Fleet World September 2018 by Fleet World Group

THE

CHANGE

YOUR

BUSINESS

DESERVES

T R A N S F O R M E D S PA C E A N D C O M F O R T

T h e All-New F o cus p ro v i d e s d r i ve r s w ith all th e s p ace th e y n e e d, w it h co n s i d e r a b ly m o r e s h o u ld e r a n d le g r o o m fo r p a s s e n ge r s to r e l a x in co mfo r t. Plus, th e All-New F o cus E s t ate n ow b o a s t s a n e x tr a 114 lit r e s of ma x im u m b o ot sp ace. Arrange a demonstrator with the Ford Busines s Centre: 03457 23 23 23 | flinform@ford.com O r dis cover m o re ab o u t All-New F o cus at fo r d .co.u k /n ew-f o cus

EVERYTHING FLEETS NEED TO KNOW September 2018 • fleetworld.co.uk

FLEET WORLD AT 20 Reflecting on 20 years at the heart of the industry, and the changes on the horizon... GROUP THERAPY Vauxhall's James Taylor on the brand's return to profit

BEST OF THREE Behind the wheel of BMW’s all-new high-tech 3 Series

DRIVEN Mercedes-Benz CLS Hyundai Nexo FCEV Kia Sportage

CE L EBR

ATI NG

EVERYTHING FLEETS NEED TO KNOW September 2018 • fleetworld.co.uk

CEL EBR

INSIDE FLEET WORLD AT 20

18 Curtis Hutchinson looks at subscriptions

Reflecting on 20 years at the heart of the industry, and the changes on the horizon... GROUP THERAPY Vauxhall's James Taylor on the brand's return to profit

BEST OF THREE Behind the wheel of BMW’s all-new high-tech 3 Series

DRIVEN Mercedes-Benz CLS Hyundai Nexo FCEV Kia Sportage

CE L EBR

ATI NG

September 2018 • fleetworld.co.uk

22 Celebrating Fleet World’s 20th Anniversary

ATI NG

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

32 Apps, gadgets and fleet essentials

34 Spotlight on new 3-Series

36 Mercedes-Benz’s luxury CLS driven

50 Colin Tourick’s perfect storm of fleet challenges

52 Vauxhall’s fleet sales director, James Taylor

54 How technology is going from race to road

59 Our fleet on the road

Editor Van Fleet World Dan Gilkes dan@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Account Directors Claire Warman claire@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Yvonne Wright yvonne@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Kevin Gregory Van Fleet World kevin@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Account Executive Darren Brett darren@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Circulation Manager Tracy Howell tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Head of Production Luke Wikner luke@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Designers Dan Bennett dan.bennett@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Tina Ries tina@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Victoria Arellano victoria@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

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

fleetworld.co.uk • 003

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FROM THE

EDITOR “Welcome to the world of fleet…”

RLD W RL FLEETW 200 Y 2006 MAY

THE LEADING MAGAZINE

SION-MAKERSS FOR FLEET DECISION-MAKER

NETT D.N D.NET OR DN WWW.FLEETWORL WWWFLEETWORL WWW.FLEETWO

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>>> PEUGEOT 207 A NEW LOOK FOR PEUGEOT’S BEST SELLER IN FLEET

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DESE RVES

This i iis issue e is just as much about looking forwards as it is reflecting on the past.

SIX words that kick-started a new magazine back in 1998, as Fleet World’s first issue rolled off the presses, promising an “independent and outspoken” view of the industry. Two decades, and almost 250 issues, later, I’d like to extend an equally warm welcome to a new world of fleet. A refresh of the way we bring you the latest news and insight from this ever-changing, always diverse sector. Looking back at those first issues, it struck me that some of the challenges facing fleets and the motor industry 20 years ago feel familiar today. Electric vehicles, concerns about NOx emissions from company cars, and pressure from Euro NCAP testing driving safety innovations into the latest models. Technological developments have continued apace, and today’s fleets still have a vital role to play putting increasingly electrified, ever-cleaner, cutting-edge new vehicles onto British roads. Long may that continue. But this issue is just as much about looking forward as it is reflecting on the past. Fleet World is beginning its third decade with an overhaul of its style and content, complementing our growing portfolio of websites and events. Bringing the industry face-to-face, the inaugural Great British Fleet Event (greatbritishfleetevent.co.uk) takes place on 24th January 2019, marking an unmissable exhibition and awards gala for decision-makers and suppliers. And, of course, the Fleet Show will return to the iconic Silverstone circuit next May. If you haven’t already, take a minute to sign up to our daily newsletter at fleetworld.co.uk to keep up with the latest developments. Plenty of ways for you to keep up with everything fleets need to know…

Making your voice heard Following on from our Save the Company Car campaign, launched in July, we are urging drivers, operators and decision-makers to join our call for urgent reforms to avoid irreparable damage to the sector. Fleets need a clear direction of travel with regards to taxation, incentives and clean air zones, and we’re aiming to put that discussion on the Government’s radar by launching a petition. If even a fraction of the UK’s 940,000 company car drivers, or 465,000 employees of BVRLA members, sign up, it shows an industry united behind a common cause. You can find full details of the campaign piece, with a link to the petition, on our website: fleetworld.co.uk/save-the-company-car/ EVERYTHING FLEETS NEED TO KNOW

Alex Grant editor

fleetworld.co.uk • 005

THIS MONTH IN FLEET www.fleetworld.co.uk

IN BRIEF

HMRC still stalling on PHEV mileage rates

117g/km CO2 emissions for the new 202hp, 2.0-litre, Audi A6 '40 TDI'

Pendragon PCH scheme targets opt-out drivers Pendragon has launched an employee personal contract hire agreement, aimed at drivers moving out of company cars. Let’s Lease is said to recognise the rising tax burden on company cars and uncertainty over WLTP, and is available to cash allowance or former salary sacrifice drivers. Monthly rentals start from £123 per month including VAT.

£2

Dartford Crossing account holder rate for cars, motorhomes and minibuses, effective from 1 October. An increase from today’s £1.67.

Toyota Corolla to return to Europe Toyota’s replacement for the Auris will be called ‘Corolla’, reviving the nameplate in Europe for the first time since 2006. The newcomer arrives in 2019 as a hatchback, saloon and estate, offered with a choice of petrol or hybrid drivetrains – the latter already takes 75% of UK volume. A new Camry, replacing the Avensis, will also launch next year.

008 • fleetworld.co.uk

HM Revenue and Customs has confirmed Advisory Fuel Rates valid from 1 September, including a 4p per mile flat rate for electric vehicles but nothing for plug-in hybrids, despite ongoing calls from fleets to issue these too. The announcement marks the first time HMRC has recognised electricity as a fuel, and follows an ACFO petition to release the figures, which launched earlier this year. However, the data suggests hybrids (including plug-ins) should be treated as petrol or diesel vehicles, raising concerns that recharging PHEVs is not being incentivised properly. Operators can, however, set their own rates if necessary. The new rates are as follows (old rates in brackets):

Engine size

Petrol

LPG

Engine size

Diesel

1,400cc or less

12p (11p)

7p (7p)

1,600cc or less

10p (10p)

1,401cc to 2,000cc

15p (14p)

9p (9p)

1,601cc to 2,000cc

12p (11p)

Over 2,000cc

22p (22p)

13p (14p)

Over 2,000cc

13p (13p)

Auto Trader and Cox to create ‘community of vehicle buyers’ Auto Trader UK and Cox Automotive have launched a joint venture which will merge selected services to form a digital auction service for used stock from fleets, manufacturers and retailers. Likely to be named Dealer Auction, the service will combine Cox’s Dealer-Auction.com and Manheim Online services with Auto Trader’s Smart Buying retailer-to-retailer platform, in a move aimed at creating the UK’s largest community of vehicle buyers, according to the companies. The business will take advantage of services from both companies, offering access to NextGear Capital funding, consumer listings from Auto

Trader and Motors.co.uk, logistics through Movex and Motor Trade Delivery, and Manheim’s inspection, imaging, recondition and preparation solutions. The joint venture is conditional upon clearance from Competition and Markets Authority in the UK. The wider Cox Automotive and Auto Trader businesses will continue to operate as normal, and in competition with each other. Dealer Auction launches as LeasePlan brings its CarNext digital platform to the UK. This enables retail customers to buy or lease ex-fleet cars, or use them on a subscription basis, and is now live at its first ‘delivery store’ in Milton Keynes.

PERFORMANCE YOU’LL FALL IN LOVE WITH.

ALFA ROMEO STELVIO BIK from 30%

P11D from £34,035

CO2 from 139g/km

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA BIK from 30%

P11D from £29,880

CO2 from 129g/km

Created and crafted in Italy, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Alfa Romeo Giulia are true masterpieces. They couple the most exciting driving dynamics with elegant Italian design. The technology behind Alfa Romeo is created to enhance performance and to give great driving sensations. Both models feature all the latest cutting-edge technology in safety and infotainment including Alfa™ D.N.A. driving mode selector, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and 8.8” Connect 3D Nav with DAB radio. All this combined with exceptional fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. For more information, call our Business Centre free on 0808 168 7146 or email alfaromeo.ﬂeet@alfaromeo.com

RANGE OF OFFICIAL FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES FOR THE ALFA ROMEO STELVIO RANGE: URBAN CYCLE MPG (L/100KM) 23.0 (12.3) – 47.1(6.0), EXTRA-URBAN CYCLE MPG (L/100KM) 33.6 (8.4) – 58.8 (4.8), COMBINED CYCLE MPG (L/100KM) 28.8 (9.8) – 53.3 (5.3). EMISSIONS 227 – 139 G/KM. OFFICIAL FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES FOR THE ALFA ROMEO GIULIA RANGE: URBAN CYCLE MPG (L/100KM) 23.7 (11.9) – 46.3 (6.1), EXTRA-URBAN CYCLE MPG (L/100KM) 37.2 (7.6) – 67.3 (4.2), COMBINED CYCLE MPG (L/100KM) 30.7 (9.2) – 57.7 (4.9). EMISSIONS 212 – 129 G/KM. FUEL CONSUMPTION AND CO2 VALUES ARE OBTAINED FOR COMPARATIVE PURPOSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH EC DIRECTIVES/REGULATIONS AND MAY NOT BE REPRESENTATIVE OF REAL LIFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. FACTORS SUCH AS DRIVING STYLE, WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS MAY ALSO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON FUEL CONSUMPTION.

THIS MONTH IN FLEET www.fleetworld.co.uk

APPOINTMENTS DS appoints first sales director DS Automobiles has appointed Rob Thomas as to the newly created role of UK sales director, preparing for the launch of a new model range. Thomas joins the brand from Banque PSA Finance, where he was sales director, and will oversee the expansion of the dealer network and ‘Only You’ customer experience programme, as new vehicles launch.

Volvo Car UK’s Matt Galvin promoted Volvo Car UK has promoted Matt Galvin to sales director, responsible for its new and used channels as the carmaker embarks on its next growth phase. Galvin, previously head of retail sales, joined Volvo as head of dealer operations three years ago, from Mercedes-Benz. The new role also makes him member of the company’s executive management group.

Alphabet GB to re-think remarketing Alphabet GB has appointed Sacha Imamkhan as head of remarketing, tasked with finding new routes to market. Dutch national Imamkhan joins the UK business from Alphabet International in Munich where she was project manager for new markets, having played a ‘key role’ in integrating ING Lease following the merger of the two companies.

BP appoints UK head of fleet sales BP has appointed Jo McDonnell as UK fleet sales manager, a role which now includes responsibilities held by UK fuel card manager Andy Allen. McDonnell takes on the position having spent four years in BP’s dealer business, and as the company adds fuel card payments to its BPme app.

010 • fleetworld.co.uk

VAUXHALL CONCEPT PREVIEWS 2019 CORSA Vauxhall has previewed some of the technology and design cues likely to appear on the 2019 Corsa, with a new electric concept car. Although the GT-X Experimental is a coupe-SUV, it’s a similar size to the new Corsa and features the new ‘visor’ grille

set for new models, with wheels designed to look larger than their 17inch diameter. It features a 50kWh battery, potentially hinting at the capacity set for the electric Corsa due in 2020, utilising technology and platforms from new owner, PSA Group.

Plug-ins and SUVs to drive MG fleet growth MG Motor UK aiming for an eight-fold increase in fleet volumes over the next five years, underpinned by a range of SUVs, electric and plug-in hybrids, but it has no plans to reintroduce diesel engines. Head of sales and marketing, Daniel Gregorious, said the company is aiming to grow from 4,400 units in 2017 to 25,400 in 2022 – a 1% market share, with fleets set to take around a third of that volume. The updated MG3 supermini will be bolstered by a line-up of three SUVs, all including plug-in hybrid or electric versions, and a battery-powered roadster in 2021. Expansion in fleet will also be underpinned by expansion of the dealer network. MG had 70 dealers as of the end of 2017, and the company is aiming to reach 120 by 2022. The aim is

to add to, and grow, existing outlets, while also working with large groups that have an existing business centre infrastructure in place. Around 10% of the network will be business centres, for large fleet deals, with the remainder focusing on smaller, local fleets.

THE NEW

PAY LESS BiK. GET MORE SUV.

NEW GRANDLAND X TECH LINE NAV BiK FROM 25% | P11D FROM £22,535 CO2 FROM 109G/KM | UP TO 67.3MPG Imagine an SUV with more, that costs you less. New Grandland X has more smart infotainment technology, more enhanced safety features and a more elevated ride. Yet it combines these with low CO2 and BiK. All of which makes every journey just a little more… grand.

Book your Grandland X 3 Day Test Drive today. Visit threedaytestdrive.co.uk Fuel consumption information is official government environmental data, tested in accordance with the relevant EU directive. Grandland X range fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km): Urban: 46.3 (6.1) – 64.2 (4.4), Extra-urban: 57.7 (4.9) – 74.3 (3.8), Combined: 53.3 (5.3) – 68.9 (4.1). CO2 emissions: 128 – 108g/km. Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. 2018/19 tax year. Vauxhall Motors Limited does not offer tax advice and recommends that all Company Car Drivers consult their own accountant with regards to their own tax position. Grandland X Elite Nav 1.2 (130PS) Turbo Start/Stop model illustrated (P11D of £26,885) features Topaz Blue two-coat metallic paint (£565), silver-effect roof rails (£150), Premium LED Adaptive Forward Lighting Pack (£1,100) and black roof and door mirrors (£320), optional at extra cost. 3 Day Test Drive terms and conditions apply and vehicles are subject to availability. Please call 0330 587 8221 for full details. All figures quoted correct at time of going to press (August 2018).

A N A LY S I S WLTP TESTING

TESTING TIMES Has carmakers’ rush to meet this month’s deadline for the new WLTP test cycle impacted the used market? Natalie Middleton explores the issues.

he Worldwide harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle has finally kicked in for all new cars, with September marking the deadline for retesting. It’s disrupted orders, raised CO2 and tax and left some models unavailable, but could it also impact the used market? The Derogation Dilemma DfT derogation rules mean carmakers can only sell up to 2,000 (or 10% of 2017’s sales volume) pre-1 June build vehicles after September. In turn, it’s raised concerns that large numbers of in-stock cars might do not meet the new regulations, with potential to increase pre-registrations and bumper discounts as they are pushed through to market. According to industry expert Dean Bowkett, such tactical registrations could account for the 1.2% rise in new car registrations seen in July after the 6.3% fall in the first half of the year – and he says the ramifications could be felt for some time. “A number of daily rental clients are seeing the value of young used diesel models falling as they are competing against these tactical, zero-mile vehicles,” he said. “When demand for young used falls then so do the prices, and reports are coming in that this is happening across Europe and in the UK. “As the price of younger used vehicles fall

012 • fleetworld.co.uk

then we will start to see a cascade into older models. How far and how sustained this will be depends upon just how much more stock OEMs and dealers need to shift in August and what happens from 1 September onwards.” Cazana’s Rupert Pontin has also warned of near-future problems from pre-registrations, adding: “To move these cars to the retail consumer will take some strategic pricing which may push older cars down in price. It will be very interesting to see what the retail consumer appetite is like.” Balancing the Push But there could be other issues to mitigate this. According to Derren Martin, head of current valuations at Cap HPI, although volumes of pre-registrations have risen slightly through August, they are at a very similar point to where they were at the same time last year. He also points to the industry consensus that fleets are likely to delay replacing vehicles due to concerns over increased tax costs, which could lead to lower supply in the used market, countering the rise in pre-registrations. Martin Potter, Aston Barclay’s group operations director, agreed that fleet concerns over current and future WLTPtested cars is leading to delays on ordering new models, which could mean restricted

supplies of ex-fleet stock coming into the market during September, October and November. He said this would actually see prices rise from an already strong position. And Philip Nothard, Board Member of the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA), has pointed out that the issue with supply of WLTP-tested vehicles needs to be taken into consideration. “For the sector, [there have been] reports recently that the challenges relating to supply in the retailer dealer market, creating concern for the levels of retail partexchanges in September as order banks slow – which could cause increased demand in the wholesale sector from dealers as they look to replenish stock levels.” It’s a point echoed by Glass’s, which says that although residual values of nearly new cars will be affected through pre-registration activity, the impact on 12-month values may be limited if new car supply is disrupted. Chief editor, Jayson Whittington, said the pre-registration impact on residual values could reduce with the anticipated interruption to new car supply and delays in registering cars until they gain WLTP type approval. “It could be the case that following production disruption due to WLTP, there could be issues with supply leading to increased demand for preregistered cars,” he said.

evfleetworld.co.uk

IN BRIEF EO brings smart charging benefits to SME fleets EO Charging has launched a new system which offers automatic load management for SME fleets, based on the energy usage limits of their building. The eoALM unit can control up to six of EO’s charging points, enabling operators to set priorities, turn down the power or switch them off completely.

