Fleet World September 2013

Less in. More out.

Go further with the new Honda engine 62.8 mpg in a CR-V. Lee Wheeler explains Earth Dreams technology and what it can do for your fleet.

Introducing the CR-V 1.6 diesel The car your drivers want. The car your fleet needs.

Our new CR-V 1.6 diesel features Earth Dreams technology, which means your drivers can combine the practical benefits of an SUV with efficient running costs.

• Class leading 1.6 diesel engine • Low fuel costs at 62.8 mpg • Two wheel drive only • 119 g/km CO 2 • Band C VED • BIK rate from 18% Engine PS

CO2 Emissions (g/km)

P11d value

BIK (%)

Whole life cost per month

Honda CR-V 1.6 Diesel S

120

119

£22,745

18%

–

Volkswagen Tiguan (2.0 TDi Bluemotion Tech S 110 2WD 5dr)

110

139

£21,715

22%

£845

Mazda CX-5 (2.2 SE-L 150ps Diesel 2WD 5dr)

150

119

£23,240

18%

£865

Ford Kuga (2.0 TDCi Zetec 140ps 2WD 5dr)

140

139

£22,215

22%

£845

Mitsubishi Outlander (2.2 Di-D GX2 4WD 5dr)

140

138

£23,699

22%

£908

Fuel consumption figures for the CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC S in MPG (1/100km): Urban 58.9 (4.8), Extra Urban 65.7 (4.3), Combined 62.8 (4.5), CO 2 emissions: 119g/km. Fuel consumption figures sourced from official EU-regulated laboratory test results, are provided for comparison purposes and may not reflect real-life driving experience.

Powered by

honda.co.uk/cars/earthdreams

Model shown: CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC S 2WD Manual in optional Passion Red Pearl at £23,300 On The Road. Disclaimer: CAP Motor Research Ltd (CAP) and Honda Motor Europe Limited trading as Honda (UK) (HUK) has exercised all reasonable care and skill in producing their New Vehicle Data, Future Residual Value & SMR products. CAP gathers its information from independent sources within the motor trade, unconnected with CAP and HUK, and as a result can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information passed on. Furthermore, information on valuations supplied are intended as a guide only to current market values; they cannot be considered in any way a substitute for a full and detailed inspection of any vehicle. Accordingly, neither CAP, nor HUK nor any of its offi cers, agents or representatives shall be liable in contract, tort or otherwise for any direct, indirect or consequential liabilities or losses incurred by any persons having access to the information given.

September 2013

FLEETW RLD All that matters in the world of fleet

What’s going wrong?

Our investigation into fleet reliability

Driven

BMW 4 Series, Chevrolet Trax

2013

2013 MPG Marathon

Return to form

Sign up to the UK’s premier economy driving event

Behind the wheel of Peugeot’s stylish new 308

‘There’s more to us than finding stolen Ferraris’ TRACKER's Stephen Doran on the firm's fleet plans fleetworld.co.uk

business.peugeot.co.uk /2008

NEW peugeot 2008

compact crossover up to 74.3 mpg† • from 98g/km CO2† • BIK from £61 per month at 40%** • grip control*

SEE THE CITY IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT If your drivers need something bigger and tougher than a hatchback that still delivers great performance in the city, the New Peugeot 2008 compact Crossover is a perfect solution. It features a higher driving position, Grip Control* for more challenging conditions, plus roof bars and a generous boot that adds to its practicality.

Fuel economy is as high as 74.3 MPG while CO2 emissions start at 98g/km†. From £12,995 OTR** and with BIK from £61 per month at 40%, this is a new take on city driving: perfect for urban explorers who need more from their vehicles. If you’d like to know more, call us on 02476 884 644.

The official fuel consumption in mpg (l/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km) for the 2008 range are: Urban 36.7 (7.7) to 68.9 (4.1), Extra Urban 58.9 (4.8) to 78.5 (3.6), Combined 47.9 (5.9) to 74.3 (3.8) and CO2 emissions 135–98. Achieved under official EU test conditions. Intended as a guide for comparative purposes only. Figure may not be reflected in actual on-the-road driving conditions. *Model shown is 2008 Feline 1.6 VTi. ** Price quoted is for 2008 Access+ 1.2 VTi 82 bhp. †Figures quoted for 1.6 e-HDi 92 EGC engine.

contents

September 2013

50

We investigate how reliable fleets are in reality...

FLEETW RLD All that matters in the world of fleet

What’s going wrong?

Our investigation into fleet reliability

Driven

2013

BMW 4 Series, Chevrolet Trax

2013 MPG Marathon

Return to form

Sign up to the UK’s premier economy driving event

Behind the wheel of Peugeot’s stylish new 308

26

How Autoglass has improved its fuel economy

30

‘There’s more to us than finding stolen Ferraris’ TRACKER's Stephen Doran on the firm's fleet plans fleetworld.co.uk

Mondeo at 20: Ford’s upper-medium stalwart reaches the big two-zero, with a few more birthdays to come.

Publisher Ross Durkin ross@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Editor Steve Moody steve@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Deputy Editor Natalie Middleton natalie@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Motoring Editor Alex Grant alex@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Editorial Assistant Katie Beck katie@fleetworldgroup.co.uk VFW Editor John Kendall john@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Sales Director Anne Dopson anne@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Sales Executives Darren Brett darren@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Circulation Manager Tracy Howell tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Head of Production Luke Wikner luke@fleetworldgroup.co.uk

60

Stephen Doran of TRACKER discusses its latest innovations

54

Sign up to the 2013 MPG Marathon economy driving event in October

72

The car that promised to take your breath away in 1988 – Peugeot 405.

Designers Tina Ries tina@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Samantha Hargreaves sam@fleetworldgroup.co.uk

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

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Toyota Proace, LCV Fuel management & vehicle conversions

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To subscribe to Fleet World visit: www.fleetworldsubscriptions.co.uk Certified circulation Jan – Dec 2012 17,724

fleetworld.co.uk / 03

fleetreview This month, editor Steve Moody looks at how volume manufacturers can’t seem to stay put, lost spare wheels and a robust used market.

Go up or downmarket, but don’t stay the same If you’re a middle market car brand, it seems you have two choices these days: go upmarket, or downmarket.

The one option not on the table is to stay put.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show this month, Ford will launch a Mondeo Vignale concept, which is the upcoming new model (see page 30 for more details on when that might be) decked out in some fancier trimmings as part of a new luxury sub-brand, no doubt intended to try and lever some more cash out of customers’ pockets. Seeing as even a pretty basic current Mondeo has an OTR price of above £20,000, you can safely expect that if such a thing ever hits the roads, you’ll be paying BMW and Audi money for it.

I’ve lost count of the number of times in the last decade volume carmakers have tried to go “premium” with their models with all sorts of new brands, restyles and even wholly new cars, but pretty much one thing stays constant: they nearly always fail.

I’ve been driving a lot in Europe over the last month, and it is quite amazing how many Dacias there are on French and Italian roads. Renault, having been just as guilty of hubris in the past over becoming a premium brand (Vel Satis anyone?) saw where the mood was going and acted first: they are reaping the rewards now. The thing is, when will the other brands realise they can’t win in the battle against the higher-end manufacturers and radically change their businesses?

04 / fleetworld.co.uk

Used market strong despite new sales

for all the latest daily news, visit fleetworld.co.uk

The concerns that high, forced sales in the UK will affect used values are proving unfounded at the moment, says CAP. It reckons used sales and volumes are strong, thanks to sustained demand from motorists and depreciation has not accelerated in the way it has sometimes done after a rise in new car sales.

That’s really good news, and long may it continue, but the SMMT has upgraded its predicted annual volume to 2.2 million units. It seems rising house prices and more easily available, cheaper, finance is driving it.

We’ve been here before though and 2.2 million is an amazingly high number in a recovering economy. Let’s hope that the trouble in Europe, and the resulting forced volume into the UK, doesn’t leave the fleet market with a bursting RV bubble in the next couple of years.

The lost spare wheel I was having a look at The AA’s “universal” spare wheel invention the other day: what a clever contraption. Basically, it can fit on almost all cars and be resized, so they can get you to somewhere where a new tyre can be fitted.

According to The AA, a fifth of their members don’t have spare wheels, but I would wager that for modern fleet cars, where often a spare isn’t included to keep CO2 levels down, the number is even higher. Certainly a lot of the test cars I drive aren’t fitted with one.

And if, like me, you’ve tried to use that appalling expanding gunk that fills a flat to get you going again, you’ll know it rarely works, so well done to The AA.

Lots of modern fleet cars don’t have standard spare wheels.

Ford NEWS Ultra-efficiency from Focus EcoBoost

inbrief Sat nav as standard

A new ultra-efficient version of the Ford Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost will be the first petrol-powered family car in Europe to offer 99 g/km CO2 emissions – and it has returned 67.5mpg in tests thanks to its specially calibrated 100PS version of Ford’s award-winning engine.

The new Ford Focus, on sale early in 2014, will feature Ford ECOnetic Technology including ultra-low rolling resistance tyres, unique aerodynamics under the car and revised gearing to help deliver the company’s most fuel-efficient ever petrol-powered family car.

The International Engine of the Year 2013 and 2012 makes the new model more powerful than a first generation Ford Focus with a 1.6-litre engine from less than 10 years ago, while producing 47 per cent less CO2.

It will extend to three the number of Focus models offered with the 1.0litre EcoBoost engine, alongside the standard 100PS version, with 109g/km CO2 emissions, and the 125PS with 114g/km CO2.

Introduced to the Fiesta, B-MAX, C-MAX and seven-seat Grand C-MAX last year, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine will be extended to the EcoSport SUV, Transit Connect and Transit Courier, Tourneo Connect and later the all-new Mondeo.

The three-cylinder engine uses a low inertia turbocharger, split cooling system and direct fuel injection to deliver surprising levels of performance.

The new 99 g/km version will also use a range of fuel-efficient Ford ECOnetic Technologies including Auto-Start-Stop, Smart Regenerative Charging, Active Grille Shutter and Ford EcoMode.

Ford also offers the diesel Focus ECOnetic that delivers 88g CO2 emissions.

Available immediately in the UK are new Ford Focus derivatives with satellite navigation as standard.

The Focus Zetec Navigator is offered in addition to the standard Zetec series and adds Ford nav, new-design 16in alloy wheels and centre console.

The Titanium Navigator series replaces the Titanium series and adds Sony satellite navigation, new 16in alloy wheels and rear parking sensors. The Titanium X Navigator supplants the Titanium X series, offering Sony nav, rear view camera and new 17in alloy wheels.

Luxurious Kuga A new luxurious and featurepacked Ford Kuga Titanium X Sport adds body-coloured front, rear and side skirts and wheel arches, large rear spoiler, high gloss rear diffuser, front silver-finish skid plate and gloss black bumper detailing to Kuga Titanium specification.

Unique 19in alloy wheels, chrome roof rails, privacy glass, Sony DAB navigation, rear view camera, Active Park Assist and power folding door mirrors have also been standardised.

Ford: offering all ‘must-have’ features FORD cars offer all the top-10 ‘must-have’ features for a new company car, according to Parkers car-buying guide.

The new Ford Focus Titanium Navigator, for example, comes with five of the 10 options fitted as standard. With all 10 options selected – at an all-in, 40% monthly BIK payment of £83.37 – the Ford Focus is the ideal company car.

Parkers’ top-10 company car essentials are: 1) Keyless entry and start 2) Bluetooth 3) Satellite navigation 4) Digital in-car audio (DAB) 5) Cruise control 6) Lane departure warning 7) Blind spot warning 8) Park assistance (Active Park Assist) 9) Emergency city breaking (Active City Stop) 10) Climate control

For further information on any vehicle in the Ford range please contact the Ford Business Centre on 08457 23 23 23, email info@fordfleet.co.uk, or visit www.ford.co.uk/fordfleet

Ford News Feature // 05

Sat nav is standard on a variety of Ford cars, including the new Ford Mondeo Business Editions and Ford Kuga Titanium X Sport, while Bluetooth connectivity is available across the range and standard on Kuga, Mondeo, S-MAX, C-MAX, Grand C-MAX, Galaxy and most Focus models.

DAB is standard on the majority of Ford vehicles.

Lane-departure and blind-spot warnings are available options for Focus, C-MAX, Kuga, Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy and Ford’s Active City Stop and keyless entry are widely available.

inbusiness

Free Mercedes app combines mileage tracker, journey log & parking locator

A

new Mile Tracker App has been launched by Mercedes-Benz to offer mileage tracking, fuel costs calculation, a journey log and even a vehicle finder, with a fuel station locator on the way too.

Available free of charge, Mile Tracker App is suitable for iPhone and Android users.

Nick Andrews, head of fleet for Mercedes-Benz UK Passenger Cars, said: ‘We developed the new Mercedes-Benz Mile Tracker to be the first app to combine a GPS-based mileage tracker with a journey and expenses log and parking locator.

The new app shows our continued commitment to providing efficient fleet solutions to company car drivers and everyone involved in running a successful fleet operation.’

The Mile Tracker App is available at the Apple App Store and Google Play.

New 308 targets greater company car sales mix

P

eugeot is aiming for a larger share of long-term fleet business for the new 308, with sales expected to be just under 20,000 per year, of which 65% will go to fleets.

The car’s predecessor launched to sales of 29,742 units in its first full year on sale, falling to 14,359 last year.

But managing director, Tim Zimmerman, said this market had changed in the meantime, including the arrival of new crossover and MPV products, additional brands and premium models.

So the new car will be chasing long-term users, rather than the short-cycle fleet sales which the last model had been heavy on at launch. Focusing on larger volumes would mean pushing volume into channels such as rental, which will still be a part of the new 308’s mix but in smaller, controlled numbers.

The 308 is being unveiled publicly at the Frankfurt Motor Show, ahead of a sales launch in January 2014. It’s the first

Peugeot to feature PSA Peugeot Citroën’s new EMP2 lightweight modular platform, contributing to a 140kg weight loss and new range-lowest CO2 emissions of 93g/km at launch.

Although the platform can accommodate the diesel-electric Hybrid4 drivetrain, and the forthcoming Hybrid Air system, engineers were unable to confirm when these would be added. The focus for the short term though is efficient diesels. A range of Euro6-compliant BlueHDi diesel engines will arrive in the second quarter of 2014, introducing a new best-in-segment 91.1mpg, 82g/km engine.

Until then, the most popular engine in fleet and retail is expected to be the 1.6 e-HDI 115, which offers CO2 emissions from 95g/km. Launch diesel engines will be phased out next summer as BlueHDi models arrive in the UK. Sales are expected to follow the 208 and 2008, with the bulk of orders at the top end of the range.

Brake puts focus on fleet driver speeding A new report has been published by Brake on the risks of inappropriate speed and the steps that managers can take to improve the safety of the whole fleet.

The report includes the results of a recent Brake survey of fleet managers, sponsored by the Licence Bureau, which found that more than a quarter (26%) of survey respondents admitted to not knowing what proportion of their collisions involved one of their vehicles breaking the speed limit.

The report is available for free to subscribers to the Fleet Safety Forum – Brake’s low cost, not-for-profit subscription – or can be purchased for £5 by non-subscribers.

06 / fleetworld.co.uk

STILL ABOVE COMPARISON. NOW BELOW THRESHOLD. THE NEW 14MY 129 G/KM JAGUAR XF RANGE. With over 100 international awards, including BusinessCar’s ‘Best Executive Car’ and J.D. Power / WhatCar? ‘Best Executive Car 2013’, the Jaguar XF clearly sets the class benchmark. Now, we’ve raised that benchmark higher still, because our new 14MY 2.2 litre 163PS Diesel engine produces just 129 g/km CO2, so the XF fits within the 18% Write Down Allowance threshold for businesses. Naturally it still delivers the exceptional standard specification you would expect from every Jaguar. The new 14MY 129 g/km Jaguar XF range starts from £29,945, bringing you the highs and the lows that really matter.

Contact us today to talk to a Fleet Sales Specialist.

W W W.JAGUAR.CO.UK/FLEET 0845 366 0342

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DOWNLOAD BLIPPAR FOR AN EXCLUSIVE JAGUAR EXPERIENCE AND BLIPP THIS PAGE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO SET YOUR HEART RACING.

XF 14MY range fuel consumption in mpg (l/100km): Urban 16.7–48.7 (16.9–5.8). Extra Urban 32.8–64.2 (8.6–4.4). Combined 24.4–57.7 (11.6–4.9).

CO2 emissions 270–129 g/km. Models shown are a 14MY XF 2.2 Diesel 163PS SE, priced from £29,945 and a 14MY XF Sportbrake 2.2 Diesel 163PS SE, priced from £31,945.

The figures provided are as a result of official manufacturer’s tests in accordance with EU legislation. A vehicle’s actual fuel consumption may differ from that achieved in such tests and these figures are for comparative purposes only. On the road price is the manufacturer’s Recommended Retail Price, plus First Registration Fee and Delivery Pack.

inbusiness trading places

in

in

out

New head of fleet at Skoda Skoda has announced the appointment of Patrick McGillycuddy as head of fleet, from his former role of national corporate sales manager at Vauxhall.

In his new position, McGillycuddy will focus on growing the brand’s true fleet market share and developing a sustainable local business offering across the retail network.

Fellows to head up new CAP Consulting service Andrew Fellows is to head up the new “CAP Consulting” service, which will provide bespoke analysis and business intelligence tailored to specific customer needs.

Fellows brings senior international experience with automotive brands, including Audi AG and BMW, as well as at leading consultants KPMG.

Simon Thomas moves on from VW Group MD role Volkswagen Group (UK) Limited has announced the appointment of a new managing director from 16th September following the departure of Simon Thomas to a new role of global head of marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.

Paul Willcox (pictured) becomes the new MD, joining the company from Nissan.

Toyota reveals technology set for next Prius T Frankfurt’s hybrid debuts oyota is aiming for a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in its fourth generation Prius, which will debut an all-new hybrid drivetrain with wireless charging capability for the Plug-In version.

Based on Toyota’s New Global Architecture platform, the fourth generation of the world’s biggest-selling hybrid nameplate will have a lower centre of gravity and stronger structure, which is said to offer a better driving experience.

Under what promises to be a highly aerodynamic bodyshell, the car will also debut a new lighter, more compact and considerably more fuel-efficient drivetrain than its predecessor.

This will target the same 10% reduction in CO2 emissions achieved between each of the previous generations.

Set to be rolled out across Toyota’s growing hybrid portfolio, it uses the powerful new electric motors and the highest energy density batteries yet, while the petrol engine is said to have the highest thermal efficiency (a measure of how little energy is wasted during combustion) of any production vehicle.

The fourth-generation car also marks the second time the Prius will be sold as a plug-in hybrid. Based on customer feedback, Toyota said it had extended the fully-electric range, and tests of a wireless charging system, which allows drivers to park over a charging pad with no direct connection to the vehicle, are due to begin in Japan, the USA and Europe next year.

08 / fleetworld.co.uk

• Peugeot’s 208 HYbrid FE focussed on performance, combining a petrol-electric drivetrain with a lighter and more aerodynamic body and thin 19-inch wheels to reach 62mph in eight seconds while emitting 49g/km CO2.

• Lexus GS hybrids have traditionally lagged behind the running costs of the most efficient diesels in the executive segment. The GS 300h solves this using the new IS’s four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain to bring CO2 emissions under 110g/km.

• Mercedes-Benz will become the first carmaker with a Congestion Charge exempt luxury saloon when the S500 Plug-in Hybrid launches next year.

It offers an 18-mile electric range, with segmentbest CO2 emissions of 74g/km.

• BMW’s Frankfurt debuts include the Concept X5 eDrive, a plug-in hybrid version of its new SUV said to offer a 19-mile electric range with CO2 emissions of less than 90g/km. All-wheel drive is available in electric and hybrid modes.

inbusiness

Warning of new “flash for cash” insurance scam

fleetweet a few soundbites from a month in fleet

@RenaultZE

F

leets are being warned of a new insurance scam where offenders flash their lights to let drivers out at junctions then deliberately crash into them.

Dubbed “flash for cash”, the scam is a variation on the well-known “crash for cash” crime in which criminals brake suddenly for no reason, forcing the victim to crash into the back of them.

In both scams, the perpetrators then make fraudulent insurance claims, including for fake whiplash claims as well as loss of earnings and fake bills for vehicle storage, recovery, repairs and replacement car hire.

