products. The company’s financial strength and strategy for controlled growth bode well for future success.
Contact: Louise Sutton Tel: 0113 250 0060 louise.sutton@jct600.co.uk www. jct600contracts.co.uk
66 / fleetworld.co.uk
Tel: 0870 50 50 110 www.alphabet.co.uk
Fleet Alliance Limited Fleet Alliance is an award winning fleet management provider, offering contract hire, leasing and a complete range of fleet solutions. We manage in the excess of 14,000 vehicles on behalf of corporate clients. Our market-leading Fleet 360 model provides the best combination of products and advice delivered through our cloud-based fleet management system, e-fleet, and our award-winning smartphone app, e-fleet mobile. Recent awards include: • Top 5 UK Best Place to Work • National Business Awards: Customer Focus (Finalist) • National Business Awards: Employer of the Year (Finalist) • Scottish Business Awards: Employer of the Year (Highly Commended) • Best App Award, BusinessCar Techie Awards 2014
Contact: Grant Boardman Tel: 0845 601 8407 grant.boardman@fleetalliance.co.uk www.fleetalliance.co.uk
FLEETW RLD Lex Autolease
Marshall Leasing
Lex Autolease is the UK’s leading fleet management and funding specialist, helping companies large and small to lease vehicles. Companies all over the UK trust us to take care of their vehicle leasing. We have in excess of 270,000 vehicles under management, making us the UK's largest leasing company. But in a competitive market, saying we’re biggest isn’t enough. It’s our ability to deliver excellent customer service that makes our customers happy. Our approach is to develop a true partnership with businesses and public sector organisations, working side by side with you to help you face the challenges of running a fleet.
Marshall Leasing offers an independent choice and focus on fleet advice for clients who are seeking an alternative to the large dominant volume orientated providers. Marshall Leasing are part of privately owned Marshall who own dealer group MMG which operates over 70 franchised dealerships, representing 24 different manufacturer brands, with a turnover of £1bn per annum. MMG sell 50,000 vehicles and maintain over 450,000 in its workshops. Marshall also manage the RAF’s Hercules fleet and own / operate Cambridge Airport through their Marshall Aerospace and Defence group.
Contact: Jane Kendall Tel: 0845 769 7381 marketing@lexautolease.co.uk www.lexautolease.co.uk
Contact: Jonathan Ross/Richard Baird Tel: 01480 414541 enquiry@marshall-leasing.co.uk www.marshall-leasing.co.uk
Ogilvie Fleet Ltd Our commitment to existing and prospective clients is that we will ALWAYS provide industry leading service. Our recent award wins undeniably prove our words: 2013 FleetEye CSi Award for "Highest Customer Satisfaction Levels" *WINNER* 2012 FN50 "Customer Service Award - Team" *WINNER* 2012 Business Car Techies Awards *HIGHLY COMMENDED* 2012 Fleet News "Customer Service Award" *WINNER* 2012 FleetEye CSi Award for "Highest Customer Satisfaction Levels" *WINNER* 2012 Fleet News "Best New Product or Service (Ogilvie MiFleet)" *FINALIST* 2012 Fleet News "Reader Recommended" Contract Hire Company *SHORTLISTED* 2012 Scottish Business Awards "Customer Focus" Category *NOMINEE* 2011 FleetEye CSi Award for "Highest Customer Satisfaction Levels" *WINNER* We’re proud to serve our clients and our doors are always open to new customers.
Contact: Ashley Crookes Ashley.crookes@ogilvie.co.uk
Pendragon Contracts Pendragon Contracts is the contract hire and fleet management division of Pendragon Plc, the largest dealer group in the UK, which incorporates the well-known Stratstone and Evans Halshaw brands. Our motors group background ensures our approach is completely impartial and fully independent of bank or manufacturer ownership. In addition to contract hire and fleet management services we also provide salary sacrifice car schemes, short term rental and risk management support. Our clients benefit from a consultative and flexible solutionsdriven approach delivered by an experienced, knowledgeable and helpful fleet team. Regular client satisfaction surveys have shown our NPS score as being well above the industry average, a reflection of our ongoing commitment to “Investors in People”.
Contact: John Given john.given@pendragon.uk.com www.pendragon-contracts.co.uk
Tel: 01332 267369
Tel: 0330 333 5677 www.ogilvie-fleet.co.uk
Volkswagen Group Leasing Venson Automotive Solutions Limited Venson is a hands-on fleet management specialist with a proven track record in reducing fleet costs and increasing vehicle availability. It’s our level of experience, knowledge and service that allows us to give you the kind of impartial advice that has real financial returns whether your business is in the private, public, not-for-profit or emergency services sector. From sourcing the right vehicles to funding, maintaining and delivering commercial vehicle fit-outs, we handle every aspect and we don’t let our clients down, our client retention rate of 98% is testament to that.
Contact: John Winters sales@venson.com
Tel: 08444 99 1402 www.venson.com
Volkswagen Group Leasing is the corporate and fleet leasing arm of Volkswagen Financial Services, which is part of the Volkswagen Group UK. In addition to providing the full range of Volkswagen Group vehicles, including Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Audi, ŠKODA and SEAT, it can also source other manufacturers’ vehicles. As well as supplying and financing vehicles on leasing and contract hire agreements, it offers daily rental, fleet management services, fuel card, accident management support and duty of care management. It works with both private and public sector organisations and supports fleets in both the small to medium sized enterprise market through to the large corporate market.
Contact: Matt Niles or Jonathan Wise Tel: 0870 333 2229 vglenquiries@vwfs.co.uk www.makingleasingsimple.co.uk
fleetworld.co.uk / 67
Do you offer an open discloure/ profit sharing option?
Do you offer an ECOS / COP scheme?
Do you have a dedicated phonebased facility for small fleets? Do you offer an on-line solution for managing a grey fleet?
Do you offer a salary sacrifice sheme?
Do you offer pooled mileage as standard? Do you offer a fleet management option for non-funded vehicles? Do you offer a consultancy service for fleets looking to use plug-in vehicles? Do you offer EV drivers access to petrol or diesel models for longer trips? Do you offer a recovery service for electric vehicles?
Lex Autolease Will you provide a bespoke Internet/Intranet site for major clients?
Key to services
Approximately how many vehicles does your company operate?
MARKET OVERVIEW Contract Hire, Finance & Leasing
ALD Automotive 97k
Alphabet 121k
Arnold Clark Vehicle Management 41k
Fleet Alliance Limited 14k+
Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions Ltd. 47k
JCT600 Contracts Ltd 7k
Leasedrive Group 40k
270k
Marshall Leasing 6k
Ogilvie Fleet Ltd
10.5k
Pendragon Contracts
12.8k
-
Venson Automotive Solutions Limited
11.5k
-
Volkswagen Group Leasing
72k+
-
-
-
-
-
-
Service provided
Service unavailable
68 / fleetworld.co.uk
SPECIAL FEATURE Salary Sacrifice
Secrets of success Salary Sacrifice can form a valuable part of any HR department’s recruitment and retention programme. For those organisations that are currently considering setting up a scheme – as well as those with an existing agreement in place – it’s important to ask the right questions of the right people to make sure your scheme will be a full success. in association with
T
he principle of salary sacrifice for cars is a simple one – enabling an employee to sacrifice part of their gross salary in return for a totally managed company vehicle at a very taxefficient price. Yet for some fleets, setting up such a scheme and helping to ensure its success can seem like a daunting prospect. And with most vehicle leasing and fleet management service providers now offering some form of car salary sacrifice scheme, it is important for fleets exploring salary sacrifice to make sure they are asking the right questions of the right people – this will go a long way towards ensuring your chosen supplier is able to design, implement and promote a scheme that is the best fit for your business. How much in-house expertise is required to administer a salary sacrifice scheme? This should be a key consideration from the outset and smaller fleets could see this as a stumbling block, but actually the salary sacrifice experts say that little expertise is needed. Tusker’s chief commercial officer, Iain
Carmichael, says: ‘If you chose the right provider then very little involvement beyond the ability to manage any other employee benefits should be necessary. Any car provider must have the ability to dovetail seamlessly into any Single Sign-On arrangements via the Employee Benefits Provider, or to provide their own easy-to-use on-line system. Similarly the car provider must be able to offer significant support in developing awareness of the scheme as well as the required account management in the important areas such as payroll reduction reporting and the management of both in-life and endof-life incidental charges.’ Meanwhile according to LeasePlan, while fleets should have a good idea of what they want to achieve with their salary sacrifice scheme, it’s not essential to have run one before: ‘Prior
experience of providing a benefit to an employee population should be expertise enough to administer a great salary sacrifice scheme in partnership with the right provider. ‘A salary sacrifice car scheme is not an “off the shelf” product so you will need to shape a clear vision of what success looks like for you. Be it measured in staff take up, saving your business money or a combination of factors, your chosen supplier should help with this process and then provide the expertise to design and build a scheme which is a best fit. ‘LeasePlan are able to help throughout the entire process, from initial discussions, design & build, benefits integration, risk mitigation, admin and communication and then on throughout the life-cycle of the product. If built correctly, then once a scheme is in place it should be virtually admin and cost-free.’