LDV to launch plug-in SUV in Europe Chinese manufacturer LDV is to launch its first passenger car in Europe; an SUV with plug-in hybrid and fully electric versions, the latter featuring a 373-mile battery range. The ‘Tarantula’ will be joined by an electric van, MPV and two other EVs as the SAIC subsidiary plans quarterly launches to the end of 2020.

New Centrica service to help EV fleets control charging Energy and services company, Centrica, is developing a new charging management service for depot-based fleets, and employees plugging in at their workplace. The launch follows the company’s investment in Israeli startup Driivz, which has developed a cloud-based operating system to look after everything from user access to the load on the electrical grid.

Dyson confirms £200m EV R&D campus Dyson has confirmed a £200m investment in an R&D facility for its forthcoming electric vehicle, due in 2020. The company said last year it already has more than 400 employees working on the project, based at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire. The planning application includes a 10-mile test track and 45,000m2 of development space.

014 • evfleetworld.co.uk

For greener, more flexible, future fleets...

London lamp posts to plug EV charging gaps Transport for London has awarded contracts to some of the UK’s largest charging point manufacturers to roll out 1,150 units across the boroughs by the end of 2020, helping households without off-street parking to switch to plug-in vehicles. The Go Ultra Low Cities Scheme (GULCS) Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Procurement Framework provides £3.7m to help bolster the availability of charging points across Greater London. It is hosted by TfL, the Greater London Authority and London Councils, and funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles. There are two contracts available to suppliers. BP’s Chargemaster PLC, Dutch company Allego, Swarco (eVolt) and Bollore Group subsidiary BluepointLondon have contracts to install units with a dedicated power supply. Four companies – British startup Char.gy, Siemens (in partnership with Ubitricity), solar power specialist Joju, and Swarco – also have contracts to install points using a ‘shared power supply’, such as utilising the existing wiring for street lighting, which is claimed to reduce the cost of deployment and disruption for residents.

Mercedes-Benz electric SUV sets sights on the I-Pace Mercedes-Benz is to launch a longrange, high-performance electric SUV next year, rivalling the Jaguar IPace, Audi E-Tron and Tesla Model X. The EQC is a similar size to the GLC, and the first member of the carmaker’s ‘EQ’ electric sub-brand. It features motors at each axle offering 402bhp and four-wheel drive, and an 80kWh battery providing enough energy storage for a range of 280 miles under NEDC conditions. Fast charging, at up to 110kW, means most of that can be restored in 40 minutes. Long-range driving is supported by navigation which plots routes around

the fastest charging points, and Mercedes-Benz will offer a domestic charging point which can enable fleets to monitor energy use when employees top up at home. The EQC launches mid 2019.

MOBILITY

VWFS and Audi to launch flexible rental solutions

Volkswagen Financial Services is bringing its short-term rental service to the UK, enabling drivers to book cars online and collect them from Volkswagen and Skoda showrooms. The Rent-a-Car service is already available in Germany and Spain, and launches with a range of vehicles across both brands. Three Volkswagen and two Skoda retailers have joined the scheme from launch, with further locations to follow later this year. Designed to alleviate concerns about hidden costs and high-pressure salespeople, customers can book and pay online, and check-in and out is paperless, with no substitutions for other makes and models. The fleet is entirely made up of vehicles under eight months old, and includes a low insurance excess, and six-point photography as proof of condition. Mark Forton, director of mobility services at VWFS UK, said: “As we see customers moving from ownership to usership we are very excited to launch our first mobility offering to the UK market.” The service launches as Audi introduces its On Demand service to the UK, offering hire periods between one hour and 28 days with the option to collect from dealers or have them delivered within a 30-mile radius. On Demand will be extended to offer a series of mobility products, based on flexibility and convenience and including specific services for business travellers, the company said.

We see customers moving from ownership to usership.

Toyota and Uber extend autonomous car partnership Toyota has made a $500m (£388m) investment in Uber, alongside an agreement to co-develop an autonomous ride-sharing service scheduled to launch in 2021. The two companies have worked together since signing a Memorandum of Agreement 2016, and the expanded partnership will look at new opportunities to develop ride-sharing services utilising Toyota vehicles working with Uber’s technology platform. This will start with Autono-MaaS (Autonomous Mobility as a Service) in 2021, launching with a fleet of autonomous Toyota Sienna MPVs in North America, based on the Toyota Mobility Services Platform that works with its connected vehicles.

Sixt pools mobility services for corporates Sixt Group is combining all of its mobility services under a single point of contact, with a view to enabling its corporate customers to develop bespoke travel solutions for staff. The new Key Account Management structure launches in ten countries across Europe, and encompasses rental, chauffeur, ride hailing, mobility management and budgeting requirements.

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OPINION

Curtis Hutchinson motor industry guru

The Short Game Not all employees entitled to company cars actually want them, which is why new mobility services offered by carmakers could offer a practical alternative. ompany car provision used to be straightforward. Companies provided vehicles to staff who ran them for three years and paid Benefit-inKind (BiK) tax for personal usage. Times change. The high level of BIK taxation for non-essential users is often cited as a reason not to join the company scheme, with employees taking a cash allowance instead. After all why surrender a growing portion of your salary to HMRC for a perk which may not actually be desired? This, of course, can give businesses administrative and duty of care headaches, on the occasions when those employees do need a car for work. One solution could be a new wave of short-term mobility schemes being offered by carmakers, where traditional ownership is replaced by usership. The latest scheme comes from Volkswagen Financial Services with its dealer-based Rent-a-Car offering which is being piloted by three Volkswagen (Poole, Exeter and Watford) and two Skoda showrooms (Northampton and Leeds). The service was launched in Germany and Spain and VWFS promises more UK sites to be added over the course of 2018. Customers can book online and take delivery at a showroom or have their cars delivered and picked up for an additional charge. VW light commercials will also be available as part of the offering. In time this could prove to be a useful alternative for SMEs in need of vehicles at short notice and on a short-term basis, with VWFS promising a service which removes the hassle associated with some daily rental transactions. Mark Forton, director of mobility services at VWFS in the UK said: “As we see customers moving from ownership to

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usership we are very excited to launch our first mobility offering to the UK market. “The Rent-a-Car service will provide customers with simple, clear pricing of hire costs, a low excess as standard and paperless vehicle check-in and out. This includes six-point photography of the vehicle to alleviate potential concerns in relation to vehicle damage charges.” Elsewhere in the VW Group, Audi has just started piloting an On Demand service in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with plans to follow later this year in Newcastle, Birmingham and London, ahead of a possible national rollout. The service offers short-term loans, across the Audi line-up, from one hour to 28 days, with deliveries within a 30 minute radius of participating dealers. Prices range from £70 to £190 per day. Plans are underway to introduce Audi On Demand for business use in 2019. Audi said On Demand will act as “an umbrella term for a new wave of mobility services to be launched in the UK”. Starting with a retail offering, the service will expand and develop to offer a series of mobility products based around customer flexibility and convenience. Andrew Doyle, director of Audi UK, said: “Audi On Demand is the premium mobility service with a difference. It neatly packages convenience, flexibility and ease of use into every booking and enables our customers to tap into a bespoke experience that is fitting of the Audi brand and maintains the exceptionally high levels of service that we are committed to from start to finish. “The traditional model of ownership is consistently evolving and this innovative concept firmly puts Audi UK ahead when it comes to meeting consumer demand

and transforming into a digital premium car company.” This summer Jaguar Land Rover launched Carpe, a car subscription service specifically aimed at high mileage drivers, which could appeal to company owners and senior directors. The subscription package runs for a year and there’s no mileage restriction. Customers sign up for a standard nil-deposit 12-month deal and can specify the car to their requirements. Servicing, maintenance, insurance, roadside assistance and delivery are all bundled into the no-haggle monthly cost. It’s not cheap though. Subscription packages start from £910 per month for a standard specification Jaguar E-Pace, up to £2,200 per month for a top-end Range Rover Sport HSE. Jaguar Land Rover’s advertised rates exclude VAT suggesting that business owners are the key target. The online scheme is run by Jaguar Land Rover tech subsidiary InMotion which is confident a new breed of well-heeled customers will sign on and renew their subscriptions on an annual basis. Sebastian Peck, managing director of InMotion, said: “We know there is appetite for unlimited motoring packages and demand is growing rapidly for subscription services that better meet individual needs. For people who love driving premium vehicles, but are tired of inflexible contracts, a subscription to Carpe is the solution. We aim to give our customers as much flexibility, freedom and choice as we can.” This is a toe in the water, with JLR saying it is gathering feedback from subscribers to expand its offering and provide even more tailored packages to customers. Expect more services like these from carmakers over the coming months as they look at ways of broadening their mobility services.

THE

INSIDER Technological revolution No matter how clever the latest technology might be, there’s a little experience needed to get past those initial trust issues, The Insider explains.

e’ve read lots of articles recently about the latest automotive technologies, many of which will be hugely useful to fleet operators and company car drivers. But it does feel that the latest vehicle technology is a great leap forward in terms of complexity and indeed cost, while some of the tech requires a degree of trust that the vehicle will do what it is programmed to do. I wouldn’t say I’m a luddite, but think I really appreciate technology when it adds a positive benefit to our lives. However, I don’t want our learned, experiential driving skills being overtaken by a clever super-computer – a little like “Video Killed The Radio Star”, the Buggles hit from the 80’s. Let’s have technological progress, but let it be complementary. To dispel any trace of inner luddite, I recently evaluated some vehicles with their nascent technology and I have to say, overall, I’m impressed from both a driver and operator perspective. The first featured connected technology. Once I’d signed up to the slightly onerous terms and conditions, I found this pretty helpful. Arriving well ahead of schedule at a recent meeting in a large town, the concierge facility found and sent me to my favourite coffee outlet via the sat nav – very neat. A colleague of mine has a similar car and had unfortunately experienced a theft from her drive – a distressing experience. But because her car featured this technology, she was able to pass the crime reference number on to the manufacturer, who tracked the car and immobilised it once the key was out of the ignition. Its location was also passed on, and the thief was caught red-handed with the car returned to its owner, demonstrating how

020 • fleetworld.co.uk

I don’t want our learned, experiential driving skills being overtaken by a clever super-computer

useful it can be for operators. Automation is also growing apace, helped by NCAP ratings, but also genuine safety improvements. The next car I drove had a reversing camera, which was a simple but effective tool for urban-based operators where the preponderance of parking accidents occur. It also had predictive cruise control where, in addition to reading road signs to maintain the correct speed, it was able to use sophisticated mapping technology to automatically reduce speed for sharper corners. I have to say, on the ghastly A17 with its speed cameras and caravans, the car coped brilliantly, maintaining a safe distance to the car in front and speeding up and down appropriately. Great for avoiding speeding fines and penalty points and keeping on good terms with the fleet manager. However, on one occasion I decided against following the sat nav as I could see heavy congestion at a forthcoming roundabout, continuing instead to the next exit to save time. Unfortunately, the sat nav wasn’t as sophisticated as I assumed and it thought I’d taken the slip road towards the roundabout. It thought I was approaching the roundabout, braking severely at 70mph and startling myself and the driver behind me. I quickly resumed my trust, but it did show that the technology still needs fine tuning. So, my experience was positive overall, and there are clear benefits to both drivers and operators. And while motoring home the other day, I heard the electro dance band Underworld have collaborated with legendary rock wild child, Iggy Pop and produced an amazing EP, proving that the new can work with the experienced. A bit like vehicle technology, it just takes getting used to.

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20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

FLEETW RLD 2006 MAY 200

DECISION-MAKE

AZINE FOR FLEET THE LEADING MAG

NETT D.NE ORLD. WO EETW W.FLLEET WF W.F WWW

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>>> PEUGEOT 207 A NEW LOOK FO PEUGEOT’S BEST SELLER IN FLEET

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THE WAY WE WERE 1998-2018 FROM NEW TECHNOLOGY, TO EVER-SHIFTING LEGISLATION, AND EVEN A GLOBAL RECESSION, FLEET WORLD’S 20-YEAR ARCHIVE SPANS A PERIOD OF NEAR CONSTANT CHANGE FOR THE INDUSTRY. BUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES ARE STILL FAMILIAR TODAY, WRITES JULIAN KIRK. wenty years ago, the very first issue of Fleet World was published, promising to bring ‘a little fun and excitement’ into the fleet press. The thinking was that most fleet industry titles were worthy but somewhat dull. Fleet World was launched with the aim to both inform and, just as importantly, entertain. This is certainly something that has remained a constant since those heady days back in 1998 when a triumvirate of fleet industry journalists (Bob Oxford, Ross Durkin and Trevor Gehlcken) launched the title. Looking back on the first issue, it is surprising how little some things have changed in our industry... there was a

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feature investigating the pros and cons of cash vs company car, reports of fledgling electric vehicle fleet deals, car brands looking to take themselves up the food chain, a government seen as anti-car, road pricing trials, anger at fuel prices… In fact, the only real differences between then and now is the level of sophistication in terms of management and driver support systems (no mention of apps or websites in any of the advertisements featured) and the focus on dual-fuel vehicles – to those millennials out there, that means vehicles running on LPG, not hybrids. But there have been some key events which have shaped the fleet industry over the past two decades…

ENVIRONMENT

The 2001 Company Car Tax move created huge demand for diesel, particularly among fleet buyers.

THE 20 years between the first issue of Fleet World and today is neatly book-ended by two key diesel related events – ‘the dash for diesel’ and ‘Dieselgate’. In 2001, the Labour Government encouraged demand for diesel cars because of their low CO2 emissions, offering lower VED rates and advantageous Company Car Tax treatment. It created huge demand, particularly among fleet buyers, and the UK’s diesel car parc swelled from around three million in 2000 to more than 12 million today. Diesel peaked at a 50.8% market share in 2012, according to the SMMT. The effects were almost immediate. HMRC claimed average CO2 emissions from company cars was 15% lower in 2004 than it would have been without the incentives, resulting from a ‘substantial increase’ in diesel’s share from 33% to over half of the market two years later. However, it warned that the trade-off was increased inner-city particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions, adding that progressively stricter standards would address that issue. It would take until 2015 for the issue to come to a head, when Volkswagen was found to have cheated on emissions testing. Weakened consumer trust and fears of a slump in residual values caused a waning of demand following the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal. Recent Jato Dynamics figures show diesel now has a 37% share in Europe – its lowest since 2001 – while SMMT data shows diesel had fallen to a 41.3% share of fleet registrations in the first half of 2018. This might only be the start. Tax penalties for diesels came into effect this April, and multiple manufacturers have said they will phase it out altogether over the coming years as they focus on petrol, hybrid and electric alternatives. Further environmental challenges will come in the form of the introduction by cities of Clean Air Zones (road charging based on a sliding scale where the most polluting pay more); the lack (still) of an adequate EV charging network in some parts of the country, and a mire of inconsistency from the Government over taxation and sales incentives for ULEVs.