However, “flash for cash” is said to be harder to prove in court, often just pitting the innocent driver’s word against the criminal’s that they flashed their lights to let them out.

‘It is yet another example of how criminal gangs are becoming more sophisticated and attempting to stay one step ahead of suspicion,’ said Neil Thomas, director of investigative services at Asset Protection Unit (APU), which helps the police and the insurance industry investigate fraud.

Venson launches online tax guide

New LeasePlan telematics solution

A new web-based Fleet Tax Guide has been launched by Venson Automotive Solutions to help customers access up-todate tax tables, calculate the tax on company cars and employer-provided fuel, and provide easy-to-understand definitions to commonly used tax terms.

The guide has been developed in conjunction with fleet consultancy BCF Wessex and is available online and mobile-enabled at vensonfleettax.com

LeasePlan UK has launched a new telematics product to deliver dutyof-care support and fleet savings.

Powered by RAC data, four options packages offer information on mileage, location and accurate expense reporting and can be tailored in line with customer requirements.

The product can be installed into new vehicles or retrofitted by a LeasePlan engineer or local dealer.

(Twitter account for Renault electric vehicles)

30 #Renault #KangooZE for postal service P&T in Luxembourg to achieve a 33% decrease in their #CO2 emissions by 2020!

@eurosvan (Van and truck dealership, Euro Commercials)

Up to two million car & van drivers could be facing a fine of up to £1,000 if they fail to update their photo card driving licence on time.

@QuentinWillson (Quentin Willson, motoring journalist)

Done 5Live on new motoring fines. It's a complete mess and no police cars to enforce. Won't change driver behaviour at all.

@Automotive_News (Automotive News, US motoring magazine)

The average fuel economy for new 2013 model light vehicles sold in the US is 24.6mpg, up 1.1 mpg from 2012 models.

@TeslaMotors (Twitter account of Tesla Motors)

#WattsUp: At least five Model S could be stacked on top of each other without the bottom vehicle's roof caving in.

ProFleet2 One day, everyone will expect to have this information

fleetworld.co.uk / 09

HOLD YOUR BREATH AND Beauty has a new form. Muscular and sporty, the new BMW 4 Series Coupé exudes power even when standing still.

With CO2 emissions as little as 121g/km and impressively low fuel consumption of 61.4mpg (combined), the driving pleasure begins before you even open the door. Launches 5 October.

To find out more visit www.bmwcorporate.co.uk.

THE NEW BMW 4 SERIES COUPÉ.

Official fuel economy figures for the new BMW 4 Series Coupé range: Urban 24.8 – 52.3 mpg (11.4 – 5.4 l/100km).

Extra Urban 45.6 – 68.9 mpg (6.2 – 4.1 l/100km). Combined 34.9 – 61.4 mpg (8.1 – 4.6 l/100km). CO2 emissions 189 – 121 g/km.

The new BMW 4 Series CoupĂŠ

bmwcorporate.co.uk 0800 777 113

COUNT TO FOUR.

The Ultimate Driving Machine

inbusiness

Talk the talk Carmakers are good at selling cars but not necessarily SMR work, reports Curtis Hutchinson, editor of Motor Trader.

C

armakers like to talk the talk when it comes to how they deliver customer satisfaction to fleets.

I’ve lost count of the number of car bosses I’ve sat down with and been told how their company has reviewed the way their dealer networks service fleets and put in systems and processes aimed at making them the market leader.

Their motives are laudable. After all carmaker dealer networks were set up with retail customers in mind. These days the sumptuous colour co-ordinated showrooms, steel and glass beacons to the oneness of corporate identity, are all about delivering a retailing experience. Forecourt bunting and balloons are passé; upmarket coffee machines, interactive virtual model displays and helpful product gurus are the latest modus operandi.

The car retailing environment has evolved. It had too. But whether carmakers can ever get close to their collective aspiration of delivering Apple Store levels of customer service is unlikely. We are, after all, talking about big ticket purchases which are more often than not a necessity and one that will inevitably require expensive servicing and repair work somewhere down the line. Let’s face it, a customer walking into a car dealership is in a much different frame of mind than someone agonising over how many gigabytes their next iPad must have.

So where does this leave the fleet customer? Unfortunately what can often sound like a good idea on a flip chart in a carmaker’s strategy meeting, will not necessary play well in downtown Dundee, uptown Uxbridge or central Croydon where it is always a question of dealer priorities, resources and training.

So how are fleet services being delivered by dealers? Having spoken to plenty of dealer group bosses about how they tackle fleet I’ve had the impression this part of the business was neatly wrapped up and implemented through seamless processes. This, unfortunately, is not the norm.

Karl Davis is a consultant at Coachwork Consulting, the independent automotive specialist, and has worked on both sides of the fence as a retailer and manufacturer. He knows the problems and advises both sides on how to tackle fleet at local level. Some get it, others don’t.

Interestingly he feels some manufacturers still have insufficient processes in place, especially when it comes to looking after cars for SMR jobs. The manu-

12 / fleetworld.co.uk

facturer fleet model is all about winning car sales; fixing them afterwards is often an afterthought.

The best dealers know this so actively target local businesses for this work, not just through golf days, but through presenting cast iron business cases on why they are the best people to look after fleet cars.

‘Sadly I think there’s too little direction from too many manufacturers, especially when it comes to aftersales. If a brand is doing well on the sales front, with customers queuing up to place orders, then there’s a lack of hunger for doing the harder stuff like aftersales. Manufacturers are very good at selling cars into fleets but not the aftersales services; there’s a lack of joined up thinking,’ said Davis.

Unfortunately, even on the sales side dealers do not always get it right and that’s because there’s a longstanding cultural nut that needs cracking.

Sales staff are there to sell cars and earn commission, not to generate business for their workshop colleagues. That’s why it’s often easier for a userchooser to pretend to be a retail Values have levelled out following initial oversupply. buyer to secure a test drive, that way they know they’ll get some good customer service.

Still uncommon, Manheim sold a ‘There’s almost a subpair of Ashwoods hybrid Transit conscious roll of the eyes vans at a recent sale, achieving when it becomes apparent to 125% and 131% of CAP. a salesperson they’re dealing

BMW 3 Series

Hybrid vans

HOT NOT

with a company car driver; they should be treated like VIPs, just like retail customers.’

Indeed Davis believes the pivotal role played by userchoosers is often misjudged Despite the recent hot weather, by dealers, to their cost. seasonal demand for convertibles ‘There’s plenty of evidence is less than anticipated. that fleets are telling drivers to go to franchised dealers for repair work as their first port Last-generation A3s are struggling of call, but the moment they since it was replaced and new have a problem with their dealer models are plentiful, due they should go to one of the to ex-rental stock. national aftermarket chains. That’s why the retailer should make sure the fleet user’s experience is great.’

So, it’s all about getting the basics right, and how difficult can that really be...

Convertibles

Audi A3

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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...

VOSA inspections

Whilst a careless 28% of transport companies admitted never checking for compliance.

Convictions for driver hours violations and tachograph offences can lead to fines of up to £5,000 and, in some cases, prison sentences of up to two years.

eyesight concerns A study of 1,000 drivers carried out by Brake, insurer RSA and Specsavers suggests that a worrying number of motorists do not take their eyesight seriously.

26% of respondents have not had a vision test in the last two years, and 9% have not visited an optician for five years or more.

Of the drivers who do wear glasses, 32% haven't had their eyes checked in the last two years, so cannot be certain their vision is up to scratch.

9% of motorists who wear corrective lenses or glasses admitted to not always wearing them when behind the wheel.

Jan Chandaman, head of medical licensing policy at DVLA, warned: ‘All drivers are required by law to meet the appropriate eyesight standard at all times while driving. DVLA regularly remind drivers of the ongoing requirement to meet the eyesight standard and that failure to meet the standard is an offence – this is also included in the Highway Code.’

Source: Brake

14 / fleetworld.co.uk

Source: TomTom Business Solutions

25% reported spending more than two hours a month analysing data to ensure legislative compliance.

12

32% currently spend in excess of an hour per vehicle manually downloading digital tachograph data.

17

13 14 1 5

20% of the transport companies questioned have received infringements for tachograph offences in the last three years.

2 18 19 0

16

42% of transport companies say roadside inspections by the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA) are increasing, according to research commissioned

by TomTom Business Solutions.

fleet management A recent analysis of over 200 businesses by Marshall Leasing has revealed a considerable mix of departments is now taking responsibility for company car management.

The finance department was most popular, with 27% of businesses handing primary fleet responsibility to a finance team member.

Only 19% of the businesses questioned employ a dedicated fleet manager.

A main board director deals with fleet at 18% of the businesses.

While a HR representative was the primary contact in 16% of cases.

Source: Marshall Leasing

‘There are multiple reasons for this spread of responsibility,’ said Jonathan Ross, sales & marketing director at Marshall Leasing. ‘We’ve seen a great swing in recent years in terms of influence over policy from finance to personnel departments. Subsequently, a focus on health and safety and Benefit in Kind implications also made for a far greater level of HR involvement.’

dashboard denial New research from British Car Auctions (BCA) suggests that many motorists could be putting themselves at risk by ignoring red light warnings on their dashboard.

23% of the 625 motorists surveyed said they ignore red lights, choosing to continue driving before addressing the problem.

36% said they have ignored amber advisory dashboard warnings and do not respond to them with any urgency.

59% of those polled said they would continue on to their destination if an advisory light appeared.

35% said if a “service due” message came up on their dashboard, they would not book a service for up to a month.

Tim Naylor, editor of the BCA Used Car Market Report, commented: ‘While mechanical repairs should be attended to as soon as possible, it is also a false economy to ignore damage to bodywork and trim.

Dents, dinks and scratches tend to deteriorate further if not addressed quickly and could end up affecting the resale value of the car some time down the line.’

Source: British Car Auctions

15% admitted that in the past year they have delayed or deferred necessary repairs due to cost concerns.

for the latest daily news from the fleet industry, visit fleetworld.co.uk fleetworld.co.uk / 15

inbusiness

A hard habit to break This month, The Insider has a problem with drugs..

I

t’s probably 20 years ago that a colleague passed the comment that someone was leaving the company and she wondered if he would take his pot plants with him. Rather naively, I thought it funny that this generally laid-back chap inhabited the top floor of our offices with a bunch of plants, and only later did it dawn on me what he was actually growing at work! Luckily he didn’t drive to work and he certainly didn’t drive for work.

These days it’s not uncommon to hear people openly discussing drugs as a part of their social habits. That openness surprises me, given it’s my understanding that it is still illegal to possess or consume most of the popular drugs.

But on that same basis, what doesn’t surprise me is the number of people clearly unfit to drive through drug use, sharing the road with me on an everyday basis. It’s a fact that drug drivers suffer from slower reaction times, erratic and sometimes aggressive behaviour, an inability to concentrate properly, and even symptoms as alarming as hallucinations and paranoia. I don’t want to be sharing the road with any of them, because they are more likely to cause – or have – an accident. I don’t want them on my fleet because they will have a negative effect on our insurance.

Well aware of the scale of the problem, the government is planning a crackdown on motorists driving under the influence of drugs. This includes limits being set for some prescription medicines as well, notably those prescribed for anxiety and insomnia – so there’s a fair chance that more fleet drivers will be at risk then, given today’s work pressures – although it’s the intention that those remaining within prescribed limits won’t

become victims of the new legislation. Several illegal substances will have zero limits, including cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, LSD and heroin.

Up until now there has been no drug drive limit. An allegation can be brought if the police have reason to believe that you were driving a motor vehicle in a public place after consuming drugs and are unfit under the influence. And they use various means to check.

These include odd little tests like making the driver stand on one leg (not sure I can do that anyway), and the finger to nose test we’ve probably all seen on TV cop programmes. Rather than these rudimentary tests, there are plans to introduce a “drugalyser” device at the roadside but apparently these are still on trial.

But the catching bit still relies on police being out on the road to catch offenders, and since we are told the number of traffic officers continues to be cut, maybe we won’t see as many convictions as we would hope for.

As companies we all have drink and drugs policies in place, yet it seems HR often shies away from taking disciplinary action, probably because testing has been difficult, and they must have absolute proof of a problem. If you have a suspicion about an employee’s habits, perhaps this is another area where telematics could prove worthwhile, for surely erratic driving would be picked up by that?

I’m intrigued to see how the new law pans out, and whether hefty fines and the threat of prison will prove enough of a deterrent that companies have less difficult situations to manage in house. But old habits are difficult to break.

FIN 99g/km 51% fleet in numbers

18 / fleetworld.co.uk

Free

CO2 emissions for latest Focus with 1.0-litre petrol EcoBoost engine.

Ratio of fleets rating shortterm lease as extremely important or important for their business plans in the coming year.

Cost of upgrading to a sat nav-equipped version of the Mazda6 before the end of the year.

SOURCE: Ford

SOURCE: Grosvenor Contracts

SOURCE: Mazda

inbusiness

fleetonfleet Liz Hollands talks to Darren Bell, head of fleet management at G4S. Fleet size 2,000 plus vehicles Tell us a bit about the G4S fleet and the team which runs it.

The G4S fleet consists of more than 2,000 vehicles and 3,000 highly-trained crew members. The G4S Fleet Management team comprises 52 personnel, 37 of whom are in-house technicians who carry out nonmechanical maintenance and ensure the security integrity of our complex industry-leading Cash in Transit (CIT) vehicles. Transport Compliance is also essential and we have a team of four expert individuals nationwide ensuring we remain compliant in all transport undertakings to the Traffic Commissioner.

Has your career always centred on fleet?

I have been involved in fleet logistics from an early age (17!) when I joined the Armed Forces as a vocational HGV driver, progressing through the ranks and holding senior fleet and operational roles. I also held a senior logistical role in the aerospace industry before moving to G4S three years ago.

What are the biggest fleet issues for you presently?

Whole Life Cost and vehicle optimisation are currently key drivers. Telematics also play a vital role in how we deliver our CSR values and how our brand is perceived by our customers and the general public as we transit the road networks and town centres.

Telematics and how we manage this internally, demonstrates our commitment as a business, as well as managing driver behaviour and reducing road traffic accidents and vehicle emissions, which also benefits the business in saving fuel costs.

I presume your vehicles are all tracked. Tracking gives access to a mass of information – how do you select just the information which brings the greatest benefit?

We have several tracking systems fitted to our vehicles due to the type of work we undertake. Some are solely for employee safety and operational risk management. Other systems are utilised to measure driver behaviours and fuel consumption management.

Vehicle reliability must be key to G4S given the nature of its business?

We are immensely proud to support our key customers and sustain On Time In Full (OTIF) measures of over 98.5%. Like most companies, cost drivers

20 / fleetworld.co.uk

in a complex fleet are paramount when measuring fleet utilisation and optimisation, therefore exceptional levels of vehicle maintenance and equipment husbandry are key to delivering a best in class solution to our customers.

On a fleet the size of yours, relationship management with internal and external stakeholders is obviously crucial?

The key to our success in service delivery is aligned to the maintenance and management of our fleet, one of the most complex in the world. We are supported by BT Fleet, who have delivered exceptional service to us over the last seven years. Their professionalism and approach to innovation and technology has been integral in helping to reduce our operating costs.

What’s your best advice to someone just starting their first fleet manager job?

Service delivery is fundamental to all we do – everyone needs to take a “customer centric” view of fleet operations to support our end state customers. This is against the backdrop of operational transport compliance and actively seeking cost out opportunities.

Innovation and technology should be embraced in delivering a first-class fleet solution, which is sustainable and cost-effective whilst ensuring service levels are never compromised. A strong work ethic, and networking skills will also help your survivability in a dynamic operationally-focussed sector.

If you weren’t a fleet manager, what would you do?

In my prime I was a keen sportsman, a jack of all trades and master of none. I was a county level athlete and played cricket and basketball to a high level. I am also a qualified alpine ski instructor – if I had the opportunity, I would relish the chance to spend my days on a mountain teaching people how to ski!

g fleet e k

FitBit Flex

Garmini Nuvi Inrix The latest range of nuvi navigation systems comes in three levels to suit all tastes and budgets. All include lane guidance, while the top two direct users as a human navigator might, naming landmarks ahead and Premium-grade units render surrounding buildings in 3D. Garmin has also included free lifetime access to its Digital Traffic service, which gives detailed real-time updates on the roads ahead.

Price: £79.99–£299.99 from garmin.com

MacPro Apple’s latest vision of a professional desktop computer arrives later this year, looking radically different to its predecessor. It’s an eighth of the volume of the outgoing MacPro, with the 9.9-inch cylindrical case housing a triangular heat sink which allows its processors to offer 2.5 times the performance while staying cool. Plentiful connectivity and 10 times faster storage means it can handle whatever you demand.

Price: £TBA see apple.com for details

This discreet, waterproof wrist band tracks steps taken, distance covered and calories burned while you’re awake, uploading them wirelessly to an iPhone and Android app to allow easy monitoring and planning of fitness routines. It also tracks how well you’re sleeping, and features a silent, vibrating alarm clock to wake you up in the morning. Available in two colours with a vivid accessory pack.

Price: £79.99 from fitbit.com

SB60 OrbitSound The SB60 is claimed to be a solution to the loss of sound quality from ever-thinner televisions.

Made from wood to minimise distortion, this single box is home to four speakers and simulates near-surround sound with exceptional clarity even at low volumes. It’s strong enough to support televisions with screens up to 55 inches and connects with a single optical cable.

Price: £299 from johnlewis.com

apps of the month

Document Scanner Pro

Photosynth

Notability

Incredibly useful for notetaking, this low-cost app uses the iPhone’s camera to scan text in high resolution, with the ability to adjust for uneven lighting, shadows and poor contrast. It also features optical character recognition for 32 languages, turning new scans or existing images into text which can be edited, translated and shared online.

Price: 99p from iTunes Store

While most panorama apps allow simple left and right scrolling of the finished image, Photosynth is capable of rendering a spherical view of its surroundings by stitching photos together. Completed panoramas allow you to scroll up and down in 3D, as well as left or right, not only viewable on the app but with the option to upload to Bing Maps, the Photosynth website and social media.

Price: Free from iTunes Store

Designed for easy note taking, Notability allows you to write and draw on your iPad, iPhone and iPad Touch using your fingertips. Most document types can be imported for annotations on the go, and it can make audio recordings linked to each note allowing transcriptions to be checked. Support for iCloud means everything is backed up instantly, and notes can be uploaded to Dropbox and Google Drive.

Price: £1.99 from iTunes Store

24 / fleetworld.co.uk

inbusiness

AutoGlass Eco-Drive AutoGlass recently rolled out a driver monitoring system across its fleet of 1,000 vans and, having already recorded a 15% improvement in fuel economy, it says self-monitoring is the best solution.

What is it?

Eco-Drive is AutoGlass’s internal project to reduce the cost and carbon footprint of its 1,000-vehicle fleet. With 90% of the company’s business now mobile, it trialled numerous telematics-based solutions before deciding the Lightfoot driver-monitoring system best suited its needs.

Developed by Ashwoods, best known for its hybrid Transit van conversions, Lightfoot is a dashboard display providing real-time feedback on driver behaviour and submitting daily reports back to AutoGlass’s headquarters to be distributed to branches.

The system has been steadily rolled out since January with the final installations completed in July, and project manager, Sean Goodfellow, said it’s proved so effective that the fleet-wide average fuel economy has improved by 15% – 50% higher than marketed by Ashwoods. Installations take less than half an hour and the device is activated immediately.

How does it work?

Goodfellow said AutoGlass was looking for simple, useful information about driver behaviour. Lightfoot doesn’t use GPS, and doesn’t monitor for aggressive cornering or braking. Throttle inputs and engine revs are monitored to detect inefficient driving, and the system also measures idling time. If the engine is left running for more than two minutes while stopped, the driver is advised to turn it off.

Feedback is given instantly by a dashboard display

26 / fleetworld.co.uk

with rows of red, amber and green LEDs showing how efficiently the driver is using the vehicle, and chimes advising when to change gear. It’s tolerant enough to allow for short bursts of heavy acceleration, and only logs a red violation if it believes the driver is ignoring amber warnings to change their behaviour. Idling times can be extended in the winter, to allow for cabin heating, and can take account of powering vacuum cleaners if necessary.

It also provides longer-term data logging. Via a builtin SIM card, Lightfoot submits daily reports back to AutoGlass, which are distributed to branches and drivers are ranked via a system where time in red is subtracted from time in green. With a fleet-wide average score now over 80, Goodfellow said the emphasis is on helping the worst performing 10% to improve, and leaving the other 90% to self-manage.