fleetworld.co.uk / 69
¡
SPECIAL FEATURE Salary Sacrifice
¡
Does the provider require the company to have a large employee base to implement a successful salary sacrifice scheme? This is another key question and one where many SMEs may believe they are precluded from running such schemes, but LeasePlan says that salary sacrifice is not just the preserve of larger fleets. The firm comments: ‘There’s no hiding from the fact that salary sacrifice is traditionally more attractive to companies with a large employee base, however smaller businesses are certainly not exempt. ‘If you are a company with a smaller employee base (less than 500) then it’s crucial when selecting your provider that both parties are talking openly early in proceedings about the suitability of the scheme. These conversations should cover a number of factors which need to be in place when dealing with a smaller population including; low staff turnover, an established benefits platform and a high proportion of employees above the minimum wage. ‘The experience we’ve built at LeasePlan of having been through several vehicle lifecycles, and the familiarity which comes with building your own salary sacrifice scheme means we’re truly qualified to help you reach the right decision about whether this benefits product is right for your business, regardless of the size of your employee base.’ Are you better off being a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big one? Once you’ve determined that salary sacrifice is for you, it’s vital to find the right provider to work with. And one key question will be about what size salary sacrifice provider you want to work with. Tusker’s chief commercial officer, Iain Carmichael, says: ‘The provision of salary sacrifice schemes is a highly complex business – hence the emergence of specialists in the marketplace. Cars are a highly emotive subject for most people, but they fall into
in association with
70 / fleetworld.co.uk
insignificance in relation to the reduction of each individual’s salaries. Ideally a supplier should be able to offer a bespoke scheme designed to meet all of your particular requirements – and any driver system should be capable of conveying 100% accurate information to the driver in real time. So a big fish within this arena – that delivers the best offer to drivers through investment in people and systems and that really understands this very demanding sector – will ultimately provide the ultimate solution to most needs.’ Is a sole-supply agreement better than having multiple, competing suppliers? This is another key area when it comes to assessing providers that you want to work with. According to LeasePlan a sole supply agreement would always be preferable to a multi-supply model. The firm comments: ‘It’s a significant choice for you as an employer to implement a salary sacrifice scheme. In making that choice you will need to be very clear about what you are looking to achieve and the subsequent message to your employee base. In the past we’ve seen employers try and adopt a multisupply model in an attempt to drive competition and force down pricing. Even where this stated goal has been achieved it overlooks the fact that a salary sacrifice car is an important life choice for an employee and making that choice as clear and simple as possible is critical. ‘At the heart of it, a salary sacrifice scheme is an opportunity for a provider to influence and educate an employee base who may have never been exposed to company cars or the related Benefit in Kind considerations before. It makes sense then that the communications need to be clear and explain things that may already be obvious to a company car driver. If more than one supplier is involved in influencing this decision then the differing communications may muddy the water and leave employees struggling to understand on what basis
to make a decision. What’s even worse is that someone from your business (you?) may have a requirement to spend lots of time translating and aligning these competing messages. ‘In summary, making it as easy as possible by having a concise and tailored communications plan from a single supplier will ensure the employees are educated, excited and ready to make an informed decision.’ Iain Carmichael of Tusker reiterates this, commenting: ‘Providers of car salary sacrifice schemes are essentially in the employee benefits business. Most HR departments wouldn’t contemplate having more than one provider of these benefits. ‘And although cars supplied under salary sacrifice are to all intents and purposes the same as company cars, in practice the drivers of salary sacrifice have significantly different requirements to company car drivers. Fleet managers may look to disaggregate the contract hire package by using different suppliers to offer fleet management and funding, but with salary sacrifice schemes this causes all sorts of issues with regard to consistency of customer service. Therefore, almost all salary sacrifice schemes that are currently in operation have a solus supplier for both funding and scheme management. A few highly sophisticated providers have the capability of offering competitive tendering for funding, but even here there still can be issues around the variable treatment of in-life issues such as early termination polices, contract rewrites etc.’ Is price more important than service? The eternal question, this will also play a fundamental role in choosing a salary sacrifice supplier. LeasePlan comments: ‘Although the answer may be pre-determined by the financial objectives of the employer’s business model it’s important to remember the employee’s experience is a function of the service and the
¡
THE FLEET MANAGERS’ CHALLENGE Your business wants you to set up a Salary Sacrifice for cars scheme to help recruit and retain valuable employees (whilst helping save on the National Insurance payable on gross salaries and reducing grey fleet risk).
EMPLOYEES LOVE THE IDEA They think it’s fantastic because they’ll get a brand new car at a really great price (and they love the thought of servicing, tyres, breakdown, insurance and road tax all being included in the deal).
Once it’s launched, will it just end up being expensive to run and a headache to manage? And, no matter how good the scheme is, how are you going to manage communicating it to all those employees?
SalaryPlan
choice more savings
more
But you have some concerns…
less tax
Just visit http://www.myleaseplan.co.uk/salaryplan or call us on 0844 493 5810 and you’ll find out why it really is easier to leaseplan.
It’s easier than you think… SalaryPlan is a flexible solution that’s simple for you and exciting for your drivers. We’ve already launched it to thousands of employees, so we know how to make it a success (we even manage all the communications and admin for you).
SPECIAL FEATURE Salary Sacrifice
Get into Gear with Salary Sacrifice Cars
value for money. Therefore in order to have ¡ perceived any chance of success the product and solution should
Engage. Benefit. Save. Simple. Hello, we’re Tusker. Market leading providers of the fastest growing employee benefit - salary sacrifice cars. Our tax efficient scheme can put your employees in the seat of a brand new, fully insured and maintained car for a fixed monthly amount. In times of tight budgets you can enjoy savings of up to £300 in net employer NI contribution per car, all while your employees are clocking up an average of £900 per annum in tax and NI contribution savings. The scheme is completely supported and managed by us, leaving you to focus on accelerating employee engagement. Plus, you can put the brakes on any risks with our Resignation, Redundancy and Maternity/Paternity protection. Our core belief is in the power of simplicity, we want to simplify the lives of our customers and make things easy. So join us on the road to truly valued employee benefits, that will get your employees revved up to go. Give us a call, drop us an email or access our website: 0333 400 1010 hello@tuskerdirect.com www.tuskerdirect.com/fw
be cost effective for an employee when compared with what they could secure in the retail market. ‘At LeasePlan we see the value in not only negotiating attractive discounts and mitigating risk for the employer but also when working with our clients to ensure the employee’s end to end experience is a clear, simple and exciting one. A detailed communications plan which leads to this great employee experience can make or break the success of a salary sacrifice scheme. If an employee cannot easily compare the price and service they’re being offered they’re likely to stick with what they know and scheme uptake will suffer as a result.’ And Tusker’s Iain Carmichael adds: ‘This is a very important dynamic. If the price is too high then the uptake will be low. If the service is poor then word of mouth will prevail and a scheme will fail in the medium term. So the answer is no – a fair balance of price (for what is a highly specialist B2C service) and the ability to meet the requirement of a highly demanding customer base (they are sacrificing their salary after all) is what will ultimately deliver the highest level of engagement uptake and savings for the employer and employee alike.’ What sort of KPIs should be in place for monitoring supplier performance? Having found the right partner to work with and roll out a salary sacrifice scheme, fleets need to undertake extensive communications to staff on how the scheme will work for them, supported by a dedicated team to manage any enquiries or queries raised. However, it’s important to make sure that the scheme is meeting the requirements of the company and of the drivers. As such, firms should ensure they have a clear programme of KPIs agreed with their supplier. According to Tusker’s Iain Carmichael these are: • Meeting of agreed service levels • Savings measurement • Driver satisfaction and renewals • Driver log-ins and scheme penetrations LeasePlan adds that ultimately, expert consultancy and tailoring along with communication from the employer’s own end will ensure the success of salary sacrifice schemes – but with a raft of benefits on offer to the right fleets, salary sacrifice could be well worth exploring.
72 / fleetworld.co.uk
Fleet Asset Management
TRACKER GUARANTEES SAVINGS OFF YOUR FUEL BILL
r Mo ney Ba c k ! u o Y OR
WAKEFIELD AND DISTRICT HOUSING REAP THE LONG-TERM BENEFITS OF FLEET TELEMATICS THANKS TO TRACKER
Reporting over 25% Reduction in Insurance Claims The logistics of managing a fleet of between 350-400 vehicles and a workforce of 560 authorised drivers can be demanding to say the least, but not for Wakefield and District Housing (WDH). Since investing in TRACKER Fleet, the organisation has been able to downsize its fleet by 15% making it far more efficient. With a portfolio of over 32,000 buildings to maintain, one of the biggest challenges for WDH is ensuring it utilises its fleet as efficiently as possible by allocating jobs to the relevant trades person. Telematics technology has allowed WDH to do more than simply identify where a vehicle is on the road. Fleet Manager, Rick Young, says: “With electricians, plumbers, plasterers and general builders to manage it is vital that we deploy the right person for the job. Our tradespeople are not always assigned to one vehicle, which is why driver ID is so important to us. We can see exactly who is driving what vehicle and where they are, giving us the ability to respond to each job individually with the correct and nearest driver – vital if it is an emergency.
0845 604 6002 tracker.co.uk
We have also established health and safety guidance for lone workers to monitor their safety whilst out on the road and understand the length of time they spend at each job, whatever its nature.”
Giving WDH the ability to analyse its driving data retrospectively has been beneficial, enabling them to lower their insurance premiums. “By utilising the telematics information since 2006, we have been able to show our insurers how we are improving the performance and safety of our drivers. We have been able to reduce our insurance claims by 39% in 2012 and 26% in 2013 by combining telematics data with a new claims management system, therefore helping us reduce our insurance premiums.” “Over the next two months we will be replacing our current fleet of vehicles with a wide range of VW vans, and with business growth projections we anticipate to grow the fleet by 10% over the next two years. Of course, TRACKER Fleet will continue to play an integral part in managing our fleet efficiency and growth,” concludes Rick Young. David Wilson, Sales & Services Director for TRACKER says, “Investing in telematics can provide a business with much needed insight on how they can cut costs as well as ensure they are running a safe fleet. As the case of WDH proves, telematics can be about more than cost-savings alone – it can help change the whole ethos of a company’s driver policy for the better.”
For terms and conditions
Intelligence you can trust
TRACKER is the official Telematics event partner for the MPG marathon
FLEET ANALYSIS Digging a little deeper into the topical issues affecting the fleet industry today and tomorrow... we ask Matt Freeman from CAP Consulting about the reality, the issues and the likely impact.
Security and fleet management costs Vehicle crime has been in decline since the 1990s. Is vehicle security still an important consideration for drivers and fleet managers, or is this something we take for granted? The company car is an asset, albeit a depreciating one, and it makes sense to ensure your assets are secure. As with property thefts, it helps to make the criminals “job” as dif icult as possible – these are usually crimes of opportunity, so hiding away valuables like laptops and satnavs and having robust security reduces the risk. In terms of residual values, there is an assumption that all cars are pretty secure today, and that central locking is standard across the market, so I don’t think it igures that much in RV calculations. Rather it’s the perception that a vehicle is not vulnerable to theft that should appeal to leet managers and used buyers.
74 / fleetworld.co.uk
For the future buyer of a leet vehicle it’s an important issue. If it’s your money you’re spending security is an important issue – it’s your car and you want to keep it that way! It’s interesting that for many manufacturers, security seems to be a secondary issue on their smaller and cheaper models, with alarms and even remote locking being offered as an option on entry-level vehicles. Of course manufacturers are known to want to move people up to better equipped and more pro itable models, so there’s a certain element of tactical speci ication here, designed to move people up the range. I feel that robust security should be itted across the range, as it underlines the manufacturer’s commitment to the driver – both of the vehicle’s new and the used buyer and makes it more attractive to them. Given the downsizing and downshifting trends of the past few years, skimping on security because a vehicle is seen as “cheap” seems like false econ-
CAP Consulting provides not just analysis, but the ability to understand how your business environments develop over time. We make it our business to understand what affects your brand and how you can unlock greater value from customer offerings, products & services. CAP Consulting provides support optimising residual values, bespoke technology solutions and corporate sales & fleet operations assistance.