1998: THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS • England knocked-out in last 16 of the World Cup in France (France wins) • The Good Friday Agreement is signed • Google is founded as a company • Construction begins on the International Space Station • European Court of Human Rights established • Financial crisis hits south-east Asia • BMW buys Rolls-Royce • James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’ in cinemas • Daimler-Benz and Chrysler merge • Twice-yearly registration plate introduced

fleetworld.co.uk • 023

20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

RLD FLEETW RL 2006 M 2006 MAY

THE LEADING MAGAZINE

FOR FLEET DECISION-M

AKERS

WWW.FLEETWORLD.NET

>>> PEUGEOT 207 A NEW LOOK FOR PEUGEOT’S BEST SELLER IN FLEET

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WHILE the pace of change in car design has been rapid, the same is true of the technology used to manage vehicles on fleet. Advertisements for fleet management software in the first issue of Fleet World in 1998 show pretty basic Excel-based systems with the offer of a freephone telephone number to find out more information. Today, websites, cloud-based reporting, in-vehicle telematics, mobile technology and bespoke apps dominate the fleet management business. This mirrors the growing role of the fleet manager, with today’s role incorporating data protection, health and safety, technology management and human resources issues. Cloudbased systems are proving key to managing this workload, and

TECHNOLOGY

BUSIN ESS

also offer cost savings because they are hosted on the internet, negating the need to invest in bespoke technology. This location also offers advantages in terms of scalability, information storage and increased efficiency. Today’s fleet management tools are also more bespoke than ever, allowing dashboard formats to generate and analyse chosen data more effectively. Automated alerts can also be generated to enable compliance with data protection and risk management issues. But perhaps the greatest change is yet to come, with the advent of the connected car now offering a huge information stream to interpret and manage. Vehicle data can be downloaded and used to help improve efficiency, reduce vehicle downtime and ensure the fleet remains safe and legal.

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TWENTY YEARS AND COUNTING... HAVING been with Fleet World Group since the day the first issue rolled off the presses in 1998, and having signed off every issue since then – 228 to be precise – I’m fairly well placed to gauge fleet change and the industry’s peaks and troughs between then and now. The main stand-outs for me have been: the rapid rise and fall of LPG; the 2001 emissions-based Company Car Tax shake-up; the reinvention of the traditional ‘fleet manager’; the zeitgeist that was Duty of Care; our very own MPG Marathon economy driving event; the global recession in Fleet World’s 10th year, causing fleets to extend replacement cycles and tighten belts; the seemingly endless lowering of CO2 emissions by manufacturers; the Fleet Show at Silverstone; driving a modern EV over 150 miles on a single charge; the inexorable rise of premium vs volume; the shift towards ‘mobility’; Dieselgate; and, more recently, WLTP, GDPR and the spectre of a Brexit the industry tried to avoid. And throughout all of this change, one thing has remained constant. Fleet World has always tried to be relevant, readable and to provide fleets with all the information they need to know. As we begin our third decade, we will continue to do so. Luke Wikner

20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

RLD FLEETW RL 2006 M 2006 MAY

THE LEADING MAGAZINE

FOR FLEET DECISION-M

AKERS

WWW.FLEETWORLD.NET

>>> PEUGEOT 207 A NEW LOOK FOR PEUGEOT’S BEST SELLER IN FLEET

FINANC ET FINANCE >>> FLEET EMAT S TELEMATIC >> TELE >>> ENT MEN MENT M ANAGEM A MA MAN MANA K MANAGE SK >>>>> RISK >>> ON HON A MAR MARATHO MA M G MARATH PG >>>> MPG >>> 7 Q7 DI Q UD UDI AU AUD A >>>>> AUDI >>> 0 350 RX 3 US RX US XUS XU X EXUS E EX LEXU LE >>> LEXUS >>>

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TIMELINE 20 YEARS OF CHANGE IN FLEET

Today’s drivers are likely to favour SUVs over the traditional fleet staples, such as the Vectra and its successor, the Insignia.

HERE we can see the most tangible advances over two decades… our (potentially) self-driving, traffic-aware, WiFi-equipped, plug-in hybrid cars capable of downloading our work diary, navigating us to our meeting, telling us when they need a service and booking it in, returning hugely improved fuel economy and lower emissions than ever, yet offering increased performance while being packed to the gunwales with the latest safety technology to mitigate the chances of being in an accident. The progress in car design has been staggering in such a short period of time, as has been the shift away from volume brands towards more niche and premium manufacturers. In 1998, the Ford Fiesta was the UK’s best-selling car (plus ça change), followed by the Escort, Mondeo and Focus in second, third and fourth. Fifth, sixth and seventh were the Vauxhalls Vectra, Astra and Corsa, with the Peugeot 306 in eighth, Rover 200 in ninth and 400 in tenth. Not a

premium or niche model in sight. Contrast this with 2017’s best-sellers list and, while there are some familiar names, the shift in the market is clear – Fiesta at number one still, followed by the Volkswagen Golf, Focus, Nissan Qashqai, Corsa, Astra, Volkswagen Polo, Mini, and Mercedes-Benz C- and A-Class. And although the Qashqai is the only SUV in the top 10, the huge demand for such models shows no signs of abating. While this class of vehicle barely registered back in 1998, by 2008 it was achieving about 10% of UK new car sales – today, that figure is nearer to a third. Premium brands are enjoying similar popularity, with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz proving attractive to fleets thanks to their stronger RVs and lower running costs. This German trio have nibbled away at the volume brands for years, along with (to a lesser extent) Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, at the expense of the likes of Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

SUVs barely registered back in 1998 – today, it’s near a third of new car sales. 026 • fleetworld.co.uk

1998 UK signs the Kyoto Protocol, committing to a 12.5% reduction in CO2. 1999 First March reg plate change. Inaugural Fleet World Honours. 2000 Company Car Tax reform plans laid out. MPG Marathon and Toyota Prius launched, during nationwide fuel protests. BMW sells Rover Group, Ford buys Jaguar and Land Rover. 2001 CO2-based Vehicle Excise Duty introduced. 2002 AMAP rates and CO2-based company car tax come into force. 1st issue of International Fleet World. 2003 Fuel Benefit Charge introduced. London rolls out the Congestion Charge Zone. 2004 Van Benefit Charge announced in the Finance Act 2004. 2005 MG Rover into administration. 2006 M42 becomes the UK’s first ‘smart motorway’ 2007 Nissan launches the first Qashqai ‘crossover’ amid peak anti4x4 protests. DaimlerChrysler splits. 2008 UK economy goes into recession. Ford sells Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata. 10% BiK band introduced for sub-120g/km cars. 2009 Fiat buys 20% stake in Chrysler. 2010 0% and 5% BiK bands introduced for ULEVs. ‘Plugged-in Places’ charging schemes launched. BMW becomes top-five volume brand. 2011 Nissan Leaf launched. Diesel over 50% of registrations. 2012 RAC Foundation logs record fuel prices at 142ppl (petrol) and 148ppl (diesel). Fleet World Fleet Show takes place at Silverstone. Saab goes bankrupt. 2013 ‘Electric Highway’ EV rapid chargers link London and Leeds. 2014 Tesla Model S launches in UK. 2015 ‘Dieselgate’ scandal breaks. HMRC retains 3% diesel BiK surcharge. 2016 New ‘IFRS16’ accounting standard brings leased vehicles onto balance sheets. 2017 PSA acquires Opel/Vauxhall for €2.2bn. London T-Charge launched. WLTP test cycle launched. 2018 UK Government loses High Court air quality case to ClientEarth. Diesel BiK and VED rises. GDPR comes into force.

THE NEW VOLVO V60: ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES The decisions you make are felt right throughout your business. Which is why every aspect of the new Volvo V60 has been carefully considered. As innovative, intuitive and stylish as it is economical and practical, our new model will make its presence within your fleet felt immediately. And the consequences? More than acceptable. POWERED BY YOU The new V60’s range of powertrains includes both petrol and diesel engines, with three drive modes for dynamic handling. And, for businesses with an eye on TCO or sustainability, our efficient plug-in hybrid models will be arriving soon. ROOM FOR BETTER BUSINESS The new V60’s rear-load space makes both logistical and business sense. With a segment-leading capacity of 529 litres – enough to fit four standard suitcases – and a power-operated tailgate, our latest estate helps to make everyday working life easier. AN INVALUABLE FLEET CAR Almost as impressive on the balance sheet as it is on the road, the new V60’s class-leading residual values mean less depreciation for owners and lower monthly costs when leasing. Residual value expert cap hpi has estimated that the V60 D3 Momentum Manual will be worth 44.8%* of its cost new price after three years and 30,000 miles. And even among high mileage company car user choosers, it leads the sector – with the same model worth 37.8%* of its cost new price after three years and 60,000 miles. EVERYTHING, ONLY A TOUCH AWAY The thoughtfully designed cabin provides space for drivers to sit in luxury with their familiar apps in arm’s reach. Apple CarPlay™ or Android Auto provides effortless access to familiar smartphone functionality. While its intuitive Sensus Touch Screen, and voice recognition of natural speech, enable drivers to safely stay in contact with work, family and friends.

YOUR FLEET, BETTER CONNECTED Remotely manage and monitor your fleet with Volvo On Call as standard. The mobile app offers drivers useful control of their vehicle and enables emergency assistance wherever they are. While fleet managers have access to driving journals, dashboard status, vehicle location, mileage and fuel economy of up to 10 cars – making life from both sides a little less complicated. REDUCING RISK AND COSTS Protect your drivers, your fleet and business interests with the new V60’s range of semi-autonomous safety features – reducing risk, productivity losses and subsequent costs. Its advanced driver-support systems include a world-first application of City Safety automatic emergency braking to help avoid a collision with an oncoming vehicle. City Safety also recognises pedestrians, cyclists and large animals, applying automatic emergency braking and steering support to help drivers manoeuvre around hazards and prevent accidents before they happen.

Discover everything the new Volvo V60 can offer your business. CALL THE VOLVO CAR BUSINESS CENTRE ON 0345 600 4027 *Data provided by cap hpi, correct as of 28/08/2018. Official fuel consumption for the new Volvo V60 range in MPG (l/100km): Urban 33.6 (8.4) – 53.3 (5.3), Extra Urban 48.7 (5.8) – 72.4 (3.9), Combined 40.9 (6.9) – 64.2 (4.4). CO2 emissions 160 – 117g/km. Please contact your Volvo retailer for the latest information.

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20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

RLD FLEETW RL 2006 M 2006 MAY

THE LEADING MAGAZINE

FOR FLEET DECISION-M

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WWW.FLEETWORLD.NET

>>> PEUGEOT 207 A NEW LOOK FOR PEUGEOT’S BEST SELLER IN FLEET

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VEHICLES FORD FOCUS 20 YEARS OF PROGRESS Huge strides have been made in the industry over the past two decades, as this comparison between entry-level Ford Focus models from 1998 and 2018 shows…

1998 1998 1.4 CL Price (OTR)

£9,868

Fuel (mpg)

CO2 (g/km)

158

Power (bhp)

106

0-62mph (sec)

13.6

2018 2018 1.0 EcoBoost Style Price (OTR)

£17,930

Fuel (mpg)

CO2 (g/km)

107

Power (bhp)

Top speed (mph)

116

0-62mph (sec)

11.7

THEN & NOW

Sources: ONS, World Bank, Eurostat, CPI, SMMT

028 • fleetworld.co.uk

UK GDP Unemployment rate Prime Minister Interest rate Inflation New car sales Diesel share

Top speed (mph)

1998

2018

£926 billion 8% Tony Blair (Lab) 7.5% 1.6% 2.25 million 15.3%

£2.6 trillion 4.1% Theresa May (Cons) 0.75% 2.7% 2.54 million (predicted) 31.9% (YtD)

ELECTRIC & MORE

A FUSION OF ELECTRIC & PETROL TECHNOLOGY GIVING THE REMARKABLE EFFICIENCY OF AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE & ALL THE BENEFITS OF A 4WD SUV. ELECTRIC & MORE. FROM

£34,255 - £39,100

INCLUDING £2,500 GOVERNMENT PLUG-IN CAR GRANT3

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is an electric vehicle & so much more. Delivering a remarkable 159mpg5, an electric range of up to 33 miles and a combined electric and petrol range of up to 532 miles6, the Outlander PHEV comes with a unique set of benefits that you wouldn’t expect. Featuring a petrol engine and twin electric motors, it also qualifies for a Government Plug-in Car Grant of £2,5002. And with ultra-low CO2 emissions of just 40g/km (NEDC) or 46g/km (WLTP) there are substantial reductions in Benefit in Kind taxation7, it’s the UK’s best selling plug-in hybrid and so much more. Test the best | Visit mitsubishi-cars.co.uk to find your nearest dealer

Compare the corporation tax savings of a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV against a typical company car.

PROFIT BEFORE TAX (PBT) TAX RATE LIST PRICE OF VEHICLE CAPITAL ALLOWANCE

TYPICAL VEHICLE

OUTLANDER PHEV

£100,000

19%

£37,000

£36,945

100%

CAPITAL ALLOWANCE (£)

£2,960

£36,945

TAXABLE PROFIT (ON £100,000 PBT)

£97,040

£63,055

CORPORATION TAX (NO VEHICLE PURCHASE)

£19,000

CORPORATION TAX (WITH VEHICLE PURCHASE)

£18,438

£11,980

£562

£7,020

SAVING DUE TO CAPITAL ALLOWANCE

BUYING AN OUTLANDER PHEV WILL SAVE YOU A TOTAL OF £6,457 IN CORPORATION TAX (year 1)

Compare the tax savings of running a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV as your company car against these market leaders. OUTLANDER PHEV 4h

HONDA CR-V EX AUTO

BMW X3 XDRIVE 30D SE AUTO

AUDI Q5 S-LINE PLUS AUTO

MERCEDES E220D AMG LINE AUTO SALOON

COST OF THE CAR P11D VALUE5

£39,445

£34,695

£45,170

£41,555

£39,775

GOVERNMENT GRANT REDUCTION

£2,500

£0

£36,9452

£34,695

£45,170

£41,555

£39,775

CO2 EMISSIONS G/KM

179

154

133

127

BENEFIT IN KIND RATE

13%

36%

34%

31%

30%

VEHICLE BENEFIT CHARGE WITHOUT FUEL PROVIDED

£2,051

£4,996

£6,143

£5,153

£4,773

THE EXTRA TAX YOU PAY VS PHEV (40% TAXPAYER)

–

£2,945

£4,092

£3,102

£2,722

VEHICLE BENEFIT CHARGE WITH FUEL PROVIDED

£3,268

£8,366

£9,326

£8,054

£7,581

THE EXTRA TAX YOU PAY VS PHEV (40% TAXPAYER)

–

£5,098

£6,058

£4,786

£4,313

ADJUSTED FINAL PRICE

Outlander PHEV range fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Full Battery Charge: no fuel used, depleted Battery Charge: 50.4mpg (5.6), Weighted Average: 159.5mpg (1.8), CO2 emissions: 40.3 g/km. 1. Terms and conditions apply. For more information, please visit www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/24hour. 2. On The Road prices shown include the Government Plug-in Car Grant and VAT (at 20%) and First Registration Fee. Model shown is a 19MY Outlander PHEV 4h with pearlescent paint at £37,550 including the Government Plug-in Car Grant. On The Road prices for an Outlander PHEV range from £34,255 to £39,100 and include VED, First Registration Fee and the Government Plug-in Car Grant. Metallic/pearlescent paint extra. Prices correct at time of going to print. 3. For more information about the Government Plug-in Car Grant please visit www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants. The Government Plug-in Car Grant is subject to change at any time, without prior notice. Fuel figures shown are official EU test figures, to be used as a guide for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. 4. Outlander PHEV qualifies as low CO2 emissions vehicle for the purpose of Capital Allowances. 8% write down allowance used for comparison. 5. Cost of the car shown in this row include the Government Plug-in Car Grant (where applicable) and VAT (at 20%) but do not include First Registration Fee. Metallic/pearlescent paint extra. 5. This figure is NEDC equivalent and based on the official EU test (WLTP). To be used as a guide for comparative purposes only with other WLTP tested vehicles. Based on the vehicle being charged from mains electricity. This may not reflect real driving results. 6. Up to 33 mile EV range achieved with full battery charge. 532 miles achieved with combined full battery and petrol tank. Actual range will vary depending on driving style and road conditions. 7. 13% BIK compared to the average rate of 30% for the other vehicles shown. 13% BIK rate for the 2018/19 tax year.

INNOVATION

APPS, GADGETS AND ESSENTIALS FOR PEOPLE ON THE MOVE...