What effects has it had?

Drivers have adapted very quickly to the dashboard displays. In blind trials, the system reported an average of between 45 and 50 violations per day, but most drivers are now down to one or two. This has resulted in the national average economy for the fleet rising from 28mpg to 33mpg, a 15% improvement, with reduced maintenance costs as an added benefit. Goodfellow said the company expects to recoup its investment before the end of the year, while reducing annual CO2 output by 1,000 tonnes.

Small changes

Big results Earth Dreams Technology Meet the latest in Honda’s environmental innovation...

I

t began with a simple question: what if you could offer class-leading fuel efficiency, but without impacting on drivers’ daily lives? A question from which Earth Dreams Technology was born, making this seemingly impossible task a reality.

Earth Dreams Technology stands for the latest in Honda’s environmental innovation. A sub-brand attached to cars which make every drop of fuel do more and go further, but with no loss of choice, refinement or enjoyment for drivers. It’s a collection of small but detailed improvements which will allow Honda to achieve class-leading fuel efficiency across the range.

Developed in Europe and built in the UK at Honda’s state of the art facility in Swindon, the 1.6 i-DTEC is the first of this new family. Starting from scratch, every component was redesigned to be incredibly light and low in friction, while a variable turbocharger and advanced fuel injection system provide a perfect balance of 118bhp performance and low-

weight agility, while returning fuel economy of up to 78.5mpg.

All drivers should notice is less frequent trips to the pumps. Subtle aerodynamic upgrades, a new six-speed gearbox and dashboard displays encouraging greener driving all contribute to impressive real-world economy without radical changes in behaviour.

‘Earth Dreams Technology gives tangible benefits of low whole-life costs and class-leading fuel economy which drivers can achieve on the road, and with no sacrifice in choice,’ explains Lee Wheeler, Manager – Corporate Operations at Honda UK. ‘By the end of the year, the 1.6 i-DTEC will be available in the CR-V and new Civic Tourer, all built in the UK. It allows us to offer a class-leading engine in the backbone of our product range.’

It’s the easy answer to your fleet’s toughest questions.

To find out more, simply visit Honda.co.uk/corporate

what Lee thinks Earth Dreams Technology gives tangible benefits of low whole-life costs and class-leading fuel economy which drivers can achieve on the road, and with no sacrifice in choice.

CR-V 1.6i-DTEC Available from Autumn 2013

Lee Wheeler, Manager – Corporate Operations at Honda UK

advertisement feature / 27

FEATURE Mondeo at 20

Mondeo at 20 Ford is celebrating two decades of its fleet favourite, although the model’s popularity has waned over the years thanks to increased competition and a fragmented market. By Julian Kirk.

30 / fleetworld.co.uk

L

ooked at in isolation, sales of the Ford Mondeo make depressing reading – down from a peak of nearly 130,000 in 1994 to expected registrations of around 25,000 this year.

As ever, igures don’t tell the whole story and the Mondeo remains a key car for Ford in the leet sector after two decades of sales. What the igures demonstrate is how the increasingly fragmented nature of the leet market has eaten away at what was once the core staple of company car leets up and down the country.

Not only does Mondeo face a challenge from within (Ford now offers a range of models which compete against Mondeo – Kuga, S-MAX, Galaxy, the bigger Focus and the C-MAX family) but it is threatened from below by the increasingly competent South Korean brands and from above by the premium brands (Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz) which offer leets lower running costs thanks to their higher residuals.

Upper-medium models still remain popular though, as witnessed by Ford’s continuing investment in not only the current Mondeo range (see next page) but also in an all-new model due to arrive in the UK late next year.

Although sales of the Mondeo began in 1993, its story started back in 1988 with a £3 billion investment led by Ford’s renowned chief engineer Richard ParryJones. The focus back then was on a car which would de ine the sector on space, safety and driving dynamics. It was billed as a “world car” – Mondeo being linked to the French word mondial, meaning global.

But even though development was shared between Ford in the US and Europe, the Mondeo never became a success in the US and failed to achieve its global billing. Interestingly, Ford is billing the next Mondeo as being another “world car” and the increasing appetite

for downsized cars in the more costconscious US (plus the greater global reach of marketing thanks to the internet) may just mean it lives up the billing this time around.

Fleets played a key role in Mondeo from the start. It was a step-change from its Sierra predecessor, switching from rear to front-wheel drive and incorporating technology and design influenced by what company car drivers want and need. At its launch it was “embraced by UK plc” and became a key model on the company car lists of blue-chip firms such as BT, British Aerospace, HSBC, Mars and Wrigley.

Today it is still on the choice lists of several blue-chip companies – Royal Mail, BT, BAE and Unilever to name a few, while the British Army and the royal household also maintain a leet of Mondeos.

Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain’s sales director, has a close relationship with the car having worked on its launch advertisement back in 1993. He said: ‘We are still seeing a lot of demand in the business sector for a car that is 20 years old.

‘Mondeo de ined Ford as it is today and while diversi ication and new models have narrowed the market segment, it is still delivering for us.

‘Mondeo has a long and positive history and it will turn a new chapter next year.’

‘Not only does Mondeo face a challenge from within (Kuga, S-MAX, Galaxy, Focus and C-MAX) but it is threatened from below by the increasingly competent South Korean brands and from above by the premium brands.’

Facelifted Mark I launched in 1996 was the car of New Labour’s “Mondeo Man”

Mark II Mondeo was unmissable on the world's largest poster in 2001, measuring 130x24m and covering Fort Dunlop.

Two Mondeos undertook the Overland Challenge in 1993, driven from London to New York via Siberia to reflect Ford's global ambitions.

Casino Royale (2006) marked the on-screen debut of the Mark III, with James Bond at the wheel.

¡ fleetworld.co.uk / 31

FEATURE Mondeo at 20

¡

Where’s the new Mondeo?

MONDEO

timeline 1993: Mondeo launched.

88,660 UK sales 1994: Named European car of the year. 127,144 UK sales 1996: Facelifted model appears.

100,725 UK sales

T

he new Mondeo was originally shown at the 2012 Detroit motor show and was due to have gone on sale in the UK this year, but a host of factors have conspired to delay that launch date until the latter part of next year.

By the middle of 2012 Ford had decided to embark on a wide-ranging review of its European operations in the face of the worldwide recession. A lack of buyers and over-production meant capacity had to be taken out of the manufacturing process and the Mondeo plant at Genk in Belgium was pinpointed for closure. As a result, it would have been pointless to re-tool a factory which was going to close.

Unions, employees and Ford have now agreed terms and production of the new Mondeo will be transferred to the Valencia plant in Spain.

The new Mondeo is, however, already on sale in the US where it is badged as Fusion.

This model will share much with the Eurospec Mondeo which will be on display at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

Ford is not releasing much in the way of detail on new model, although we do know it will be one centimetre narrower than the current model, about an inch longer and will come with two interesting powerplants – the downsized 1.0litre EcoBoost petrol engine and a petrol-electric hybrid which will have the ability to travel at up to 85mph on electric power alone.

Ford has revealed that the saloon model will not be offered in the UK – buyers will simply have the choice between the ive-door hatchback and an estate version.

1997: Tony Blair identifies “Mondeo Man” as key to Labour winning general election. 107,239 UK sales 1999: First sporty ST model appears – proves popular as police pursuit car. 77,183 UK sales 2000: Mondeo Mark II launched.

European sales top 2.5 million.

69,377 UK sales 2003: Mid-life revamp ushers in luxury features such as heated seats, auto lights/wipers and Sony stereo. 60,046 UK sales 2006: Mondeo features in Bond film Casino Royale. 48,021 UK sales 2012: All-new Mondeo appears at global motor shows. 21,662 UK sales 1993 – 2013: Total UK sales 1,381,207 (to end of July) 1993 MONDEO v 2013 MONDEO

New fleet-friendly models

W

ith the all-new Mondeo more than a year away, Ford has launched new variants of the Mondeo to maintain interest – the retail-focused Graphite and the leetspeci ic Titanium X Business Edition.

The latter is priced from £21,995 and joins the existing Zetec Business Edition.

The Titanium X Business Edition focuses more on luxury, coming as standard with leather seats, DAB radio, touchscreen satellite navigation, automatic headlights and wipers, electric front seats and titanium interior trim. Outside are more lourishes of chrome trim and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Engine options include a 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol, a 1.6 diesel and two versions of the 2.0 TDCi with either 140 or 163bhp.

32 / fleetworld.co.uk

1993 Ford Mondeo 1.8 TD 90

2013 Ford Mondeo 1.6 TDCi 115

CO2 144g/km

112g/km

Fuel economy 37mpg

65.7mpg

Top speed 113mph

134mph

0-62mph: 13.4 secs

9.3 secs

There are easier ways to capture business mileage Whether you run 2,000, 200 or 20 vehicles, reimbursing staff for business mileage or claiming back the cost of private fuel can be an administrative headache and an expensive one too – for the driver, line manager and payroll.

With fuel prices increasing by 50% in the last 5 years; fleet costs under the spotlight; and the risk of a hefty fine from HMRC for incorrect mileage claims, there has never been a more important time to review this process.

Our FuelEx mileage capture and fuel reconciliation system has already delivered cost savings of over 25% - could we do the same for you?

0870 00 111 81

ukinfo@aldautomotive.com

www.aldautomotive.co.uk

Peugeot 308

This is Peugeot’s best-resolved lower-medium design since the still stylish 306 ended production in 2002 ¥ fleetworld.co.uk / 37

Peugeot 308

The stylish new 308 is a welcome return to form for Peugeot’s C-segment offering, says Alex Grant.

SECTOR Lower medium PRICE £TBA FUEL 48.7–78.4mpg CO2 93–134g/km

I

t’s ironic that Peugeot’s new 308 is the first car to enter a second generation with an “08” suffix, because this radically different new hatchback is so much of an improvement over its predecessor that the carmaker could comfortably have ditched convention and named it the 310.

This is Peugeot’s best-resolved lower-medium design since the still stylish 306 ended production in 2002.

It’s wider, lower and shorter bumper to bumper than the car it replaces, and with arches stretched over wheels up to 18-inches in diameter it has the on-road presence the Mk1 308 never quite managed.

Under the skin is PSA Peugeot Citroën’s all-new modular platform, named EMP2, as found in the latest C4 Picasso.

Not only does this allow forward compatibility with the group’s diesel-electric Hybrid4 and hydro-pneumatic Hybrid Air drivetrains, but it’s incredibly lightweight, contributing half of the 140kg weight saving over the previous car. It means the 308 is lighter than the equivalent 207 was, with benefits for agility and efficiency as a result. with considerably fewer harmful exhaust emissions Launch engines comprise three petrol engines and two thanks to a new filtration system. The pre-production diesels. Around two thirds of UK 308s are sold to fleets, and BlueHDI 150 available to test at the launch drove well, even retail buyers are expected to continue favouring the but felt heavier and sounded coarser than familiar 1.6-litre e-HDI 115. While it’s a great either of the launch diesels. fit here, and now a little more fuel efficient, the FLEET FACT The latest models to join the range have all lighter body helps the e-HDI 92 feel almost as enjoyed strongest demand for the highest potent on the road, while CO2 emissions of Slimmer all-LED 93g/km will cut a chunk off the running costs. trim levels, and Peugeot expects this to be It’s slower, but not significantly so. true for the 308. The two range-topping headlamps will New three-cylinder turbocharged petrol trims, expected to account for the bulk of UK be standard fit on engines and, more notably for fleets, a trio of sales, feature slimmer and more attractive most UK cars.

Euro6 compliant BlueHDI diesels are schedall-LED headlamps and reshaped front uled to arrive in Q2 2014, after which the bumper, which make it look more of a launch engines will be phased out. Diesels will comprise premium product than lower versions.

1.6 and 2.0-litre units between 120 and 150bhp, taking Equipment is generous across the range, though. All the 308 to a currently class-leading 91.1mpg and 82g/km except the entry-level trim get Peugeot’s minimalist new dashboard, which puts most controls into an an intuitive centrally-mounted touchscreen, bundled with standardfit satellite navigation. Important functions can be accessed using shortcuts around the map display, and despite minor, occasional, lagging it's an easy system to use and a unique selling point in this segment.

Otherwise, the dashboard is similar to the 208 and 2008, adopting the small low-mounted steering wheel with instruments perched just under the driver’s line of sight. It suits shorter drivers best, but the steering wheel adds a direct feel to the driving experience, and the anticlockwise rev counter is an attractive novelty. Boot space has grown by 40 litres, but rear legroom isn’t as generous as rivals and the shallow rear window could make passenger rides claustrophobic for tall occupants.

So while Peugeot has hung onto the 308 nameplate, it’s the only surviving part of the old car. Its successor ticks all the right rational and emotional boxes to be a thoroughly desirable part of the C-segment.

38 / fleetworld.co.uk

what we think

highlights Euro6 diesels arrive next year setting a new C-segment efficiency benchmark of 91.1mpg and 82g/km.

Aimed at a larger share of user-choosers, Peugeot expects 308 demand to be predominantly driven by the top two trim levels.

Peugeot has aimed for the best in the segment with the new 308, which is a tall order. But with style on its side inside and out, and low running costs even before its next generation engines arrive, it's become an attractive alternative to some of the segment's biggest names.

New modular platform is compatible with Hybrid4 and Hybrid Air, but the near-future focus is efficient diesel technology.

key fleet model Peugeot 308 e-HDI 115 Allure fleetworld.co.uk / 39

BMW 4 Series

John Challen finds BMW’s new model line offers plenty of that familiar user-chooser appeal.

SECTOR Compact Executive PRICE £31,575–£41,435 FUEL 34.9–60.1mpg CO2 124–189g/km

A

s it adds more models into the 3 Series range – such as the 3 Series GT – BMW has decided that the former 3 Series Coupé will now be known as the 4 Series.

The new naming strategy, says the German manufacturer, is also in-keeping with the rise of the 6 Series and X6, where the emphasis is on a sportier proposition than the popular 5 Series and X5 models respectively. The “4” manages to continue this trend with a lower and wider vehicle than the 3 Series saloon, in a development that is, the company tells us, much more than a re-badging exercise from the outgoing Coupé.

Dropping the car 10mm closer to the ground, compared with the 3 Series saloon, means the 4 Series’ centre of gravity falls to below 500mm, which is the lowest figure of any car in the BMW range. There are chassis improvements front and back, with a front axle that is 60% stiffer than the one found on the 3 Series Coupé, the result being a steering setup that is more precise and has more feel.

Customers will benefit from an increased level of promising to account for the biggest slice of 4 Series sales standard equipment on the 4 Series, compared with the in the UK. Across the board there is a greater use of qual3 Series Coupé. Items include: an upgraded iDrive ity materials in the cabin, with more leather and high gloss system; automatic boot, wipers and lights; finishes throughout. The seats are comfortfront and rear parking sensors; multi-funcable and offer plenty of support, while the FLEET FACT tion steering wheel; and heated front seats. driving position offers an unobstructed view The likes of adaptive cruise control, head-up of the road, and the instrument panel.

420d auto offers display, park assist and BMW’s “Professional Three 4 Series versions will be available Multimedia” navigation unit are offered as from launch: the petrol-powered 428i and a 19g/km CO2 options on all models.

435i with 245 and 306bhp respectively, with cut over the Packaging-wise, there is 12mm more diesel customers being offered the 420d, 3 Series Coupe. legroom in the rear of the car, while the boot which puts out 184bhp. BMW hasn’t been has been expanded and can now swallow 445 resting on its laurels when it comes to its litres, an improvement of five litres on the outgoing model.

EfficientDynamics with the 4 Series. Efficiency improveThere are five trim levels – SE, Sport, Modern, Luxury ments, such as air breathers and aero curtains situated and M Sport – to choose from, with M Sport specification behind and ahead of the front wheel arches respectively, have helped cut CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy throughout the range.

The manual and automatic versions of the 435i emit 185 and 169g/km respectively, down from 196g/km in the outgoing model. The new 420d’s CO2 emissions, meanwhile, fall from 125g to 124g/km in the manual, and from 140 to 121g/km in the auto.

The UK is expected to be the second biggest market for the 4 Series – after the US – with a 12% share. BMW expects to sell in the region of 9,000 4 Series in its first full year, and is predicting close to 46,000 sales of the car here, over the course of its seven-year lifecycle.

The current models, which go on sale on 5 October, will be joined by other 2.0 and 3.0-litre engined versions by the end of 2013. Through 2014, buyers can expect more models, including all-wheel-drive capabilities of xDrive.

BMW says the system has proved a popular addition to its fleet, especially in the north of England and Scotland, where there is a high takeup rate.

40 / fleetworld.co.uk

what we think

highlights Extra spec need not cost the earth – 420d represents a price premium of just £540 over the outgoing 3 Series Coupé.

The performance package, and the improved driving dynamics make a real difference to both the 435i and the 420d.

BMW has been clever in its positioning of the 4 Series, and is sure to attract a lot of current 3 Series drivers, as well as those from rival brands. Those who do not require the practicality of a four-door 3 Series saloon will prefer the dynamics of this car, which offers an impressive ride and handling compromise.

A lower and wider stance might give the 4 Series extra visual presence on the road, but the real benefits are found behind the wheel.

key fleet model BMW 420d M Sport

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Chevrolet Trax

Promising high value, Alex Grant asks whether the Trax can tempt buyers out of its Mokka sibling.

SECTOR Crossover PRICE £15,499–£20,495 FUEL 43.4–62.7mpg CO2 120–153g/km

C

hevrolet’s B-segment crossover has arrived a year behind sister brand Vauxhall, but in a market sector where chunky styling and lower medium running costs are desirable, it has the basic ingredients ticked.

The Trax shares its platform with the Vauxhall/Opel Mokka and US-market Buick Encore, and (for now) all three cars are built on the same production line in South Korea. Vauxhall has plans for the Mokka to become its second biggest retail car, which makes a high value Chevrolet sibling rather important.

But the two cars look almost nothing alike. The Trax looks a little like a downsized Orlando, while the dashboard is similar to the Aveo’s. It’s a little more plasticky than the Mokka’s, but around 80% of UK cars will be the LT trim, which features a slick MyLink infotainment system capable of streaming smartphone apps and it’s neatly designed.

Chevrolet also has its own chassis setup, with further tweaks for UK roads, resulting in a good compromise between supermini-like agility and C-segment ride quality.

There’s comfortably enough space for four adults inside, but wind and road noise give away its small car DNA. Engine options comprise naturally aspirated 1.6 and turbocharged 1.4-litre petrols and a 1.7-litre diesel, with all except the entry-level 1.6 available with automatic

gearboxes and four-wheel drive. Fleets are likely to favour the familiar 128bhp 1.7-litre diesel, which suits the Trax perfectly in terms of power delivery but is particularly noisy under load. The 1.4 Turbo petrol is a nicer drive, but at 139g/km its corporate appeal is limited.

Trax’s biggest problem in value terms is its smaller range. Chevrolet hasn’t got an equivalent for the highly equipped Tech Line trim found in the Mokka, which means Vauxhall’s core fleet trim is cheaper despite generally lower pricing for the Trax. That could make netting fleet customers a little tricky.

SWOTTeam This month the SWOT Team analyses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the new Golf GTD against its closest rivals. Here is what they have to say...

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

AC The Golf scores best when it comes to BiK costs out of this month’s selection and can save between £750 & £1,000 over three years when compared to the others.

AC It is quite hard to find fault with the Golf, in a way this is one of its main strengths as it is such a good all-rounder. But there are certainly better looking cars in the market, while rivals such as the Civic and the Octavia which have a lot bigger boots than the Golf.

AC I guess the GTD’s main target would be conquest business from the premium side of the market whist still maintaining its presence as the mainstay in the standard hatchback side.

AC The Golf faces new competition both from premium and former budget brands which makes the decision a little harder for drivers.

MJ The fact that most people will think the GTD is a GTI won’t hurt sales! A quality interior and an impressive level of standard equipment means the only minor disappointment is that Sat Nav is missing.

AS The Golf is a powerhouse within the fleet and corporate markets with its classless image. This car is strong on quality and this is reflected in solid residual values.

MW The Golf GTD looks right, drives right, is economical, CO2 is unbeatable – and it almost has the same presence as a GTI.