Consulting
Consulting
Visit www.business.cap.co.uk/consulting
Seasonality and the marketplace Is it really the case that seasonal, political and economic conditions affect demand for used cars? Let’s look at seasonality irst and just two examples of this. There’s an assumption that consumers buy convertibles in the spring and summer, and that in winter there’s increased demand for SUVs which can handle the icy conditions. And to some extent we do see this – In the irst two weeks of September alone, CAP Black Book noted a 1.5% drop in convertible values as we head into autumn. However, I don’t think it’s that clear-cut. Certainly we saw strong demand for SUVs during the hard winters of a few years ago, but in recent years the milder winters seem to have undermined demand. CAP’s forecasting teams noted a lower than usual decline in SUV values this spring, suggesting that the usual winter uplift had been lower that previous years. Consumers are perhaps more likely to buy according to the prevailing conditions. Just as hard winters led them to seek out SUVs as a solution to their mobility problems, the lack of these problems last winter took away the demand. Some
Stolen, recovered Telematics systems have the potential to improve the recovery of stolen vehicles.
people will have conformed to the pattern, but fewer than usual. Given the volatility of the UK weather that’s an interesting challenge for the market. Keeping a close eye on sales volume and values is the only way to avoid overstocking with “seasonal specials” and being burnt by lower-than-expected demand. There’s also the fact that the market is always changing. SUVs have become the “must-have” vehicles of recent times, and this year demand is likely to make the picture more complex. Add to that low interest rates making expensive vehicles more affordable to many consumers and that’s another complicating factor. As for politics and economic factors, well yes there is a clear connection between economic performance and consumer con idence. As we saw in the 2008-9 Global Financial Crisis there was a signi icant decline in new sales. There was also a decline in used car sales, but not nearly so great and sales have not recovered to pre-crisis levels. Why? Probably because there are so many good deals on new vehicles and credit is so affordable. Politics doesn’t play such a part. If it was clear that an incoming government was
planning a major overhaul of vehicle taxation or fuel duty then consumers would probably hold off seeing what happens. Similarly we can see that when government tries to in luence the market (for example with subsidies for low-emission vehicles or congestion charging in London) it will change buying patterns in speci ic cases. Recent talk of a diesel penalty in London (already in operation in many European cities) could have an impact on used values if other cities followed suit. What matters is how extensive the action is. With so many factors in play, being informed is vital and it’s imperative that leet managers, traders and consumers have access to timely and accurate data to ensure they act quickly and appropriately when the market changes.
‘There’s an assumption that consumers buy convertibles in the spring and summer.’
omy, it’s certainly less attractive when higher spec models are so dif icult to steal. An interesting area to watch is the growth of telematics. The widespread rollout of telematics (“black box”) systems to passenger cars has the potential to improve the recovery of stolen vehicles. Only around half of stolen cars are recovered, so being able to locate the vehicle would signi icantly improve this. Many leet managers are already familiar with this technology through its use in CV leets, so this is an area where leets could be in the vanguard. Of course there are people who are uncomfortable with giving away what they consider to be private information, but many of us are now so used to trading information on the web, in return for free services like Google or for help navigating sites (like Amazon’s recommendations system) that resistance to this is falling. From the leet managers’ point of view, investing in this technology would have bene its beyond the ownership cycle of the vehicle: for future buyers these would be desirable, as insurance companies are already running programmes where premiums are lower in return for using this technology, so we could see increased demand and thus better residuals.
fleetworld.co.uk / 75
FEATURE Taxation & Funding
What really are whole life costs? Professor Colin Tourick tries to define exactly what WLC and TCO are…
I
f you speak to fleet managers they will tell you how they strive to meet the needs of the company and its drivers whilst keeping tight control of the purse strings. Part of their role is to work out which vehicles should be on their fleet – the right vehicle for each task. A group of fleet managers at a recent meeting were discussing how they were reducing fleet costs. They were exploring various options including telematics, sole supply with one car manufacturer, using independent garages for some servicing rather than franchised dealers, extending their vehicle retention periods, and so on. One said his company saved a lot by using whole life costs to reduce costs and another said that his company preferred total cost of ownership. When one brave soul asked ‘What’s the difference?’, it soon became apparent they all had a different understanding of these terms. If you Google these expressions you will find many different definitions drawn from many industries. Wikipedia says that; ‘Whole life costs refers to the total cost of ownership over the life of an asset,’ and ‘Total cost of ownership is a financial estimate intended to help buyers and owners determine the direct and indirect costs of a product or system.’ Wikipedia of course reflects the view of the person who last edited that entry, so once again we just have one person’s opinion, but as it happens neither of these definitions would help a fleet manager decide what to include or exclude from an evaluation. A straw poll carried out on LinkedIn and Twitter delivered these broad answers: Whole life cost applies for the full life of the vehicle until it goes to the scrap yard whilst TCO covers only the time it spends on a business’s fleet. The argument here was that “whole life” should mean the
76 / fleetworld.co.uk
whole of the life of the vehicle, whereas “ownership” refers only to the time it was on the fleet. TCO only applies if you actually own the vehicle, so whole life cost is a better measure if you lease it. So in this case “ownership” was being taken literally to mean ownership rather than some other form of acquisition. TCO is a European expression that means the same as whole life cost. This probably reflects the fact that some of the larger international groups have been using the expression TCO rather than whole life cost for some years. There are multiple definitions of both expressions in the sector so we just accept the fact that these are illdefined expressions. This was, in fact, the majority view. We will publish the results in an upcoming edition of Fleet World. There is no “official” definition of whole life costs or total costs of ownership in this industry and it will be interesting to see if there is any consistency of view amongst the survey respondents. Whole life cost is important because fleet managers use it to decide which vehicles to put onto their fleets. Just to add to the debate, here are my thoughts on a definition and on the items that should be included and excluded when calculating whole life costs. In my opinion whole life cost includes all of the predictable and unpredictable costs that an organisation is likely to incur as a result of operating a vehicle over a period of time, adjusted using discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques to a net present value.
To take part in the online survey, scan the QR code or visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/WholeLifeCost
It includes: • Depreciation (net price paid for the vehicle after discounts less estimated net sales proceeds) • All servicing and maintenance costs • Vehicle excise duty • (Depreciation, service, maintenance, repair and VED may be incurred directly if using, say, outright purchase or within a lease rental if using, say, contract hire) • All other repairs and component failures likely to occur during the period the vehicle will be on the fleet, multiplied by the probability that these will actually arise • Net fuel cost that the business expects to incur, after any reimbursement by the employee of private mileage costs • Insurance premium • Interest costs incurred in the purchase or within the lease rental (or opportunity interest costs incurred by using own funds) • Cost of capital used by the company to make all payments (be they finance payments, payment from bank deposits or lease rentals) • All taxation costs that the company will incur as a result of the vehicle being on the fleet (including VAT, tax on profits, Class 1A national insurance) • Less any cash contribution by the driver It excludes: • Accident damage repair costs (though a good argument could be made for including them: if you didn’t have a vehicle you couldn’t incur the costs) • Excess mileage and early termination charges unless you expect to incur them • Parking etc fines unless you consider them to unavoidable, e.g. they are probably an unavoidable cost of doing business if you deliver parcels to city centre businesses.
Some people define whole life costs as all of the above costs less taxation. If taxation is included they call this the total cost of ownership (TCO). Whole life cost is important because it offers the best way for a fleet manager to set a fleet policy – deciding which vehicles should go onto the fleet. Any other approach – for example selecting vehicles based on list price or contract hire rental – is suboptimal because these don’t include all of the costs the company will truly incur. Let’s see if we can harness the collective power of Fleet World’s readership to come up with a consensus on the meaning of whole life costs and total cost of ownership. Help define WLC/TCO Whole life cost is a key measure for fleet managers so it is important that there should be some consistency in the use of this expression. To help shine some light on this topic we are going to carry out a very brief survey and we invite you to take part at www.surveymonkey.com/s/WholeLifeCost
INDUSTRY VIEWPOINT Whole life cost is important because it offers the best way for a fleet manager to set a fleet policy – deciding which vehicles should go onto the fleet.
fleetworld.co.uk / 77
MANAGEMENT UK Fleet Forum
UK connecting the UK’s fleet community
Join the
~ Formerly Fleet Academy
Managing on-road risk Gary Killeen, Managing Director, GE Capital UK
Fleet World magazine’s UK Fleet Forum – formerly Fleet Academy – provides a forum where fleet industry experts can exchange views on a wide range of topics, from taxation to speeding fines. At the heart of the UK Fleet Forum is a team of fleet professionals who play a key role in the industry, either as fleet managers, consultants or fleet suppliers. These fleet experts provide a regular feed of information that is posted on the website forum in the form of discussion topics. Typical areas of interest include, but are not limited to: taxation, finance and accounting, legislation, environmental issues, fleet safety, insurance, fleet management, supply issues and security. Fleet suppliers are permitted to respond to queries if it is felt that their response represents honest and impartial advice. This aspect of the service is strictly moderated in order to ensure that the quality of information provided remains of the highest standard. We have already attracted a strong network of fleet professionals, and our expert contributors have submitted a number of thought provoking discussion topics, a few of which are previewed to the right. We hope you will consider joining us in this exciting new venture into the world of fleet. To find out more about the UK Fleet Forum and request membership, please visit:
theukfleetforum.co.uk
78 / fleetworld.co.uk
Earlier this month, a copy of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) revised “Driving at Work” document landed on my desk. It prompted me to give some thought to how far the fleet industry has come since the first edition was published in 2003. During the intervening decade, some employers have become very good at managing on-road risk managing on-road risk, either through developing in-house expertise or looking externally for help. They have become practised in identifying the drivers, the vehicles and the situations that are likely to lead to accidents and created solutions that have, I am sure, saved many, many lives. But some haven’t. There are still employers who have been slow to acknowledge that they have responsibilities when it comes to minimising the risk to employees driving while on business. This can be just as true in large organisations as well as small or medium sized enterprises. This is a problem because around a quarter to a third of the 1,700 road deaths that occur annually in the UK are thought to involve people who are motoring on business. How many fleets are there where the HSE guidance is ignored? Well, almost every fleet risk management expert that I talk to believes that the number is significant. Indeed, some believe that the gap between the best and worst practice seen in the industry is growing year by year. What can we do as an industry to change this situation? To date very few legal prosecutions have taken place but it is still crucial that we continue to remind employers about their legal and ethical responsibilities to employees. Perhaps the real lesson is that genuine cultural change takes a long time and the 11 years since the publication of “Driving at Work” have not been sufficient for the message to percolate across our entire sector. But while that process is underway, people continue to die driving on business purposes, and we therefore all have a duty of care to ensure that we bang the drum loud and long enough for fleet safety.
debate... Clamping down on “crash for cash” claims Thomas Strachan, UK Insurance Manager, Northgate Vehicle Hire The rate of reported fatal road accidents in the UK has dropped by 40% in the last 50 years, yet with a reported 50% rise in “crash for cash” claims the motor industry faces its biggest crisis in modern times; how do we face this challenge head on? As a major LCV operator, we haven’t come away unscathed. The majority of our vehicles are hired out on a customer’s own insurance and during the past 12 months, the Insurance Department has, unfortunately, identified approximately nine possible fraudulent claims with potential reserves totalling £150k. If it’s established that our customer is believed to be involved in the fraudulent act, we would take the matter incredibly seriously and work with our insurers to appropriately identify and handle these fraudulent claims. Insurers have sophisticated software and technology alongside access to fraud databases listing individuals and organisations associated with such activities. Details of accident circumstance and alleged damage are all indicators to potential fraud and are just two of the factors considered by insurers. If our customer is an innocent party in such an incident they will be assured that our team (and the insurers’ team) will make every effort to establish the full facts surrounding the claim and, where appropriate, take the necessary action against the parties involved. Essentially, we want to help others in the industry break the crash for cash cycle but, in order to do so, we rely upon the intelligence gathering and data analysis of these third parties. However, we also need our customers to be aware of the scandal and notify us of any claims as soon as possible. And please spread the word amongst your colleagues who might operate their vehicles through their own insurance, so we can help to clamp down on crash for cash once and for all.