ADCASE Designed by a German university student, the ‘Active Damping’ case is an airbag for smartphones. It’s a 5mm thick case, with a built-in second battery, that can detect when the phone is in freefall and deploy four metal springs to cushion the impact and protect the screen. These can then be retracted back into the case ready for the next mishap. PRICE: £TBC FROM AD-CASE.DE

1PASSWORD

AA CAR GENIE

Protected by fingerprint, this hasslesaving app can store a multitude of passwords, usernames and account numbers, auto-filling them into forms and sharing them across your devices. It’ll even create ultra-strong passwords for online accounts, show when you’ve got duplicates, and warn when sites have been hacked or had data leaks that affect your accounts.

Following a trial with 10,000 private motorists, the AA’s predictive maintenance tool is now available for fleets. Car Genie receives information from the car’s diagnostic port, providing operators and the breakdown service real-time alerts if anything isn’t as it should be. The AA says it can prevent up to a third of breakdowns, and monitor driver behaviour, saving time and money for operators. PRICE: £TBC (IOS, ANDROID)

PRICE: FROM £3.49/MONTH (IOS, ANDROID, WINDOWS, MAC)

TECH SPOTLIGHT VOLKSWAGEN WE WHAT IS ‘VOLKSWAGEN WE’? It’s a Volkswagen Group-wide ‘digital ecosystem’, comprising a range of services aimed at private and business drivers, and fleet operators, using connected vehicles. HOW DOES IT WORK? The foundation is the One Digital Platform (ODP), which is a framework through which data will be exchanged. This enables endusers to access services via mobile devices and computers, or to also send and receive data from dealers, the Group, and the vehicles’ on-board systems. In turn, this requires connected vehicles. The Group offers a retrofit solution, called Volkswagen Connect, which it says can enable 1.5 million existing cars and vans to send and receive data, but it’s new models which will really lead the charge. In 2020, the first I.D. electric vehicles will launch on a dedicated platform, and these will centralise functions which are currently handled by up to 70 control units, onto a handful. Behind this is a new vehicle operating system, called vw.OS. The final component is setting up individual identities for vehicles, for customers, and for dealers. New dealer contracts mean Volkswagen can now contact end-users for the first time.

032 • fleetworld.co.uk

WHY SHOULD FLEETS TAKE NOTE? This isn’t just a retail proposition. The vw.OS operating system enables overthe-air updates and upgrades, helping to cut downtime and workshop visits. Volkswagen We will also underpin a fleet management solution, e-commerce services (such as paying for parking or charging), and car sharing. It means end-users can transfer preferences between vehicles, and the aim is for nonowners to be able to access shared cars and vans via an app or browser too.

WHEN WILL THIS COME TO MARKET? Some of it is already here. Volkswagen We already features apps which allow drivers to pay for parking, have parcels delivered to their car, and get personalised local points of interest. Car sharing launches in Berlin next year, with other locations in Europe and North America following in 2020. With the Group aiming to retrofit old models and sell five million vw.OS equipped cars every year, ‘We’ looks set to be on the cusp of something big.

SPOTLIGHT BMW 3 Series

THRICE AS GOOD? Neil Briscoe gets an early drive of the all-new, high-technology 3 Series in prototype form, to find out what’s in store for the next generation of the fleet stalwart.

THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE? The new 3 Series uses the same platform as the X3 and 5 Series, essentially comprising common hard-points and the electrical architecture. It will be around 55kg lighter, model-for-model, than the outgoing car, but slightly bigger outside and in. Under the tape, the styling also appears to have changed quite a bit — including much slimmer headlights and a more sculpted rear end. So far, we’ve only had the chance to drive a 330i, both on public roads and on the Nürburgring race track, but initial impressions are little short of excellent. The new electrically-boosted steering has exceptional feel and feedback, more akin to an old hydraulic power steering rack, and the chassis has a safe, but still playful, balance that allows you to exploit it even on a streaming wet day. One caveat — the ride quality on 19-inch wheels with the optional sports suspension felt too jittery over very poor surfaces.

034 • fleetworld.co.uk

ALTERNATIVE THINKING Four- and six-cylinder diesel and petrol engines will be carried over, but the 316i and 316d will downsize to three-cylinder units, both with sub-100gkm CO2 emissions. At the other end of the range, the 500bhp M3 will get water-injection technology to help produce more power, and possibly a mild-hybrid motor which uses the electric motor for overtaking power. BMW will offer xDrive fourwheel drive as an option. The bigger news is alternative drivetrains. A fully-electric version is in the pipeline, but at least two years away, so for now the lowest-CO2 versions will be a pair of plug-in hybrids. One will be a revised version of the 330e, based on a 2.0-litre engine but offering a 50-mile electric range, alongside a three-cylinder version which will probably be badged 325e. PHEVs had been a quarter of fleet-bought saloon volume in the outgoing car.

NEW TECHNOLOGY The new 3 Series will get a full debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, with UK sales set to start in early 2019. So BMW isn’t talking trim and equipment specifics yet, nor performance figures, but we do know that it’s going to be choosy about how it lets buyers spec their new 3 Series. For instance, if you want to have the optional sporty suspension, then you will have to have the sportier steering rack too — no mixing and matching. Expect the existing SE, Sport, Luxury, and M Sport trims to continue, with extra safety kit across the range. The cabin, meanwhile, draws heavily on the 7 Series, and gets both the latest version of iDrive (which mixes a rotary controller with a touchscreen) and BMW’s new all-digital instrument panel, which features instruments that sweep around the outside edges of the binnacle.

IN SUMMARY This is a critical car for BMW, as it hopes to prove that a four-door saloon can still excite buyers in a world of SUVs. The model is a strong seller in the UK, with almost 40,000 sales a year, but it’s been beaten recently by the likes of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, so needs to hit back hard, as well as deal with a growing band of rivals from Lexus, to Jaguar, to Alfa Romeo. UK sales are set to start early in 2019, following its October debut. NB fleetworld.co.uk • 035

DRIVEN

Mercedes-Benz CLS The CLS is cutting-edge design that plays to some traditional brand strengths, says Alex Grant. WITH its compact products in order and variants to suit all lifestyles, Mercedes-Benz is continuing to make ‘premium’ accessible and versatile. It’s sold 1.35 million cars worldwide in a record first seven months of 2018, and even a challenging UK market hasn’t stopped the three-pointed star ranking among the best-selling brands. The CLS is part of that ongoing evolution. It’s not a volume driver like the A-Class, but merging coupé and executive saloon plays to traditional brand strengths, and it defined a segment back in 2003. Although that gave it a head start, there are some diverse rivals to fend off, and generation three has had to up its game.

036 • fleetworld.co.uk

It has good foundations. Beneath noticeably cleaner and less fussy styling than its predecessor, a bit like the latest A-Class, the CLS is based on a platform familiar from the E-Class. It’s a five-seater for the first time, offered in the UK with a single, highspec, AMG Line trim. As before, specfor-spec it’s roughly on par with the Audi A7, undercuts the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe, and faces a leftfield rival from the still impressive Tesla Model S. However, this isn’t just a curvier EClass. From launch, at least, the nonAMG range comprises three six-cylinder engines, all equipped with four-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic gearbox. These include a ‘mild hybrid’ 282bhp petrol, which comes in at 184g/km, and two diesels; the 282bhp 350 d and 335bhp 400 d, as tested here, both at 156g/km.

Baseline CO2 figures are lower outside the UK, as there’s an additional, smaller, 18-inch wheel option. So, no hybrids. But big diesels still make sense in a car like this, built as it is for covering the length and breadth of the Continent in effortless comfort. It makes easy progress at motorway speeds, with almost no wind, road or engine noise and an 80-litre fuel tank to help eat up the miles. Motorway fuel economy of around 50mpg is impressive, and independent testing by Emissions Analytics has shown it’s one of the cleanest diesels on the market, easily coming under the limits set by the RDE2 standard during onroad use. Sadly, that’s not recognised by company car tax yet. Inside, it feels like a high-spec E-Class. Standard UK specification includes the 12.3-inch digital

Growing mainstream appeal hasn’t blunted the three-pointed star’s talent for premium

instrument cluster as well as the matching navigation screen, and the dashboard is trimmed in artificial leather and finished with plush aluminium and ash inserts. Threequarter visibility is predictably tricky and the boot opening is narrow, but two of the three rear-seat passengers have plenty of head and leg room, and the bench folds flat too. In polluted areas and tunnels it’ll even switch the climate control to recirculate the air rather than drawing it in from outside. But it is a little behind the new A-Class, which is spearheading a new generation of infotainment that hasn’t come to the CLS yet. It means brilliant new technology such as the

augmented reality navigation display, which overlays directions over a live forward image, aren’t available, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are optional. As in the E-Class, the steering wheel trackpad buttons are too sensitive while manoeuvring, and don’t allow track skipping without going into the Media menu on the home screen. Details, perhaps, but persistently irritating ones. In fleet, at least, it’s a car that perhaps needs a plug-in or four-cylinder diesel option, and possibly the old car’s Shooting Brake variant to really drive volume. But for those who can, the CLS shows growing mainstream appeal hasn’t blunted the three-pointed star’s talent for premium.

SECTOR Executive PRICE £57,640-£74,050 FUEL 32.5-48.7mpg CO2 156-203g/km

THE LOWDOWN KEY FLEET MODEL MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 350 D 4MATIC AMG LINE STRENGTHS HIGH-SPEED LUXURY WITH 50MPG FUEL ECONOMY. WEAKNESSES LIMITED ENGINE LINE-UP, A-CLASS INFOTAINMENT IS A GENERATION AHEAD.

THE VERDICT As big a generational step forwards as the E-Class, the CLS’s only weak points are its limited engine range and the comparatively old technology compared to the new A-Class.

RATING

fleetworld.co.uk • 037

DRIVEN

MG3 MG has injected some much-needed modernity into its entry-level model, says Alex Grant. Considering its heritage and the might of its Chinese owner, SAIC, MG has kept quite a low profile in Europe over the last decade. But change is coming; three SUVs with plug-in versions by 2020, re-introduction into other European markets next year, and plans for a five-fold increase in UK volumes, to 25,000 units, between 2017 and 2022. So fleet is back on the radar and the MG3 supermini – updated with the new family grille introduced with the ZS SUV last year – is expected to find a wider customer base as new products and dealers make the brand more visible. Assertive styling and a bold colour palette with optional graphics should help, but it’s the cabin that’s improved the most, swapping monochrome LCDs for patterned

dashboard inserts and a cleaner layout around a central touchscreen. The mid-spec trim strikes the best balance in terms of value and equipment, featuring built-in navigation with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, air conditioning and the larger wheels that the spartan entry-level model misses out on. Top-spec Exclusive versions add luxuries rather than essentials, but it’s good value in either guise. All UK cars feature a 1.5-litre petrol engine, like its predecessor, producing

SECTOR Supermini PRICE £9,495-£12,795 FUEL 53.8mpg CO2 140g/km

105bhp if you’re prepared to wring it out to 6,000rpm. Performance is adequate, if not as quick as it sounds on paper. The livelier 1.0-litre turbo from the ZS would perhaps feel better aligned to MG’s sporty brand heritage, not to mention the 3’s firmly-sprung suspension setup. Overall, it’s mainly ironing out some of the old car’s most obvious niggles, particularly inside. But it means those new SUV customers – fleets included – might discover there’s another good fit in the range.

RATING

Audi Q8 Alex Grant weighs up the pros and cons of Audi’s imposing coupé-SUV. With a range spanning 51 models, it can be tricky to keep track of which niches Audi’s newcomers are targeting. Particularly when it deviates from its numbering strategy. The Q8 isn’t a sister product to the A8, it’s more an A7 Sportback SUV, or a rival to the BMW X6 and Maserati Levante. So it’s smaller than the Q7, swapping seven seats for a sloped roof, blistered

arches, frameless windows and wheels from 21 inches. Visually it’s perhaps less polarising than the competition, and debuts an all-options-ticked Vorsprung trim, though Audi expects most to pick the entry-level S line. Coupé-SUVs can be the worst of both worlds, mixing SUV bulk, with coupé impracticality. That’s true to an extent here, particularly in terms of load space, but the Q8 scores well for passengers. The cabin, with its haptic feedback touchscreen controls, is beautifully

SECTOR Large SUV PRICE £65,040-£83,790 FUEL 41.5mpg CO2 178g/km

038 • fleetworld.co.uk

finished, and offers an impressive amount of headroom and glazing in the back to stop it feeling cramped. We tested the 286hp 3.0-litre TDI, which feels muscular enough to match the styling despite the often-lazy auto box. Adaptive air suspension and fourwheel drive hide some of its 2.1-tonne mass, particularly when paired with the rear-wheel steering of Vorsprung versions, and ‘mild hybrid’ technology cuts some of the associated thirst for fuel. But there’s no escaping its sheer size on narrow British roads, and even Comfort mode can’t hide the poor ride quality from the Vorsprung’s 22-inch wheel upgrade. Love it or loathe it, the Q8 fills a worthwhile niche globally. But UK drivers – especially business customers – craving a high-performance Audi SUV are probably better biding their time for the slightly smaller, but fully-electric, E-tron due at the end of the year.

RATING

Confidence is 32 mpg from a 32 mpg van. When you need to improve the fuel efficiency of your fleet, you need Verizon Connect. Our platform lets you see critical vehicle data and make adjustments in real time to reduce costly idling times, improve driver behavior and save fuel. Discover how you can see clearly, act intelligently and go with confidence at verizonconnect.com/uk.

DRIVEN

Alpina D5 S Alpina’s fine-tuned 5 Series is an uncompromisingly capable executive car, explains Alex Grant. A technological showcase, few would argue that ‘compromise’ was high on the agenda while developing the latest 5 Series. So you’d be excused for scepticism that one of the most wellrounded cars money can buy could be improved upon without a downside. At least until you try this one. Alpina isn’t a household name in fleet, but it’s also not a newcomer. Based near Munich, it’s worked closely with BMW for over 50 years, developing no-holds-barred, handfinished versions of its model range. A relationship that includes access to technical data and facilities prelaunch, and BMW-approved products with a full factory warranty. Volumes are small – around 100 per year in the UK – but fleets are very much on the radar. So, while this isn’t an M5 rival, it’s very much a performance car. The D5 S uses an upgraded version of BMW’s straightsix diesel, with sequential turbochargers, uprated intercoolers and a redesigned inlet and exhaust for optimised airflow. Four-wheel drive, and a modified eightspeed automatic gearbox are tasked with putting down the resulting 322bhp and 516lb.ft with minimal drama.

Alpina builds products to work hard, for long periods, delivering occupants to far-flung meetings in absolute comfort. So the engineering behind it is fascinating. Its adaptive suspension features shorter, stiffer springs, and bespoke wishbones for more precise steering responses, paired with the retuned rack, while the wind tunnel tested bodykit is designed to press the wheels into the tarmac at speed, while chanelling cooling air through the front bumper. The wheels are forged to save weight, their spokes filled with oversized brakes, and it has its own control unit just to manage engine cooling. While the result of all of this is a 4.9-second sprint to 62mph, with road-holding most drivers will never fully exploit, the D5 S is a laid-back travel companion rather than a skittish hot rod. Ride quality – particularly in the Alpina-specific Comfort+ drive mode – is as good as any luxury saloon, and the abundance of grip and performance add up to a reassuringly confident drive, safe in the knowledge that there’s always more in reserve. It’s no more challenging to drive than a 7 Series, but with the sharpness of response and agility of a 3 Series, helped by the rear-wheel steering that makes it feel smaller than it really is. It’ll even return

SECTOR Executive PRICE £62,000 FUEL 46.3mpg CO2 161g/km

040 • fleetworld.co.uk

almost 50mpg, if you keep an eye on the creeping speed increases. Of course, there’s a cost. Pricing is on par with a 6 Series Gran Coupe, even before dipping into Alpina’s extensive personalisation options, though it’s well-appointed with its standard-fit Nappa leather, latestgeneration infotainment and D5 S specific digital instruments. It’s also no more aggressive than BMW’s most popular M Sport trim, never shouting about what’s going on underneath. Uncompromised, then? Not quite. Right-hand drive cars don’t get the triple turbo, 382bhp diesel or the Touring offered in other markets. But it’s a limited downside for a car that otherwise offers a spread of talents to suit almost any journey.

THE LOWDOWN STRENGTHS ECONOMY, PERFORMANCE AND SUBLIME LUXURY. WEAKNESSES PRICEY, FOR A 5 SERIES.

THE VERDICT The connoisseur’s 5 Series is talented in every area, compromised only by the ubiquity of the standard car.