44 / fleetworld.co.uk

MJ While residuals remain strong, Volkswagen will be able to get away with the On-the-Road pricing, but being within £200 of BMW’s 120d M Sport means that they will need to keep a clear specification advantage.

AS The popularity of the brand has meant that if you are looking for exclusivity you won’t find it here.

MW The GTD is more stylish and looks so much better than an “ordinary” Golf, but to many people it is “just a Golf MK7”.

MJ The Golf is competing against its Audi A3 stablemate and is head on against BMW 1 Series and the other cars in this group. The real opportunity must lie with those wanting more equipment and low BiK taxation – the Golf costing a 40% tax payer the equivalent of £150 per month over three years.

AS The appeal to all ages is a real bonus for the fleet manager and when it comes to disposal time, a buyer always awaits.

This is by far the lowest CO2 output in this company.

MW The Golf GTD is now class leading in many respects and will attract new customers.

MJ The equivalent A3 Sportback has less equipment but is forecast to cost £370 more over three years, while the £2,225 saving on a Leon FR with the same engine could add back some missing equipment.

AS Fleet buyers demand five doors for their drivers. But those buying used tend to favour three doors. New AClass Sport is also creating a lot of interest.

MW The danger comes from cost of ownership and insurance on hot-hatches – even diesels – and fleet managers need to weigh up the costs of running these compared to the regular version.

Martin Ward (MW) Manufacturer Relationship Manager, CAP

Golf GTD

Alan Senior (AS) Director, Vehicle Information Publishing

Mark Jowsey (MJ) Commercial Director, KeeResources KwikCarCost

Strengths

AC The one to beat since 1974.

MJ GTI styling, refined engine, plentiful equipment.

AS High quality, classless image, strong residuals.

MW GTI presence with diesel costs.

Strengths

Alfa Romeo Giulietta 2.0 JTDm-2 (170bhp) Sportiva

AC Very good styling.

MJ Distinctive looks and fun to drive.

AS The most exclusive car here, now tweaked and improved.

MW Competitively priced for those who love its Italian design.

AC Poor space, poor driving position.

MJ Low RVs and high operating costs.

AS Not on the radar of most fleets.

MW Suffers from Alfa’s historic reputation for unreliability.

OTR: £25,310 P11D: £25,255 Fuel: 60.1mpg CO2: 124g/km RV*: £7,200 (29%) BiK: 19% SMR: £2,348 Fuel costs: £6,423 Insurance: £3,675 Finance: £3,409 NI: £2,126 VED: £210 Cost per month: £1,008

Strengths

BMW 120d M Sport

AC Great to drive, great drivetrains.

MJ Plenty of power, plus tax efficiency and driver appeal.

AS Strong fleet appeal.

MW Used appeal, outstanding economy and attractive monthly payments.

Standard equipment: • Bluetooth, USB and aux • Cruise control • Radio/CD • Leather upholstery • Dual-zone climate control Optional equipment: • Metallic paint £510 • Satellite navigation £1,230 • Bi-xenon headlamps £930 • Parking sensors (rear) £230 • Tinted glass £210

Standard equipment: • Bluetooth, USB and aux • DAB Radio/CD with screen • Dual zone climate control • 6.5-inch iDrive screen Optional equipment: • Metallic paint £550 • Leather upholstery £800 • Satellite navigation £990 • Bi-xenon headlamps £590 • Parking sensors (rear) £360 • Tinted glass £315 • Cruise control £500

AC Marmite styling, not quite as spacious.

MJ Looks still not to everyone’s taste.

AS Styling is an acquired taste.

MW Plenty around and not as unique as they used to be.

OTR: £26,135 P11D: £26,060 Fuel: 62.8mpg CO2: 119g/km RV*: £10,225 (39%) BiK: 18% SMR: £2,474 Fuel costs: £6,147 Insurance: £3,555 Finance: £3,521 NI: £2,087 VED: £60 Cost per month: £938

Strengths

Vauxhall Astra BiTurbo 2.0 CDTi 16v S/S

Weaknesses

Astra BiTurbo

Standard equipment: • Bluetooth, USB and aux • Cruise control • DAB radio and CD with 5.8-inch touchscreen • Front/rear parking sensors • Dual zone climate control • Bi-xenon headlamps • Tinted glass Optional equipment: • Metallic paint £525 • Leather upholstery £1,695 • Satellite navigation £735

AC There are better looking cars.

MJ Competitive Volkswagen Group stablemates.

AS Lots around, not very exclusive.

MW A bit too similar to rest of the range.

Weaknesses

120d M Sport

Volkswagen Golf GTD 2.0 TDI 5dr OTR: £25,940 P11D: £25,885 Fuel: 67.3mpg CO2: 109g/km RV*: £10,525 (41%) BiK: 16% SMR: £2,756 Fuel costs: £5,736 Insurance: £3,750 Finance: £3,494 NI: £1,858 VED: £40 Cost per month: £918

Weaknesses

Giulietta Sportiva

Andy Cutler (AC) UK Car Editor – Forecast Values Glass’s

AC Styling, list price and power.

MJ High power and torque output.

AS A fleet friendly brand, high performance diesel Astra.

MW Looks the best value on paper.

Weaknesses

AC High CO2 figures, not the best drive.

MJ Disappointing equipment levels – particularly compared to the Golf.

AS This car does not stand up well within this company.

MW It will lose the most money.

OTR: £24,100 P11D: £23,920 Fuel: 55.4mpg CO2: 134g/km RV*: £6,575 (27%) BiK: 21% SMR: £2,065 Fuel costs: £6,968 Insurance: £3,750 Finance: £3,229 NI: £2,212 VED: £375 Cost per month: £1,000

Standard equipment: • Cruise control • Radio/CD player • Manual air conditioning • Bi-xenon headlamps Optional equipment: • Metallic paint £525 • Leather upholstery £1,050 • Satellite navigation, USB, aux-in £855 • DAB digital radio £160 • Bluetooth £220 • Dual zone climate control £305

fleetworld.co.uk / 45

SPOTLIGHT New Mazda3

Set to stun Mazda’s new 3 will be a more competitive offering for fleets in the C-segment, says Steve Moody.

chassis & engines When the all-new Mazda3 goes on sale in the UK in January 2014, it will come in two bodystyles – hatchback and fastback. The two styles share the enlarged 2,700mm wheelbase – the longest in the C-segment and 60mm longer than the current Mazda3’s. It’s also lighter than the current model, and kerb weights starting from 1,200kg (fastback) and 1,190kg (hatchback), making it one of the lightest C-segment cars.

The key fleet engine will be the 150bhp SKYACTIV-D 2.2-litre diesel with 380Nm of torque at 1,800rpm, combined with fuel economy and CO2 emissions up to 72.4mpg and from 104g/km.

Also of interest will be the brand new 100bhp SKYACTIV-G 1.5-litre petrol unit is delivering up to 55.4mpg, with CO2 emissions from 119g/km. All are fitted with i-stop, Mazda’s idle-stop system, as standard.

design The previous Mazda3 didn’t quite set pulses running, but the new model is stunning. Using many KODO design cues similar to those in the Mazda6, it has a long, sporty bonnet and sharply raked C-pillar, making it a genuinely striking car.

Hatchback or fastback, the new shapes also save fuel – thanks to a very aerodynamically “clean” design, boasting among the best aerodynamics on the market, with Cd values of 0.258 (fastback) and 0.275 (hatchback).

48 / fleetworld.co.uk

FLEET FACT New Mazda3 will go on sale in the UK in January 2014.

technology Larger than the outgoing model in most respects, the all-new Mazda3 also gets a Human-Machine Interface (HM) which includes Active Driving Display, Mazda’s new head-up display.

Also, driver will be able to access email, text and navigation features, and an array of free mobile online content into the vehicle, including Facebook and Twitter audio feeds as well as Aha online radio, with tens of thousands of cloud-based stations and audio books.

the editor’s view The previous Mazda3 didn’t have the engines or the desirability as a company car and was predominantly retail.

This new model though looks to have many of the talents needed to break into the corporate market. Pricing will be vital, obviously, and perhaps a sub-100g/km models might need to come onto the market at some point too. SM

fleetworld.co.uk / 49

FEATURE Reliability

Behind the warranties With manufacturer warranties extending further than before, Alex Grant asks leasing companies whether vehicles are proving to be as reliable as the paperwork implies.

T

he modern fleet vehicle has never been more complicated. Downward pressure on fuel consumption and CO2 means the latest models are achieving ever-higher efficiency from ever-lower cubic capacity, while consumers expect high durability with increasingly wide service intervals and long warranties.

Evidence suggests cars are making fewer visits to a workshop than ever before. New figures from Trend Tracker showed a 20% drop in routing servicing and repair jobs during the last decade – great news for fleets looking to minimise downtime.

But this reduced exposure can be a double-edged sword.

Less frequent visits can mean problems go unnoticed, and while leasing companies are reporting constant improvements in reliability across the board, new technology has created a few new headaches for fleets.

50 / fleetworld.co.uk

The engine warning light appears to be one such perennial problem. This can be triggered when any one of what could be more than 100 sensors under the bonnet gives an anomalous reading to the engine management system, and can be accompanied by the car switching to a performance-reducing “limp home mode”.

But while not all problems are serious, Mark Connor, operations director at Zenith, says it can be unnerving for drivers: ‘There are many reasons why a warning light might trigger, but from a driver’s perspective – who typically has less technical experience – the impact is the same,’ he explained.

‘The driver might experience the vehicle going into “limp home” mode, and it might lead him to think that a dealer has mis-diagnosed a problem if he experiences this similar output on more than one occasion.’

Problems aren’t always electrical. Increasingly stringent

emissions standards, not only in Europe but globally, mean manufacturers are adding new filters and recirculation systems to control harmful exhaust output. Of these, it’s the diesel particulate filter (DPF) which is the most regular cause of concern for drivers.

DPFs have been mandatory since Euro 5 emissions regulations were introduced at the start of 2011. It’s a filter in the exhaust designed to trap soot, usually burning this off (known as regenerating) while the engine is hot.

But – as with the early catalytic converters – their proliferation means they’re not always itted to cars which suit the technology. Shorter journeys mean the DPF doesn’t always reach the temperature needed to regenerate, and can be prone to clogging, eventually causing running problems.

Malcolm Roberts, leet services manager at Hitachi Capital, says this results in an average three-day downtime to repair.

The regeneration process is also widely misunderstood.

If the car detects reduced airflow through the DPF it can actively raise the exhaust temperature by injecting extra fuel, but the associated rise in fuel consumption and smell of diesel has been known to be mistaken for engine faults if the driver is unaware of the technology.

Phil Turle, operations manager at ALD Automotive, explains: ‘DPFs cause a lot of downtime. If it’s a business car you can usually speak to fleet people who are switched on, but with smaller fleets you’re usually dealing with end users, and nobody likes to be told they are doing something wrong.

‘We’re looking at putting it into contracts this year. It will advise that the vehicle may have a DPF and that it could create problems if the driver is not aware of the regenera-

tion cycle process. It’s all about making the customer aware of potential issues and the technology in today’s vehicles.’

Ironically, it’s the systems most drivers won’t notice which are the ones having the most impact. Leasing companies reported no issues with stop/start systems, while the latest downsized petrol and diesel engines and hybrids are proving as reliable, if not more so, than their predecessors. Electric and hybrid vehicles are also tending to come in under their predicted SMR costs.

Connor says: ‘Hybrid and electric vehicles have such a gentle power delivery, and we are seeing that they use less tyres.

Also, with the electric generators helping slow the vehicle down we are finding they need less brake replacements.’

But it’s never been more important for drivers to understand the latest additions to their vehicles, to avoid what can be needless downtime. This also applies to independent repairers, who as a result of Block Exemption are able to service and repair vehicles without affecting warranties. Turle adds that they’re not always aware of minor software updates, which can avoid the need for expensive mechanical repairs.

Turle says: ‘It makes more sense to us to have a vehicle serviced within the Franchise network, with many manufacturers offering fixed priced servicing and the backing of the manufacturer regarding goodwill, we shouldn’t always assume independent route is the cheaper option all the time.’

However, feedback from the leasing industry suggests cars have never been more reliable, and manufacturers have never been keener to work with customers to iron out the problems which do persist. Provided drivers understand the systems they’re presented with, the latest additions to company vehicles should present relatively few headaches.

Keep your customers happy Have you ever considered how easy is it to give your customer visibility of where you are, when you’re expected, and that you’ve met your Service Level / KPI? How much me do you spend proving that you do arrive on me, 99.9% of the me? How easy is it to spoil a perfectly good business rela onship, ul mately losing a valued customer? ™ is designed to sit on top of your exis ng telema cs The solu on is simple. telemetrics™ system to display and report the informa on you want to see, the way you want to see it.

With telemetrics™ ™ you can: x Be transparent. Give your customers visibility of your fleet to show them the job’s done x Allow your customers to interface with your systems x Set up excep on alerts—no alert means you met or exceeded your KPI x Measure your performance in real- me and make it visible to the customer x Avoid those difficult conversa ons – who’s wrong, who’s right?

To find out how we can help you keep your customers happy and your business profitable, call us on +44 (0) 843 515 9934, email enquiries@telepath.uk.com or visit www.telepath.uk.com

¡

FEATURE Reliability

¡

On the horizon – Euro 6 6 of the best Mazda’s SKYACTIV-D technology meets Euro 6 standards, without the need for fuel additives

The latest Euro 6 emissions standards come into force next September, setting tough new limits on toxic NOx and Hydrocarbon content in diesel engine exhaust output.

While some manufacturers – such as Mazda with its SKYACTIV-D diesel engine – have managed to come under the threshold using an optimised combustion process, this next stage in emissions control will usually require extra ilters or a urea solution similar to AdBlue used in heavy goods vehicles. This will require regular re illing to avoid warning lights or the car stopping altogether.

‘It’s touching the surface now,’ says Phil Turle of ALD Automotive. ‘People don’t like the process of re illing. We’ve had a couple of drivers who have had problems with contamination, because they think it’s washer additive.

Drivers are not happy as they’re charged £2030 for an AdBlue top up – they do query it.’

Top 5 vehicle faults

1

2

52 / fleetworld.co.uk

Batteries Still a leading cause of breakdown calls, but dif icult to diagnose whether the vehicle or driver is at fault.

This usually results in the vehicle being jump-started at the roadside and taken to the nearest garage, but rarely results in a new battery being itted due to wear and tear.

Engine Warning Lights Caused by an unexpected reading from any of the engine’s sensors, engine warning lights are a frequent cause of concern for drivers. The problem is often a faulty sensor and can be repaired quickly, but as it can suggest other faults it should be reported to a garage as soon as possible.

3

DPFs Increasing in frequency as diesel particulate ilters are found on a larger share of the vehicle parc, DPFs can block if they aren’t able to come up to temperature.

The result is an unnerving warning light, reduced performance and economy and a diesel smell as the car injects additional fuel to clear the blockage.

4

EGR Valve Cooler Another emission control system, exhaust gas recirculation systems divert some of the exhaust gases back into the engine to combust harmful gas output. But these are temperature controlled with coolant, and faults can cause this to leak into the exhaust system resulting in smoking and starting issues.

5

Fuel Filters Used to remove contaminants such as rust, sand and water before they reach delicate fuel injectors, diesel ilters can clog if summer formula fuel is used during the winter, causing waxy deposits to form. The result is reduced performance and usually a replacement is required.

All the abilities that drive success

Desirability Reliability

What won’t our sub-100g/km CO2 range reduce?

Sustainability Affordability Rangeability Serviceability iQ (99g/km)

Aygo (99g/km)

New Auris Hybrid (84g/km) New Auris Diesel (99g/km)

New Yaris Hybrid (79g/km)

Prius (89g/km)

New Prius Plug-In (49g/km)

New Prius+ (96g/km)

CT 200h (87g/km)

New Auris Touring Sports (85g/km)

New IS 300h (99g/km)

Your options

delivering

Sustainability The choice drivers want. The numbers you need. Low emissions, low tax, high levels of equipment.

From a city car to a 7-seat MPV, our sub-100g/km range has all the fleet options covered.

Cut emissions, not choice and book an extended test drive today, scan or visit us online.

brilliant for business

brilliantforbusiness.co.uk 0844 701 6186

Official fuel consumption for our sub 100g/km CO2 range in mpg and (ltrs/100km): Combined 134.5 (2.1) - 65.7 (4.3); Urban 91.1(3.1) - 55.4 (5.1); Extra-Urban 80.7 (3.5) - 74.3 (3.8); CO2 emissions 49g/km - 99g/km.

The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results. These are provided for comparability purposes and may not reflect your actual driving experience.

ALD Automotive • Shell FuelSave 2013

9 – 10 October 2013. Tankersley Manor, near Sheffield

We want YOU!!

Spiralling fuel prices have made economy one of the most desirable factors when choosing a car, while forcing private and business drivers to consider everything they do behind the wheel. It’s a cost nobody can ignore.

The MPG Marathon is a live demonstration of how both car and driver can make a massive difference to fuel costs and emissions. Now in its twelfth year, it pits teams of contestants against each other over a two-day event to push for the best fuel economy.

This year's event will take place at the fantastic Tankersley Manor, near Sheffield, on Wednesday 9th October – Thursday 10th October 2013.

Previous competitors have included everyone from celebrities, academics and motoring journalists to senior figures in the automotive industry, with coverage across regional and national press.

Visit thempgmarathon.co.uk for more info...

in association with

SIGN UP

NOW Visit the website thempgmarathon.co.uk and register to drive in the UK’s premier economy driving event, for FREE! 54 / fleetworld.co.uk

108mpg!

Last year’s winning Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, on its way to a recordbreaking fuel figure.

Vehicle classes...

2013

Passenger cars

Commercial vehicles

(limited to maximum CO2 emissions of 180g/km)

(not subject to maximum CO2 emission limit)

Class 1

Passenger cars powered by petrol with CO2 emissions of 110g/km or more

Class 6

Light vans and car-derived vans – GVW of less than 2001kg

Class 2

Passenger cars powered by petrol with CO2 emissions of 111g/km or more

Class 7

Small vans – GVW between 2001kg and 2600kg

Class 3

Passenger cars powered by diesel with CO2 emissions of 110g/km or more

Class 8

Medium vans – GVW between 2601kg and 2800kg

Class 4

Passenger cars powered by diesel with CO2 emissions of 111g/km or more

Class 9

Medium vans – GVW between 2801kg and 3499kg

Class 5

Hybrids powered by hybrid systems

Alternatively fuelled vehicles Alternatively fuelled vehicles competing in a demonstration of fuel consumption capability. Vehicles competing in this class will where possible be given an official fuel consumption or indication of fuel used, but will not be eligible for the main MPG Marathon competition.

Event format...

This year’s ALD Automotive / Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon will challenge competitors’ navigation skills as well as their driving ability, when the UK’s leading economy driving event sets off from its Yorkshire base later in the year.

Ever since Fleet World first introduced the event in 2000, competitors have been required to follow a fixed route, as would be expected with a car rally. However, last year a number of unscheduled road closures and unforeseen traffic incidents along the route required drivers to find their own way round the problems, prompting a change of format this year.

In what is known in motorsport circles as a “navigational scatter”, competitors in the 2013 MPG Marathon will be required to find their own route between a series of fixed points, in much the same way that any normal business driver would be required to do. The minimum, straight-line distance between them will be 360 miles in total, but navigators will be allowed to choose a longer route if they feel it will result in a better fuelsaving performance.

'We were beset with traffic jams and road closures last year and drivers were forced to re-route around them – in one section a bridge collapsed on the morning of the event. But the data we got from TRACKER allowed us to calculate the exact extra mileage covered by each vehicle, so we have added this extra dimension in 2013 and the drivers I have spoken to so far have roundly welcomed it,' MPG Marathon event organiser, Ross Durkin.

All cars will be fitted with TRACKER tracking equipment, so the organisers will know exactly where each car has been and how far it has travelled. The new format gives drivers the option to choose a route that is not necessarily the shortest distance, if they feel that by avoiding the traffic in certain areas they will achieve a better overall performance. Most cars in the event will be fitted with Sat Nav and by using the traffic avoidance systems they will be making decisions about their route in the same way that any normal driver would. Under the old rules, a deviation from the route could result in disqualification.

thempgmarathon.co.uk fleetworld.co.uk / 55

Results of the 2012 MPG Marathon...