Meet the experts... Martin Keighley, Director, KIS Autdata Martin is a director of KIS Autodata, wepricecars.com and DrivenData. He has been in the valuation game for 35 years and created CAP Monitor in 1990 which became, and remains, an industry standard for leasing and finance companies. A regular commentator for the industry, Martin is an expert in vehicle life-cycle analysis and aims to revolutionise the way we maintain and understand all vehicle data.
David Brennan, Chief Executive, Nexus Vehicle Management David joined leading rental provider, Nexus Vehicle Management in May 2014, following eight years as managing director at Leaseplan. David has a formidable track record in the fleet and automotive industry, previously holding several positions at Rover Group, Mazda UK, AT Kearney and Capita PLC. In his time at LeasePlan, David oversaw substantial growth, leading the company to the number two position in terms of UK market share.
Mark Merrell, Partner and Head, Corclaim Corclaim is a niche provider of services to businesses that have sustained loss or damage to property resulting from the actions of others. Mark has particular expertise in the application of the Road Traffic Act and all matters relating to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau. Before becoming head of Corclaim, Mark was with a national top 20 law firm for around 16 years, always representing claimants in recouping their losses.
fleetworld.co.uk / 79
our fleet Citroën C4 Picasso Exclusive+ e-HDI 115 Airdream
WHEN a long-term test car comes to you with a veritable collection of awards under its belt, you kinda know it’s going to be good. And right from the start of our three-month C4 Picasso test I was impressed by the thoughtful family car touches – particularly on our Exclusive model – from the child-view mirror and tray tables to the torch in the boot and the integrated sun blinds, which make life onboard with kids so much easier along with the prolific boot space. Actually two older passengers – one with arthritis in her back, the other in her knee – also separately commented on how easy they found the C4 Picasso to get in and out of. The plethora of high-tech gizmos was somewhat overwhelming at first but I was soon a dab hand. I have to say I was impressed by the optional Park Assist 360° (£450), which worked very well even though trusting in it was somewhat daunting. The padded massage seats were a bit of a draw for passengers but too distracting for me and quite
frankly the ‘Relax’ footrests were a bit of a pain to get underneath to retrieve stray toys, Haribos etc. Safety gadgets also worked great, including the tyre pressure sensor, which swiftly warned me when I hadn’t noticed a stone embedded in the nearside rear. But I soon turned off the Lane Departure Warning System, as the sensation of having my seatbelt repeatedly tugged on, for example on lane drops, was somewhat annoying. I have to say that the Citroën really came into its own though as a long-distance cruiser – capable and refined and with an overall figure of 45.4mpg. But I still think, arguably, the C4 Picasso’s biggest strength of all is its looks – bold yet stylish and with an interior that takes a lead on quality as well as spaciousness, topped off by the expansive glass roof and huge windscreen. Who said practical had to be boring? Natalie Middleton
the figures OTR PRICE £24,210 POWER 113bhp @ 3,600rpm TORQUE 199lbft @ 1,750rpm 0-62mph 11.8 seconds TOP SPEED 117mph COMBINED MPG 70.6mpg CO2 105g/km (17% BiK)
Suzuki SX-4 S-Cross 1.6 DDiS SZ-T ALLGRIP
LOOKED at in isolation, our Suzuki is an honest, sensible hatchback – it’s not exciting or dynamic nor possessed of a premium badge which will have user-
80 / fleetworld.co.uk
choosers come flocking. Instead, Suzuki is pitching the S-Cross as a cut-price Nissan Qashqai rival and has loaded it with equipment to make the difference in apparent “value” seem greater. But while the niceties fitted as standard on the Suzuki are welcome, such as reversing camera, sat-nav and DAB radio, this car simply doesn’t feel as though it can warrant its £21,549 pricetag. Granted, there is plenty of room inside and the styling does lend an air of “off-roadiness” to it with the charcoal side strips and matching alloy wheels, but some of the
trim inside feels cheap, the parcel shelf is flimsy and part of the underside of the dashboard has already fallen away and is now dangling in the passenger footwell. These sort of things would be just about excusable in a £15,000 S-Cross, but not one which costs this much. A far more sensible option would be to do without four-wheel drive, ditch the diesel for the 1.6 petrol (this is hardly going to be a high-mileage fleet tool) and throttle back on the equipment down to SZ3 level. Here you’re in the £15k ball park, which seems to suit the S-Cross far better. Julian Kirk
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GH4hS
Volkswagen Golf GTD
YOU need to live with a plug-in hybrid to get over the techno wow factor and see it for what it is. That said, as the Outlander PHEV disappears with a whine of an electric motor or two, I’ve been impressed. It’s very well thought out and user friendly so it’s simple to get the best out of the car with minimal petrol use, if you drive mostly short distances. Charging takes a few hours from discharged and you need to remember to plug in whenever possible. It’s the best plug-in hybrid yet, but more competition is on the way… John Kendall
YOU know when they say, you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone? Well that’s a bit how I feel about the Golf GTD, after a recent long-term swap around. Its replacement is an equally capable car, but every now and then you find yourself looking for some little feature or shortcut that made driving the Volkswagen such an easy experience. The electric parking brake was a case in point. Usually I hate them, and I’m not overly fond of the one at my disposal now. However the Volkswagen had a second “drive-through” brake setting that became second nature. Missing it already. Dan Gilkes
Renault ZOE Dynamique Zen THREE years ago, I spent a week trying to cover my old 68-mile commute on electricity. It was possible, but it was hard work. A month using the ZOE for my 157-mile drive to St Albans from my house in Cardiff has shown just how much this has changed in a relatively short timeframe. Some of that comes down to range. Motorways offer few opportunities for regenerative braking, and it’s the least efficient way to use an EV. Even so, the ZOE easily covers 75-80 miles at 70mph, and it’s possible to run ancillaries like the infotainment system, lights and ventilation without denting that significantly. But range anxiety is a bit of a red herring, because it’s charging infrastructure which makes the real difference. The M4 is part of Ecotricity’s Electric Highway and the ZOE can rapid charge, for free, at most service stations, at around 12 times the speed of my home wallbox. That’s around 1% of capacity per 20 seconds until it reaches 80%, after which it halves to a speed that’s still three times faster than most public units, and many other EVs, can manage. These are so quick that it’s actually easier for me to factor in two stops of less than 25 minutes, each time leaving with 85%, than it would be to stretch the range and stop once at Membury for a full charge. Significantly
so – two stops saves about 20 minutes, and makes the journey more relaxing too. Stopping to charge every 60 miles or so doesn’t make the ZOE an ideal motorway workhorse, but it’s another reason why semi-regular long distance drivers no longer need to dismiss an electric vehicle as a suitable method of transport. They’d be surprised how quickly that range anxiety disappears. Alex Grant
fleetworld.co.uk / 81
our fleet SEAT Leon 1.6 TDi Ecomotive It’s really not hard to see why SEAT has enjoyed such a successful launch with the new Leon. In any of the three bodystyles, it’s a great premium-looking car for very attractive prices and works well. The ST we have has proved capable of hauling four golf bags, and it’s as good at moving people too, thanks to some of the most comfortable seats we’ve ever had in a long termer. We’ve opted into a car with the Tech Pack, which is proving popular both with fleet and retail buyers and gives the car an RV uplift too. This adds the excellent LED headlights, also includes a simple to use
navigation unit with DAB, and easily links up to media players and phones, while retaining a useful CD player tucked into the glovebox. A feature which is becoming increasingly uncommon. Fuel economy may be a little off the claimed 85.6mpg, but with multiple drivers and plenty of urban mileage that’s hardly surprising. However, it’s proving to be effortlessly efficient in almost all conditions and easy to get over 60mpg on most trips without trying too hard. Great ingredients for an attractive company car option. Luke Wikner
SUPPLIER
DIRECTORY electric vehicle charging
Ensto UK Ltd Tel: +44 7432 701524 ensto.com/chago
accident management Total Accident Management Tel: 0845 078 4157 www.totalaccman.co.uk
fast fits & tyres ATS Euromaster Tel: 0870 066 3624 www.atseuromaster.co.uk
fleet insurance insureFLEET Tel: 0333 202 3133
Audi A5 Sportback S Line Ultra ONE thing that has consistently amazed me in the last ten years has been the ability of the motor manufacturers to squeeze more and more MPG (and hence less and less CO2) from their car. Especially their larger models. CO2-based taxation now applies across the fiscal board so there are big advantages to both driver and fleet manager to go for the lean, green option. But when the system was first introduced in 2003, 109g/km wouldn’t have got you a VW Polo, let alone an Audi A5 2.0 TDi. In common with other German rivals, Audi has an impressive track record of lowering CO2 and our new A5 Sportback long-termer is impressively frugal on paper. Combined fuel consumption of 67.3mpg in a 132mph executive coupe is indeed impressive and, while the 0-62mph time of 9.5 seconds may not make it the quickest thing in creation, in-gear acceleration is strong
82 / fleetworld.co.uk
www.insurefleet.com
Bluedrop Services Ltd Tel: 01706 658608 www.bluedropservices.co.uk
driver licence checking thanks to 236lb/ft of torque at 1500rpm. It’s a car that looks great from all angles and has the sort of credentials that fleet buyers will take note of. We’ll be putting Audi’s bold MPG claim to the test over the next few months but first impressions – which count for so much – are first class. Ross Durkin
Jaama Tel: 0844 8484 333 www.jaama.co.uk
SMR Autoserve Limited Tel: 0844 888 3001 www.autoserve.co.uk
FLEETW RLD SUPPLIER DIRECTORY contract hire, leasing & finance
daily rental
fleet management software
risk management
Apex Car Rental Tel: 01323 745444
Sofico Tel:0121 288 5935/07815 601622
www.apexrental.co.uk
www.soficoservices.com
Roadmarque Tel: 0845 053 0331 www.roadmarque.com
sgfleet Tel: 0845 154 0721 www.sgfleet.com
Venson Automotive Solutions Tel: 08444 99 1402 www.venson.com
Tel: 0845 815 0019 www.dayscontracthire.co.uk
Maxxia 020 7520 9450 www.maxxia.co.uk
Nexus Vehicle Management Ltd Tel: 0871 984 1947 www.nexusrental.co.uk
Jaama Tel: 0844 8484 333 www.jaama.co.uk
Cardinus Risk Management Tel: 01733 426015
Tel: 0845 769 7381 www.lexautolease.co.uk
Alphabet (GB) Limited Tel: 0870 50 50 100 www.alphabet.co.uk
Promote your company here and online for just £500/year.