RATING

IMPROVE PERFORMANCE

LEXUS RX F SPORT SELF-CHARGING HYBRID P11D Â£53,940 BIK

27%

CO2

134g/km

UP TO

47.9 mpg

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DRIVEN

Hyundai Nexo The Nexo SUV brings hydrogen fuel cells a step closer to mass market appeal, explains Alex Grant. Hyundai might be setting the pace for electric vehicles with the Kona Electric, but it sees battery power as a component, rather than the solution, of a move away from fossil fuels. Its end goal is hydrogen fuel cells; long range, refuelled in a few minutes, with only water vapour from the exhaust. The Nexo marks a step towards making it mainstream. This isn’t a new ambition. Hyundai has mass-produced the ix35 Fuel Cell since 2014, claiming a 70% share of Europe’s FCEV market. Numbers were modest, but it’s offered real-world usage data and created demand for

the fuel stations future generations will need. Most customers were fleets, too. Unlike the ix35, the Nexo is a blanksheet model. It’s on a slightly bigger, bespoke platform, using a smaller and lighter fuel cell stack and more efficient packaging. So it’s now Audi Q5-sized, seats five (unlike the Toyota Mirai) and there’s a right-hand drive version on the way too. For the most part, it just feels like an electric SUV; acceleration is brisk, silent and uninterrupted by gearchanges, there’s barely any wind noise over the aerodynamic bodywork,

SECTOR Large SUV PRICE TBA RANGE 414 miles (WLTP) CO2 0g/km

and it feels easy-going and luxurious over long distances. Which, with a range of over 400 miles, it’s possible to task it with, provided, of course, there’s a hydrogen station en route. It's surprisingly ordinary considering what’s happening underneath. Essentially a reversal of electrolysis, it takes in oxygen from the air, combines it with hydrogen on board, and makes water and electricity. Not only is it replacing a combustion engine, it’s cleaning the polluted air from others. It's not mass-market technology yet, but it’s another step in the right direction.

RATING

Skoda Fabia In a growing Skoda line-up, does the familiar Fabia still impress? Alex Grant finds out. With its fleet-staple Octavia now joined by the Karoq and Kodiaq SUVs, and the Superb becoming its sector’s benchmark, Skoda’s business sales are booming. And record ‘true fleet’ registrations show it’s resonating with end-users, with even established names such as the Fabia continuing to grow. For now, anyway. Skoda has a compact SUV en route which could nibble away at the Fabia’s traditional customers, particularly as it gets the technological advantages of the new Group platform. The Fabia doesn’t, though there’s a standard-fit AEB system and trip computer available behind this year’s subtle styling update. Most other new technology is optional. The range is simple, comprising three mainline trims plus the Colour

Edition and sporty Monte Carlo above them. Mid-spec SE is the best-seller, which is where must-haves such as air conditioning, reversing sensors and a touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay become standard kit. It also gets the full engine line-up; 1.0-litre petrols, producing 75bhp, 95bhp and 109bhp. Again, most opt for mid-spec, and it’s lively enough that the most powerful engine is unnecessary, though it does add a motorway-friendly sixth gear, or the option of a seven-speed DSG.

SECTOR Supermini PRICE £12,840-£18,750 FUEL 57.7-61.4mpg CO2 105-111g/km

042 • fleetworld.co.uk

Skoda’s USP is storage. The Fabia is packed full of cubby holes, hooks, nets and dividers, with an umbrella under the driver’s seat and a parcel shelf that fixes at two levels. Unusually, given customer migration to small SUVs, the Fabia is also offered as an estate – a good one, too, with almost a metre square load space behind the rear bench and a higher fleet sales mix than the hatch. New launches might be helping Skoda to grow, but the familiar names still impress.

RATING

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DRIVEN

Kia Sportage There are some notable new diesel options behind Kia’s refreshed bestseller, explains Alex Grant. The fourth-generation Sportage must have seemed like the proverbial ‘difficult second album’ for Kia. A bold new look for a nameplate which almost singlehandedly transformed the brand’s image from one of cheap runarounds and caravan-pullers to a manufacturer of stylish, desirable SUVs. Thankfully, it’s shaped up to be a 'Nevermind', vastly outperforming its predecessor. In the UK, it’s become this segment's second biggest-selling product, and 40% of Kia’s volume last year, with no signs of demand slowing. Customers for the Stonic and Niro SUVs have come from other brands, not the Sportage, and the broader new Ceed family is out to do the same. Mid-life updates amount to a double-disc special edition, in that the packaging is pretty much unchanged; some new wheels, minor alterations to the grille and a chrome strip across the bumper that look a bit like a braced grin. The UK range comprises six trim levels, including a petrol-only special edition to mark 25 years of the Sportage, and two GT-Line versions. Spec is generous wherever customers place themselves in that line-up. All include reversing cameras

and rear parking sensors, cruise control, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity for mapping and messaging. Built-in TomTom navigation comes in at the fleetfavourite ‘2’ grade, while leather means opting up to grade ‘4’. GT-Line models, now a quarter of UK volume, feature sports styling and Porsche-like four-pod LED headlights. Petrol engines are carried over, albeit now with particulate filters, but, without the Ceed’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo, their baseline 162g/km CO2 emissions offer limited fleet appeal. However, the diesel line-up is all-new, and now featuring AdBlue injection to reduce NOx output. Notably, this replaces the old 1.7-litre and 2.0-litre units with a new 1.6-litre unit, producing 114bhp on the entry-level trim, and 134bhp for the rest of the range. The latter is the likely fleet bestseller, available with an optional twinclutch automatic and four-wheel drive. It means most business-bought Sportages, typically fitted with the lacklustre 1.7-litre pre-facelift, will get a desirable power uplift in the new car. WLTP-derived ‘NEDC Correlated’ economy figures hide any real-world improvements, but the most efficient Sportage (a 1.6 CRDi auto) comes in at 58.9mpg and 126g/km, priced at £25,495 in ‘2’ guise (£23,995 for the

SECTOR Medium SUV PRICE £20,305-£34,545 FUEL 36.7-58.9mpg CO2 126-178g/km

044 • fleetworld.co.uk

manual). Unfortunately, it wasn’t available to test. Instead, we tried Kia’s new 48-volt ‘mild hybrid’ system, which is debuting here. This uses a motor-generator to assist the engine while it’s under load, and charges a compact, 0.44kWh battery under the boot floor when it isn’t. The aim is to reduce the workload of the engine and enable it to switch off earlier while decelerating, powering on-board systems with the battery. It’s unintrusive and offers a claimed 4% economy boost, but the 1.6-litre diesel won’t get it until 2020. For now, it’s only offered on the 182bhp 2.0-litre diesel, and with a twinclutch transmission and four-wheel drive. It's not a radical change, but it puts Kia's chart-topper in good shape.

THE LOWDOWN KEY FLEET MODEL KIA SPORTAGE 1.6 CRDI 2 STRENGTHS SPACIOUS, WELL-EQUIPPED. WEAKNESSES CO2 COULD BE LOWER.

THE VERDICT Useful updates for a popular car, albeit not enough to be classleading. Not that this has ever been problematic before.

RATING

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DRIVEN

Ford Fiesta Active There’s more to the Active than SUV styling, finds Jonathan Musk. Designed for ‘muddy boots and soggy passengers’, according to Ford’s director of fleet operations, Owen Gregory, the Active is the first SUVstyled Fiesta model, adding extra ground clearance and rugged body styling to the UK’s best-selling car. Ford reckons 15% of the supermini’s 100,000 annual customers will opt for this version – not an inconsiderable amount. Behind the mud-friendly arch trims and standard roof bars, the Active gets a modified suspension setup with 18mm higher ride than the standard car, plus 17-inch alloys as standard. Ford’s other modification is a ‘slippery’ driving mode, which fiddles with stability and traction control for more grip on loose surfaces and while cornering. There are three trim levels, with sat nav coming in at mid spec.

Engine options include four versions of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol, from 84bhp to 138bhp, and the 1.5-litre diesel with 84bhp, with the 99bhp petrol expected to be the big seller. However, the 123bhp EcoBoost doesn’t have a CO2 penalty, and the 70.6mpg lowpower diesel remains a better option for high-milers. All CO2 figures are slightly higher than the regular Fiesta. The Active drives much like the rest of the Fiesta line-up, so it’s a capable thing. Its modified suspension removes some

SECTOR Supermini PRICE £12,840-£18,750 FUEL 57.7-61.4mpg CO2 105-111g/km

of the jitteriness of the standard car, but with a little more road noise from the large wheels. Cornering isn’t quite as assured, but it’s not built for track work, and the EcoBoost range is rewarding to drive, offering plenty of power at most speeds – the entry-level petrol is a touch underpowered on the motorway. Overall, the Active adds SUV styling to the already excellent Fiesta’s proven qualities. So there’s little to dislike, though pricing might prove a tall order for what amounts to largely cosmetic changes.

RATING

Hyundai Kona Diesel Can diesel be the pick of the bunch for Hyundai’s fun Kona? By Jonathan Musk. With more than 1.6m SUVs sold since 2001, Hyundai knows the importance of offering customers an appealing range of cars. And, with the new Kona joining the refreshed Santa Fe and Tucson, it has a coherent line-up for a booming part of the market. All that was missing was a few more powertrain options, particularly for the Kona which had only been available with 1.0-litre and 1.6-litre petrols. That gap is now filled, with a 1.6-litre turbodiesel available with two power options; 113bhp with a six-speed manual, and 134bhp with a seven-speed DCT auto. Both feature a diesel particulate filter, lean NOx trap and AdBlue injection though, unlike the rest of Europe, the UK will only get two-wheel drive variants. The diesel engine makes the Kona

immediately more comfortable to drive than the 1.0-litre petrol, with low-rev torque and flexibility that shines particularly when confronted with corners or hills. It’s not the punchiest in 113bhp guise, but it’s lively enough to join motorways without feeling over-stretched. Hyundai is uncertain whether most customers will opt up to the 134bhp unit – a £1,300 costlier car, but with only a 3g/km CO2 penalty. Our pick would be the low-power manual. Priced from £19,750, the diesel Kona is

SECTOR Compact SUV PRICE £19,750-£24,750 FUEL 67.3-64.2mpg CO2 111-114g/km

046 • fleetworld.co.uk

an alluring fleet choice. Even the diesel's top-of-the-range Premium SE, at £23,450 for the manual, seems reasonable considering its got-it-all equipment with leather, seat heating and ventilation. But, with 27% BiK across the range, that versatility and fuel economy doesn’t offer much of a margin over the 1.0-litre petrol once the price premium is factored in. It’s also worth keeping in mind that Hyundai is expecting a few months’ wait before production starts, due to high demand for diesel engines in other models.

RATING

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SWOT Jaguar E-Pace Our expert panel analyses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunties and threats facing Jaguar's new E-Pace compact SUV.

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

GA A real alternative. It drives well, offers plenty of refinement and is well timed to enjoy a piece of the pie.

GA Some will prefer to stick to the obvious, usually German, rivals. It’s not the cleanest or most economical in this class.

GA A strong sector with more than enough room for the E-Pace. It is really important that Jaguar keeps pushing it at the relevant audience.

GA Others look more attractive on paper, when it comes to emissions and economy. Lots of great product in this sector.

AC This isn’t just a smaller F-Pace; its design is different, with a sporty stance and appearance. The steering is direct and the ride isn’t too bad at all, remembering after all that this is a SUV, not a sports saloon, though the engine can feel a little laboured when pushing on.

AC Pricey, and BiK costs are expensive like the Evoque. However, the Evoque has proven this isn’t always a handicap when it comes to moving cars.

MJ There is no success without demand and that was already there, driven by the phenomenal sales of the F-Pace. Compact SUV also doesn’t mean cramped – it carries five in comfort, handles well and on most surfaces the ride is good. MW The E-Pace is Jaguar through and through, and there’s nothing wrong with that. High quality, and sensibly priced.

048 • fleetworld.co.uk

MJ R-Dynamic is a must, as the standard trim can look rather plain. The E-Pace is on the Discovery Sport platform so is a bit heavy – with a higher kerb weight actually than the equivalent F-Pace for some derivatives. MW For me, it’s called the wrong thing – you would think Jaguar would save ‘E-Pace’ for its electric car, but that’s called I-Pace. This will be confusing for some, but there’s little else wrong with it.

AC The car opens Jaguar to many more customers and should produce many conquest buyers due to the popularity of SUVs. It has the potential to become the brand’s biggest seller. MJ The E-Pace takes the fight both to the premium compact SUV competitors, and highspec products from mainstream brands. UK drivers’ obsession with SUVs show no sign of waning, so this is an important car to Jaguar. MW Handsome, high-spec, safe and should attract new customers to this sector – unfortunately at the expense of some very good saloons.

AC I still think that the brand has a lot of work to do to improve reliability confidence. MJ With 158g/km emissions, BiK taxation for the E-Pace is currently much higher than the X2 or XC40 models here, so could compromise corporate opportunities. And the premium competition is getting stronger with Volvo’s return to form. MW As many move away from company cars, as BiK gets more and more expensive, then this sort of motor could suffer as drivers look for a cheaper form of motoring. They are reasonably expensive, and the CO2 figures are relatively high. Put the two together, and you could have a recipe for disaster.

Martin Ward (MW) Manufacturer relationship manager, CAP

JAGUAR E-PACE

Gavin Amos (GA) Global valuation director Global Analytic Services

Strengths GA Drives well, refined, and a well-timed launch. AC Good to drive, quiet motorway car. MJ Builds on demand for the larger F-Pace. MW Looks and drives like a true Jaguar.

GA German rivals are more obvious choices. AC Expensive BiK, high pricing. It’s heavy. MJ Standard trims can look plain. Some versions are heavier than the equivalent F-Pace. MW Badging implies it’s electric.

Strengths

BMW X2 xDrive20d M Sport

GA Dynamically great, cleanest and most efficient here. AC Good for BIK, along with Volvo. MJ Excellent to drive, light weight and low CO2. MW Wow factor. Competitive CO2.

Optional equipment: • Metallic Paint £615 • Panoramic roof £970 • Powered gesture tailgate £610

Standard equipment: • DAB/BT/USB/Nav (8.8-inch) • Cruise control with speed limiter • Parking sensors (rear) • Dual-zone climate control • 19in Alloy wheels • LED headlights • Powered tailgate Optional equipment: • Heated leather upholstery £800 • Metallic paint £550 • Panoramic roof £945

GA Not much. AC Firm ride, low seating and smallish boot won’t suit some SUV buyers. MJ If you need more space, you can have an X1. MW Lots of competition.

Strengths

Range Rover Evoque TD4 AWD (Auto) SE Tech

GA Evoque remains a success. AC Unrivalled brand strength. Still looks classy. MJ Desirable, with high RVs. Off-road capability. MW As fashionable as it was at launch.

GA Getting towards the end of its lifecycle. AC Showing its age. Many on the road. MJ Powertrain and weight mean higher emissions. MW Getting on a bit.

OTR: £38,805 Standard equipment: P11D: £37,420 • DAB/BT/USB/Nav (8.0-inch) Fuel: 44.8mpg • Cruise control CO2: 164g/km • Parking sensors (f/r) RV*: £17,175 (46%) • Leather upholstery BiK: 37% • Climate control SMR: £2,749 • 18-inch Alloy wheels Fuel costs: £7,877 • Xenon headlights Insurance: £4,989 Finance: £5,052 Optional equipment: NI: £5,732 • Metallic paint £640 VED: £1,110 • Panoramic roof £1,005 Cost per month: £1,328 • Powered gesture tailgate £425

Strengths

Volvo XC40 D4 AWD R-Design Pro

Weaknesses

VOLVO XC40

Standard equipment: • DAB/BT/2x USB/Nav (10-inch) • Cruise control with speed limiter • F/R sensors, reversing cam • Leather upholstery • Dual-zone climate control • Alloy wheels 18in • LED headlights, auto high beam

OTR: £37,580 P11D: £37,320 Fuel: 58.9mpg CO2: 126g/km RV*: £15,350 (41%) BiK: 37% SMR: £2,749 Fuel costs: £6,098 Insurance: £4,749 Finance: £5,038 NI: £4,996 VED: £485 Cost per month: £1,293

Weaknesses

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

Andy Cutler (AC) UK car editor, Forecast Values Glass’s

Jaguar E-Pace D180 AWD R-Dynamic S OTR: £37,870 P11D: £36,985 Fuel: 47.1mpg CO2: 158g/km RV*: £17,450 (47%) BiK: 36% SMR: £2,675 Fuel costs: £7,626 Insurance: £4,506 Finance: £4,993 NI: £5,614 VED: £1,110 Cost per month: £1,281

Weaknesses

BMW X2

Mark Jowsey (MJ) Director, KeeResources KWIKcarcost

GA XC40 delivers; drives well, is clean and efficient. AC Lots of spec, great value for money. MJ R-Design Pro is very well equipped. Good emissions, ride. MW A deserving multi-award winner.