Model

Drivers

MPG MPG % Figure Combined Improvement

CO2 g/km

Audi A1 Sportback 1.6 TDi Sport

David Madgwick & Alexander Madgwick

69.27

74.30

-6.76%

99

BMW 320d EfficientDynamics

Richard Aucock & Leigh Stiff

84.91

68.90

23.24%

109

BMW 320d EfficientDynamics

Pete Lunt & Ian Featherstone

70.47

68.90

2.28%

109

Citroën C1 1.0 VTR

Geoff Murray & Mark Armstrong-Read

84.70

65.70

28.92%

99

Fiat Panda 1.3 MultiJet Easy

John Kerswill & Ian McKean

88.96

72.40

22.88%

104

Fiat Punto 1.3 MultiJet Easy

John Dalton & Chris Barron

82.47

80.70

2.20%

90

Ford Fiesta Zetec ECOnetic 1.6 TDCi

Andrew Marriott & Andy Dawson

108.78

85.60

27.07%

87

Ford Focus Titanium 1.0 EcoBoost

Paul Clifton & Doug Clifton

61.93

56.50

9.62%

114

Jaguar XF 2.2 diesel Luxury

Victor Harman & David Hancock

58.53

52.00

12.56%

139

Kia cee’d 1.6 CRDi 2 EcoDynamics

Dave Randle & Peter Cracknell

74.61

74.30

0.41%

100

Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi 1 EcoDynamics

Sue Baker & Steve Winnit

90.01

88.30

1.93%

85

Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi 1 EcoDynamics

Mick Linford & Steve Croughan

102.21

88.30

15.75%

85

Lexus GS450h Luxury

David Crouch & Richard Seymour

45.96

46.30

-0.72%

141

Peugeot 208 e-HDi EGC Active

Ian Robertson & Craig Morrow

90.24

83.10

8.60%

87

Peugeot 208 e-HDi EGC Active

Chris Russon & Kevin Jones

93.40

83.10

12.40%

87

Peugeot Partner Tepee e-HDi EGC

Iain Robertson & Robert Marshall

63.00

58.90

6.96%

125

Toyota Yaris Hybrid T4

Andrew Andersz & Alyson Marlow

79.78

80.70

-1.14%

85

Vauxhall Insignia BiTurbo 2.0 CDTi 16v SRi

Alex Grant & Katie Beck

49.86

55.40

-10.00%

134

Vauxhall Astra GTC 2.0 CDTi SRi

Dave Moss & Mike Hull

62.16

58.90

5.54%

127

Vauxhall Astra 2.0 CDTi ecoFLEX SE

Jerry Clist & Jeremy Yea

68.64

62.80

9.31%

119

Volkswagen Golf Match TDi 105

Julie Fitzell & Chad Brewer

75.06

62.80

19.53%

119

Vans Citroën Nemo HDi 75

John Kendall & Paul Nieuwenhuis

77.51

62.80

23.42%

119

Fiat Doblo 1.3 MultiJet 90

Dave Edwards & Rob Williams

62.36

53.30

16.99%

139

Ford Transit Custom T270 L1H1

Owen Wood & Richard Powell

56.04

40.90

37.01%

183

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 313CDi LWB

Peter Thomas & Marke Roughneed

43.94

33.60

30.76%

208

Renault Trafic SL27 dCi 115 Sport

Dan Gilkes & Malcolm Curnow

57.19

40.90

39.84%

180

Vauxhall Vivaro ecoFLEX 2700 2.0 CDTi (115PS)

Neil McIntee & Andrew Duerden

65.16

40.90

59.31%

180

VW Transporter T27 BlueMotion (Cobra)

Doug Powell & Trevor Holland

56.50

44.80

26.11%

166

Dispelling the myths about fuel consumption...

This year’s ALD Automotive / Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon is set to dispel many of the myths surrounding the alleged inability of some passenger cars to achieve the combined fuel consumption figure claimed by the motor manufacturers. The UK’s leading economy driving event features a number of cars and drivers that have a proven track record in beating the combined figure – a feat that some motorists seem to think is unachievable.

Since the first event in 2000 – in the aftermath of the worst fuel shortages and protests seen in the UK in living memory – the MPG Marathon has seen literally hundreds of cars pass their combined figure with ease. And while the event is meant to be fun for those taking part, there is a far more serious side to the MPG Marathon, and that’s changing the mindset of drivers who have been conned into believing they can never achieve their car’s combined figure, meaning they don’t even try.

All but four of the 27 vehicles in last year’s MPG Marathon beat their combined figure, and of those that failed, two were by less than 2%. Across all the cars taking part last year, the average improvement over combined cycle figures was over 9.0%, while for the seven vans that took part the average improvement was a

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staggering 33.4%. Whether you are a fleet buyer or a consumer, you simply can’t ignore savings like this.

The MPG Marathon takes place on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th October, based at Tankersley Manor, near Sheffield. The event covers some 360 miles over two days, with strict time penalties for those who fail to keep up a safe speed, providing competitors with a “real-world” test of their eco-driving skills.

Competitors include motoring journalists, fleet managers, racing drivers and celebrities, and the purpose of the event is to raise awareness among motorists of the potential fuel savings that can be made through the use of certain, easy-to-learn techniques.

‘There seems to be a misguided lobby of car enthusiasts who want the motor manufacturers to re-calculate their fuel consumption figures by anything up to 20%,’ said MPG Marathon event organiser, Ross Durkin. ‘Even if they were successful, it wouldn’t change the way these individuals drive, though they might feel happy to achieve a much-reduced combined figure. However, I suspect that the sudden leap in motoring taxes that everyone would have to pay as a result – all taxes being based on CO2 emissions – would soon wipe the smile off their faces. The only winner would be the chancellor,’ added Durkin.

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Sponsors...

2013

ALD Automotive ALD Automotive is one of the UK's leading providers of vehicle funding and management solutions and manages over 73,000 vehicles. The ALD Automotive group is also the 2nd largest vehicle leasing operation in Europe and manages over 900,000 vehicles across 37 countries worldwide.

As such we are, once again, delighted to organise the 2013 MPG Marathon. The event has proved to be an ideal fit with our own business strategy as it focuses on cost reduction, health and safety and environmental issues. These are the core issues at the forefront of our own and our customers’ thinking. Our support reflects the great importance we place on safer, smarter driving and our award winning risk management solutions – for company car drivers and the grey fleet alike, such as DriveSafe Solutions and ProFleet2 in-vehicle telematics – are testimony to this. It’s clear the MPG Marathon has gained a momentum of its own and is set to remain a key feature of the fleet motoring calendar.

euroShell card

TRACKER

Shell is proud to be the headline fuel sponsor of the 2013 MPG Marathon.

The moment you fill your car with Shell FuelSave Regular Unleaded and Shell FuelSave Regular Diesel, you could start to benefit from its advanced fuel economy formula. That’s because it’s enriched with Shell Efficiency Improver, designed to improve fuel economy from the very first drop.

This fuel-efficient formula is designed to ignite and burn more effectively, helping to produce more efficient combustion in your engine.

In addition to this, it is also designed to help prevent the build-up of deposits on fuel injectors, improving your engine's efficiency. This helps you get the most out of every drop of Shell FuelSave Regular Unleaded and Shell FuelSave Regular Diesel, saving you more fuel with every tank.

TRACKER is the UK's number one supplier of vehicle tracking services, with over a million systems installed to date.

Celebrating 20 years of market-leading success, TRACKER’s award winning fleet tracking systems help companies meet the challenges facing them today.

TRACKER Fleet incorporates groundbreaking, patented technology, providing important cost-saving benefits, not just for the short-term by identifying fuel inefficiency, but also longer-term by providing valuable insights into driver and business behaviour.

TRACKER remains committed to developing solutions that anticipate and respond to the changing dynamics of the marketplace. Our long history in supplying telematics means businesses can be assured we will be here tomorrow.

For more information about TRACKER visit: www.tracker.co.uk

Eco driving tips...

Keep your car well serviced and check the oil level regularly. Correctly maintained cars can operate more efficiently and help reduce CO2 emissions.

Check your tyre pressure every month. Under-inflated tyres can increase your fuel consumption by up to 4%.

Remove unnecessary weight from your boot or back seats. The heavier the car, the harder the engine has to work and the more fuel it consumes.

Close your windows, especially at higher speeds, and remove empty roof racks. This will reduce wind resistance and can lower your fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10%.

Use air conditioning only when necessary. Unnecessary use increases fuel consumption and CO2 by up to 5%.

Start driving soon after starting the engine and turn off the engine when stationary for more than one minute. Modern engines enable you to just get in and go, thus reducing fuel consumption.

Drive at reasonable speeds and above all, drive smoothly. Every time you accelerate or brake suddenly, your engine uses more fuel and produces more CO2.

When accelerating, change up gears as early as possible. Higher gears are more economical for fuel consumption.

Try to anticipate traffic flow. Look at the traffic as far ahead as possible in order to avoid unnecessary stopping and starting within the flow of traffic.

Consider car sharing for work or leisure. You will help reduce congestion and fuel consumption.

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INTERVIEW Stephen Doran, TRACKER

It’s not all stolen Lamborghinis Some innovative new tracking technology is driving TRACKER’s growth in the fleet market, MD Stephen Doran tells Steve Moody.

W

hen everybody knows you as part of thrilling last minute dashes to save stolen Lamborghinis from sea crates being packed aboard ships en route for the far side of the world, it can be hard to establish in their minds that you can also help make package delivery routes in Dudley more time-efficient.

But that’s the challenge TRACKER, and its managing director Stephen Doran, has because these days, after 20 years in the business, TRACKER is as much about business telematics as it is about carjacked Ferraris.

Doran explains: ‘When it comes to fleet and establishing ourselves in that market, because our brand is so strong in stolen vehicle recovery we have to sometimes explain that we’re actually a fully-fledged fleet provider with really quite a wide portfolio of telematics options for corporates of all shapes and sizes.’

In fact, TRACKER’s business is now spilt fairly evenly between stolen vehicles recovery (SVR), fleet telematics and insurance. But as the use of technology increases, Doran sees the three areas becoming increasingly intertwined.

‘We believe our offering is unique because we offer three clear channels: we have the SVR side of things, which keeps the cars safe, we have fleet tracking and then we also have insurance telematics,’ he says. ‘What that means is that fleets get a full suite of telematics delivering security for the assets, then management information for the business on the use of those assets, and then going forward the opportunity to lower insurance costs through better driving behaviour.

‘Our customer target size is probably the 10-50 vehicles because we have historically been better at selling in that area, perhaps because of the SVR technology, but we have 600-plus vehicles fleets on our books too. We sit in a sweet spot of SME with a bias towards the M part.

‘We relaunched back in October 2011 with a real industrial stength fleet system that’s bulletproof, and it’s bulletproof because we’re owned by the Direct Line Group. That means we’re governed by their principles around latency, system availability and disaster recovery, so we sit on an industrial scale infrastructure, a 99.999% uptime and a reliable fleet system. While we have enhanced our systems and continue to do so, more of the things we do to build new functionality take us closer to a larger fleet option.’

Some of TRACKER’s work is fascinating. Because the research and development is done in house (the legacy of being two decades old in a market known for its comings

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and goings) it is doing all sorts of clever things. Its systems have G-meters that are so precise, they can tell if the damage to a wheel has been done by a driver hitting a kerb (and therefore his fault), or going through a pothole (which is not). With the insurance industry increasingly keen to find ever better ways of establishing fault and assessing risk, Doran says TRACKER’s technology development is growing from the fact all sides want more information.

He says: ‘There’s a massive drive or gravitational pull towards commercial fleet insurers being much more granular about the way they manage that risk. We’ve recently signed an agreement with a huge fleet insurer to offer this, and they are indicative of a wave of enlightened insurance companies that are not just looking at blanket-type insurance but are looking at the way the vehicles are being driven.

‘And the information we are providing in turn fits the increasingly diverse set of roles within a business that have a stake in the fleet operation. We’re seeing operations, finance, HR, risk as well as traditional fleet management all requiring information, and so the way we can deliver what all these people need is more interlinked.

‘What we try to do is deliver insight – not data – in a user interface that’s really easy to understand and operate.’

And what about the drivers in all of this? The march of technology has a big effect on their working lives. Doran thinks things are changing.

‘We are seeing a cultural shift. As people are more used to being connected wheverever they are through smartphones, they seem less reticent about having telematics devices in their cars or vans,’ he says.

‘The world is full of real-time Facebook updates that say “I’m in a restaurant in Watford” and it’s geotagged and I think back to when I first got involved with Norwich Union with usage-based insurance in 2004, that was all about big brother and people worried about its effect, but I think that’s not the case now.

‘We are finding that the reward culture underpinned by telematics drives the whole canteen management effect and that the guys at the bottom of the league tables see it and they want to improve. It really is driving behaviour change and makes them safer and more economical.’

A cheaper to run, safer fleet might not be as glamorous as rescuing stolen supercars, but it’s clear that for Doran and TRACKER, it’s the major priority and driver of growth over the next few years.

‘What we try to do is deliver insight – not data – in a user interface that’s really easy to understand and operate.’

fleetworld.co.uk / 61

advertisEment feature

The new Audi A3 Saloon An emphasis on sportiness, premium qualit y and unrivalled ef ficiency Its purposeful stance, short overhangs and sharply sculpted lines give the new A3 Saloon a defined sporting edge that’s reinforced by a choice of Sport or S line trims.

Available to order now, the new A3 Saloon adds to the A3 3dr and Sportback range, with P11D prices starting from £24,250.

Longer than the Sportback by just over 14cm, wider by 11mm and 9mm lower, the A3 Saloon offers 425 litres of luggage space with the rear seats in place – 45 litres more than the Sportback – and the same level of cabin space.

The new Saloon’s rakish roofline lends it sporting coupé-like styling, while premium quality, fit and finish builds on the classleading reputation established by the A3.

Advanced engines deliver performance with efficiency The new A3 Saloon is available initially with a choice of three engines – 1.4 TFSI 140PS and 1.8 TFSI 180PS, both with 7-speed S tronic transmission, and a 2.0 TDI 150PS fitted with a slick-

The new Audi A3 Saloon: comparisons

New Audi A3 Saloon Mercedes-Benz BMW 120d 2.0 TDI S line CLA 220 CDI Sport Coupé M Sport

ROTR price

£26,425

£29,355

£27,145

P11D price

£26,370

£29,300

£27,090

107

117

124

150PS

170hp

177hp

68.9

62.8

60.1

18

19

CO 2 emissions (g/km) Max power 1

Combined mpg

BIK tax band (2013/14) (%) 16 2

BIK tax (20%/40%)

£70/£140

£87/£175

£85/£171

3 CAP Monitor RV (£/%)

11,375/43

11,900/41

8,975/33

Details correct at August 2013. Source: manufacturer information. 1 Standard EU Test figures are for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. 2 BIK tax quoted per month in 2013/14. 3 Over 3yrs/60,000 miles. Source: CAP Monitor, July 2013. *Text quotes source: What Car? 2013 Awards, January 2013

‘Sculpted lines give the new A3 Saloon a defined sporting edge that’s reinforced by a choice of Sport or S line trims’

mark out the new Audi A3 Saloon shifting six-speed manual gearbox. CO2 emissions start from just 107g/km for the 2.0 TDI manual models, placing them in the 16% BIK tax band in 2013/14, while combined fuel consumption of up to 68.9mpg1 helps to keep you away from the pumps.

Meanwhile, 1.4 TFSI 140PS models are equipped with Audi’s revolutionary cylinder-on-demand technology, giving combined fuel consumption of up to 60.1mpg and CO2 emissions of just 109g/km for BIK tax in the 13% band in 2013/14. That translates to actual liability from just £52 a month for a 20% tax payer.

Standard specification reflects sporting character The new Saloon shares much of its interior design with the A3 Sportback, which won plaudits for its materials, build quality and ergonomics to win the 2013 What Car? Car of the Year Award.

As What Car?’s testers said: ‘What really sealed the victory was the Audi’s classiness. The beautiful cabin materials, flawless assembly and fastidious attention to detail put it head-andshoulders above any rival for quality. It actually feels posher than some executive cars’.* And with standard equipment that includes 17” alloy wheels (18” on S line), front sports seats, Bluetooth® interface, MMI radio with 5.8” electrically extending colour screen, Audi Music Interface (AMI), lowered sports suspension and 60/40 split-folding rear seats, the new A3 Saloon offers a specification to match.

Above: The Saloon shares its interior with the A3 3dr and Sportback. What Car? magazine praised the Sportback’s ‘beautiful cabin materials, flawless assembly and fastidious attention to detail that put it head and shoulders above any rival for quality.’* Left: The rear seats offer the same space as the Sportback, with 60/40-split folding

For more details on the new Audi A3 Saloon, or to request a test drive visit www.audi.co.uk/a3, call 0870 241 5663 or contact your local Audi Centre

MANAGEMENT Fleet Academy

Join the Can overhead sign information be trusted?

Ross Durkin, Publisher, Fleet Word Group

Fleet World magazine’s Fleet Academy is designed to provide a forum whereby those industry consultants and professionals in possession of valuable fleet information can impart it to a select audience of fleet decision-makers.

At the heart of the Fleet Academy is a network of independent fleet industry experts whose work brings them into regular contact with end-user fleet managers and other organisations playing a key role in the industry. 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 Fleet Academy and request membership, please visit:

www.fleetacademy.co.uk 64 / fleetworld.co.uk

A number of Fleet Academy contributors have commented in the past on the age-old dilemma of whether to believe the traffic information posted on the overhead signs on the motorway, whether to believe "Sally Traffic” on Radio 2 or whether to take the advic of the traffic avoidance function on the sat nav.

Taking each in turn, I’m still largely of the opinion that the motorway signs are purveyors of complete rubbish on most occasions. I cover around 30,000 miles a year on motorways and am constantly amazed at the frequency with which the overhead signs carry warning that are either misleading or plain wrong. Having invested millions in their erection, surely the Highways Agency or whoever is responsible for updating them could spend a few pounds on training their staff to get the information right.

Sally Traffic is only as good as the information she receives and unless her half-hourly broadcasts warn of a complete closure of the M4 or something of a similar magnitude, I tend to work on the basis that by the time I get there the road will be clear again.

So that leaves the traffic avoidance function on the sat nav.

In the past I’ve been highly sceptical of these devices, but as the quality of the data they interpret improves, alongside the technology delivering it, I’m increasingly of a view that a firm warning from the navigator is worth heeding.

Les Owen, Senior Compliance Associate, Compliance Bureau, replied...

Having had some experience of the Highways Authority telling me that their technology was not allowing them to reset the signs after an incident, I am afraid I seldom look at the overhead signs any more. When some are automatically switched on due to traffic flow (such as the warning at the southern end of the M1), they are good. Some of the ones managed in the past by roads policing staff were also good when switching on the warning. However, they too had attempted to switch off the signs at the end of an incident and could not do so.

My sat nav is Traffic Master and it has been generally very good at telling me when to turn off the motorway or not. It is also very accurate for time of arrival estimates. I still think

in association with

debate... it’s better to have some warnings, even if not always accurate, than none at all. This way the driver can consider options ahead of the alleged incident.

Alex Grant, Motoring Editor, Fleet World, replied...

I think the big problem with most traffic information systems is they simply don’t process enough data to be worth having, or they don’t refresh often enough to give accurate real-time information.

Most systems are based on basic data. So they rely on somewhere monitoring cameras and sensors under the road, and information from the authorities and police about road closures, roadworks and traffic jams. That’s fine, but in most cases they update every ten minutes and a lot can change in that time. It's the same problem which affects those overhead signs.

However, I have found one I trust. If TomTom’s HD Traffic says I’ll be delayed by 33 minutes, then I’ll be delayed by 33 minutes. If it tells me to get off the motorway, I listen.

I trust it because, like any good journalist, it gets its information from a number of sources. The software has huge amounts of historical data about traffic flows at different times of the day, and uses this to plot a basic route. Then it layers authority-supplied data over the top, augmented by anonymously tracking the speed at which connected devices such as telematics boxes, smartphones and navigation devices are moving on a stretch of road.

As all computer programmers will tell you – garbage in, garbage out.

Marc Schwartz, General Manager, TFS EAR, replied...

Adding another dimension or two to the discussion - I drive regularly to Paris and Brussels and find the Paris ring road traffic warning system accurate and understandable, even to a limited French speak like me. In contrast, at 3am on the M25 with nothing in sight for miles, I’m confronted with overhead speed limits of 50mph, 30mph, 40mph, 30mph and then nothing - maybe the operator has got bored and is seeking some excitement but I prefer it not to be on my time.