Chevin Fleet Solutions Tel: 01773 821 992 www.chevinfleet.com
ARI Fleet UK Tel: 0844 8000 700 www.arifleet.co.uk
JCT600 Contracts Limited Tel: 0113 250 0060 www.jct600contracts.co.uk
Contract Hire a Car Tel: 0370 218 8015 www.contracthireacar.com
Europcar Tel: 0116 217 3530 www.europcar.co.uk
Bynx Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com
MAC GB Ltd Tel: 01745 828180 www.reduceroadrisk.com
Arnold Clark Vehicle Management
Fleet Alliance Tel: 0845 601 8407 www.fleetalliance.co.uk
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tel: 01784 221 300 www.enterprise.co.uk
Civica Tranman Tel: 01454 874002 www.civica.co.uk/tranman
AA DriveTech Tel: 01256 495732
Lex Autolease
Tel: 0845 603 4590 www.acvm.co.uk
www.cardinus.com
www.AAdrivetech.com/fleetsafe DriveTech
Vehicle Management
Pendle Vehicle Contracts Tel: 08456 025697 www.pendlelease.co.uk
Zenith Tel: 0113 348 8667 www.zenith.co.uk
Budget Rent-a-Car Tel: 0844 5338 08701544 56 56 56 www.budget.co.uk
Enterprise Software Tel: 0161 925 2400 www.essl.co.uk
IAM Drive & Survive Tel: 0870 120 2910 www.iamdriveandsurvive.co.uk
Concept Vehicle Leasing Tel: 0800 043 2050 www.conceptvehicleleasing.co.uk
Volkswagen Group Leasing Tel: 0870 333 2229
Arnold Clark Car and Van Rental Tel: 0845 702 3946
Drive Software Solutions Tel: 01438 317731
RAC Risk Management Tel: 0870 606 2606
www.volkswagengroupleasing.co.uk
www.arnoldclarkrental.com
www.drivesoftwaresolutions.com
www.racfleetriskmanagement.co.uk
Full listings online at fleetworld.co.uk For more information, please contact Tracy Howell on 01727 739160 or email tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk telematics & tracking
Full listings online at fleetworld.co.uk
Teletrac, a Trafficmaster company Tel: 0870 604 8813 www.teletrac.co.uk
car valeting Val-Tech Solutions Ltd Tel: 0333 011 6540 www.val-techsolutions.co.uk
Tel: 0845 055 8555 Ctrack www.ctrack.co.uk
misfuelling
fuel management
AFF Tel: 0844 879 4770 www.autofuelfix.com
Shell Fuelcards Tel: 0800 915 6021 www.shell.co.uk/euroshell
TRACKER Network UK Limited Tel: 0845 602 3981 www.TRACKER.co.uk
Esso Fuel Cards Tel: 0800 626 672 www.essocard.com
Trakm8 Tel: 01747 858 444 www.trakm8.com
Telogis Tel: 0203 005 8805 www.telogis.co.uk
Navman Wireless UK Ltd Tel: 0845 521 1188 www.navmanwireless.co.uk
The Fuelcard Company Tel: 0845 073 0873 www.fuelcards.co.uk
Fleetmatics Tel: 0800 975 4566 www.fleetmatics.co.uk
Quartix Ltd Tel: 0870 013 6663 www.quartix.co.uk
MiX Telematics Europe Tel: 0121 717 5360 www.mixtelematics.co.uk
BP Oil UK Ltd Tel: 0845 603 0723 www.bpplus.co.uk
vehicle data International Decision Systems Tel: 01256 302 000 www.idsdata.co.uk
fleetworld.co.uk / 83
It… is about being local and global. ARI is known and trusted by fleet management decision-makers worldwide to streamline operations and control costs. We know that every company has unique fleet challenges and we meet these complexities with tailored solutions. We dig deeper and go further to unlock your fleet’s performance with sustainable business solutions. Across the globe, across the country, across your town—our fleet management experts are around the corner. Learn more about ARI’s professional fleet management services: 0844 8000 700 www.arifleet.co.uk
VAN
October 2014
FLEETW RLD
p100 Courier offers a great drive on both urban and country roads, coping equally well on motorways
at a glance driven...
Renault Master & Ford Transit Courier
plus...
Fleet management software, telematics system overload & latest news from the Hanover Show vanfleetworld.co.uk
inbusiness
Mitsubishi hybrid van offers big saving potential
M
itsubishi has launched the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 4x4 light commercial vehicle, with the introduction of the Outlander Gx3h 4Work. As with the regular Outlander van, the PHEV is based on the mid-range 4x4 car, but with the rear seats and the rear side windows removed. A sturdy load bed, capable of handling around 500kg, is installed in the rear of the vehicle at the same height as the loading sill. This can be accessed from the rear hatch or through the two side load doors. The van is also capable of pulling a 1,500kg trailer. Priced at £23,373 after the Government’s PiVG grant, the Outlander 4Work is capable of travelling up to 32.5 miles on electric power alone. In combined use it emits just 44g/km and boasts an official fuel figure of 148mpg. As a commercial vehicle it also benefits from a 100% first year capital allowance this year. ‘The Outlander Gx3h 4Work represents a significant cost reduction for companies running fleets of vans and independent businesses that need a reliable all conditions, all-weather workhorse,’ said Mike Thomas, general manager of
product planning for Mitsubishi Motors. The van boasts 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth, brake regeneration paddles, cruise control and speed limiter, remote keyless entry and auto wipers. It also comes as standard with Mitsubishi’s super all-wheel control (S-AWC) traction system that makes four-wheel drive available at the push of a button.
Cutting emissions with hydrogen now a viable proposition
U
lemco, a division of Revolve Technologies, has launched a hydrogen conversion, initially for Ford’s large Transit vans. The firm has more than 20 of the H2-powered vans on UK roads at present, with Cheltenham-based office supply, print and IT specialist Commercial Group running eight converted Transits. The conversion can be carried out on medium and long wheelbase Transits, though only rear-drive models can be used as they provide the necessary ground clearance. Medium wheelbase models can be equipped with two
86 / vanfleetworld.co.uk
hydrogen tanks, while LWB and Jumbo vans get three tanks. The Type 3 bullet-proof tanks have a 15 year life and can be re-used for up to three vans. They feature a pressurebased leak detection system and conform to EC79/2009 standards. Other than a six monthly inspection there are no additional service requirements, though customers have to have a Vehicle Special Order to use hydrogen on the road, under Construction and Use regulations. The Transit retains its diesel engine and starts on regular fuel. Ulemco’s own ECU controls how much H2 is injected into the mix, ranging from up to 95% on half load to around 40% hydrogen on full load work. When running with a high proportion of H2 the firm says that the vans can achieve up to 35mpg, compared to high 20s on diesel. The big benefit however is emissions, with CO2 dropping to just 75g/km on the EU drive cycle. The downsides are obviously cost, at around £30,000 on top of the price of a Transit van the conversion is not going to work purely on a financial basis. The two-tank system also takes around 150kg out of the available payload. Finding a ready supply of hydrogen is also not yet as easy as it might seem, though there are apparently a growing number of H2 stations in the UK. However, if emissions reduction is your main company focus, then the hydrogen conversion could well tick the necessary boxes.
show highlights
Hanover highlights The 65th IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hanover demonstrated that for many manufacturers van and truck sales continue to improve across Europe and further afield. With numerous launches, concepts and upgrades on show, visitors were given a clear picture of the immediate future of light commercial vehicle use, and a glimpse of what may come next in the delivery market.
Iveco - Daily Iveco was awarded the International Van of the Year 2015 for its new Daily range at the show. As Daily is starting to arrive in dealers, the irm has already increased its offering on the van, with a new option of a ZF eight-speed Hi-Matic automatic transmission now available on both 2.3-litre and 3.0-litre models. The transmission is available on all vans and chassis cabs right up to a rangetopping 7.2 tonne Daily, that offers a class-leading potential payload of up to 4.9 tonnes. The automatic transmission will eventually replace Iveco’s Agile automated manual gearbox and is said to deliver up to 4% fuel savings against a standard manual van, thanks to the additional ratios. Early in 2015 Iveco will also add two completely different 4x4 models to the Daily line-up. These will include a dedicated high-riding off-roader, in the same vein as the previous all-wheel drive model, along with a new allweather on-highway 4x4 system. Developed with Austrian firm Achleitner, the all-weather 4x4 will be offered on all twin rear wheel versions of the panel van and chassis cab. June 2015 will also see the introduction of a second generation Daily Electric van, based on the recently revised diesel model. With upgraded sodium batteries and super-capacitors, the Daily Electric will offer a 25% increase in ef iciency with a 250km driving range. A new rapid charging system will also permit two hour recharging periods. The electric van will be the first Daily to feature a 7-inch tablet screen that can be removed from the van, maintaining contact with the vehicle’s control systems through Bluetooth. This allows the driver to control heating and ventilation, along with charging, remotely. It will also incorporate a TomTom navigation system, allowing route planning to be carried out in the office and activated once in the vehicle.
Iveco - Vision concept Iveco unveiled its latest concept van at the IAA show. The Iveco Vision is powered by a dual energy electric and hybrid driveline. The concept features see-through A-pillars and rear facing cameras with screens above the windshield, for a panoramic view from the cab. The van features a futuristic version of the new 7-inch screen that will be used in the Daily Electric from next year, with the driver able to operate numerous systems within the vehicle and use the tablet for delivery noti ication and other of ice functions. The van features a load management system in the rear, with automatic containment devices that sense the size and shape of the load and move to hold that load in place. Sensors identify the size and weight of the load and assign the correct position within the load area for maximum security and ease of unloading.