Weaknesses GA Volvo still might get overlooked. AC Larger wheels make a noisier drive. Smallish boot. MJ Looks are divisive. MW Could be seen as a poor relation to XC60 and XC90.

OTR: £36,870 Standard equipment: P11D: £36,300 • DAB/BT/USB/Nav (9.0-inch) Fuel: 56.6mpg • Cruise control CO2: 133g/km • Parking sensors (rear) RV*: £15,600 (43%) • Heated/half leather seats BiK: 31% • Dual-zone climate control SMR: £3,018 • 20-inch Alloy wheels Fuel costs: £6,357 • LED headlights Insurance: £4,506 Finance: £4,901 Optional equipment: NI: £5,009 • Metallic paint £575 VED: £795 • Apple CarPlay/Android Auto Cost per month: £1,259 £300

fleetworld.co.uk • 049

FLEET FINANCE

GO WITH THE GRAIN

TODAY’S FLEET MANAGER FACES A PERFECT STORM OF CHALLENGES, BUT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THIS S TRICKY PERIOD, EXPLAINS PROFESSOR COLIN TOURICK.

his edition marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Fleet World. Twenty years of endeavour, growth and achievement, of which the publishers should be rightly proud. It would be tempting now to reminisce on the developments the fleet sector has seen over the last 20 years. There would be a lot to discuss, because the sector has seen many changes and is much more complex than it used to be, requiring way more knowledge and skill from fleet managers and their suppliers than ever before. However I’m going to resist that temptation, partially because I can’t see why the nostalgic

050 • fleetworld.co.uk

musings of an ageing fleet industry bloke should be of much interest to you – they barely are to me – but mainly because there is so much to talk about at the moment that I would rather spend the space delivering some (hopefully) useful advice. It is probably true that for most fleet managers, the recent past has been more complicated than ever before. Let’s take a few examples. • Company car tax (and therefore national insurance) bills have risen by 56% since 2013. • The move from NEDC to WLTP has been painful, and CO2MPAS (the tool which converts the latter to ‘NEDC Correlated’ data) has been generating

high CO2 figures. According to BVRLA calculations, the move from NEDC to WLTP will increase tax by 16%-25% on three popular fleet vehicles. This is shocking and unfair. These cars will not be emitting any more CO2 in future. They’re the same cars; it’s just that their emissions are now being measured differently. • Diesel, which for many years has been the favoured fuel for fleets wanting to reduce CO2 and cost, has fallen out of fashion. Government was very slow to get a grip on air quality. Older vehicles are the most heavily polluting and the problem is mainly confined to urban areas. Clean air charging schemes are the solution, but

• Many fleets have struggled to get to grips with last year’s complex optional remuneration changes. • And of course we still don’t know what the Benefit in Kind tax, vehicle excise duty and national insurance rates will be after from April 2021 – or indeed if the Government will even continue using the same calculation system. Sadly, all of these problems arise from government action – or inaction. The big hope is that the chancellor’s November budget will clear up some of these problems, providing certainty about tax, removing any distortions arising from correlated NEDC and cleaning up the current mess surrounding ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) so we won’t see big tax rises next year followed by big tax reductions in April 2020.

The pitfalls of cash allowances

The move from NEDC to WLTP has been painful.

unfortunately the public seem to have picked up the message that ‘diesel is bad’ rather than ‘older diesels are bad in urban areas’. (My brother complained recently that he'll have to pay £12.50 to drive to us in central London after 25 October 2021. He didn’t realise that his car – a nice, modern, clean, Euro 6 diesel – is exempt from the new charge). Fleet managers wanting to minimise costs and CO2 have found it hard going persuading drivers (and boards) that newer diesels are clean. • Until very recently we haven’t had an advisory fuel rate for plug-in vehicles and we still don’t have one for plug-in hybrids.

We know that tax increases encourage drivers to opt out of company cars and take cash allowances. 7% fewer employees now pay BiK compared with a decade ago. Cash allowances cause problems for fleet managers as it is difficult to control grey fleet cars. Personal leasing has grown sharply, buoyed by employees taking cash allowances rather than company cars. By encouraging this trend, government will lose out twice: firstly because personal lease cars emit 12% more CO2 than company cars and secondly because government revenues will fall. Allowing drivers to opt out completely and do their own thing is even worse, as grey fleet cars emit 22% more CO2 than company cars, according to BVRLA data. We don’t know what the chancellor will say in November. If, as seems likely, he decides to ramp up taxes even more highly on cars emitting more than say 100g/km of CO2 from April 2021, what would you do? Hopefully your answer isn’t ‘dump company cars and move to cash allowances’. For reasons stated above, and more, that’s not likely to be a good long-term solution. If you really are breaking under the strain of it all, you might have a chat with your leasing company about

putting in place a managed PCH scheme that allows you to keep some element of control, particularly over health and safety issues. But if you explore this option, please carry out an employee-by-employee car-by-car analysis first to avoid unintended consequences. But there is in fact a much better option, which does not involve radical change and which you can put in place today.

THE ROAD AHEAD WE know the direction the government is heading in. The Road To Zero report explains their vision (see https://tinyurl.com/ y9qepnxz). They want to encourage business car drivers to choose clean cars, particularly zeroemission cars, and they want most new cars to be ULEVs (currently defined as having a maximum threshold of 75g/km though it seems they will reduce this to 50g/km from 2021). So why fight this? Go with the grain. Work with your leasing company today to put together a fleet list that includes ULEVs wherever possible and incentivises employees to choose them. If your company car fleet is at the UK average of 114g/km, explore the idea of moving your cap down to 95g/km or even 75g/km. Include PHEVs and electric vehicles where these are viable. What vehicles would be available? How much would they cost the business to run? Would they be practical? Can you make them an attractive option for your drivers? Now, more than ever, fleet managers should be embracing ULEVs, so that when Fleet World celebrates its 30th anniversary it can report on how the sector rose to and conquered the challenges of the era and contributed even more to making the world a better place.

fleetworld.co.uk • 051

FACE TO FACE

Group Therapy One year into PSA Group ownership, the quick pace of change at Vauxhall is setting new foundations for growth, fleet sales director, James Taylor, tells Alex Grant.

hat a difference a year makes. August marked the first anniversary of Vauxhall, and sister brand Opel, joining the PSA Group. Changes have been rapid, and are ongoing; a group-wide re-shuffling of resources, new products on shared platforms, and re-contracting of the two brands’ dealer networks among them, all seeking to lay the foundations for a profitable future. Early signs are positive. Having come close to profit in the first half of 2016, only to be hurt by shifting post-referendum exchange rates, Vauxhall/Opel was €502m (£453m) back in the black in the first half of 2018 – for the first time in almost two decades. PSA has its sights on 20 new markets, including China and North America, by 2022, with a new model due every year until 2024, and a goal of cutting R&D costs by €700 per vehicle by that point as a result of group-wide synergies. But, for Vauxhall’s fleet sales director, James Taylor, it’s business as usual. “From a customer basis, the Vauxhall fleet operation is separate to the [Peugeot, Citroën and DS] fleet operation,” he says. “We can work together if it’s the best solution for the customer, but for the vast majority of situations it’s business as normal and the organisations are very separate.” Instead, the changes are behind the scenes. Vauxhall has a new managing director, and recently undertook a consultation to relocate its headquarters from Griffin House, built as its design centre in 1964, to other sites in and around Luton. For fleets, the field-based sales team means there should be no sign of the move. Some strategic moves are visible. Last year’s SMMT data reflected a steep drop in passenger car registrations, down 55,818 units (22.2%) on 2016, to 195,137 units. Fleet, at 54% of that volume, recorded a near-identical reduction (-31,353 units, 22.9%), though almost entirely due to restricted short-cycle volumes. Van registrations declined by around a quarter. “There’s been a sea change in our

052 • fleetworld.co.uk

approach to the marketplace,” Taylor explains. “This year rental will be the lowest volume we’ve done in our memories here, stretching back 20 years. The big focus is on driving profitability, and improving residuals. Last year we reduced [Corsa] rental volumes by about 60%, and we’ve seen our short-cycle residuals improve over £1,000 from trough to peak, with a knock-on for long cycle residuals. As this happens with other car lines, we’ll expect a similar uptick.

“In terms of our market share, I think we’re really looking at steady but small growth, and a lot will be product driven. A lot of the development cost we were incurring as a European organisation, as we didn’t export many [Opel and Vauxhall] products around the rest of the world for GM, suddenly that’s shared within a much bigger group. That allows us to be more competitive.” Which should start to reflect in this year’s results. Despite a weaker UK market and the challenges of re-testing for WLTP, Taylor says Vauxhall’s range was compliant early with no disruption to orders. Core models are growing their ‘true fleet’ share, and the focus now is the newcomers. “Over the second half of the year we’ve got to capitalise on the SUV opportunity. When you get new nameplates and sectors, such as with Grandland X, it takes a bit of time getting the product to market and in front of customers. We’ve done around 1,500 test drives now, so product awareness is building, and our order take is growing exponentially month on month,” he says.

The end goal is to match the brand’s ambitions for around 35-40% of its sales to be SUVs, and Taylor sees that weighted fairly equally across its three products. The Mokka X (already Vauxhall’s second biggest-seller) was repositioned earlier this year, aimed at the supermini-derived segment despite being larger than the norms. In fleet, the Grandland X opportunity expands with the new 108g/km 1.5-litre diesel, targeting lowestin-class Benefit-in-Kind, and the plug-in hybrid due next year. Being part of a group also presents opportunities to share best practise. Vauxhall will launch something similar to Peugeot and Citroën’s business centres by the end of the year, offering standards such as extended opening hours and transport provision for operators. This is expected to comprise between 50 and 75 specialist dealers. “We would be foolish if we didn’t look what [Peugeot and Citroën] are doing,” says Taylor. “We are not hamstrung, in that it has to be a carbon copy, they are different between Citroën and Peugeot, so we will come up with what we think is the best solution for our network and customers.” In turn, this readies the brand for the ‘Year of the Van’ in 2019, alongside launching the new Combo and Lutonbuilt Vivaro, both on PSA platforms. Now responsible for vans and cars, Taylor is recruiting specialists to focus on conversions and finding new business, particularly with regional rental suppliers which have both three-year cycles, and the ability to take new products to potential customers. Given the complexities of decisionmaking, it’s a vital process: “We’ve seen around 5-10% of corporate fleets moving from diesel to petrol. If you compare an Astra Turbo [petrol] to the diesel, it’s effectively got the same CO2, so from a whole-life cost proposition it can be an either/or choice. Even on Insignia there’s a bit of movement back towards petrol. But in terms of traditional policies, most

Over the second half of the year, we’ve got to capitalise on the SUV opportunity

are diesel only. They are adding hybrids where required, but there hasn’t been much movement yet.” Of course, PSA technology lines Vauxhall up for electrification, with the Grandland X PHEV and Corsa EV set to be two of four plug-ins due by the end of 2020. But there’s significant, untapped, demand elsewhere, Taylor says: “Ironically, there may be more interest on the CV side than the car side. We face a lot of companies being challenged internally about their strategy for reducing carbon emissions, and for the low-emission zones in major cities. There are offerings, but you’re compromised on payload. It will be interesting to see how that technology develops.” As a household name in fleet, it’ll be interesting for the industry to watch how Vauxhall develops. But the mood is as positive as recent results: “We’ve made significant strides on the cost side in terms of driving it out of the business, on a group basis. I’m optimistic that we’ll have a good performance against expectations as a group for this year.”

SHARING ECONOMY PSA’s path to profitability

Shared platforms

Shared electrification

Shared commercial vehicles

By 2024 the entire Vauxhall car and van range will use one of two PSA platforms, each comprising a shared floor assembly, chassis, powertrain and electronics. The Group says this saves 20-50% on development costs compared to the nine platforms currently in use, while reducing the number of engine ‘families’ from 10 to four. A prior partnership means the Crossland X and Grandland X are already on PSA platforms, with the Corsa, Combo and Vivaro due to follow within a year.

With no plans to import the GMdeveloped Ampera-e EV into the UK, Vauxhall will re-introduce plug-ins into its range in 2020. By the end of the year, it will have an electric version of the new Corsa, a plug-in hybrid Grandland X, and two others which could be commercial vehicles. Plug-in hybrid and electric drivetrains will be available rangewide by 2024, and PSA says Vauxhall/Opel’s experience with hydrogen fuel cell development will also be used by the group.

PSA is already bringing Vauxhall’s vans in-house. The new Combo is derived from latest Citroën Berlingo and INthe SUMMARY Peugeot Partner, instead of the Fiat Doblo, while the Luton-built Vivaro will be replaced next year, ending a partnership with Renault, and is likely to be based on the Dispatch/Expert. PSA will continue to share the Movano with Renault, though Peugeot and Citroën’s largest vans are based on the Fiat Ducato. Opel’s Russelsheim site will lead van development for the entire group.

fleetworld.co.uk • 053

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

RACE TO ROAD WITH ELECTRIFIED VEHICLES RAPIDLY ENCROACHING INTO FLEET LISTS, JONATHAN MUSK TAKES A LOOK AT HOW ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY IS MAKING ITS WAY FROM RACE TO ROAD.

or decades, winning at the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans has required a hybrid, which has proven to be the only means of propulsion that manages the critical blend of performance and economy. Audi reigned supreme, followed by Porsche and this year Toyota. Each had hybrid systems, but apart from name the technology bore little resemblance to hybrids in the showroom. And of the marques mentioned, only Toyota really capitalised on the racing connection. The hybrid systems vary in design, with some using capacitors, batteries and even flywheels to take rapid recuperative energy from hard braking. What they all had in common, however, was the use of electric power to fill torque-band gaps in the highly strung engines they complemented. So how does this fit in with fleets and making difficult business decisions when choosing your next car – and why should you care? Enter new kid on the block: Formula E, where battery-electric racing cars hammer around closed-off international major city centres. The comparisons between road and race are plentiful, and more importantly the developments being made on track are steadily working their way into road cars that we’ll all be able to enjoy. Race to road is, of course, nothing new. While certain race technologies remain firmly for track use only, like slick tyres, other race series, including Formula 1, have given us engineering developments ranging from fuel economy and engine efficiency to aerodynamics. Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) is a subsidiary of Williams F1, created to facilitate getting Formula 1 engineering into other walks of life. This largely stemmed from the company’s KERS systems (kinetic energy recuperation system) used in F1 and its subsequent

054 • fleetworld.co.uk

work with Jaguar Land Rover on projects including the ill-fated C-X75 hyper plug-in hybrid. Following this, WAE developed a proprietary material capable of encasing high-performance lithium-ion batteries that could withstand a direct 1,000ºC flame for five minutes without so much as breaking a sweat. The same material then worked its way into Formula E batteries, which WAE mercifully stood up to the task of creating for the Formula’s first four seasons. Race-toroad-to-race, then. As Formula E has matured over four years, the series has increasingly presented itself as an opportunity for manufacturers to exploit its global exposure while also serving as a vital learning platform. No fewer than 10 carmakers have signed up to join Formula E over the next couple of seasons including heavyweights BMW, Nissan (replacing Renault), Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, joining existing teams run by Audi, DS, Jaguar and more. Although Formula E cars do use some shared components, such as the battery, manufacturers are using the Championship to develop new powertrains. The formula has already moved from 200 to 250kW power output, as well as slightly larger cars to accommodate a battery that’s now 54kWh compared to the original generation's 28kWh yet with only a 50kg weight penalty, such is the progress in the technology. There’s also a strong focus on reliability moving into the forthcoming season too, with cars being used for qualifying as well as the main race event, whereas previously different cars could be used and drivers swapped car halfway through a race, negating any damage that might have been picked up in their first stint. These developments of the series have accordingly made the racing more road relevant. >>

A MANUFACTURER’S VIEW

10 carmakers have signed up to join Formula E over the next couple of seasons.

James Barclay, team director Panasonic Jaguar Racing talks about why Formula E plays an important role for the brand and its future electric road cars.