My view is really simple and like the weather forecasts stick you head out of the window and if your hair is wet when you bring your head in...it’s raining. If you are sitting on a motorway not moving then you are in a traffic jam!

Is the potential of pool cars being overlooked?

Natalie Middleton, Deputy Editor, Fleet World There’s a lot of column inches devoted to car-sharing and the benefits it offers fleets, but could the humble pool car still have something to give?

According to the Alphabet Fleet Management Report (AFMR) 2012, pool cars are proving increasingly popular with fleets – particularly in the public sector – facilitated by innovations in telematicsdriven management systems.

Certainly telematics delivers much scope for making such vehicles more versatile and cost friendly but can it really compete with the practicality and cost effectiveness that other forms of transport, in particular car sharing, have to offer?

Paul Holmes, Strategic Account Director, Risk, FMG, replied...

The use of a pool fleet is a very simple solution to an unforeseen and instant transport need. But it can be extremely costly if not managed effectively and can create an exposure to risk if it is not controlled correctly Key questions that need to be asked before embarking on using a "pool fleet" are: i) Will the fleet be fully utilised? Vehicles standing around doing nothing, cost money! ii) How do you ensure the vehicles are fully roadworthy at all times? (This is, after all, a legal requirement.) iii) How do you ensure you know who is driving the vehicle at all times? It is imperative driver identity is logged to comply with legal requirements.

The answer to point i) is one that should be reviewed constantly, and should be managed on a supply-and-demand basis. How often do you review your "pool" provision or the need to have one?

The answer to points ii) and iii) are more complex and do require good quality policies and procedures and effective, tightly controlled, management. Does your company apply these adequately?

fleetworld.co.uk / 65

FEATURE Taxation & Funding

Cutting through the jargon Professor Colin Tourick explains some of the jargon used in fleet funding and taxation.

When you become responsible for a car fleet – either because you manage a corporate fleet or you work in the fleet management industry – you soon discover that you need to get to grips with quite a lot of jargon.

In fact, even the words “fleet management” have different meanings to different people. In the contract hire industry it means a package of services (vehicle sourcing, maintenance control, disposal, etc), in the telematics industry it means the monitoring and management of vehicle movements, and to others it means every aspect of the management of a fleet of vehicles, including all of the day-to-day adminis-

INDUSTRY VIEWPOINT There are three main categories to finance products: those that help you buy your vehicles, those whereby you hire them for a long period and one more – salary sacrifice.

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tration involved in running a corporate fleet department.

Jargon becomes particularly problematic when we start looking at the various financial products in the market. The car hire industry got it right from day one. Talk about “car hire” to a member of the public and they instantly understand what they’re getting: a car that they are hiring.

However, once we look at some of the products used to fund vehicles over longer periods we find that the words used to describe the products are not instantly understandable.

You can almost hear the thoughts of the person when they are appointed to their first fleet job and come across these product names for the first time. ‘“Hire purchase”. Does that mean I’m hiring or buying? “Contract hire”. I know I have to sign a hire agreement when I hire a car so what difference does that word “contract” mean in “contract hire”? “Contract purchase”.

Same issue: am I buying or entering into a contract to do something else?’

There are more examples but the key point is that the names of these products don’t always describe what they do

and aren’t particularly helpful. So here is a brief jargon-buster covering all of the main financial products you are likely to come across.

There are three main categories to finance products: those that help you buy your vehicles, those whereby you hire them for a long period and one more – salary sacrifice – that falls outside the other categories.

Let’s start with those products where you are purchasing the vehicle.

The oldest of these is hire purchase.

On the face of it the words hire and purchase don’t it together well at all but they do in fact describe exactly what is going on. The expression “hire purchase” was set in stone with the passing of the Hire Purchase Act in the late nineteenth century. This made it clear that under an HP agreement you are technically hiring the vehicle for a period of time, at the end of which you have the option to buy it for a nominal amount.

In fact you don’t have to complete the transaction (take title to the vehicle) at the end of the HP agreement, you could just hand it back. Nobody does this, of course, because by then they’ve paid for it in full. They just pay the nominal amount and take title.

This technical definition – that you are hiring and only become the owner later if you want to – is usually ignored

in association with

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because HP is taxed as if you are buying the vehicle, indeed as if you become the owner on day one. Therefore you get capital allowances as if you have bought it and have to pay VAT on the vehicle on day one.

Some funders will offer to fund your vehicles using a conditional sale agreement rather than a hire purchase agreement. This is a well-names product: you are buying a vehicle but there are some conditions attached. There are some technical differences between conditional sale and HP but for all practical purposes they are identical. So long as you meet the conditions set out in the agreement – in particular that you will pay the instalments when due – you will automatically become the owner of the vehicle when the agreement ends. Unlike HP, you don’t need to make an extra payment to take title.

Lease purchase is a confusing expression. Are you leasing or purchasing?

“Lease purchase” is not an expression

derived from law. The underlying contract will usually be a conditional sale agreement. This will set out a preagreed lump sum (balloon) instalment payable at the end of the contract, often the amount the funder believes the vehicle will then be worth. By including this lump sum the funder can reduce your normal monthly payments, allowing you to enjoy low payments and hopefully recoup the lump sum by quickly selling the vehicle. So lease purchase is designed to help your cash flow.

Contract purchase is also not derived from law. It is a leasing industry expression describing the bolting together of two agreements – a conditional sale agreement and a repurchase undertaking – under which the funder agrees to take back the vehicle at a preagreed price, should you wish them to do so. This saves you having to pay the balloon at all and gives you a valuable option: keep the vehicle or hand it back. Contract purchase often includes

a third agreement under which the supplier pays for servicing, maintenance and repair costs.

Credit sale is another strange title.

‘Are they giving me credit or are they selling me something?’ In fact they’re doing both: they’re giving you credit so you can pay over time for something you own from the outset. Credit sale is a very old product that had almost disappeared from common usage. The funder gives up ownership from day one, so they cannot repossess it if the customer stops paying. No wonder it had fallen into disuse! The arrival of Employee Car Ownership Schemes in the early 1990s saw the renaissance of credit sale, because these schemes can deliver tax benefits but only if the driver owns the car.

That concludes the list of products you are most likely to come across through which you can become the owner. Next month we will look at proper leases and salary sacrifice.

fleetworld.co.uk / 67

MARKET OVERVIEW Risk Management

AA Drivetech Employers have a duty of care DriveTech for staff who drive for work.

As one of the UK leaders in road risk management and driver education, AA DriveTech works with you to deliver driver risk management solutions throughout the UK. This includes ‘driving for work’ programmes, action plans, licence validation, driver assessment (paper, on road and online) as well as in-vehicle and workshop training for all vehicle drivers including Driver CPC. Visit our website to find out what our customers have achieved from implementing occupational road risk strategies with us. Case studies include: • Becton Dickinson • Center Parcs • Cordek • Dow • Feedwater • Shred-it Contact: Francesca Hill tellmemore@AADrivetech.com www.AAdrivetech.com/fleetsafe

Cardinus Risk Management

IAM Drive & Survive Ltd

Cardinus Risk Management has built up an enviable reputation of being able to provide our services and solutions to fleets of all shapes and sizes ranging from below 10 to the tens of thousands.

Many blue chip, insurance and vehicle leasing companies use our wide array of fleet solutions which include consultancy, risk assessment, e-learning, practical training, licence, MOT and business insurance validation on a day to day basis.

We can also offer non-fleet solutions to cater for your wider health & safety requirements.

Our wider portfolio of solutions includes risk assessment, e-learning and practical solutions that cover fleet, property, environmental, DSE (display screen equipment), ergonomics, homeworking, fire, asbestos and risk engineering.

Contact: Christian McKay christian.mckay@cardinus.com www.cardinusfleet.com

Tel: 0845 299 6131

Tel: 01733 426 015

IAM Drive & Survive is a leading occupational Driver Risk Management (DRM) and driver training provider and is the commercial subsidiary of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists), the UK’s largest independent road safety charity. IAM Drive & Survive promotes occupational driver improvement throughout the fleet and business community, utilising online, on-site, on-road and on-track training programmes. It helps employers mitigate the risk faced by their company drivers, whilst helping them to achieve their duty of care to employees, reduce on-road incidents and minimise costs. As well as having one of the most comprehensive ranges of occupational driver training, IAM Drive & Survive provides a wealth of free online advice and information, from insight guides and white papers to calculators and assessments.

Contact: Neil Hawley Tel: 0870 120 2910 neil.hawley@iamdriveandsurvive.co.uk

Jaama Ltd Jaama is a multi-award winning fleet software and road safety specialist.

Jaama’s Key2 system delivers a totally holistic approach enabling fleet decision-makers to effectively manage their drivers and vehicles including ‘grey fleet’ in-house and in one place.

Integrated licence checking, Driver CPC and ADR management, training, driver, accident and maintenance history and fuel data can be stored and viewed. A consolidated view of a driver’s history combined with vehicle data (mpg and maintenance budget) provides meaningful information helping you: • Proactively manage duty of care • Reduce fuel consumption/emissions • Reduce incidents/related costs • Identify training needs Jaama also carry out Fleet Management Essentials training seminars.

ROADMARQUE®

Contact: Collette Dooley enquiries@jaama.co.uk

Contact: Dr Gerhard Manogg Tel: 0845 053 0331 enquiries@roadmarque.com www.roadmarque.com

68 / fleetworld.co.uk

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

Roadmarque® is the industry’s most comprehensive road risk assessment system, developedby Imagitech – the UK leaders in driver assessment and driver education software.

Roadmarque® is one of the most competitively priced, flexible, reliable and effective systems currently available.

Roadmarque® profiles your drivers, completes a full DVLA licence check, fully risk assesses each driver, takes into account vehicle choice, estimates CO2 output, provides grey fleet management, engages the driver and reports back with a solution to ensure your company is protected – within budget.

We are working with organisations of all sizes delivering simple, practical and effective solutions. As an independent provider, we are not going to sell you something you don’t need. Contact us now to find out more.

Do you offer on-line Risk Assesment?

Do you offer psychometric driver profiling?

Do you offer risk assessment as part of your programme?

Do you offer an on-the-road driver training programme?

Do you offer a classroom-based driver training programme?

Do your instructors provide a demonstration drive?

Do you offer a vehicle inspection service?

Do your instructors carry out a driver eyesight test?

Do you offer a licence checking facility?

Do you offer nationwide trainer coverage?

Do you offer training for all vehicle types?

Do you offer Post Accident investigations training?

Do you offer e-training as part of your programme?

FLEETW RLD

AA DriveTech

Cardinus

IAM Drive & Survive Ltd

ROADMARQUE®

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-

-

Jaama Ltd

-

-

-

-

-

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-

-

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-

-

-

Mac GB Ltd

-

Key to services

Service provided

-

Service unavailable

Mac GB Ltd Mac GB Ltd is one of the UK’s leading providers of Occupational Road Risk (ORR) solutions. Through years of experience, Mac know that a sustained campaign of ORR solutions, linked with the company’s health and safety policy, will have an immediate impact on: • Reduction in accidents • Reduction in fuel consumption • Employees’ attitude and behaviour • Enhance the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Duty of Care programme By using ex-police instructors delivering independently accredited courses, you are guaranteed a quality assured service, making Mac the obvious and first choice provider for corporate bodies, whatever the situation.

Contact: Richard Wilyman richard.wilyman@mac-hq.co.uk www.reduceroadrisk.com

Tel: 01745 828180

RAC Risk Management RAC Risk Management has built up an enviable reputation of being able to provide our services and solutions to fleets of all shapes and sizes ranging from below 10 to the tens of thousands.

Many blue chip, insurance and vehicle leasing companies use our wide array of fleet solutions which include consultancy, risk assessment, e-learning, practical training, licence, MOT and business insurance validation on a day to day basis.

We can also offer non-fleet solutions to cater for your wider health & safety requirements.

Our wider portfolio of solutions includes risk assessment, e-learning and practical solutions that cover fleet, property, environmental, DSE (display screen equipment), ergonomics, homeworking, fire, asbestos and risk engineering.

Contact: Christian McKay rac@fleetriskmanagement.net

Tel: 0870 606 2606

fleetworld.co.uk / 69

EVENTS Fleet Management Awards 2014

2014 Fleet Management Awards Thursday 13th February 2014 www.fmawards.co.uk

FMA 2014

Fleet Management Awards

in association with

70 / fleetworld.co.uk

Honouring the best fleets in the UK IN 2014 Fleet World magazine, in association with ACFO, will present the first Fleet Management Awards – a prestigious annual event for those who work in the fleet sector.

Fleet Management Award Categories

These awards are very different from Fleet World’s established annual awards event – the Fleet World Honours – which are awarded each year to those motor manufacturers and service providers whose products have been judged to be the best in their field.

Fleet Manager of the Year (Private Sector) • Less than 100 vehicles • 100-500 vehicles • 500-1,000 vehicles • 1,000+ vehicles • Category Winner

The Fleet Management Awards will celebrate the achievements of those individuals who are responsible for the operation of the UK’s best run fleets, whether they are in the private sector, public sector, car fleets or LCVs.

Fleet Manager of the Year (Public Sector) • Less than 100 vehicles • 100-500 vehicles • 500-1,000 vehicles • 1,000+ vehicles • Category Winner

The Fleet Management Awards will also applaud the skills of those highly-skilled professionals running fleets on a panEuropean or global basis, as well as recognising significant environmental and safety initiatives.

Effective fleet management is a vital discipline for any organisation running company cars and vans, and The Fleet Management Awards are specially designed to celebrate the skills, expertise and dedication of the industry’s most innovative and most capable fleet managers.

ENTER NOW!!

To enter the Fleet Management Awards 2014, simply visit

fmawards.co.uk

Fleet Manager of the Year (LCV Fleets) • Less than 100 vehicles • 100-500 vehicles • 500-1,000 vehicles • 1,000+ vehicles • Category Winner International Fleet Manager of the Year (LCV Fleets) • Less than 500 vehicles • 500-2,000 vehicles • 2,000+ vehicles • Category Winner Environmental Initiative of the Year • Less than 500 vehicles • 500+ vehicles Safety Initiative of the Year • Less than 500 vehicles • 500+ vehicles Fleet Management Initiative of the Year • Less than 500 vehicles • 500+ vehicles

fleetworld.co.uk / 71

flashback a look back at the company cars of yesteryear

model Peugeot 405

P

era 1988-1998

UK sales 343,087* Successor Peugeot 406

eugeot was on a roll when it unveiled the 405 in 1987. This all-new upper-medium model joined a range which was glowing under the popularity of the 205, and it adopted the same Pininfarina styling and renowned driving dynamics as its sibling, making it an incredibly desirable company car.

It arrived in the UK with a bang, literally, advertised as the car to “Take Your Breath Away” as it charged effortlessly through fireballs in a burning field of crops. Press reviews were equally positive, collecting the title of European Car of the Year in 1988 by what is still the biggest margin ever recorded.

Western European models were built simultaneously at Peugeot’s Sochaux plant in Alsace and at Ryton, near Coventry. The first British saloons arrived at dealers in early 1988, followed shortly afterwards by the estate. Both were stylish and, unusually at the time, galvanised which with a choice of robust engines and gearboxes kept the 405 a familiar sight on UK roads long after production had finished.

Under its Pininfarina styling, it featured a stiff, aerodynamic bodyshell with fully independent suspension featuring trailing rear arms instead of the usual beam axle, giving Peugeot one of the best driver’s cars in its sector, and one of the best riding too.

This was coupled with a huge choice of engines.

Petrols included 1.4, 1.6 and 1.9-litre eight-valve units producing between 70 and 125bhp, topped by the sporty SRi, while diesels comprised a turbocharged

1.7-litre with 90bhp and a non-turbo 70bhp 1.9-litre.

At the top of the range, the Mi16 offered a V6rivalling 160bhp from its 1.9-litre 16v engine, while the rally-derived 196bhp four-wheel drive T16 turbo was the rarest, fastest 405 ever built. This homologation special was sold only in left hand drive, and only a few hundred were made, with the French Gendarmerie its biggest fleet customer.

The 405 received a minor update in 1991, followed by a heavy facelift in 1993. Phase 2 cars gained softer bumpers in line with the 306, losing the squarer-edged body lines which had tied it together with the 205 and 309. These also featured a smoother dashboard, again closer in design to the 306, bundling air vents and instruments into a flat panel and bringing it up to date.

It was a global success. Production took place under licence in ten factories around the world, and cars were even shipped to North America until 1991.

A quarter of a century after the first 405s left Sochaux, it’s still available in selected markets with very few visual changes over the version European buyers were familiar with.

But the 405 began disappearing from UK dealerships with the arrival of the 406 saloon in 1996, followed by the estate a year later. For Peugeot it had paved the way for a second generation of sales popularity in fleet, proving that the French brand was capable of desirability which really did leave drivers as breathless as its adverts had promised.

*Source: SMMT

72 / fleetworld.co.uk

fleet model focus BMW i3

MIDLANDS

ESSEX

WARWICKSHIRE & MIDLANDS

Sytner Leicester

Rybrook Warwick

Fairfield

Meridian East Meridian Business Park Leicester LE19 1UY

Heathcote Lane Warwick CV34 6SP

Arterial Road Leigh-On-Sea Essex SS9 4XX

t 0116 282 7700 e martynnaffine@sytner.co.uk w www.sytnerleicesterbmw.co.uk

t 01926 333888 e mail@rybrookwarwick.co.uk w www.rybrookwarwickbmw.co.uk

t 01702 420111 e tcross@fairfield.bmw-net.co.uk w www.fairfieldbmw.co.uk

YORKSHIRE

LONDON

Sandal

Berry Chiswick

98 Leeds Road Huddersfield HD1 6NN

Syon Gate Way Great West Road, Brentford Middlesex TW8 9DD

t 01484 885572 e sales@sandalhuddersfieldbmw.net w www.sandalhuddersfieldbmw.co.uk

t 0208 232 5700 e bruno.piney@berry.bmw-net.co.uk w www.berrychiswickbmw.co.uk

“Futuristic design and BMW’s renowned driving dynamics, alongside substantial low-CO2 tax advantages and the range-extending option, mean the i3 can – and will – appeal to both head and heart.”

Alex Grant, motoring editor, Fleet World

BMW i

FIND OUT WHY BMW i3 WILL CHANGE YOUR WAY OF THINKING.

Register your interest in BMW i today.

Sheer Driving Pleasure

our fleet SEAT Leon FR 2.0 TDI CR

the figures

SEAT may have struggled within the VW Group for brand recognition, but that appears to be changing. The company launched the latest Leon range at the Paris Motor Show around a year ago, bringing in new design for the company’s mainstream hatchback.

The quick FR184 hp model is due for delivery in September – and what a treat it is. It is said to use less fuel than its 170hp predecessor, while accelerating more quickly and punching out more torque; more torque in fact than a Porsche Cayman R. It’s well stacked with kit too, including LED tail lights, 17-inch alloy wheels, dark tinted windows, twin chromed exhaust pipes, lowered suspension, dual-zone climate control, front sports seats, SEAT’s Easy Connect media system, which includes a colour touch screen with Bluetooth audio streaming, and four-mode Drive Profile, enabling the driver to tailor the car’s driving characteristics to

taste. All this for an OTR price of £22,375; over £3,000 less than the similarly powered VW GOLF GTD TDI. SEAT has loaded a few other interesting items onto our car, but more of that another time.

The Drive Profile gives a choice of Normal, ECO, Sport and Individual at the touch of a button.

Sport is firm but not overdone while Normal gives more ride compliance and ECO takes the edge off the performance for better mpg. Individual lets you fiddle around with the setting parameters.

A trip to Scotland and back proved the Leon FR to be quick, one of the quietest applications of the 2.0 TDI engine I have experienced, comfortable and fun to drive. I logged over 50mpg on the trip computer too. That’s a pretty impressive start and I think Leon and me are going to get along just fine.

If you’re in the market for a performance diesel hatchback, the Leon is well worth a look.

John Kendall

OTR PRICE £22,375 POWER 184bhp @ 4,000rpm TORQUE 280lb.ft @ 1,750rpm 0-62mph 7.5 seconds TOP SPEED 142mph COMBINED MPG 67.3mpg CO2 109g/km (16% BiK)

Mazda6 2.2D Sport Nav

ONE of the good things about organising the MPG Marathon every year is that you end up with a shedload of historical data on the fuel consumption of different fleet cars. We had a Mazda6 2.2 diesel in

74 / fleetworld.co.uk

the 2011 event, when its combined figure was 55.4mpg with CO2 of 133g/km.