88 / vanfleetworld.co.uk
Hyundai Hyundai is set to take on the mainstream LCV market with the launch next year of its first 3.5-tonne van, the H350. Available initially in nine left-hand drive European markets, the van will come to the UK in right-hand drive in the second half of 2015. H350 is available as a panel van, minibus and as a chassis cab for conversions. The van offers a 12.9m3 load volume, enough to fit five Euro pallets, with payloads of 1,336-1,365kg. The chassis cab model will be available with two chassis length to suit a variety of bodies. The Hyundai is powered by a choice of 2.5-litre Euro 6 diesel engines, delivering 150hp with 373Nm of torque or 170hp and 422Nm. Both engines drive through a six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to several leading vans in the market, the H350 boasts LED daytime running lights and Hyundai’s family hexagonal front grille. The vans will be built in cooperation with Turkish manufacturer Karsan Automotive. Hyundai admits that it will have to work with dealers across Europe to improve LCV service levels, but insists that it will deliver a distinct price advantage when the vans come to market. A standard steel bulkhead help to keep in-cab noise levels low and the driver is well looked after with Hill Start Assist, Vehicle Dynamic Control and a Lane Departure Warning system. A multi-function steering wheel provides control for the audio system and hands-free telephone connectivity. Heated electric mirrors, automatic wipers and lights are also standard, along with cruise control and a Start/Stop system. Air conditioning, an 8-inch navigation screen and a rear-view camera can also be specified. Pricing, service details and warranties will be announced nearer the launch date, but Hyundai says to expect very competitive pricing in line with its car ranges.
Fiat Fiat Professional has taken the wraps off an updated Doblo van range, with a revised front end and improved cab interior. The fourth generation model retains its two wheelbases and two roof heights, with payloads of up to 1-tonne. However the new van now comes with the option of seating for three and load volumes of up to 5.4m3. Both the 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre diesel engines have been tuned for improved torque delivery, with up to 40% more torque available at lower rpm. The 90hp 1.3-litre engine and the 1.6-litre Multijet II can now also be had in Ecojet versions, with Start/Stop, low rolling resistance tyres, low viscocity oils, a smart alternator and a variable displacement oil pump. This combined pack results in emissions as low as 115g/km and fuel consumption of up to 64mpg. The vans all come with ESC stability control, complete with ASR anti-slip regulation, hydraulic brake assist and Hill Hold systems. Following the launch of new Ducato this year and the arrival of Doblo at the start of 2015, Fiat Professional says that it will overhaul its entire range in the next two years, with both Scudo and Fiorino set for updates by 2016. The company has also announced its intention to launch a new pick-up range by 2016, completing its LCV line-up. The company will also launch a compressed natural gas (CNG) powered Ducato in the New Year. The 3.0-litre engine offers up to 136hp and reduced emissions. Fiat will also offer a CNG engine for the revised Doblo. The new Doblo van will also be sold in the USA for the first time, under the Ram badge alongside Ducato.
vanfleetworld.co.uk / 89
A Daimler Brand
The Citan delivers. Economy, safety, uptime. Discover the Citan. www.mbvans.co.uk/fleet
show highlights
Volkswagen Volkswagen has given the clearest impression yet of the appearance of its sixth generation Transporter van, to be launched early next year. The company showed the Tristar concept, resurrecting a name last used on a tough pick-up variant of the T3 van. Looking past the big show wheels and unusual pull out storage trays, you can get an impression of the T6 Transporter’s front end and overall dimensions. Wrap-around lines and LED headlights also point the way forward for T6, though it is doubtful that Tristar’s 204hp version of the Volkswagen 2.0litre diesel will make it to many fleet users. Volkswagen might be the last manufacturer to show its hand in the current round of mid-range van updates, but that is hardly surprising as T5 production is sold out through to April next year. Indeed T5 sales are up 6% in the first eight months of this year and the company is having to take on a night shift at its Hanover plant to cope with demand. Volkswagen has also started construction of a new van plant in Poland that will be home to the 2016 Crafter van range, which will separate from Mercedes’ Sprinter and be an all-VW product this time around. Indeed Volkswagen has promised to renew its entire LCV range by 2016, starting with the T6 Transporter in 2015. Volkswagen has also announced that it will sell the compact e-Load up! van that we first drove in concept form earlier this year. With the e-up! electric car now on sale, the compact commercial, which is basically the car with no rear seats or rear side windows offers a perfect urban delivery option. It has a payload of 306kg and 1.4m3 of load volume, while the 60kW electric motor delivers up to 210Nm of torque for rapid acceleration and nippy about town capabilities. Lithium ion batteries stored below the floor deliver a claimed 100 mile range. As yet there are no prices for the electric LCV.
92 / vanfleetworld.co.uk
Nissan Nissan is aiming to increase its European LCV sales by 40% in the next five years, taking its market share from 3% to 4.5% and sales volumes from 55,000 to more than 100,000 vans. At the heart of this growth is the belief that its investment in electric LCVs, with the recent launch of the e-NV200, will pay dividends. ‘We believe that in Europe, one third of LCV customers could be ready to look at electric vans,’ says global general manager of LCVs, Dany Boulanger. ‘Two thirds of vans in Europe do less than 100km per day,’ adds electric vehicle chief marketing manager, Julien Foucher. ‘The charging infrastructure needs to increase a bit and the decision to buy takes longer, but in passenger cars we have seen electric numbers double every year in Europe.’ To meet this growing demand, Nissan is currently testing a number of prototype e-NT400 Cabstars in Japan, with three domestic customers. Though there is no word on when, or indeed if, these electric trucks will be offered in Europe, the company is keen to increase its electric LCV business. ‘Nissan is looking to build its LCV business around the world,’ says Mr Boulanger. The company’s largest van, the NV400, has been updated in line with alliance partner’s Master van, with the adoption of new single and bi-turbo engines, improved safety systems and an Eco driving mode to reduce fuel consumption. All models now come with ESC stability control and there is the option of an Extended Grip system for both front and rear drive vans.
NEW
. STRONG BY NATURE.
TH E BES T DA ILY EV ER HAS A RRIVED, AND IT’S ALL NE W. A brand new van architecture, best in class in terms of load efficiency (10.8 m 3) and volume ( up to 19.6 m 3) . Truck derived chassis frame up to 7 tonnes gross vehicle weight. New suspensions, enhanced handling and superb interior comfor t. Diesel engines 2.3 and 3.0 litres, power from 106 to 205 hp, and up to 14% fuel savings when fitted with the full Eco Pack.*
Di scove r the New DA ILY a t you r loc a l IV EC O dea ler n ow. V i sit w ww. newdaily.c o.uk o r ca ll 08 00 915 0 040.
W W W. I V E C O. C O. U K
Image shown for illustrative purposes, model shown is a 35-150. *Fuel consumption refers to the urban cycle calculated in accordance with EU Regulations 715/2007 and 692/2008, and UNECE Regulations 83 and 101, compared with the previous range.
Iveco with
NEW VIVARO BUILT TO TAKE IT ALL
UP TO 47.9 MPG (COMBINED)#
NEW VIVARO BUILT TO TAKE IT ALL Welcome to a whole new van for a whole new world of work. The latest award-winning BiTurbo engines deliver more power, torque and economy. FlexCargo gives you class-leading load length. And a new design means it’ll take any job in its stride. Explore how New Vivaro completed the Siberia Challenge at www.siberiachallenge.co.uk and see the van for yourself at your local Vauxhall Heavy Van Retailer.
Call 0845 740 0777 or visit vauxhall.co.uk/newvivaro Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/ (120PS) S/S: Urban: 42.8 (6.6), Extra-urban: 51.4 (5.5), Combined: 47.9 (5.9). CO 2 #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. Model shown includes FlexCargo,
100km) and CO 2 emissions (g/km). New Vivaro Sportive L1H1 2700 1.6CDTi BiTurbo emissions: 155g/km.# not available on all models.
show highlights
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes Trucks’ Fuso division is to test fully electric E-Cell versions of its Canter truck with customers over the coming year. The firm, which already successfully sells an Eco-hybrid version of the truck, has built eight all-electric models for customers to try. The Canter E-Cell is based on the smallest single cab model, fitted with a 4.3m dropside body or a 4.4m long box. With a gross weight of 6.0 tonnes, the truck offers up to 3.0 tonnes of payload. An electric motor delivers 110kW of power and up to 650Nm of torque, with a single speed transmission delivering drive to the rear axle. Top speed is limited to 90km/h in line with diesel-powered trucks of this weight and Fuso claims a range of more than 100km should be possible. Charging the batteries takes around seven hours on a 230V system, or just one hour with a rapid charger. Fuso has also lifted the weight of its largest truck from 7.5 tonnes to 8.55 tonnes. This provides a potential payload of up to 6.0 tonnes, which is class-leading for a truck of this size. Hanover also provided many customers with the first opportunity to take a closer look at the new Vito van line-up. Available for the first time with front-, rear- and all-wheel drive, Vito comes with a choice of three body lengths. Maximum weights have increased to 3.2-tonne for the rear-drive models, offering up to 1,369kg of payload. Van Fleet World will be driving the new Vito range in the coming months.
Ford Ford has completed its new Transit line-up with the introduction of the extra-long L5 Super Jumbo, the double-cab-in-van with four-person rear seat, the people carrying Kombi and various chassis cab options. Ford is also making an improved all-wheel drive system available on Transit, with a high performance electric pump and AWD clutch coupling to distribute torque between the four wheels. The AWD transfer case is integrated within the transmission and front axle, adding just 45kg to the van’s base weight.
96 / vanfleetworld.co.uk
Renault Master
Master offers engine upgrades, ESC on all models and improved running costs, says Dan Gilkes.