“In a race environment you’re going as fast as you can for as long as you can. The materials and the process of design we’re using have real-world transfers that we’re already looking at to incorporate into future electric vehicles and research. The gestation period for a production car is significant, whereas the race car has a much shorter gestation period. We work around one and a half generations ahead of ourselves. From an I-Pace point of view, there’s little carry over from the road car to the race car, but the other way around we race to innovate and that’s really about technology transfer from the race track to the road. The learnings that we’ve taken from our involvement in Formula E that is going into future Jaguar and Land Rover electric vehicles, particularly in terms of powertrain design. “The hardware isn’t always the same, because there are very different duty cycle requirements and service intervals, but there’s a significant amount of learning when it comes to packaging and lightweighting. The processes that we go through, to get weight to an optimal level, are really relevant to production cars. “Software and controls is another major area of Formula E. Once the race cars are homologated by the FIA, you can’t change hardware in season, therefore one of the only things you can do is improve software and control systems.” Thermal management is another area, Barclay explains: “The thing with the batteries isn’t just about the energy used, but it’s also about the operating temperature. Sometimes you’re more temperature-limited than you are range-limited, particularly in Formula E where we often race in very hot environments, so managing temperatures is absolutely critical, and for production cars as well.”

fleetworld.co.uk • 055

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Far left: Formula E has attracted more manufacturers than any other racing series. Left: Racing in city centres, Formula E cars all employ 18” alloy wheels with Michelin all-weather tyres, just like many road cars. Below: Packaging and lightweighting of electronic components is vital for road and race cars.

To single one team out, Jaguar joined Formula E in season three, yet gained significant and essential knowledge ahead of launching its first electric road car, the I-Pace. Adding exposure for the brand as, like many others, it transitions to an electrified future, a new I-Pace Trophy series will act as support races to each Formula E event. From DS to Jaguar, each Formula E team intends to use track-learnt knowledge to further electric expertise for road cars and arguably there is more to learn than from motorsports where internal combustion plays a pivotal role and developments have, largely, already been made. Formula E’s development roadmap is laid out to encourage the use of cutting edge rather than tried-and-tested electronics. Teams are given free reign to implement their own proprietary technology over progressive seasons to

replace shared components too, such as the battery. This piecemeal attitude has proved to be sensible, with the first derivative vehicles featuring teams’ own electric motors and powertrains from season two. Everything from single speed to multiple-speed transmissions ensued, with each team aiming to find the most efficient blend of performance and powertrain. The variety in powertrains is enormous, yet the competition remains exceptionally close with it not uncommon that two-tenths of a second can separate 10 drivers. The technological developments being made in Formula E should play a key role in its own success story, but importantly you could soon find yourself behind the wheel of a car that’s been directly aided by advancements made on track. Today’s race cars are leading tomorrow’s road cars.

Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak Formula E is the tip of a very large iceberg. Electric racing has already proven itself in other realms, with Volkswagen taking the 12.42-mile course record at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, with a mesmerising time of 7 minutes 57.148 seconds – smashing the long-standing petrol-car 2013 record set by Sebastien Loeb in his Peugeot by more than 15 seconds. The Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak used two Formula E motors and was built using the firm’s MEB platform – a direct relation to roadgoing electric vehicles the company intends to mass produce from 2020.

056 • fleetworld.co.uk

A lot has changed in 20 years.

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FLEET ALPHACITY BMW 320D ED

VOLKSWAGEN E-GOLF

Bookings/Utilisation: 9/42% Mileage: 20,973 Test MPG: 51.3mpg

P11d/BiK: £32,675.00 (0%) MPG/CO2: 4.9mi/kWh (NEDC) / 0g/km Test Economy: 4.6mi/kWh

PICTURE THIS: you’re at an extended meeting and your car booking is about to end before you return. With the AlphaCity website, previously, this might have required access to a computer, remembering login details and having the time to extend your booking or create a fresh one. All of that has now been taken away with the AlphaGuide app. Simply open the app, login details are saved after first use so no need to remember unfathomable passwords, and once in it couldn’t be easier to book the car using the on-screen booking form. Within a minute, the car’s booked again and you’re on your way. The only thing the app doesn’t do, is replace the key card, which is still needed to open and close the car doors. As a long termer, the 3-Series has come to need a service. While AlphaCity are on call to come and clean the car without taking it away, the realities of servicing a diesel car mean it must go to a garage. A quick call to AlphaCity and the choice of either taking the car to the garage direct or them collecting it is possible to reduce the amount of time the car’s out of action. Lloyd Ramsdale

COLLECTING the e-Golf from its usual custodian necessitated a train journey across London and then driving back. Hopping into the e-Golf proved the perfect escape capsule to banish the noisy, dirty and busy city firmly outside its perfectly weighted doors. Driving along congested city roads complete with suicidal mopeds, invisible cyclists, heavy rain and aggressive drivers pushing the traffic along, I can imagine there’s few other cars as capable as the eGolf at coping with this onslaught. This is certainly one of the best accolades of an electric car. Similarly, later that week a colleague asked to borrow the car to undertake a similar journey across London – as they too realise and prefer electric power for driving in a busy urban environment. Range was never an issue either. Certainly when restricted to the confines of London and maximum speed limits of 30mph (soon to be 20mph) the car’s range faded into insignificance. Averaging around 4.6mi/kWh (that equates to about 150 miles total range) was easy to achieve. And if range is still a concern, a home or office charge point goes a long way to making an EV that much more convenient. Waking up to a fully charged car each morning never gets old. Jonathan Musk

fleetworld.co.uk • 059

FLEET PEUGEOT 5008 GT LINE BLUEHDI 150 P11d/BiK: £34,500 (26%)* MPG/CO2: 70.6mpg / 105g/km* Test MPG: 42.7mpg *Figures relate to the recently updated Peugeot 5008 BlueHDI 130 GT-Line

A family holiday down to Somerset for a week has seen the 5008’s loadand people-lugging skills put to the test in rather nice surroundings, and it’s coped admirably. It easily took care of four people’s luggage plus a wheelchair and rollator for my partially disabled mum, thanks to its 952 litres of space with the rearmost seats down. We had a slight dilemma one day when we needed to carry an extra two family members around while retaining the wheelchair but the 5008 managed just fine in six-seater mode. Ensconcing my six-year-old in the back did remind me how the thirdrow seats are really just for kids although ingress was great thanks to the sliding middle row of seats. I made it back with fuel to spare from a full 56-litre tank too. Fuel economy for the 6,000-odd miles I’ve put on the car so far stands at 42.7mpg, shy of the ‘true’ NEDC combined figure of 61.4mpg but including a very high proportion of urban mileage. The week away also really gave me a chance to test the 3D Connected Navigation with TomTom Live updates in unfamiliar surroundings. Although it took us some very rural routes, they did turn out to be much quicker while its warnings of traffic jams were also accurate – I now trust its judgement, which is rare for me. Given that it also had accurately warned of a local speed trap the day before we left, I’ve become pretty reliant on its services. Natalie Middleton

060 • fleetworld.co.uk

FORD FIESTA 1.0 (125PS) ECOBOOST TITANIUM P11d/BiK: £17,465 (22%) MPG/CO2: 60.1mpg / 106g/km Test MPG: 55.3mpg

JUST when I was getting used to our Fiesta’s three-door configuration, I was letting a passenger out the back seat – which involves sliding the chair forwards on its runners and tilting it. Simple. However, it now seems incapable of going back to its original position. I’m still not sure whether it’s my fault or the car’s but I will investigate further as I suspect it’s the former. And speaking of getting used to the Fiesta – read our 20th anniversary feature on page 22 of this, our new-look issue, which talks about Ford’s super supermini still topping the sale charts 20 years after it was doing so in 1998 – I’ve become something of a new Fiesta spotter on the roads. The stylish LED daytime running headlights give it a distinctly premium look, which probably helps explain the sales figures. Plus ça change indeed. Luke Wikner

SEAT ALHAMBRA 2.0 TDI XCELLENCE (184PS) DSG P11d/BiK: £36,905 (33%) MPG/CO2: 53.3mpg / 141g/km Test MPG: 44.1mpg

TICK every option, and the Alhambra has six ISOFIX points. The thought of transporting six under-12s makes me shudder with stress, but it would at least be easy to get them on board, using the myriad sliding, folding and tipping mechanisms and those huge sliding rear doors. Best of all, there’s no need to lug bulky seats around. Our car has two built-in boosters (a £450 option) in the middle row. It takes seconds to raise the squab, fold out the two bolsters and swap the headrest for one with side supports and a seatbelt stay. It’s one less stress for sleep-deprived parents. Alex Grant

BMW 740LE M SPORT P11d/BiK: £83,340 (16%) MPG/CO2: 97.4mpg, 65g/km Test MPG: 40.2mpg

MERCEDES-BENZ E220D 4MATIC AMG LINE ESTATE P11d/BiK: £43,400 (33%) MPG/CO2: 53.3mpg / 142g/km Test MPG: 38.7mpg

IF ever there was a bad time for a car’s air conditioning to pack up, it would be in the middle of a heatwave. Unfortunately, that is what happened to our new E-Class estate less than 100 miles into our ownership. Driving from the office in St Albans to my home an hour north saw me getting hotter and hotter under the collar as the air-con would only blow out warm air – not great when the outside temperature was in the high 20s. The car was taken in to Mercedes-Benz of Peterborough who diagnosed a rare compressor fault – a new part was ordered overnight but it took a further two days before we got the car back (apparently the compressor is fitted in a hard-to-access part of the engine bay and it took a lot of workshop hours to replace). As a result of this enforced layoff we’ve had precious little time to get to know our new arrival. But a few things are instantly noticeable: this car is massive inside, the optional widescreen dashboard is amazing, and the new 2.0-litre diesel engine is miles ahead of its predecessor in terms of refinement. Julian Kirk

MAZDA6 2.2D 150 SE-L NAV P11d/BiK: £25,535 (28%)* MPG/CO2: 67.3mpg / 107g/km* Test MPG: 52mpg

WE normally run our long-term cars for six months, which means there should be little need to call upon a local dealer. However, as our Mazda6 approaches its first birthday and the odometer was showing 12,500 miles, we had to call upon my local outlet for its first service. Donalds Mazda performed well,

booking the car in within a couple of weeks of my call. There were no problems to report, although an engine mapping update was apparently carried out at the same time. The car was returned to me in pristine condition, inside and out, all for the princely sum of £206. Dan Gilkes

IF I had a pound for everyone who’d told me, during my few weeks with the 740Le, that plug-in hybrids are a tax dodge I’d have… well, probably the couple of quid it costs to charge the battery. I’ve learnt it’s not true, but there’s a massive loophole that needs to be closed to cut the critics. Swapping into it with no battery range left, I took the opportunity to give our 7 a motorway run as a hybrid. It’s clever technology, coasting for short distances on electric power even at high speed, and using the motor to assist the engine when it’s working hard. However, 36.5mpg will make drivers as unpopular with the FD as the 46litre fuel tank will make them popular with the local fuel station. Fully charged, it’ll travel around 20 miles on electric power. That won’t make it as suited to long distances as a diesel, but that doesn’t mean it’s totally unsuitable either. Plot a route and the hybrid system uses navigation data to figure out when it’s most efficient to use battery, petrol or both power sources, metering out that range over the entire journey rather than burning through it at the start. Economy benefits aside, it means those final few, usually urban, miles are done on electricity – something a diesel can’t match. Tax dodge? Not necessarily, but proper PHEV mileage rates are just as urgent as those for full EVs, as they’ll encourage drivers to use this technology properly, and there’s no sign of them yet. Alex Grant

*Figures relate to the recently updated Mazda6 SE-L Nav 150PS Manual

fleetworld.co.uk • 061

FLEET

AUDI Q5 S LINE 2.0 TDI QUATTRO P11d/BiK: £41,555 (32%) MPG/CO2: 54.3mpg / 136g/km Test MPG: 39.8mpg

DESPITE efforts to get more people to car-share – or think about whether they need to get behind a wheel to make a journey – there are still millions of people who drive solo around the UK. I fully understand many of those are unavoidable, but as I have a walkable commute – and a big family – it means that most of the time there is someone else in the car when I’m behind the wheel. On many occasions, it means using all of the Q5’s five seats, which, in all honesty, isn’t an issue for anyone. There is plenty of room front and back, no negative impact on the performance of the car and there is no straining to hear what people are saying while travelling at high speeds. In fact, at times, the Audi is eerily quiet – the combination of a smooth diesel engine, decent soundproofing and freshly laid tarmac made me realise this fact on a journey along the south coast just recently. On a journey I’ve made in countless cars, the experience in the Q5 was up there with the more serene. In fairness, it’s bang on the Audi DNA – a high-quality driving experience and a pleasant interior. And it works: whoever steps into this car – if they haven’t been in it before – comments what nice surroundings they are in. Having three kids to ferry around to different places means a lot of time spent driving in town, so over the course of my time with KU18 LPJ, the fuel economy hasn’t got anywhere near the claimed average. But it’s still not a bad return, considering the size of the car and the type of journeys it is subjected to. I mentioned last month about the ability to chill the cabin in an instant, but with the heatwave seemingly over for a while, the air-con isn’t quite as constant as it was, which has further boosted that economy figure. John Challen

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

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

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

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

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

www.quartix.net

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

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

Tel: 0870 013 6663 CanTrack Global Ltd Tel: 01908 330385 www.cantrack.com

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

VEHICLE CCTV & SAFETY Parksafe Automotive Tel: 01773 746591 www.parksafeautomotive.com fleetworld.co.uk • 063

COMING SOON Out with the October 2018 issue of Fleet World magazine, FUELLING CHANGE which will look at every aspect of the debate currently raging around diesel, petrol and hybrids. It will look at the political, social, economic and business aspects of fuel choice, as well as giving fleets ideas on how to save money and run their vehicles more efficiently. It will also consider the full impact of the new WLTP emissions testing regulations, and what this means for fleets.

Find out more by emailing info@fleetworldgroup.co.uk

SUPPLEMENT SUPPLEMENT

September 2018 • vanfleetworld.co.uk

CE L EBR

p70

p72

ATING

p73

6 x 2 = MASTER

E-CRAFTER

MASTERCLASS

Renault Trucks' 6.0tonne 6x2 van takes on a 7.5-tonne truck

Volkswagen joins the electric van club

Advice for LCV fleet telematics & tracking

FROM THE

EDITOR Varied motoring

It’s easy to see why VW’s California has become such an iconic vehicle.

When is a van, not a van? When it’s a car, or a motorhome. Over the last month I’ve had the chance to try two LCV-based vehicles, though admittedly for very different reasons. The car versions of the latest Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner and now Vauxhall Combo, were launched earlier this year, though we have still to try their commercial cousins. So, to get a feel for the new models, I thought I’d put in a few miles in a Berlingo M people carrier. Looking almost like a chunky SUV, the car version of Citroen’s stalwart van is very much a do anything kind of family car. However, under the skin, it remains identical to the Berlingo van. The good news for LCV buyers is that both the existing 1.6-litre and the new 1.5-litre BlueHDi engines still kick out a healthy 75, 100 or 130bhp. Even better, the longer models now sit on an extended wheelbase, rather than simply having additional metalwork behind the back axle, which should bode well for increased carrying capacity.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, VW’s California has been around since the original split-screen Bulli. It is a well-proven formula that has been honed to perfection over the intervening years. In Ocean trim, the California provided a very comfortable home from home during the Latitude Festival this year and it was easy to see why it has become such an iconic vehicle.

New look... Fleet World is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a bright new look this month, that offers more interest and more information for readers in all sectors of the fleet market. Rather than throw two new magazines at our production experts at once, we’ll be following up this issue with a stand-alone new look Van Fleet World next month.

Dan Gilkes VFW editor

066 • vanfleetworld.co.uk

YOU DELIVER FOR OTHERS. WE DELIVER FOR YOU. T O G E T H E R W E G O F U R T H ER.

£177 P E R M O N T H

N E W F O R D T R A N SI T CO U R I E R L I M I T E D OV E R 4 Y E A RS . A DVA N C E O F 6 M O N T H LY R E N TA L S O N F O R D CO N T R AC T H I R E . B USI N E S S USE RS O N LY.