Fast-forward to 2013 and the same car has vital statistics of 67.3mpg and 108g/km respectively – a pretty impressive improvement by anyone’s standards.

The factors contributing to the improvement are to be found under Mazda’s SKYACTIV banner, which combines improvements in engines, transmissions, body and chassis. In particular, there’s a cut in weight across many components, while internal friction within the engines has also been reduced.

The result is a car that performs and handles really well, while also achieving impressive fuel consumption without loss of driving pleasure. My sons’ first question with any new test car is always “Is it quick?”. In the case of the Mazda6 2.2D the answer is “Quick enough”.

Like any car, motorway madness sees the actual fuel consumption fall steadily with rising speed, but driven gently there’s no reason at all why fleets won’t get close to the claimed figure. Low tax is another big benefit.

Ross Durkin

Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI S line THE A4 is so utterly ubiquitous on UK roads that you can start taking it for granted. So I’ve been looking forward to a prolonged spell in our new 2.0 TDI S line Avant to reacquaint myself, and first impressions have been extremely favourable.

For a start, with its sparkling Scuba Blue paintjob (a £615 option) and S line alloys it really looks the part and the cabin is beautifully trimmed in leather and Alcantara. Of course, one of the things about S line is the sports suspension, which is 30mm lower than the standard car, but it is well damped so while it might be on the firm side, it actually is quite comfortable: it takes the edges off unexpected ridges in the road pretty well.

Our car also comes with the Technology package, which costs £1,695 but gives you improved sat nav system, parking sensors front and rear and Audi Music System Plus – the merits of which I haven’t yet discerned, being tone deaf as I am. Other options include heated front seats, which fortunately there has been no need to use yet, and High Beam Assist, which from my other experiences of these infernal systems would be £110 wasted. But perhaps they’ve improved, so I’ll reserve my curmudgeonly judgement until it’s had more of a test.

But I’ve put a lot of miles on the car quickly (mainly in the daylight, so no robot high beam view yet!) and one thing stands out: it is a ridiculously easy car to use every day. Major journeys are dispensed with as mere fripperies, and the fuel economy, even with a new tight engine, is easily into the mid-40s mpg. I’d expect that to rise over time, as usually VW Group diesels only really come into their own at 10,000 miles or more.

Which means that overall, this first month with it in my possession has been soaked in pure and utter classy competency. The A4 Avant is clearly a very fine car and it will be interesting to see how it develops over the next few months. I think we’re going to get on very well.

Steve Moody

the figures OTR PRICE £32,420 POWER 177bhp @ 4200rpm TORQUE 280lb.ft @ 1750rpm 0-62mph 8.4 seconds TOP SPEED 138mph COMBINED MPG 58.9mpg CO2 126g/km (20% BiK)

Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC ES-T IT’S official. Of every test car I’ve used for the 157-mile trip home to Cardiff from the Fleet World office in St Albans, the Honda Civic has achieved the highest fuel economy to date – a dashboard-claimed 75.5mpg, or around £12.50 of diesel.

This didn’t involve rigorous hyper-miling with no air conditioning. All I had to do was set the speed limiter to 70mph to stop it creeping up, and soften throttle inputs while joining traffic. Even accounting for a slight discrepancy compared to brim-tobrim calculations, it’s yet another reason why this is a fleet option not to overlook.

Alex Grant

Kia cee’d SW 4 1.6 CRDi EcoDynamics KIA is a case study for the importance of design. While its seven-year warranty speaks volumes for quality it has long been renowned for, a considerable style upgrade has catapulted the carmaker from the fringes to the mainstream of buyers’ radars in an incredibly short timespan.

It means UK sales are still growing, setting a new record in July, and while the Sportage is the most popular part of the line-up, the cee’d is a close second. Home to a versatile load area and high fuel economy, drivers swayed by the styling won’t be disappointed by the ownership experience.

Anne Dopson

fleetworld.co.uk / 75

our fleet Mercedes-Benz A220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport IT’S been interesting to be offered two unprompted opinions on the new A-Class – both from mid-30s females and both full of praise for its looks and interior.

These women are probably the buyers Mercedes-Benz has in mind for the A-Class – girls who’ve been in a 1 Series or A3 company car for the past few years. Incidentally, both women remarked on how fresh the A-Class looked, and both thought the CLA parked next to it on my drive looked “old mannish” – there’s one for the marketing department to ponder over.

And with the finance offers available on the A-Class at the moment, it’s sure to prove popular among user-choosers. Mercedes-

Benz is currently offering an A200 CDI AMG Sport on a three-year/30,000-mile contract hire deal for £297 a month with £1,782 deposit.

Elsewhere, the A-Class continues to impress with its refinement and fuel economy – mid-50s mpg is the norm and that’s mostly on shorter journeys.

The only real gripes so far are the basic air conditioning, which doesn’t get cold air flowing on really hot days, and the narrow cup holders, which struggle to cope with a vat of Costa’s finest.

If they’re the only issues with the car, then the Mercedes-Benz is doing pretty well.

Julian Kirk

auctions & remarketing BCA Tel: 0845 600 66 44 bca.co.uk

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

driver licence checking Jaama Tel: 0844 8484 333 www.jaama.co.uk

eyecare Specsavers Corporate Eyecare Tel: 0115 933 0800 www.specsavers.co.uk/corporate

Volvo V40 D2 SE Nav A few weeks behind the wheel of a different V40 whilst ours was being serviced has solved a query. I had been wondering if the car was getting admiring looks more for its “Passion Red” paintwork than its sculpted design, but I still caught someone checking out the replacement model despite the more muted gold paintwork.

During its absence our original test model received a new brake line and washer fluid reservoir due to safety recalls, which delayed its return.

Driving the lower-specced replacement during this time actually had the handy benefit of making me realise the features I missed, including the Cross Traffic Alert system – handy for those times where you can’t reverse into a parking space and need a helping hand for coming out.

Handily enough, the Road Sign Information feature is now showing the right speed limits for local roads too.

And it may just be due to prevailing traffic circumstances but I’ve seen an immediate improvement in my average mpg for the Volvo, from 49.7mpg to 51.7mpg with no effort at all –

76 / fleetworld.co.uk

vehicle data International Decision Systems Tel: 01256 302 000 www.idsdata.co.uk

still not close to the official 78.5mpg but not bad considering my track record with eco-driving.

The return of our SE Nav trim model was also welcome. It may only have a four-digit postcode functionality but the system has proved fault-free so far and I’m pretty much reliant on an in-car sat nav these days.

I also have to say that I was pleased to note that the car came back with the sat nav data wiped by the logistics firm – a good example of best practice in place.

Natalie Middleton

rental systems & programmes White Clarke Automotive Solutions Tel: 0870 787 2211 www.whiteclarkeauto.com

FLEETW RLD SUPPLIER DIRECTORY contract hire, leasing & finance

daily rental

fleet management software

risk management

Sofico

Cardinus Risk Management Tel: 01733 426015

Maxxia 020 7520 9450 www.maxxia.co.uk

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

Arnold Clark Car and Van Rental Tel: 0845 702 3946

Tel:0121 288 5935/07815 601622

www.arnoldclarkrental.com

www.soficoservices.com

Fleet Alliance Tel: 0845 601 8407 www.fleetalliance.co.uk

Total Fleet Services Ltd Tel: 01543 431080 www.lease-hire.co.uk

Nexus Vehicle Management Ltd Tel: 0871 984 1947 www.nexusrental.co.uk

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

ARI Fleet UK Tel: 0844 8000 700 www.arifleet.co.uk

Pendle Vehicle Contracts Tel: 08456 025697 www.pendlelease.co.uk

Arnold Clark Vehicle Management

Tel: 0845 603 4590 www.acvm.co.uk

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

Bynx Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com

MAC GB Ltd Tel: 01745 828180 www.reduceroadrisk.com

Concept Vehicle Leasing Tel: 0800 043 2050 www.conceptvehicleleasing.co.uk

Zenith Tel: 0113 348 8667 www.zenith.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

www.cardinus.com

www.AAdrivetech.com/fleetsafe DriveTech

www.volkswagengroupleasing.co.uk

Alliance Asset Management plc Tel: 01480 475000 www.fleetcentre.com

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

Motiva Group Tel: 0800 054 6555 www.motivagroup.co.uk

sgfleet Tel: 0845 154 0721 www.sgfleet.com

Alliance Asset Management plc Tel: 01480 475000 www.fleetcentre.com

Drive Software Solutions Tel: 01438 317731

RAC Risk Management Tel: 0870 606 2606

www.drivesoftwaresolutions.com

www.racfleetriskmanagement.co.uk

Days Contract Hire Tel: 0845 296 4423 www.dayscontracthire.co.uk

Venson Automotive Solutions Tel: 08444 99 1402 www.venson.com

Mycompanyfleet Tel: 0845 077 7760 www.mycompanyfleet.co.uk

Roadmarque Tel: 0845 053 0331 www.roadmarque.com

The Fuelcard Company Tel: 0845 073 0873 www.fuelcards.co.uk

Esso Fuel Cards Tel: 0800 626 672 www.essocard.com

Peak Performance Tel: 01246 244200 www.peakperformance.net

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

Shell Fuelcards Tel: 0800 7 31 31 37 www.shell.co.uk/euroshell

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

SageQuest Tel: 0808 163 9309 www.sage-quest.co.uk

Navman Wireless UK Ltd Tel: 0845 521 1188 www.navmanwireless.co.uk

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

Trakm8 Tel: 01747 858 444 www.trakm8.com

Teletrac Tel: 0870 460 5693 www.teletrac.co.uk

Motrak Tel: 0800 054 6555 www.motivagroup.co.uk

TRACKER Network UK Limited Tel: 0845 602 3981 www.TRACKER.co.uk

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

Volkswagen Group Leasing Tel: 0870 333 2229

fuel management Alphabet (GB) Limited Tel: 0870 50 50 100 www.alphabet.co.uk

Lex Autolease

Tel: 0845 769 7381 www.lexautolease.co.uk

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

Quartix Ltd Tel: 0870 013 6663 www.quartix.co.uk

Full listings online at fleetworld.co.uk fleetworld.co.uk / 77

commercial vehicles

A flexible solution for commercial vehicles Mel Dawson, managing director of ALD Automotive, looks at how fleets requiring commercial and specialist vehicles can also access the benefits of short to mid-term flexible rental.

F

lexible rental is increasingly becoming known amongst car fleets for its ability to bridge the gap between daily rental and contract hire. However, many commercial vehicle operators may not be aware that the bespoke needs of commercial and specialist vehicle fleets can also be met in this way.

RentalSolutions forms part of ALD’s commitment to offering complete mobility to customers, catering for all their vehicle needs including specialist vehicle fleets.

It provides fleets looking for specialist vehicles with bespoke customisation but without the need to commit to new, long-term vehicle contracts or even purchases.

By offering vehicles on a short to mid-term contract, RentalSolutions is ideal for any customer who needs vehicles for specific projects or for temporary staff without wanting to commit a long-term lease or have assets on their books.

A core focus of the product is on enabling customers to have the right vehicle at the right time and to be able to return it when required.

ALD’s commercial vehicle offering ranges from car-derived vans, panel vans, right through to tippers, tail-lifts, minibuses and refrigerated vehicles.

In fact we are confident that any customer requirement can be catered for.

It can also help with the growing trend amongst customers for vehicles with adaptations conforming to health and safety requirements such as Working at Height or meeting the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme.

Contact ALD Automotive:

78 / advertisement feature

Commercial vehicles from RentalSolutions the benefits in full: • Multiple Suppliers

Nationwide, access to over 20,000 vehicles • No turndown guarantee,

flexible and competitive • Broad range of vehicles

and manufacturers • Large number of

locations nationwide, over 600 locations • One stop shop for all

vehicle types • Full rental management,

bespoke MI • Managed robust damage

processes • Flexible approach to

vehicle customisation • Full livery options available • Extras and Adaption

t 0870 0011181

options supplied on day rate or one-off charge

This is underpinned by ALD Automotive’s multiple supplier model, which ensures that customers achieve a consistent level of high-quality customer service, with access to the widest range of vehicles and locations.

Through RentalSolutions we can offer access to over 20,000 commercial vehicles nationwide, from a broad range of manufacturers. And with over 600 locations nationwide and a ‘no turndown’ guarantee, all fleet needs should be able to be accommodated.

We also offer a flexible approach to vehicle modifications, with full livery options available, thereby ensuring that any vehicle is not only customised for the job but also fits in with any and all fleet requirements.

In addition, fleets using our RentalSolutions product not only benefit from bespoke vehicles but bespoke service too, with the latest management facilities combined with the personal care of a dedicated customer support team to deliver the highest quality of service.

To further meet fleet requirements, the commercial & specialist vehicle range is fully supported by ALD Automotive’s wide range of passenger cars, which can be hired either as a traditional short-term hire or for longer periods via our PoolFleet tariff, which delivers extremely competitive rates.

For more details on RentalSolutions and how it can be tailored to meet your fleet needs, please email: ukinfo@aldautomotive.com or phone 0870 00 111 81.

e ukinfo@aldautomotive.com

w www.aldautomotive.co.uk

VAN

September 2013

FLEETW RLD

Proace provides Toyota with a low-cost replacement for its ageing Hiace van range.

The next version, with Toyota design and engineering input, might prove more exciting. p82

at a glance Toyota Proace

Updates from a month in fleet

How does Type Approval for light CV conversions affect fleets? fleetworld.co.uk

inbusiness

TomTom for Scotia

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

New service vans for Terberg

S

cotia Gas Networks has adopted TomTom’s leet management system to help its engineers respond to call outs within an hour, as required by industry safety standards. The company’s entire leet of 1,506 vehicles and 100 contractor vehicles are equipped with the system.

Using both live traf ic and historic road use data, the system can accurately predict estimated arrival times. This makes it easier for the company’s control centre to calculate which engineer is likely to arrive irst. which might not be the one geographically the closest. Directions can be sent automatically to the engineer’s in-cab system, routeing them around traf ic problems.

Scotia Gas Networks also uses the TomTom system to monitor driver behaviour. The system allows driver pro iles to be built up. The system monitors speed, harsh braking and steering, fuel consumption and idling time.

‘We don’t use the data to penalise drivers but instead to discuss performance with them,’ says Chris Stone, Scotia Gas Networks’ inance manager.

Two fleets order Nissan Bournemouth-based dry cleaner the Barker Group and West Midlands-based Vinshire Plumbing and Heating have placed fleet orders for Nissan vans. The Barker Group has taken six Primastar vans and one NV400 on a three year Nissan Business Finance contract hire package.

The vehicles will operate in the south of England. The Vinshire order is for 11 NV200 vans, which the company plans to operate for five years.

Terberg Fire and Rescue has added six Vauxhall service vans to its fleet.

The Vivaro and Movano vans have been equipped as mobile service units for the company’s service fleet, working across the UK and Ireland.

Terberg’s Fire and Rescue division provides services to the fire fighting sector, including refurbishment, repair, service and spare parts for fire fighting vehicles, operating from facilities in Gloucester and Halifax.

The company’s managing director Alisdair Couper said that the vehicles, ‘Give us the facility to check, inspect, service and repair vehicles, either on customer premises or out on the road.’

Chevin launches online pool van locker module Fleet management software provider Chevin Fleet Solutions has introduced a new online module for its FleetWave software. The module will permit drivers to book a pool van through an online portal. Once approved, the driver is sent a six-figure code by text message, which will allow a locker that stores the vehicle keys to be opened. The system will also allow the keys to be returned in the same way.

FIN A dozen One fleet in numbers

Number of invalid driving licences uncovered by UK recruitment agency Pertemps after conducting checks of 1,000 employees and thousands of agency drivers.

SOURCE: Jaama

in 20

Number of adults involved in a road accident in 2012, equating to 5.2% of the population.

SOURCE: Institute of Advanced Motorists

80 / fleetworld.co.uk

26%

Proportion of drivers who haven't had a vision test in the last two years.

SOURCE: Brake, RSA and Specsavers

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www.fiatprofessional.co.uk

Fuel consumption figures for the Fiat Ducato Van 30 L1H1 2.3 130 MultiJet II Tecnico in mpg (l/100km): Urban 36.7 (7.7); Extra Urban 44.1 (6.4); Combined 40.9 (6.9). CO2 emissions 180g/km. Fuel consumption and CO figures based on standard EU tests for 2

comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. FOR BUSINESS USERS ONLY. Payments must be made monthly by direct debit. ▲Three years’ scheduled servicing free for a mileage limit of up to 60,000 miles available on Fiorino 1.3 Tecnico, Doblò 1.3 Tecnico, Doblò 1.6 Tecnico, Ducato 30 Tecnico and Ducato 35 Tecnico. The offer includes routine service parts and labour but excludes wear-and-tear items and other maintenance items not covered under a routine service schedule. Vehicles must be registered with FGA Contracts before 30th September 2013. *All Contract Hire rentals are based on a standard vehicle without extra cost options on a payment profile of 6 rentals in advance (initial rental), followed by 35 monthly rentals. Based on 20,000 miles per annum.

All rentals exclude VAT and maintenance. Excess mileage charges apply. Figures and prices are correct at time of print. Offer subject to status. Guarantees or indemnities may be required. FGA Contracts, 240 Bath Road, Slough SL1 4DX. Telephone 01753 519222. Offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Subject to availability. Offers exclude the Channel Islands & the Isle of Man. For full details, please see www.fiatprofessional.co.uk

Toyota Proace

Toyota’s new Proace has a familiar face and helps to fill a gap in the Toyota LCV range. Dan Gilkes reports.

T

oyota is extending its collaborative venture with PSA into the light commercial vehicle market. The company, whose Aygo supermini can also be found as a Citroën C1 and a Peugeot 107, is to sell a badged version of Peugeot’s Expert van called the Proace.

Proace replaces Toyota’s ageing Hiace van and will be available in short and long wheelbase models with standard and high roof options. There is a 90hp 1.6-litre diesel, or two versions of the 2.0-litre diesel, delivering 128hp and 163hp. A Crew Cab model will also be available, based on the 128hp long wheelbase van.

There is a single high speci ication on all models, that includes Bluetooth, manual air conditioning, heated electric door mirrors, fog lamps, twin sliding side doors, daytime running lights, driver and passenger airbags and electric windows. Toyota will also make what it calls Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) standard on all Proace models, while ESP remains an option on all but the higher-powered Expert.

‘It was a conscious decision to market a singular product grade which backs our overall strategy regarding speci ications across our whole vehicle range,’ says Neil Spires, Toyota’s leet and LCV product manager.

‘We believe that the standard specification that we offer in Proace is relevant to the requirements customers would choose in today’s market, such as Bluetooth and aircon. It provides clear and transparent pricing to potential buyers.’

Proace carries a slight premium over Expert, though if you load the Peugeot with a similar speci ication to the Toyota the Expert price would be higher. Peugeot has not offered Toyota its ATV Grip Control option at this point.

82 / fleetworld.co.uk

what we think Proace provides Toyota with a low-cost replacement for its ageing Hiace van range. The next version, with Toyota design and engineering input, might prove more exciting.

specification MODEL Toyota Proace 1.2t L BASIC PRICE £20,379 ENGINE 4-cyl/1,997cc FUEL INJECTION Common-rail POWER 128hp @ 3,500rpm TORQUE 320Nm @ 2,000rpm Weights (kg) GVW 2,932 KERB WEIGHT 1,720 PAYLOAD 1,212 MAX TRAILER WEIGHT 2,000 Dimensions (mm) LOAD SPACE LENGTH 2,254 LOAD SPACE WIDTH 1,602 LOAD SPACE HEIGHT 1,750 LOAD HEIGHT (unladen) 562 LOAD VOLUME 6.0m3 Cost considerations FUEL TANK CAPACITY 80 litres COMBINED MPG & CO2 44.1mpg /168g/km OIL CHANGE 2 yr/20,000 miles WARRANTY 5 yr/100,000 miles

‘There are no plans for other vans at present outside of the Proace range, however it is fair to say that we will be having greater input with the next generation vehicle, as the deal with PSA is expected to last beyond 2020,’ says Spires.