T
rafic was not the only Renault van to get an overhaul this summer, as the firm’s larger Master range also got to benefit from twin turbo engines and standard ESC on all models. While the van’s appearance is virtually unchanged, Renault is promising reduced operating costs and improved safety for Master. The van still uses Renault’s 2.3-litre fourcylinder diesel engine, but there are now four power ratings instead of the previous three. The base single turbo model moves up from 100hp to 110hp, with 285Nm of torque. The more powerful single turbo model that we have here gets 125hp and 310Nm of torque. If you want to operate with bigger bodies or higher payloads, there are now twin-turbo versions of the engine as well, delivering 135hp and 340Nm, or a range-topping 165hp and 360Nm. Master is available in front or rear-wheel drive, with three wheelbases available on front drive models and two for the rear drive vans. All models now come with ESC Electronic Stability Control, previously it was only standard on rear drive vans. The system brings with it Grip Xtend enhanced traction for poor ground conditions, Hill Start Assist, Load Adaptive Control and, if you opt for a factory- it towbar, Trailer Swing Assist. There are also three roof heights available on the front drive vans with both the medium and high roof for the rear drive models, plus no less than four body lengths in total. Rear drive vans can also be had with single or dual rear wheels, while Master has gross weights of 2.8t, 3.3t, 3.5t and 4.5t. This MM35 front drive model has a
what we think Though perhaps a less noticeable upgrade than this year’s Trafic overhaul, Master remains an excellent heavy van, with a wide choice of models to suit most business needs.
specification MODEL
Renault Master FWD MM35 dCi125 Business+ BASIC PRICE £25,420 ENGINE 4-cyl/2,298cc FUEL INJECTION Common-rail POWER 125hp @ 3,500rpm TORQUE 310Nm @ 1,500rpm Weights (kg) GVW 3,500 KERB WEIGHT 1,880 PAYLOAD 1,620 MAX TRAILER WEIGHT 2,500 Dimensions (mm) LOAD SPACE LENGTH 3,083 LOAD SPACE WIDTH 1,765 LOAD SPACE HEIGHT 1,894 LOAD HEIGHT (unladen) 548 LOAD VOLUME 10.8m3 Cost considerations COMBINED MPG & CO2 35.3mpg /211g/km OIL CHANGE 2 yr/25,000 miles WARRANTY 4 yr/100,000 miles
medium wheelbase with a medium roof. That gives the van a 10.8m3 load volume and a very competitive payload of more than 1,600kg within its 3.5 tonne gross weight. Equipped with the popular 125hp engine, the van promises up to 35.3mpg with 211g/km of CO2 emissions. Surprisingly that is not as good as the claimed economy of the higher powered, but more expensive, twinturbo models. It does represent reasonable performance for a van of this size though and seems to be perfectly achievable. There are two trim levels available for UK customers. Business vans come with a DAB radio with Bluetooth and USB input, a trip computer, height adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar and an armrest, electric front windows, a side loading door, unglazed rear doors, a full steel bulkhead, disc brakes all round and remote locking with deadlocks. The Business+ trim that we have on our test van adds manual air conditioning, one touch driver’s window, a dashboard storage compartment lid, a pivoting seatback table with dual underseat storage areas, upgraded upholstery, a 12V power socket in the load area, rear parking sensors, a hands-free key and a clipboard holder in the dash. It also comes with Renault’s Wide View Mirror, seen on Tra ic earlier this year, which is mounted on the back of the passenger side sun visor and reduces the blindspot to the left of the van for easier manoeuvring. With Renault’s 4+ pack offering four years of warranty (to 100,000 miles), four years of free servicing (to 48,000 miles), a four year inance package and four years of roadside cover, Master certainly has plenty going for it.
vanfleetworld.co.uk / 97
_NEW D
A NEW GENERA _BACK-UP CAMERA
_BEST IN CLASS FUEL CONSUMPTION
NEW DUCATO. MORE TECHNOLOGY, MORE EFFICIENCY, MORE
new technological solutions, best in class fuel consumption (5,8 l /100 km), best in class payload and
*single wheels segment Fuel consumption figures for the New Ducato range in mpg (l/100km): Urban 24.4 (11.6) - 39.8 (7.1); Extra Urban based on standard EU tests for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results.
UCATO.
TION AT WORK _LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM & _TRAFFIC SIGN RECOGNITION
_UCONNECT TOUCHSCREEN
VALUE.
New Ducato offers much more to the workers: capacity, a completely new design, much more value for your job.
www.fiatprofessional.co.uk 38.2 (7.4) - 49.6 (5.7); Combined 31.7 (8.9) - 45.6 (6.2). CO2 emissions 164 – 236 g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures
Ford Transit Courier
Completing Ford’s growing Transit range, Courier takes on the compact high-cube market, says Dan Gilkes.
T
hose with a long memory will know that this isn’t Ford’s irst Courier van. Based on a Fiesta chassis cowl, the last one was literally a high-cube box mounted behind the car’s front end. Though it did provide a competent urban delivery vehicle, it was certainly no looker. This Transit Courier also uses a compact Ford car as its base, this time it’s the B-Max, which again shares much with the Fiesta. It’s a far more integrated design however, and a very smart looking compact high-cube LCV for urban business users. It boasts a usable 2.3m3 of load volume, behind a standard full height steel bulkhead. For those that need more space, there is an optional folding mesh bulkhead with fold/dive passenger seat, extending the load volume to 2.6m3. There is also a Kombi version with folding rear seats that offers 1.0m3 of loadspace with the seats up and 1.9m3 with the rear seats folded. Transit Courier is offered with three engines, a 75hp 1.5TDCi, the 1.6-litre diesel with 95hp that we have here and Ford’s award winning three-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, delivering 100hp. With fuel consumption in the mid 50s and CO2 levels of just 119g/km the EcoBoost motor could prove surprisingly successful for small businesses in city environments, especially if London Mayor Boris Johnson gets his way and charges extra for journeys into the Capital in a diesel van. Both diesel vans drive through five-speed manual gearboxes to the front wheels and either one can be ordered with Start/Stop as an option. However, even without it, our 1.6litre test van offers a claimed 70.6mpg and just 105g/km. If you tick the Start-Stop box,
100 / vanfleetworld.co.uk
what we think Sales numbers won’t be as high as for the larger Transit models, but with Transit Courier, Ford completes what has to be the best LCV line-up on the market at present.
specification MODEL Ford Transit Courier 1.6TDCi Trend BASIC PRICE £13,221 ENGINE 4-cyl/1,560cc FUEL INJECTION Common-rail POWER 95hp @ 3,800rpm TORQUE 215Nm @ 1,750rpm-2,500rpm Weights (kg) GVW 1,795 KERB WEIGHT 1,135 PAYLOAD 660 MAX TRAILER WEIGHT 500 Dimensions (mm) LOAD SPACE LENGTH 1,620 LOAD SPACE WIDTH 1,488 LOAD SPACE HEIGHT 1,244 LOAD HEIGHT (unladen) 547 LOAD VOLUME 2.3m3 Cost considerations COMBINED MPG & CO2 70.6mpg/105g/km OIL CHANGE 1 yr/20,000 miles WARRANTY 3 yr/100,000 miles
that drops to a claimed 74.3mpg and 100g/km and if you also opt for a fixed 62mph speed limiter, Ford claims you can get to 76.3mpg and just 97g/km. The 1.6TDCi van that we have here can carry 660kg, which puts it on a par with its main competition, the Citroen/Peugeot/Fiat trio that currently dominate this compact high-cube sector. There are two trim levels for Courier. Base comes with daytime running lights, Ford’s Easy-Fuel cap-less fuel illing system, Electronic Stability Control, reach and rake adjustable steering, a DAB radio with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, a driver’s airbag and load compartment lighting. The Trend trim that we have here adds front fog lights, a side loading door, auto wipers and lights, heated electric mirrors, a driver’s side underseat storage drawer, an overhead stowage shelf, Ford SYNC with a dash display, electric windows, an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar and armrest, plus a 12V outlet in the load area. This isn’t a huge sector of the market, with Nemo, Bipper and Fiorino the main competitors. Car-based commercials like Fiesta Van and Vauxhall’s Corsavan don’t offer the same carrying capacity of the high-cube models, though for some urban runabouts that isn’t always a problem. As with the larger Transit models, Courier offers a great drive on both urban and country roads, coping equally well on motorways. Add in 20,000 mile service intervals, impressive fuel economy and low total cost of ownership and Ford could well have a winner on its hands again.
www.renault.co.uk
ALL-NEW RENAULT TRAFIC. YOUR SUCCESS BOOSTER.
• Redesigned cabin with mobile office for clever storage and technology solutions • Up to 4.15 metre load-through-bulkhead, making it the most flexible LCV in its class • Formula One inspired ENERGY engines with fuel efficiency of up to 47.9mpg combined*
trust europe’s no.1 van manufacturer
*EU Directive and Regulation 692/2008 test environment figures. Fuel consumption and CO2 may vary according to driving style, road conditions and other factors.
FEATURE Telematics
Data overload Does your telematics system give you data overload? Dan Gilkes calls for help in deciphering the available information.
T
elematic systems, from the most basic vehicle tracking to an all-encompassing fleet management solution such as TomTom’s Worksmart, can save time and money. Simply knowing where vehicles are is a vital component of fleet management. However as the technology has developed, suppliers have been able to add an increasingly complex array of reporting options and data streams. This of course allows fleet managers to do far more than simply track the location of their vehicles. Indeed the list of available features is often only regulated by the amount that you are prepared to spend. But this ever-increasing flow of information can prove too much for a busy fleet manager. Though many are keen to adopt telematic systems, one of the biggest criticisms is that there can be just too much data, and it can be hard to drill down to the bits that are really useful for their operation. ‘To implement a truly effective telematics solution that doesn’t require hours of deciphering large amounts of data, needs a business to work closely with their telematics provider from the outset,’ says David Wilson, sales, service and marketing director at Tracker. ‘Taking a consultative approach allows the customer to identify the issues they need addressing in the business and then the telematics company can ensure it delivers the right elements of the product, with the correct combination of data.’ ‘Different customers have different needs,’ agrees David Lee, head of customer experience at Hitachi Capital CV Solutions. ‘The data that comes out of a telematics system will be very different for a business offering company vans to essential users, as opposed to commercial vehicles that are critical to service delivery. ‘With the former, the focus of the data will be on driver behaviour, safety and fuel economy, whereas the latter could require a more sophisticated solution with additional functionality, incorporating job routing and scheduling, ancillary equipment monitoring and integration with office systems. ‘We partner with the RAC to provide our customers with a telematics product that is completely scalable, catering to their diverse needs. Our online system aggregates data from telematics hardware and other sources to give a complete picture of the leet, which can be broken down by vehicle or driver.’ Telematics provider Masternaut is taking this a stage further by launching a Change Management Consultancy, to help
102 / vanfleetworld.co.uk
businesses new to telematics or those upgrading systems to get the most from their implementation. Programmes are centered on risk management, fuel savings, fleet utilisation, process engineering, health & safety, emissions management and employee communication. ‘What's often overlooked by telematics providers is bringing employees on board and demonstrating that it isn’t a “big brother” exercise, but a programme that can help them and the business,’ says head of change management, Mike Hemming. ‘Telematics is no longer the preserve of the fleet manager or depot manager, the likes of HR, finance and the CEO want to see the benefits across the business, so preparing properly and following up post implementation is essential to ensure all parties get what they want out of the system.’ ‘A key solution to this challenge can be found in the form of a professional services team,’ agrees John Cameron, general manager of Trimble Field Service Management. ‘Such a team offers their expertise to help businesses in the analysis and interpretation of the data from initial concept through to daily implementation. Information is only good if it helps you make the right decision and a professional services team helps to ensure businesses achieve this.’ ‘Where data is concerned, accessibility is as important as accuracy,’ says Tim Eaves, commercial director at In-Car Cleverness. ‘For fleets with varied requirements, we believe that a customised approach is the most effective means to making successful changes to a fleet’s performance as requirements differ dramatically from fleet to fleet. ‘Our interactive reporting facility enables fleet managers to utilise data effectively, and with the help of this accurate data, they can intervene in areas where they can be saving money and reducing their environmental impact.’ Despite these varying approaches to making data more accessible, most agree that the amount of information available to mangers will only increase going forwards. ‘The way we connect vehicles to other vehicles, the world around them and the people in it, in increasingly complex ways is much more likely to drive the mobility innovations of the future,’ says Trimble’s Cameron. ‘This means, applying smart technologies in ways we haven’t even thought of to make our journeys safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly. One thing is for sure, big data and the integration of technology will be at the centre.’