NEW FORD TRANSIT COURIER LIMITED 1.0 ECOBOOST (100PS). FROM £177 PER MONTH OVER 4 YEARS ON FORD CONTRACT HIRE FROM FORD LEASE. ADVANCE OF 6 MONTHLY RENTALS. BUSINESS USERS ONLY. TO FIND OUT MORE, VISIT FORD.CO.UK Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the New Ford Transit Courier Limited 1.0 EcoBoost (100PS) shown: urban 39.2 (6.6), extra urban 56.5 (4.8), combined 48.7 (5.5). Official CO2 emissions 131g/km. The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU Directive and Regulation 715/2007 and 692/2008 as last amended, are provided for comparability purposes and may not reflect your actual driving experience. Finance subject to status. Guarantees/indemnities may be required. You will not own the vehicle at the end of the agreement. Examples exclude VAT and are based on 48 month non-maintained agreements, profile 6+47 payment in advance of 6 monthly rentals, followed by 47 monthly rentals, with a mileage of 10,000 miles per annum. Vehicles must be returned in good condition and within agreed mileage, otherwise further charges will be incurred. Prices correct at time of going to print and are subject to change without notice. Subject to availability at a Ford Authorised UK Dealer for vehicles with finance accepted and vehicle contracted between 1st July and 30th September 2018, and vehicle registered between 1st July 2018 and 31st March 2019. Not available with any other promotion. Ford Lease is provided by ALD Automotive Ltd, trading as Ford Lease, BS16 7LB.

FIRST LOOK RENAULT MASTER 6 x 2

Renault Trucks Master 6x2 Renault Trucks has developed a 6x2 Master, providing an alternative to the default 7.5-tonne truck, says Dan Gilkes. Developments in vehicle technology have seen chassis weights rise, putting pressure on payloads. This is particularly true in the important 3.5-tonne sector, where many vans struggle to carry much more than 1-tonne. The usual option is to move up to a 7.5-tonne truck, through here too payloads are under pressure. There are several companies offering vans at 4.5 or 5.0-tonnes GVW, while Iveco will sell you a Daily at 7.2-tonnes. Now Renault Trucks has developed a slightly different option, by stretching the Master chassis to a 6x2 configuration. The vehicle’s gross weight is 6.0-tonnes, allowing for a

068 • vanfleetworld.co.uk

payload of at least 3.0-tonnes and for bodies with up to 30m3 of load volume. PROVEN BUILD The conversion is carried out by Dutch chassis specialist Nefra Vehicle Technology, which builds the low-floor chassis in both standard and wide track versions. The Master 6x2 is available with either steel or air rear suspension, with the majority of European buyers opting for air. The vehicle is based on a front-wheel drive chassis, allowing a low floor at the back and comes powered by Renault twin-turbo 165bhp diesel engine, driving through a six-speed manual gearbox. When compared with a 7.5-tonne box truck, such as Renault’s own Midlum, both offer payloads of

around 3.0-tonnes when equipped with a 30m3 box body and a tail lift. Indeed, the body dimensions are very similar, the Master’s is just considerably lower to the ground. Not only does that make it easier to access, but it reduces the danger of falls from height for the driver. Many operators could do without a tail lift, but the customer that has ordered the first vehicle needs to carry heavy loads that require a pump pallet truck to move, making it an essential requirement. However, opening the Master, operating the lift and closing the rear door takes around 40 seconds. On the 7.5-tonne truck, it took closer to two minutes to carry out the same operation, resulting in a considerable operational efficiency gain for a multidrop business. Plus, the Master body,

AT THE WHEEL It’s not just the rear of the vehicle that is easier to access with the Master van. Any driver getting in and out multiple times a day will appreciate the ease with which they can get into the Master’s driving seat. Inside its standard Renault fare, though with the addition of a digital tachograph in the headliner above the windscreen. At almost 8m long you do have to remember the extra length when maneuvering, but the 6x2 is otherwise much like any other Master to drive. On the move it feels no longer than an L3 or L4 wheelbase van and you just have to give the rear axles a little more room when turning to avoid kerbs. Renault had installed a rear-view camera to make it easier to park. We tried a wide-track model with steel suspension, which was fine in town or at speed on a dual carriageway. However, if your mileage includes plenty of country roads or inter-urban use, the air suspension would probably be money well spent, as it can be a bit bouncy, that or a suspended driver’s seat. Admittedly we weren’t running at maximum load, but the twin-turbo engine delivered plenty of pulling power, making it easy to keep pace with traffic and to pull out onto roundabouts. Indeed, the only remarkable thing about the 6x2, was just how unremarkable it was to drive.

built by UK specialist PD Stevens, also comes with a side loading door, making it easy for the driver to access the rear for small parcel delivery without using a lift at all. BIG SAVINGS The biggest benefit of the van versus the truck however, comes at the fuel pumps. We took both vehicles on a route through the Cotswolds, each part loaded with around 1.0-tonne of payload plus the driver. While the 7.5tonne truck returned a reasonable 17.54mpg, the Master recorded a far more wallet-friendly 27.03mpg. Over a 30,000-mile year, with a gallon of diesel currently around £5.85, that results in a saving of more than 600 gallons, or £3,516. Over a five-year life span, that’s more than £17,500. Added to that, the repair and maintenance

Renault Trucks has developed a slightly different option, by stretching the Master chassis to a 6x2 configuration.

costs of the Master will be considerably lower than those of the truck, with components such as tyres much less expensive. There is also a potential benefit in terms of customer acceptance. In the home delivery market in particular, a van-shaped vehicle is seen as far less threatening than a truck in a residential area. Not that the Master 6x2 is limited to home delivery. Renault Trucks is already talking to potential customers about horse boxes, car carriers and traffic management and cone distribution light commercial vehicles. The 6x2 Master is not expected to become a major seller, but for those customers that need the additional carrying capacity, both in terms of loadspace and payload, it offers an option that is worth consideration.

vanfleetworld.co.uk • 069

LAUNCH REPORT

Volkswagen e-Crafter Volkswagen takes first step in electric van market with e-Crafter launch, says Dan Gilkes. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will launch the e-Crafter electric van in September, though right-hand drive models will not be available until 2020. However, VW will bring a small number of left-hand drive models to the UK in 2019, to assess customer demand and to provide demonstration vehicles. First seen at the IAA commercial vehicle show in Hanover in 2016, the e-Crafter will initially be available in a single, 10.7m3 panel van body, though with a choice of 3.5 and 4.25-tonne gross weights. The 3.5-tonne van offers a payload of 970kg, while the heavier van will carry up to 1,720kg. In both cases, the battery pack, which is shared with the e-Golf, is carried below the van’s body, so there is no loss of load volume. The e-Crafter uses a VW Group synchronous motor delivering 100kW (136bhp) of peak power and 290Nm of torque. This drives the front wheels through a single-speed transmission. Volkswagen claims a potential NEDC SECTOR Large van

range of around 170km (105 miles) is possible and the van has a top speed of 56mph. The e-Crafter is equipped with a Combined Charging System (CCS) fast charger that can take the batteries to 80% in just 45 minutes, using a 40kW DC supply. A 7.2kW AC wall box will require five hours and 20 minutes to provide a 100% charge from empty. As with the diesel Crafter, the electric van is very well equipped, with LED headlights, climate control, heated seats and satellite navigation as standard. However, unlike the new Mercedes Sprinter, the van is not equipped with an on-board internet connection. The vans do come with a host of safety features though, including Automatic Post-Collision Braking, cross-wind assist and ParkPilot. The e-Crafter is very quiet on the move, with full torque providing plenty of acceleration in town. It’s a comfortable, well-equipped van that is simple to drive, with light, direct steering and reasonably supple suspension, even when unladen. Unlike some competitors, there is no facility to alter the amount of regeneration available under

PRICE €69,500 (Germany)

072 • vanfleetworld.co.uk

PAYLOAD 970-1,720kg

deceleration, however VW’s engineers have done a good job of calibrating the amount of braking available. Volkswagen has been testing the e-Crafter with 25 companies in Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Sweden. UK participants included Gatwick and Heathrow airports, Southwark Council and Cambridge City Council. For the UK, Volkswagen is preparing a total cost of ownership tool, that dealers will be able to use to assist fleet managers in making the shift to electric power. The company is also looking to appoint an infrastructure partner, to provide charging points and to assess electricity requirements within customer premises. UK pricing has not been announced yet, but in Germany the e-Crafter will start at €69,500 (£62,500). The company is also expected to provide the van with an eight-year battery warranty. The launch of e-Crafter signals the start of an electric mobility campaign within VW Commercial Vehicles, with more news due at next month’s IAA commercial vehicle show in Hanover. 2020 is expected to be a big year for e-mobility for Volkswagen in the UK.

LOAD VOLUME 10.7m3

Telematics & Tracking

Our panel of leading suppliers helps you get the most out of your fleet...

Simplify fleet management

Quartix - Vehicle Tracking

Teletrac Navman is a multinational telematics company leveraging 25 years of experience to help fleets boost revenue and lower operating costs. We equip businesses with advanced data tools for location tracking, fuel monitoring, reporting, safety and compliance, all via one powerful, user-friendly platform. We're devoted to providing accurate and precise data secured by the strongest protection and controls. These tools and methods improve business’ bottom line and help them stay competitive. Teletrac Navman currently tracks nearly 500,000 vehicles owned by over 40,000 organisations on six continents, making us one of the world's largest fleet management providers. Teletrac Navman’s ever-evolving fleet management technologies offer a unique combination of features, functionality, compliance and workflow solutions paired with unparalleled platform reliability. Teletrac Inc. and Navman Wireless brought their strengths to the table in order to create a merged telematics powerhouse in 2015. This new brand represents the best of both companies, bringing complementary development, customer support, and data expertise to its solutions. With an industry-leading R&D budget, the new brand is set to pave the way for future innovation in the telematics space at a level greater than currently seen in the market. Working with the transportation and construction industries will continue to inform our mission: to create data-driven software solutions that conquer business problems and inspire smarter decisions. teletracnavman.co.uk

The Quartix vehicle tracking system has been installed in over 350,000 vehicles and is helping more than 10,000 customers save on fuel and insurance every day. Offering commercial fleet tracking for trucks, coaches, vans and cars throughout the UK, France and USA, the award-winning system offers a wide range of valuable features for fleet managers. Customer industries range from Construction, Security, Landscaping and everything in between. Improving driving styles has proven to save up to 10% in fuel consumption as well as having a hugely positive impact on road user safety. With live tracking, comprehensive driving style reports, driver timesheets and management dashboards, you can easily identify your best drivers, make sense of mileage and fuel costs and improve the safety of your teams. This year, Quartix received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for Innovation in recognition of its Safe Speed Database. An intuitive dashboard displays Driver Style League Tables and safe speed scores. Suitable for fleet sizes large or small, Quartix offers tiered packages to best suit the needs of your business. The Quartix product representatives will take you through a short, free demo of the system and demonstrate the many ways that vehicle tracking will benefit your business. www.quartix.net

Safer drivers, safer fleets

Fleet management out of the office - still in control

More than a quarter of all road traffic incidents involve somebody driving as part of their work at the time. In 2016 alone, people driving for work were involved in collisions where 529 people were killed. Does driver behaviour play a part in this? And is there something that fleet operators could be doing to reduce crash rates and ultimately save lives? Yes, and yes. Visual evidence when it matters most In-cab video monitoring has been proven time and again to help improve poor driver behaviour and overall fleet safety – but not in isolation. For example, integrated in-cab video solutions allow videos to be automatically added to driver profiles and tied to specific reports that depict relevant triggered events. This provides the opportunity for: • Video-led driver coaching and training • Post-crash analysis • Crash prevention and reduction • Subrogation of insurance claims Indeed, in-cab video is a great way to spot and correct unsafe driving behaviours such as speeding, harsh acceleration, hard braking and corner handling. This information is very useful when determining how to best handle claims, resolve quickly to reduce settlement cost, or fight the claim knowing the video will exonerate the company from fault. www.mixtelematics.co.uk

Accessing and actioning telematics data from your desk is easy, but what do you do if you are constantly on the go? Verizon Connect has the answer, with their recently released spotlight app. It is the perfect companion to the Verizon Connect Fleet platform and great for anyone who needs to manage a mobile workforce, via an IOS or Android powered phone or tablet. Check the pulse of your business anywhere and at any time, with quick access to your most critical information points around asset utilisation, driver safety and vehicle maintenance. You can now: • Address urgent maintenance issues with vehicle health alerts direct to your mobile device. • See where all your drivers are on the map, who’s nearby and what their current status is. • Organise jobs or deliveries effectively with visibility on workers close to key business sites. • See current and past performance scores for a range of metrics including safety and efficiency. Verizon Connect knows that the demands placed upon fleet managers are varied and numerous. Telematics is an invaluable tool to help keep track of company assets, drivers and the work they do. To find out more, visit verizonconnect.com/uk or call 0203 005 8805. verizonconnect.com/uk

vanfleetworld.co.uk • 073

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY DAILY RENTAL

CONTRACT HIRE, LEASING & FINANCE

RISK MANAGEMENT

TAIL LIFTS

FLEET MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

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

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

DriveTech (UK) Ltd Tel: 01256 610907 www.drivetech.co.uk

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

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

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

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

Penny Hydraulics Tel: 01246 811475 www.pennyhydraulics.com

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

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

ODO Drive Tel: 01438 317731 www.ododrive.com

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

Bynx Tel: 01789 471600 www.bynx.com

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

Full listings online at

fleetworld.co.uk ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT Selsia Tel: 0845 468 6800 www.selsia-vac.co.uk

Tel: 01792 222133 www.daysrental.co.uk

0845 2172 608

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

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

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

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

daysfleet.com

TELEMATICS & TRACKING

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

fleetworld.co.uk FLEET MANAGEMENT

Promote your company here and online for just £400/year. SHB Hire Ltd Tel: 01794 511458 www.shb.co.uk

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

Tel: 0870 013 6663 Arnold Clark Vehicle Management

Tel: 0141 332 2626 www.acvm.com

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

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

STEPS AVS Steps Ltd Tel: 01939 235900 www.avssteps.co.uk

Full listings online at fleetworld.co.uk

FUEL MANAGEMENT

www.themilesconsultancy.co.uk

www.fleetoperations.co.uk

www.quartix.net

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

TMC Tel: 01270 525 218

Fleet Operations Ltd Tel: 0844 567 8000

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

VAN LINERS

DRIVER LICENCE CHECKING

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

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

TMC

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

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

.uk etworld.co • vanfle 2018 mber Septe September 2018 • vanfleetworld .co.uk September 2018 • vanfleetworld.co.uk September 2018

CE L EBR

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

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

074 • vanfeetworld.co.uk

I BRAT CEL E ING CE L EBRAT

ATING

rld.co.uk • vanfleetwo

CEL E

BRATI

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

p70 p72

p70

6 x 2 = MASTER

p72

p73

6 x 2 = MASTER

E-CRAFTER

Renault Trucks' 6.0tonne 6x2 van takes on a 7.5-tonne truck

Volkswagen joins the electric van club

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joins the Volkswagen electric van club

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY

p73

MASTERCLASS et Advice for LCV fle ing telematics & track

T R A N S F O R M E D T E C H N O L O G Y

T h e All-New F o cus is p acke d f ull of te chn o log y a s s t an dard, su ch a s Pre- Co llisio n A s sis t w ith Pe d e s trian an d Cyclis t D ete c tio n, to h elp ke ep in suran ce co s t s low an d yo ur b usin e s s r unning sm o othly. This ha s h elp e d th e All-New F o cus to re cei ve th e ma x im u m Eu ro NCAP five -s tar rating for s afet y, s o your client s and collea gue s can travel s afely a s well a s in s t y le. Arrange a demonstrator with the Ford Busines s Centre: 03457 23 23 23 | flinform@ford.com O r dis cover m o re ab o u t All-New F o cus at fo r d .co.u k /n ew-f o cus

THE

CHANGE

YOUR

BUSINESS

DESERVES

Arrange a demonstrator with the Ford Busines s Centre: 03457 23 23 23 | flinform@ford.com O r dis cover m o re ab o u t All-New F o cus at fo r d .co.u k /n ew-f o cus

P11D

BIK

C0 2

COMBINED MPG

£28,630 - £17,730

28% - 22%

138- 91g/km

45.6- 80.7

Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the All-New Ford Focus range: urban 36.2-74.3 (7.8-3.8), extra urban 54.3-85.6 (5.2-3.3), combined 45.6-80.7 (6.2-3.5). Official CO 2 emissions 138-91g/km. The mpg ﬁgures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results (EU Regulation 715/2007 and 692/2008 as last amended), are provided for comparability purposes and may not reﬂect your actual driving experience. Information correct at time of going to print.