Our test van was a 128hp long wheelbase model with the standard roof. It had a 1,212kg gross payload and 6m3 of load volume. The van came fitted with an optional full steel bulkhead (£150) but was otherwise standard, with an LCV on-the-road price of £20,379 plus the VAT. Both 2.0-litre engines drive through a smooth six-speed manual gearbox and this provides easy, relaxed cruising and strong acceleration. The 128hp engine delivers a claimed 44.1mpg, with CO2 emissions of 168g/km.

The van has secure handling with a firm ride, particularly when unladen. It is also easy to thread through city traffic and holds its own on the open road.

Though Expert has only recently been updated, Proace is hardly cutting edge in this sector, where it competes against the likes of Ford’s Transit Custom. But with a strong specification and ownership proposition, Toyota should have little trouble meeting its initial target of just 800 vans this year, and 1,000 Proace sales in 2014.

The vans will be sold through Toyota’s 70 Business Centres, located around the country, though aftersales and service can be handled by any Toyota dealer. Proace has service intervals of 20,000 miles for 2.0-litre engines or 12,000 miles for the 1.6-litre model. The Toyota shares the same ive year/100,000 mile warranty as the irm’s other LCVs, such as Hilux and Dyna.

www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk

We go the extra mile for our customers.

So Sky can go the extra mile for theirs.

Our service promise is just one of the reasons Sky chose us as their fleet partner.

As our partner, you can count on a certain standard of service, no matter what size your fleet. Our business understands the demands of yours. Which is why we work around your schedule, so you can reach us when it’s most convenient. It’s also why we offer to collect and deliver your vans when they’re due a service. And if courtesy vehicles are required, we’ll happily arrange that too.

Find out how we can work together at volkswagen-vans.co.uk/fleet or call us on 0800 808 9998.

89g/km Corsavan

126g/km Combo

174g/km Vivaro

199g/km Movano

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES The Wheels of Business

*CO 2 emission figures quoted are the lowest in each model range. ^Telephone lines are open Monday-Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm excluding Bank Holidays.

MINDED

BUSINESS FRIENDLY

There’s an ecoFLEX model for every van in the Vauxhall line-up.* So everyone can enjoy the real commercial benefits that lower fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions bring.

Our ecoFLEX range has won the prestigious What Van? 2013 Green Award, while the Vivaro picked up the 2012 MPG Marathon Award for delivering the most improved† miles per gallon.

Which is good news for your business.

Vivaro ecoFLEX†

To find out more, please visit your local Vauxhall Commercial Vehicle Retailer, call Vauxhall Fleet on 0870 010 0651^ or visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/fleet

All calls may be recorded or monitored for quality and/or training purposes. †Fleet World MPG Marathon 2012.

FEATURE Conversions and Tippers

Are you approved?

The final part of European-wide Type Approval legislation came into force in April 2013 for light CV conversions. Fleet managers need to know how it affects them, says John Kendall.

A

s many fleet managers will know, some 25% of new 3,500kg gross vehicle weight (GVW) light CVs are not panel vans but conversions, involving a separate body built on a chassis cab, double cab or platform cab variant. Dropside, box bodies and tippers tend to be the most popular.

Fridge conversions are a common site too, either with a separate insulated body built on a chassis cab, as used by supermarkets for home delivery fleets, or insulated conversions of panel vans.

European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) now matters to every fleet manager who takes delivery of a new light CV conversion. The ECWVTA system has been phased in gradually since 2009 and from 29 April this year has applied to all light CV conversions with “N1” classification – goods vehicles up to 3,500kg GVW. Since then, it has only been possible to register a new conversion up to 3,500kg GVW if it comes with a second stage certificate of conformity. Although this would normally be dealt with by the dealer, it is up to the customer and converter to ensure that the conversion complies with the legislation. Completed vehicles fitted with bodywork that does not conform to one of the categories of ECWVTA cannot be sold legally in the European Union.

Complete cars and light CVs have had to conform to Type Approval regulations designed to ensure conformity of manufacture for some time. The ECWVTA legislation was introduced to extend the same process to convertors involved in multi-stage build.

Multi-stage build relates to a vehicle where there are several specific stages in producing a finished vehicle. This might involve building a complete chassis cab, building a complete box body, fitting the body to the chassis-cab and then adding a tail-lift. ECWVTA is designed to ensure that if the same

86 / fleetworld.co.uk

converter builds 100 or 1,000 of these conversions using the same chassis-cab, same body and same tail-lift, the individual parts conform to the same build standards and do not interfere with the safe operation of the vehicle or its systems. This involves meeting the technical and administrative requirements laid down by the ECWVTA process and ensuring that a design is properly drawn up.

In practice, most fleets have been sourcing their conversions from reputable convertors that comply with the regulations for some time. The effect on them is likely to be minimal.

Just the same there are some examples where problems may arise. Recycling bodywork is a fairly common practice, as James Davis at Manheim describes: ‘Take the scenario where an operator leases a chassis cab to remount their own older bodywork (fridges, cranes etc). The remounted body or equipment is likely to comply with the Type Approval vehicle regula-

tions. However, if any fundamental changes occur (for example changing a body and crane configuration) there may not be a Conformity of Production for the layout, or an Individual Vehicle Approval completed at a testing station (and/or VCA visual inspection). The funder may have no awareness of this and it may impact the warranty too.’

The Government has already moved to close a loophole. Conversions made after the base vehicle has been registered – post registration conversions – are not specifically covered by ECWVTA legislation, but this will change in 2014.

From next year, it will not be possible to register a chassis-cab or similar base vehicle without bodywork fitted.

Items like ply lining and racking for bodies are also covered by the ECWVTA legislation, but this is generally taken care of under the “N1 Enhancements Scheme” announced earlier this year by the VCA. If in doubt about any item, your convertor should be able to help you, or your local VOSA office.

TYPE APPROVAL All light CV conversions must now be ECWVTA compliant.

Commercial Vehicle Mobility is on the Move.

At Alphabet we’re always developing new, more efficient ways of operating van fleets.

It’s all part of our vision for the future of commercial vehicle mobility.

Existing forms of fleet management underpin this vision. But there’s certainly more to come.

Van operators are under mounting pressure to condense costs, reduce fuel bills, comply with health and safety law, increase efficiency and maximise their fleet’s productivity.

Whether it’s a car-derived van or something more specialist, you need a safe pair of hands – and that’s what our dedicated commercial vehicle team offer.

Find out more:

Tel: 0870 50 50 100 Email: alphabet@alphabet.co.uk www.alphabet.co.uk

MARKET OVERVIEW Fuel Management

VAN

What is the number of filling stations at which the card is accepted?

Is your card single branded or multi-branded?

Do you provide management reporting?

Do you offer account and database management via the Internet

Does your card offer pan-European coverage?

Do you offer a card to pay for non-fuel items?

Do you offer rebates to major fleet customers?

What types of vehicles does your cards cover?

Do you offer a chip and pin security system?

Do you charge a card fee?

Do you offer a non-pump price agreement?

Can your system accept data from own-pump transactions?

Do you offer a fuel bunkering facility?

Can customers pay for alternative fuels, such as natural gas or electric using your cards?

FLEETW RLD

6.5k+

Both

All

-

-

BP PLUS Fuel Card

2k

Both

All

-

-

-

Esso Petroleum Company Ltd

2k

Both

All

-

The Fuelcard People

7k+

Both

All

euroShell Fuel Card

3.5k

Both

All

-

-

Key to services

Service provided

-

Service unavailable

A.I.D. Fuel Card Services

*

* Card dependent

BP PLUS Fuel Card

Esso Petroleum Company Ltd

The BP PLUS Fuel Card offers the UK’s best combination of price, network, security, online fleet administration and fleet management information. Customers benefit from competitive pricing on the largest single branded network in the UK whilst also being able to refuel at Texaco forecourts.

Fleet Managers can save time and money on routine fleet administration and monitor and control fuel spend through use of BP PLUS Online Services. Furthermore, our cards are PIN enabled so help to prevent unauthorised use. Please get in touch with us to find out how we can help you to manage your fleet more efficiently and ultimately reduce costs.

Esso offers a range of cards and pricing options that can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of your business. This includes accessing your fuel card account online 24/7.

Esso Card can be used at around 2,000 stations nationwide and 15,000 sites across Europe. Esso Cards enhanced card security and the availability of your latest online transactions provides peace of mind.

Esso’s Energy Fuels help your vehicles run at optimal engine efficiency so if you are looking for value for money, quality fuel and a secure easy to use platform, make your life easier by choosing Esso.

Additionally, your drivers can now collect Tesco Club Card points at participating Esso branded service stations, visit www.essopoints.co.uk for terms and conditions.

Contact: BP Fuel Cards Sales Team bpcardsadmin@bp.com

Tel: 0845 603 0723 www.bpplus.co.uk

Tel: 0800 626 672 www.essocard.com essocardsales.uk@exxonmobil.com

The Fuelcard People Nothing beats dealing with real people: The Fuelcard People, here to bring you great savings. Major fuel cost savings, massive paperwork and admin savings, always saving you from fraud worries.

Plus: CO2Count, for help to count, control and cut your carbon footprint. And: MileageCount, from helping you to report HMRC mileages, without fear of fines, to total fleet management. All built on real personal service from your named account manager, who ensures the best possible fuel card deal for your specific needs – right fuels, networks, locations – chosen from EVERY major brand: BP, Esso, Shell, Texaco, Gulf, Pace, Emo, Jet, Murco, Morrisons, Tesco, Co-Op, Diesel Direct, UK Fuels and more. That’s simply unbeatable.

Contact: Steve Gale info@thefuelcardpeople.co.uk www.thefuelcardpeople.co.uk

88 / fleetworld.co.uk

euroShell Fuel Card Shell is one of the world’s leading energy and petrochemical companies, and plays a key role in helping to meet the world’s growing energy demand in economically, environmentally and socially responsible ways.

Our Downstream business has about 1,100 Shell-branded service stations serving half a million customers each day and produces a wide range of products including premium fuels, such as Shell V-Power Nitro+ and Shell FuelSave, lubricants and chemicals for industry.

Shell Commercial Fleet, better known as the euroShell Card, is our global fuel card company, giving you greater control, security and easy fuel administration with all the advantages of Shell products and services.

Tel: 0844 870 9856 Tel: 0800 3 34 53 44 www.euroshell.co.uk sukop-uk-cards-sales@shell.com

VAN SUPPLIER DIRECTORY FLEETW RLD auctions & remarketing

contract hire, leasing & finance

racking systems

tail lifts

fleet management software

BCA Tel: 0845 600 66 44 bca.co.uk

Lex Autolease

Tel: 0845 769 7381 www.lexautolease.co.uk

Sortimo Central Tel: 0121 511 2303 www.sortimo-central.com

Penny Hydraulics Tel: 01246 811475 www.pennyhydraulics.com

Bynx Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com

Full listings online at

Volkswagen Group Leasing Tel: 0870 333 2229 www.volkswagengroupleasing.co.uk

Tevo Limited Tel: 01628 528034 www.tevo.eu.com

Ratcliff Palfinger Ltd Tel: 01707 382880 www.ratcliffpalfinger.co.uk

Civica Tranman Tel: 01454 874002 www.civica.co.uk/tranman

Budget Rent-a-Car Tel: 0844 5338 08701544 56 56 56 www.budget.co.uk

Venson Automotive Solutions Tel: 08444 99 1402 www.venson.com

Bott Ltd Tel: 01530 410600 www.bott-group.com

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

Mycompanyfleet Tel: 0845 077 7760 www.mycompanyfleet.co.uk

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

Fleet Alliance Tel: 0845 601 8407 www.fleetalliance.co.uk

fleetworld.co.uk daily rental

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

telematics & tracking Nexus Vehicle Management Ltd Tel: 0871 984 1947 www.nexusrental.co.uk

Alphabet (GB) Limited Tel: 0870 50 50 100 www.alphabet.co.uk

Avis Rent A Car Tel: 0844 544 5000 www.avis.co.uk

LeasePlan UK Ltd Tel: 0844 493 5810 www.leaseplan.co.uk

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

Zenith Tel: 0113 348 8667 www.zenith.co.uk

vehicle ventilation

Total Fleet Services Ltd Tel: 01543 431080 www.lease-hire.co.uk

TomTom Business Solutions Tel: 020 7255 9774 www.tomtom.com/business

Trakm8 Tel: 01747 858 444 www.trakm8.com

Teletrac Tel: 0870 460 5693 www.teletrac.co.uk

Quartix Ltd Tel: 0870 013 6663 www.quartix.co.uk

fast-fits & tyres ATS Euromaster Tel: 0870 066 3624 www.atseuromaster.co.uk

vehicle data International Decision Systems Tel: 01256 302 000 www.idsdata.co.uk

Full listings online at

fleetworld.co.uk risk management

Flettner Ventilator Ltd Tel: 020 8200 2321 www.flettner.co.uk

Arnold Clark Vehicle Management

Tel: 0141 332 2626 www.acvm.co.uk

TRACKER Network UK Limited Tel: 0845 602 3981 www.TRACKER.co.uk

Roadmarque Tel: 0845 053 0331 www.roadmarque.com

fuel management

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

IAM Drive & Survive Tel: 0870 120 2910 www.iamdriveandsurvive.co.uk

Shell Fuelcards Tel: 0800 7 31 31 37 www.shell.co.uk/euroshell

Esso Fuel Cards Tel: 0800 626 672 www.essocard.com

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

Tel: 0845 055 8555 Ctrack www.ctrack.co.uk

accident management Total Accident Management Tel: 0845 078 4157 www.totalaccman.co.uk

UKVANLEASING

Tel: 01708 511071 www.ukvanleasing.co.uk

VAN FLEETW RLD

Full listings online at

fleetworld.co.uk

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY For more information, please contact Tracy Howell on 01727 739160 or email tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk fleetworld.co.uk / 89

ontheroad Anthony Ffrench-Constant is in holiday mode, which means he thinks British driving standards are actually pretty good…

S

till recovering from the relentless adrenal gland drainage resultant from a fortnight spent playing chicken in a hired dodgem car on the island of Gozo, I can’t help but look upon the impending gleam of our careless driving crackdown in a new light.

And that’s because, in comparison to the hair-raising motoring experience offered by said hot Mediterranean rock, bogging about Blighty remains, frankly, something of an automotive breeze…

True, they drive on the left, occasionally, and all road signals and signage are the same as ours. But there all similarities with our own Highway Code end. Because, blatantly singling out registration-identifiable hire cars for special treatment, Gozitan drivers are, without a shadow of doubt, the rudest, most selfish in Europe. Possibly the world.

With even the police shunning indicator use at all times, there are, for instance, three Gozitan approaches to the Stop sign; either a), pull out so far before pausing that oncoming vehicles either cede or crumple; b), apply method a) until you can see the whites of the oncoming driver’s eyes, and then pull out anyway; or c), simply hurtle and hope.

All of which turns the occasional roundabout into a large-scale demonstration of Brownian motion, more fraught with danger than a bunch of baboons left alone with a loaded AK 47…

No one ever yields to oncoming traffic on narrow roads, and pulling over to facilitate passing is clearly considered the ultimate in losing face. Oh, and, don’t expect to be thanked when you’re inevitably forced into it… Never going to happen.

Here’s the thing, though; once you come to terms with the excessive levels of adrenaline coursing through your veins, this hilariously selfish, survival-of-the-shittest approach to driving actually seems to work, and accidents are remarkably rare.

I suspect, however, that this is largely because the lumpen patina of interconnected patch and pothole that

In Gozo, no one ever yields to oncoming traffic on narrow roads, and pulling over to facilitate passing is clearly considered the ultimate in losing face.

90 / fleetworld.co.uk

constitutes Gozo’s entire road network keeps speeds to a universal crawl. Attempt to travel at anything over 25mph and your internal organs will be ruthlessly reorganised as the wheels are torn, one by one, clean off your car.

So why is Gozo motoring relevant to a careless driving crackdown in the UK? Because it made me realise that that which ails us is not, in fact, carelessness at all, but merely ever-burgeoning rudeness, selfishness and stupidity…

The AA tells us that UK drivers’ top three pet hates are “tailgaters, mobile phone abusers and middle-lane hogs”.

Interesting, that: tailgating is undeniably rude, but more often than not the result of selfish middle-lane hoggers busy texting; the latter surely inevitable with some 40% of young drivers thinking of it as a “cruising lane” because the driving test still requires absolutely no first-hand knowledge of motorway deportment.

And the mobile phone law is pure madness. Peering into your lap to laboriously tap out a text message because you don’t want to be spotted with a mobile at your ear is infinitely more stupid than simply conducting a phone conversation with your eyes on the road. If the latter is so dangerous, shouldn’t talking to anyone else in your car be against the law to boot?

Sadly, though, there’s as little point discussing further these top three no-nos as there is the raft of other miscellaneous misdemeanours that has been targeted for heftier, on-the-spot fines, because, truth is, legislation without enforcement is worthless.

15 years ago, I rang the police to ask them how they proposed to tackle the increasing irritation of middlelane hogging. They responded by saying that even if the practice was made illegal, they’d never be able to enforce it. And that, lest we forget, was back in the day when policemen were actually to be found on our motorways.

If, then, we Britons remain hell-bent on imminent graduation to positively Gozitan levels of motoring rudeness and selfishness, the only proven way to remove the attendant element of danger is make progress purely at Gozitan speeds.

And the only way to guarantee that happens, it strikes me, is to continue to fail to repair our road surfaces until they match the Gozitan model, thus ensuring that all accidents occur at little more than walking pace.

Civic 1.6 diesel Where performance meets economy The Civic 1.6 diesel is a sleek, performance driven car, with efficient running costs to match. Powered by Earth Dreams technology, the Civic combines power and practicality, to satisfy your driver’s heads and hearts.

• Class leading 1.6 diesel engine • Low fuel costs at 78.5 mpg • 94 g/km CO 2 • Zero VED • BIK rate from 13% • Insurance group from 15E Engine PS

CO2 Emissions Combined (g/km) mpg

BIK (%)

Monthly BIK @ 20%

Monthly BIK @ 40%

Honda Civic 1.6 Diesel SE

120

94

78.5

13%

£43

£85

Volkswagen Golf (1.6 TDI 105 S 5dr)

105

99

74.3

14%

£46

£92

Ford Focus (1.6 TDCi Zetec ECOnetic 5dr)

105

99

76.4

14%

£43

£87

Vauxhall Astra (1.7 CDTi 16V ecoFLEX Exclusiv 5dr)

110

99

76.3

14%

£47

£94

Fuel consumption figures for the Civic 1.6 i-DTEC range in mpg (l/100km): Urban 70.6 (4.0), Extra Urban 85.6 (3.3), Combined 78.5 (3.6). CO 2 emissions: 94g/km. Fuel consumption figures sourced from official EU-regulated laboratory test results, are provided for comparison purposes and may not reflect real-life driving experience.

Powered by

honda.co.uk/cars/earthdreams

Model shown: Civic 1.6 i-DTEC SE Manual in optional White Orchid Pearl at £20,075 On The Road. Disclaimer: CAP Motor Research Ltd (CAP) and Honda Motor Europe Limited trading as Honda (UK) (HUK) has exercised all reasonable care and skill in producing their New Vehicle Data, Future Residual Value & SMR products. CAP gathers its information from independent sources within the motor trade, unconnected with CAP and HUK, and as a result can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information passed on. Furthermore, information on valuations supplied are intended as a guide only to current market values; they cannot be considered in any way a substitute for a full and detailed inspection of any vehicle. Accordingly, neither CAP, nor HUK nor any of its offi cers, agents or representatives shall be liable in contract, tort or otherwise for any direct, indirect or consequential liabilities or losses incurred by any persons having access to the information given.

Less in. More out.

Go further with the new Honda engine 78.5 mpg in a Civic. Visit Honda.co.uk/corporate to find out more about the Honda fleet range.

Fuel consumption figures for the Civic 1.6 i-DTEC SE/ CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC S in mpg (l/100km): Urban 70.6/58.9 (4.0/4.8), Extra Urban 85.6/65.7 (3.3/4.3), Combined 78.5/62.8 (3.6/4.5). CO2 emissions: 94/119g/km. Fuel consumption figures sourced from official EU-regulated laboratory test results, are provided for comparison purposes and may not reflect real-life driving experience.

Models shown: Civic 1.6 i-DTEC SE in optional White Orchid Pearl and CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC S in optional Passion Red Pearl.