ACHIEVE MORE TOGETHER. Fleet management for better team and business performance WEBFLEET® is the easiest way to be informed about your vehicles. With WEBFLEET your drivers and office staff work closer together and everyone makes smarter decisions. That’s the key to happy customers, great governance and the ability to keep moving towards your business goals. Call 020 7255 9774 or E-mail business.uk@tomtom.com to request a free demonstration from Europe’s leading fleet management and vehicle tracking provider.
www.tomtom.com/telematics
MARKET OVERVIEW Fleet Management Software
Bynx
Civica UK Ltd
Bynx is the leading provider of software solutions for vehicle fleet, leasing and rental management. bynxFLEET enables van leasing, contract hire, fleet management and rental operators to control the lifecycle of their vehicle assets, manage drivers and run day-to-day operations cost-effectively. Customers are able to retain asset value, engage with stakeholders online and better utilise fleets. bynxFLEET provides all the software modules and applications required to do the job - whether the fleet is owned or managed on someone else’s behalf. It automates and streamlines contract processing and enables customers to do more, faster, with fewer resources. bynxNET offers everything required to improve the customer experience and communication between all stakeholders.
Tranman has a proven track record, enabling fleet managers to achieve cost and utilisation benefits through process improvements and increased management information. With over 500 customers built up over 32 years, Tranman is a leader in a number of markets. Customers include large commercial fleet operators, 95% of police forces, 50% of fire brigades and over 100 local authorities. Key Benefits of the Tranman system include: • Reduce fleet operating costs • Better key performance analysis indicators • Improve analysis of accidents and fuel usage • Increase workshop productivity • Improve vehicle utilisation • Comply with duty of care • Award winning self-service pool car booking system • Customers and Suppliers can view and enter information via web
Contact: Gary Jefferies sales@bynx.com
Contact: Jonathan Roberts jonathan.roberts@civica.co.uk www.civica.co.uk/tranman
Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com
Chevin Fleet Solutions Chevin Fleet Solutions is the leading global provider of dedicated fleet management software. Their award winning software, Chevin FleetWave®, has one of the most comprehensive module offerings available on the market. It’s designed to improve the management of fleet information and all associated processes from one intelligent integrated system. The software provides increased visibility of KPI’s, paired with advanced control of procedures, clever automation, alerts and reminders. Extremely flexible configurations are designed to meet the demands of any operation from any sector looking for solutions to significantly improve their operational efficiency, reduce administrative resource, ensure compliance and risk requirements, and highlight ongoing cost savings.
Contact: David Gladding sales@chevinfleet.co.uk
Tel: 01773 821992 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 FTA's Van Excellence Scheme, Jaama is committed to raising standards and providing practical solutions to van 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: Jon Davis sales@jaama.co.uk
104 / vanfleetworld.co.uk
Tel: 0844 8484 333 www.jaama.co.uk
Tel: 01454 874002
DRIVE Software Solutions Limited We are a privately owned UK business dedicated to the delivery of Fleet, Vehicle Management, Contract Management and Leasing solutions. Drive Software Solutions Ltd are the creators and owners of the DRIVE Fleet Management and Leasing software product – a single generic product applicable to vehicle management requirements worldwide and which represents over 150 man-years of development by our software experts. DRIVE is a proven product and is currently installed and operating successfully in 16 countries worldwide. Our policy of continuous product enhancements and DRIVE’s modular structure enables it to be configured to meet the precise and unique needs of each of our clients. DRIVE is used throughout the world by leading vehicle leasing companies, major vehicle manufacturers, and other operators of large fleets to whom we continue to provide additional services and on-going 24/7 support.
Contact: Simon West-Oliver Tel: +44(0)1438 317731 simon.west-oliver@drivesoftwaresolutions.com www.drivesoftwaresolutions.com
Teletrac, a Trafficmaster Company Teletrac’s Fleet Director® is the most advanced and interactive fleet automation software on the market, equipped with easyto-use navigation and safety capabilities. With innovative features that include on-board navigation, lane guidance and twoway messaging, it is the premier software for fleet tracking intelligence. Tracking more than 250,000 vehicles globally, Teletrac saves fleet owners time and money while reducing their carbon footprint. Teletrac customers report up to 30% lower fuel usage, an average of 15% less driver overtime, 12% higher productivity and less unauthorised vehicle use.
Contact: Mark O’Neill fleetsales@teletrac.co.uk
Tel: 0345 604 8813 www.teletrac.co.uk
VAN 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 oer 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?
FLEETW RLD
Bynx
-
Chevin Fleet Solutions
Civica UK Ltd
-
DRIVE Software Solutions Ltd
Jaama Ltd
KeeResources Limited
-
-
-
Teletrac, a Trafficmaster Company
-
-
-
-
Key to services
Service provided
-
Service unavailable
THE online resource for fleet decision-makers
www.fleetworld.co.uk Top Sales professionals required to sell Leading motor industry Contract hire and leasing products in the B2B market. The role would suit someone who has considerable product and industry knowledge and would like to now work on their own initiative without a salary cap. The position is open to candidates across the UK and comes with the bonus of exible working hours. To discuss this exciting opportunity please send us a brief cover letter why you feel this role is for you and a relevant cv to jobs@pendlelease.co.uk
www.pendlelease.co.uk
RECRUITMENT
VAN SUPPLIER DIRECTORY FLEETW RLD daily rental
contract hire, leasing & finance
racking systems
tail lifts
fleet management software
Apex Van Rental Tel: 01323 745444 www.apexrental.co.uk
Fleet Alliance Tel: 0845 601 8407 www.fleetalliance.co.uk
Sortimo Central Tel: 0121 511 2303 www.sortimo-central.com
Penny Hydraulics Tel: 01246 811475 www.pennyhydraulics.com
Mycompanyfleet Tel: 0845 077 7760 www.mycompanyfleet.co.uk
Europcar Tel: 0116 217 3530 www.europcar.co.uk
Alphabet (GB) Limited Tel: 0870 50 50 100 www.alphabet.co.uk
Tevo Limited Tel: 01628 528034 www.tevo.eu.com
Ratcliff Palfinger Ltd Tel: 01707 382880 www.ratcliffpalfinger.co.uk
Bynx Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com
Nexus Vehicle Management Ltd Tel: 0871 984 1947 www.nexusrental.co.uk
LeasePlan UK Ltd Tel: 0844 493 5810 www.leaseplan.co.uk
Bott Ltd Tel: 01530 410600 www.bott-group.com
DEL Equipment (UK) Ltd Tel: 01993 708811 www.del-uk.com
Civica Tranman Tel: 01454 874002 www.civica.co.uk/tranman
Promote your company here and online for just £400/year.
Zenith Tel: 0113 348 8667 www.zenith.co.uk
Quartix Ltd Tel: 0870 013 6663 www.quartix.co.uk
Chevin Fleet Solutions Tel: 01773 821 992 www.chevinfleet.com
Avis Rent A Car Tel: 0844 544 5000 www.avis.co.uk
Arnold Clark Vehicle Management
TRACKER Network UK Limited Tel: 0845 602 3981 www.TRACKER.co.uk
fast-fits & tyres
Tel: 0141 332 2626 www.acvm.co.uk
telematics & tracking
Trakm8 Tel: 01747 858 444 www.trakm8.com
Vehicle Management
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tel: 01784 221 300 www.enterprise.co.uk
Budget Rent-a-Car Tel: 0844 5338 08701544 56 56 56 www.budget.co.uk
UKVANLEASING
Tel: 01708 511071 www.ukvanleasing.com
Lex Autolease
Tel: 0845 769 7381 www.lexautolease.co.uk
TomTom Business Solutions Tel: 020 7255 9774 www.tomtom.com/business
Navman Wireless UK Ltd Tel: 0845 521 1188 www.navmanwireless.co.uk
Tel: 0845 055 8555 Ctrack www.ctrack.co.uk Teletrac, a Trafficmaster company Tel: 0870 604 8813 www.teletrac.co.uk
ATS Euromaster Tel: 0870 066 3624 www.atseuromaster.co.uk
vehicle data International Decision Systems Tel: 01256 302 000 www.idsdata.co.uk
risk management STEPS AVS Steps Ltd
Volkswagen Group Leasing Tel: 0870 333 2229 www.volkswagengroupleasing.co.uk
fuel management
BP Oil UK Ltd Tel: 0845 603 0723 www.bpplus.co.uk
Roadmarque Tel: 0845 053 0331 www.roadmarque.com
Shell Fuelcards Tel: 0800 915 6021 www.shell.co.uk/euroshell
Esso Fuel Cards Tel: 0800 626 672 www.essocard.com
IAM Drive & Survive Tel: 0870 120 2910 www.iamdriveandsurvive.co.uk
Tel: 01939 235900 www.avssteps.co.uk Venson Automotive Solutions Tel: 08444 99 1402 www.venson.com
insurance Bluedrop Services Ltd Tel: 01706 658608 www.bluedropservices.co.uk
Full listings online at
fleetworld.co.uk
vehicle ventilation
accident management
Flettner Ventilator Ltd Tel: 020 8200 2321 www.flettner.co.uk
Total Accident Management Tel: 0845 078 4157 www.totalaccman.co.uk
106 / vanfleetworld.co.uk
VAN FLEETW RLD SUPPLIER DIRECTORY For more information, please contact Tracy Howell on 01727 739160 or email tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk