CAR OF THE YEAR 2016
The new Astra Sports Tourer. With highlights of the luxury class. Fuel consumption combined 6.2–3.6 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined 142–92 g/km (according to R (EC) No. 715/2007).
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THE SUV THAT WORKS FOR YOU THE NEW SEAT ATECA
TECHNOLOGY TO ENJOY The New SEAT Ateca has arrived and with it comes the possibility of streamlining your daily business, making the everyday stress free and even more enjoyable. State of the art technology lets your team take on each day with ease. From KESSY keyless access and the Virtual Pedal, which allows the boot to be opened handsfree, to the Wireless Mobile Charger and Full Link Technology, allowing the seamless integration of your smartphone. The New SEAT Ateca, another fleet success story in the making.
WIRELESS CHARGER When your smartphone battery runs low, simply place it on the Wireless Charger to begin recharging.
TOP VIEW CAMERA Parking and tricky manoeuvres are made easy and effortless with the Top View Camera. It shows you views around the whole vehicle.
SEAT FOR BUSINESS
BOOT CAPACITY There’s between 510 and 1604 litres of boot capacity. Fold down the seats for even bigger loads.
FOLLOW US ON:
SE AT.COM
Average fuel consumption: 4.3 - 6.2 l/100 km. Average CO2 mass emissions 112-143 g/km. Provisional data.
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contents CAR OF THE YEAR 2016
The new Astra Sports Tourer. With highlights of the luxury class. '
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Publisher Jerry Ramsdale jerry@fleetworldgroup.co.uk
05 IFW at the IFM 2016 in Geneva.
24 Giuseppe Tommaso on new Ateca.
34 Toyota’s all-new Prius on the road.
36 Citroën and DS’s fleet portfolio...
Editor John Kendall john@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Deputy Editor Alex Grant alex@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Business Editor Natalie Middleton natalie@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Features Editor Katie Beck katie@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Fleet Consultant Ross Durkin ross@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Sales Director Anne Dopson anne@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Sales Manager Harry Whyte harry@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Sales Executive Claire Warman claire@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Circulation Tracy Howell tracy@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Dawn Mitchell dawn@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Head of Production Luke Wikner luke@fleetworldgroup.co.uk Designers Tina Ries tina@fleetworldgroup.co.uk
04 Fleet Review John Kendall reports from Geneva’s International Fleet Meeting. 06 Inside Knowledge F&S’s Benny Daniel on emerging automotive trends. 08 News The biggest stories from a month in the international fleet world. 12 EVs Eric Feunteun reveals what’s next for Renault’s pioneering EV range. 16 Geneva 2016 All the biggest launches and news from the Geneva Motor Show. 20 Management Examining the trend for rental companies buying out car clubs.
Samantha King sam@fleetworldgroup.co.uk
23 Strategy How smart charging could revolutionise the way companies use EVs. 24 Interview SEAT’s Giuseppe Tommaso on why a SUV is joining the range. 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 ifw@fleetworldgroup.co.uk web internationalfleetworld.com
26 Fleet Focus How Switzerland’s tradition of ownership has shaped the fleet sector. 29 Remarketing Poland’s reliance on the used car market and its impact on fleet. 30 IAM Report Advice on driving in Austria from the road safety charity. 31 Launch Report Mazda3 1.5 SKYACTIV-D / DS 4 / Toyota Prius. 36 Profile How Citroën & DS are establishing their identities in the global market.
STAG Publications
®
To subscribe to Interational Fleet World visit: www.fleetworldsubscriptions.co.uk
40 Fleet in Figures Breaking down the latest global vehicle sales by region.
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fleet review This month, editor John Kendall reviews IFW’s involvement in the International Fleet Meeting, stars of Geneva and charging standards.
Scenic stars at the show
The Geneva Show is a must for International Fleet World, not least because we hold a dinner at each of the major European Shows, but because it is the first motor show of the year. From a journalist’s perspective, where walking around following unveilings and chasing interviews is what we are there to do, a show where you can walk from one end to the other in around five minutes is another bonus. So what was the star of the show? For me, probably the new Renault Scenic. Renault invented the compact MPV over 20 years ago with the original Scenic and to see an exciting design for an MPV again was overdue. We need an alternative to a world full of SUVs. There is always a car at a show that is a magnet for rival designers and engineers and there were quite a few familiar faces on the Renault stand on the press days. It was also the first mass production car to feature a 48-volt microhybrid system (along with the Megane station wagon). It’s a technology that will become very familiar to drivers in the next few years and promises to bring CO2 emissions down further.
Common charging standard Volvo’s recent call for a common standard for EV charging infrastructure is long overdue. There now seems to be some move towards standardisation in Europe and it would make a great deal of sense for car manufacturers to have either a standardised
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combination standard and fast charge connector or to agree on a common standard for a standard charging and fast charging connector. Then all manufacturers can make the same connectors for the cars regardless of where they are. That would be fine if all cars have a smart charging system that senses the available voltage and adapts accordingly, something that would be fairly straightforward today. But I could see safety issues if that was not the case because of the difference in voltage between North America (115V) and Europe (230V). Volvo has set the ball rolling, let’s hope the company achieves its aim.
Stackmann to steady the ship It’s a pity that UK comedian Simon Brodkin chose to interrupt Jürgen Stackmann’s VW press conference at the recent Geneva Show with a routine about emissions. If he had done his homework first he would have realised that Stackmann, who had been running SEAT for the past few years was brought back to VW to help sort out the problems following the diesel emissions story last year. It’s a shame that Brodkin didn’t seem to know he chose a petrol-powered car for his stunt too. I have interviewed Stackmann a couple of times and he is one of the most straightforward people I’ve met in the motor industry. In fact the right sort of man to fix problems, not make them. You can read Craig Thomas’ interview with him next month in IFW.
visit internationalfleetworld.com
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Tuning into fleet The International Fleet Meeting in Geneva considered a range of subjects from Big Data to autonomous driving. The third International Fleet Meeting took place at the Palexpo Showground in Geneva a day before the 86th International Geneva Motor Show opened its doors to the public on 3rd April. Participants heard from lead speaker Jon McNeill, president of global sales and service at Tesla. This was followed by a panel discussion, moderated by International Fleet World advertising director Anne Dopson. Participating in the panel were Jon McNeill; Csaba Csiszko, global director environment, health & safety, Philip Morris International; Markus A. Falk CFE vice president, head of global car fleet, Global Procurement Organisation SAP SE; Knut Krösche, director international fleet, aftersales & used cars, Volkswagen Financial Services and Janice Sutton CEO Fleet Management Weekly USA. “The idea of the Fleet Meeting is to make a networking platform for the fleet community,” says Balz Eggenburger, managing partner, Fleet Competence Europe, “We want to bring together people who come to Geneva anyway.”
Sustainable and electric “It’s an exciting time to be in the mobility industry, not just the auto industry, but the mobility industry,” Jon McNeill told the audience as he set out to explain some of the things that Tesla is involved with. “I want to give you a sense of what’s at our core and how we’re expanding that core,” he said. Sustainable, electric powered transport is at the core of what Tesla set out to achieve. McNeill explained that Tesla started with a three-phase business plan. Firstly a high price low volume car, the Tesla roadster, then phase 2, a higher volume ‘medium’ priced product, the Model S, now being followed by the Model X SUV model. Phase 3 will be a high volume low priced car (approx. US$35,000, €31,200
approx.), the Model 3, to be unveiled at the end of March 2016. The company also has over 200 retail service locations, run on a not-for-profit basis and 300 DC supercharger stations for vehicle recharging, which provide recharging free to Tesla customers. “We’re willing to open that up to other manufacturers as they develop batteries with the capacity to accept that charge,” says McNeill. Tesla delivered 50,000 vehicles in 2015. In the panel discussion, the panel considered a range of questions including the safety implications of autonomous driving, a developing subject as the technology progresses.
Learning from trucks The panel heard how integrating MAN financial services into VW’s financial services is impacting the business. Knut Krösche said that the business could learn from the truck experience of telematics, where take-up is more widespread than in cars. Janice Sutton told the meeting that fleet managers jobs should become easier as we approach autonomous driving, as vehicles should be involved in fewer incidents. “The fleet manager is going to need to understand the assets and also the data that comes from the assets, something that everybody is grappling with now,” she said.
Big Data Markus Falk highlighted some of the issues surrounding data handling. As an example he explained the difficulties of integrating data from around 20 different manufacturers’ vehicles. “It would be great if we could have the data from just one manufacturer,” he said. “We have to find a way for cars to communicate with our systems and amongst each other and testing and finding where is the space that we can really add value to the fleet and the cars.”
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inside knowledge
The key to growth Growth consulting director of Frost and Sullivan’s Automotive & Transportation Group, Benny Daniel considers how growth will develop in the automotive sector... ow do you communicate the theme of growth? That was personified by what the OEMs showed at Geneva in March. The first was by expanding their lineup, whether that was premium or volume OEMs. The second was about making vehicles more relevant to consumers. Connectivity was not a big theme at the show, but when you look at the vehicles, you can see that theme really resonate. Considering all the unique business models that are coming out about car sharing, which is about people giving up cars, there was a sound message about how they can bring back consumers into the vehicles but still extract the kind of business models that come from car sharing. The third important theme from Geneva was the Green theme. It was not exemplified by electric vehicles, but you can see OEMs really trying to tackle the CO2 issues. One of the common themes I saw was about how some OEMs were trying to bring down the 70g/km CO2 figure to 37g/km. This was through highly efficient diesel solutions after ‘Dieselgate’ and plug-in hybrids. For me these were the three macro themes, if you look at it as a cluster. Where these three themes converge is the way I think the industry is moving forward. If you look at the three unique developments happening in the automotive industry – autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and connected vehicles, we have one unique theme. They will be brought together
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in a very innovative platform and the core principal behind that platform will be a highly communicative electronic architecture. The 48-volt micro-hybrid fits into that equation. If you look at these three; autonomous, electric and connected you need a solid robust power network configuration and 48v brings that into the situation. Not all OEMs are going in that direction, some are still sceptical about it. But if you have a premium brand and a volume brand like Audi and Volkswagen hedging their bets on it, I think it’s just a matter of time before competitors start reacting to this. Sometimes the industry sees these things as individual developments, but I see these as individual bubbles on a horizontal line that will converge. The basis for autonomous, electric and connected is a sound power net configuration. If you see that as a pyramid with the base as security, I think this structure would enable that as well. Then maybe we could talk about who owns the data? Where’s the data going to? Will it be the OEM, or will it be other disrupters that own it? Volkswagen has announced a unique electric vehicle architecture, the MEB platform. Mercedes has developed one too, even though they haven’t announced it. There are rumours that they will have a dedicated EVA platform – electric vehicle architecture. I see this as the way forward and it’s important that other competitors see this and react, otherwise they will be left behind by this huge wave that is coming.
Wednesday 11th May 2016
Silverstone Register for the show at... www.thefleetshow.co.uk
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business news
Major global leasing firms record strong growth for 2015 LD, Alphabet, LeasePlan and Arval have all announced AAlphabet global growth of just under 10% for 2015. reported overall market growth of 8.5% for the
year, compared to overall market growth of 2.1%, as well as new business growth of 15%, compared to an average of 4% in the operational lease market over the same period. It added that it is on a solid course for continued growth in 2016 and remains focused on offering tailormade solutions for each company. ALD Automotive’s annual report shows that it recorded growth of over 9% last year to reach a fleet of 1,206,837 vehicles under contract. The leasing and fleet management giant said that its partnership activity largely contributed to this success with the signing of new contracts with car manufacturers and banking networks in 2015, which now represents 19% of the total fleet of ALD Automotive. The ALD and Alphabet figures came just weeks after Arval announced an 8.3% rise in its global leased fleet for 2015, helped by strong organic and external growth. Strong performances were seen in the UK, Central Europe, Turkey, Switzerland and Luxemburg, with twofigure growth rates. In addition, the acquisition of GE Capital Fleet Services’ activities in Europe added more than 160,000 leased vehicles and consolidated Arval’s position in 11 countries. Finally LeasePlan published its Annual Report 2015, outlining its plans for growth and featuring its 2015 results, which include a 9% increase in its worldwide fleet to a record level of 1.55 million vehicles. LeasePlan added that growth was noted throughout all regions, ranging from mature leasing markets such as the Netherlands, France, the UK, the US and Germany, to emerging leasing markets such as Turkey, where the company acquired sole ownership of the local entity.
NAFA reveals Global Fleet Mentor lineup for 2016 International Fleet Academy AFA Fleet Management Association's 2016 InternaN tional Fleet Academy (IFA) is to bring a leading line-up of ‘Global Fleet Mentors’, the organisation has announced.
The one-day pre-conference event will see expert mentors David T Hayward of Teva Pharmaceuticals; NAFA vice president Joseph LaRosa of Mercury Associates and formerly of Merck; and Andrzej Sacha, Nestlé Switzerland gather with small groups to facilitate learning, discussing a variety of global issues. Attendees will be invited to table their own questions and join in the discussion, lending experience to issues brought up by other participants. The event will be held in Austin, Texas in the US on 18 April, preceding NAFA's Institute & Expo.
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Barbaros Çitmaci named new CEO of Fleetcorp Turkey leetcorp Turkey has appointed Barbaros Çitmaci as its new CEO, succeeding Dominique Cardineau, who held the CEO role for eight years. Commenting on his new role, Dr Çitmaci said: “As the newly appointed CEO but the member of the team for the last three and a half years, our strategy is set to lead the market on the ‘added value’ basis so we would like to keep it moving. The biggest asset of Fleetcorp is its human capital with solid relationship set with the business partners including customers, third parties, banks and any other parties involved in the eco-system. My goal is to contribute to the coordination and consolidation of all the efforts, keeping it intact to raise the bar as being the member of Fleetcorp family.”
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ALD Automotive France appoints new business development director aurent Corbellini has been L appointed business development director of ALD Automotive France.
Mr Corbellini began his career in 1984 at Renault and later turned to entrepreneurship in the water sports sector before joining Interleasing France, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank. He was appointed to the directorate of sales administration within ALD Automotive France before being appointed marketing director in 2008. In his new position, he will focus on the development of an innovative marketing strategy to strengthen the presence of ALD Automotive France with its customers and prospects. His former role of marketing director is assumed by Jerome de Retz who began his career with the PSA Peugeot Citroën group and has held a number of roles with ALD Automotive.
Chevin continues global expansion hevin Fleet Solutions has C announced new appointments in line with its plans for global expansion.
As part of the expansion, Chevin has recruited Marco Bakker as a new project manager in its Belgium office. In the UK, the firm has appointed Peter Ormsby (pictured) as its new operations director, with responsibility for overseeing software development and implementation projects, as well as leading a number of key global developments.
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For the latest news, visit internationalfleetworld.com
PASSango toll badge to be extended he PASSango Toll Badge / On-Board-Unit (OBU), which already covers France, Spain, Portugal and the Belgian Liefkenshoek tunnel, will be accepted in Belgium from the beginning of 2017, as part of the new kilometre-based VIAPASS toll system. The scheme, which is run by Total and its AS24 affiliate, will also see the badge be accepted in Austria and on the bridges linking Denmark to Sweden by the end of 2016.
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LeasePlan launches FlexiPlan flexible leasing solution easePlan has launched FlexiPlan, a new offering designed to meet the flexible needs of companies with changing, fluctuating or short-term mobility needs. FlexiPlan offers a 1-24 month full-service package to offer flexibility in contract duration and mileage, an on-demand structure, and no early termination fees if clients’ mobility needs suddenly change. Nick Salkeld, chief commercial officer at LeasePlan, explained: “We developed FlexiPlan in order to meet the growing demand for driver mobility solutions as an alternative to the traditional lease product. It is part of our mobility strategy to be the one-stop-shop for all vehiclerelated mobility needs, from hours to years.” FlexiPlan is now available in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates and will be rolled out globally in 2016 across all LeasePlan’s operating companies.
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Sofico reports new record turnover in 2015 lobal automotive finance, leasing and fleet software provider Sofico has revealed that its turnover has grown by 125% in the last five years, while the number of people it employs has increased by more than 80% over the same period. Sofico, whose systems manage more than one million vehicles worldwide, saw revenues increase from €12m in 2010 to €27.1m by the end of 2015. Over the same period, the number of people it employed increased from 105 in 2015 to 190 by the end of last year.
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Topaz Energy Group to promote Transpoco’s SynX fleet telematics technology rish fuel retail business Topaz Energy Group has signed a deal to promote Transpoco’s SynX fleet telematics technology to its fuel card customers. SynX is a cloud computing based service that integrates Transpoco GPS software with data from fuel cards to provide business intelligence. The deal is estimated to be worth initially up to €250,000 per annum. Liam Mulcahy, Topaz commercial director, said: “This agreement will boost our fleet fuel customer service and help them manage their vehicles more efficiently and at lower cost. It sits perfectly with our Topaz Quality Fuels which contains an additive that increases fuel economy. Partnerships like this build long-term customer relationships and allow us to offer increased value to our fuel card customers.”
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fleetinquotes a few soundbites from a month in fleet
Electric mobility requires an effective charging infrastructure: at least 150 kilowatts, or better 350 kilowatts – for fast charging along the autobahns. We need a global rapidcharging network and hydrogen filling stations.
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Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management, Audi AG
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If we are to clean up air pollution, then Government needs to recognise that diesel is the primary cause of the problem, and to promote a shift to alternatives.
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Richard Howard, head of environment and energy at Policy Exchange
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While we are ready from a technology perspective, the charging infrastructure is not quite there yet. To really make range anxiety a thing of the past, a globally standardised charging system is sorely needed.
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Dr Peter Mertens, senior vice president for research & development at Volvo Cars
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E-fficiency Class. The new E-Class by Mercedes-Benz. Masterpiece of Intelligence. Equipped with new diesel and PLUG-IN HYBRID engines, as well as the most innovative technology in its class, to fulfil one aim: Making your fleet more efficient, more comfortable, more economical. mercedes-benz.com/fleet
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environmental news
A focus on features Now the EV market leader in Europe, near-future plans for Renault put the emphasis on widening the appeal of existing products rather than overdiversifying, according to programme director, Eric Feunteun. Alex Grant finds out how.
Renault’s Z.E. line-up...
Twizy
ZOE
Kangoo Z.E
SM3 Z.E
Renault has sold 16,331 Twizy quadricycles since it was introduced in 2012, and it’s still finding its way into new, previously unplanned, markets. It’s well suited to car sharing clubs and often used as a company billboard, says Feunteun, and there are no plans to upgrade or replace it yet.
Europe’s biggest-selling EV, 90% of customers are opting for the longer-range R240 version launched last year, which also offers improved low-power charging speeds. Unconfirmed, but expect this to be the first Z.E. model to offer multiple battery capacities, possibly with a 200mile range.
Six years after launch, the Kangoo Z.E. is still the fastest-selling electric van in Europe. Feunteun says faster charging is being considered – a 7kW charger would halve its charging time – but there are no plans for rapid charging yet, as offered by Nissan and PSA’s electric LCVs.
The car formerly sold as the Fluence Z.E. is still available in South Korea and China, manufactured at the Renault Samsung plant in Busan. Selected as an official government vehicle in Korea and as an electric taxi for Seoul, it accounted for a third of the peninsula’s nascent EV market.
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For the latest EV news, visit evfleetworld.com
espite a swell of new products entering the constraint in terms of cost or because they really use it for market, Renault’s early entry into the electric 300. Others say they have enough with 150, and I can vehicle sector is paying dividends as acceptance manage with it. grows. Including the quirky Twizy, the brand took a “So we will keep the choice because I think, in the EV quarter of the 97,687 EVs sold in Europe during 2015, its world, there are two routes which will open, not only for own volumes up 49% year-on-year in the region. Renault but for the market. One focusing on range, one route With 83,000 units sold globally since 2011, electric focusing on cost of ownership. The two routes are important, vehicle program director Eric Feunteun says the techespecially when you consider in the long term that the incennology no longer a niche, but he’s under no illusion that tives might be reduced, so that’s how we see the future.” his work is finished: “There is always the question of Renault’s EV offering goes beyond cars; the company whether the glass is half empty or half full,” he says. “It’s sold 4,325 Kangoo Z.E. vans last year, a 42.6% share of the true that if you say it’s 0.4% overall in Europe, it’s not that electric LCV market despite few upgrades since it launched big, but if you say that within Renault we are above 25,000 in 2011. It’s listening to the demands of its fleet customers units sold as pure EV [in 2015] it’s not nothing. before it adds features, Feunteun explains; there are no “If you look at the total B-segment sales of Renault in plans to offer the ZOE’s rapid charging ability to doubleEurope, ZOE represents 6%, and if you look at EV Kangoo shift vehicles, as Nissan and PSA have done. sales of Renault in Europe it’s 4%, or 6% in France. OK, it’s “At this stage we don’t see how rapid charging can be not 60%, but it’s not 0.6%. It’s now not in the marginal effectively used,” he says. “No companies can buy a DC numbers, it’s becoming significant for Renault. From that charger, it’s too expensive, and we don’t think it’s fair to standpoint we are very happy.” say a large number of companies can rely on public This relies on a developing ecosystem, one affected by charging to do their business. changing incentives, taxation and technology, but Feunteun “Clearly fast charging for me is a very strong communicasays it’s getting easier for people to make the switch to election point, but we have to prioritise the engineering tric power. That’s something Renault is assisting – for resources and I prefer to focus on items which have a real example, managing relationships customer benefit. To be honest I with utility companies to make didn’t see many fleet users when “In the EV world, there are two domestic charging equipment they went into detail of use, saying easier to install and investing in routes which will open, not only how to use the charging.” public infrastructure too. Perhaps the most unusual story for Renault but for the market. But broader appeal won’t mean is Twizy, which is also expanding One focusing on range, one route its fleet footprint. It’s a retailadding to the range, at least not focusing on cost of ownership.” dominated model, but becoming for the near future: “Our role is to bring more technology, and more equally popular with businesses product features. We have a range of four cars; three in – a cost frequently offset as an alternative to advertising. Around a third are also sold to car sharing fleets. It’s Europe plus SM3 which is only in Korea and China. We a good fit for a sector with low vehicle occupancy, have the widest range of cars, so our focus now is more on and Renault has a version designed to integrate with clubs’ improving those, both on features on the autonomy – the IT systems. range and charging – and cost.” But it’s fully electric which Renault remains committed This is already underway. The ZOE, now Europe’s to, despite the growing popularity of plug-in hybrids: “It’s fastest-selling EV with a 19% share in 2015, expanded to not a philosophical debate, it’s a very pragmatic debate,” a two-model range last year with the R240 version. It gives customers a choice of a longer 240km range and improved explains Feunteun. “Our position in the market is to bring the technology at an affordable cost. So the question is, in charging speeds on low power, but without rapid charging. what segment, in what country, and with what tax scheme, With an eventual goal of doubling the range of its cars by does it make sense to have plug-in hybrid, hybrid, or mild 2020, Renault is also working to develop more energyhybrid? We are always trying to find the right compromise. dense battery packs, offering even more miles per charge “Of course it’s easier for the customer to convince them for current models without sheet metal changes. to move to hybrid, because it’s changing less of their Feunteun didn’t say which model would get it first, but he sees the company offering multiple battery options, habits. Nevertheless, we still think that EV is very efficient for a big chunk of the market, that when we do the job similar to Tesla and Nissan: “If you ask somebody if they properly - like we are doing now – we can convince people want a larger range the answer is of course yes,” he to move, and the more cars are on the roads the easier it explains. “Then, when you move from emotion to facts, and will be to convince them. So we are not going to relax our you have a choice between 150 and 300km, and a different pressure and our willingness to push pure EV technology. price, the reaction is more rational. Some would definitely We are almost there, so we’re not stopping.” need the 300, either because they have not so much
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manufacturer news
Average new car CO2 emissions continue to fall ew car emissions in Europe continued to fall last year, new research from JATO Dynamics finds. The analysis, which covered 23 European markets, concluded that average CO2 emissions fell by 3.2% across 2015 to finish at 119.3g/km; 4g/km lower than in 2014. The improvement is due to significant reductions from small and midsize markets including Norway and Switzerland, better results posted by big volume car makers and increasing numbers of electric vehicle registrations. Peugeot was the new emissions leader for 2015 with an improvement of 5.8g/km compared to 2014, from 109.3g/km to 103.5g/km. Amongst the country league table, Norway overtook the Netherlands to record the lowest average emissions across Europe, down from 110.5g/km in 2014 to 100.5g/km in 2015. This was also the highest reduction of all 23 countries.
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in brief Strong true fleet figures for February Dataforce has reported true fleet registrations for the ‘top 5’ markets in Europe. France, Germany, Italy and Spain reached growth rates between 13.7% and 20.5%. The UK fleet market was up by 4.8% but Dataforce noted that comparative values are already on a very high level.
Arval Active Link telematics service in Spain
PSA Peugeot Citroën publishes results of first real-world fuel economy test SA Peugeot Citroën has become the first carmaker to publish realPTheworld fuel economy results. figures have been published for three cars – the Peugeot 308,
Citroën Grand C4 Picasso and DS 3 – and have been generated from a test procedure established with two non-governmental organizations, Transport & Environment (T&E) and France Nature Environment (FNE), and audited by Bureau Veritas. The cars were driven on public roads near Paris (25.5km urban, 39.7km extra-urban, and 31.1km motorway) and under real-life driving conditions, notably with passenger and luggage loads, road gradients and use of air-conditioning systems. The figures for the models were rated as 5.0l/100km for the Peugeot 308, 5.6l/100km for the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso and 4.9l/100km for the DS 3. These compare to NEDC test figures of 3.2l/100km, 4.0l/100km and 3.6l/100km respectively but are comparable to those made by customers obtained from independent customer surveys.
GM to accelerate autonomous development with Cruise Automation acquisition eneral Motors has acquired San FranG cisco-based start-up Cruise Automation to accelerate its work in autonomous vehicles.
The company was founded in 2013 and has built an aftermarket product that is positioned as a Highway Auto Pilot. “Fully autonomous vehicles can bring our customers enormous benefits in terms of greater convenience, lower cost and improved safety for their daily mobility needs,” said GM president Dan Ammann. According to reports, GM paid around $1bn (€883.5m) for the acquisition.
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Arval is rolling out its Active Link telematics offering in Spain. The first phase covers the pre-equipment of all the vehicles delivered to the Spanish SME direct clients, as well as pilots for corporate clients. Arval added the next phase consists in communication and interaction with clients as well as the enhancement of the service with enriched features.
BP rolls out new Ultimate fuels BP is rolling out its new Ultimate fuels with ACTIVE technology, which it says can help clean dirty engines and offer increased efficiency. The fuels have already been launched in the UK and BP stations across Australia, New Zealand, the US, Europe and South Africa will begin to see the new fuels in their forecourts in the coming weeks.
TISPOL 2016 conference The European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) has opened registrations for its 2016 conference, which will focus on ‘Road safety: innovation and success’. The event takes place on Tuesday 4 and 5 October 2016 at the Radisson Blue Hotel, Manchester Airport in the UK.
• Four days packed with fleet management education, training, and workshops based directly on fleet manager feedback, for all fleet types & experience • The FLEXY Awards Presentation, honoring today’s fleet management leaders • The Expo Floor with 250+ companies showcasing the latest fleet products and services • The International Fleet Academy pre-con, April 18, 2016 (additional fee) • Valuable networking events including NAFA’s Chapter Recognition Luncheon, the Opening Night Reception, lunch on the Expo Floor, and much more!
REGISTER NOW!
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER NOW, VISIT:
WWW.NAFAINSTITUTE.ORG
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MOTOR SHOW Geneva
Swiss watch Fleet buyers would have found plenty to grab their interest at the recent Geneva Show, as Alex Grant and John Kendall report.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Alfa Romeo has spent almost a year showing the Giulia in its 510hp M3-rivalling Quadrifoglio guise, finally introducing the more fleet-relevant versions in Geneva. It’s likely that the 150hp and 180hp 2.2-litre diesels will make up the majority of corporate sales, while selectable driving modes and an eight-speed automatic gearbox should offer competitive fuel economy. On-board technology includes a USB-updatable TomTom navigation system, as well as the latest driver assistance features. An important addition to an otherwise ageing model range.
Fiat Tipo Reviving the Tipo nameplate after 21 years, Fiat is dividing its line-up into two families. One will focus on aspirational, design-led products such as the 500 and the newly-revealed 124 roadster, while the other will lead on high-value, practical motoring, including the Panda, Punto and Tipo. Built in Turkey as a hatchback, wagon and sedan, though the latter won’t be available in many Western European markets, the Tipo will be offered with five engines including a 1.6-litre diesel which consumes 3.8l/100km and emits 98g/km CO2, targeting the core of a vital fleet sector.
Audi Q2 Audi’s B-segment SUV surfaced in Geneva, following much speculation. Due on sale in autumn 2016, it will come with three petrol and three diesel power options, spanning 115- 190hp. The 190hp petrol and diesel engines will come with four-wheel drive, also available with some other engines. six-speed manual or seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmissions will be offered.
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Ford Vignale Ford launched an expanded line-up of Vignale models at Geneva with S-MAX, Edge and Mondeo five-door models as well as the Kuga Vignale concept. Vignale customers can expect more equipment, including active noise cancelling, personalisation options, travel, lifestyle and event offers across Europe plus brand ambassadors. Vignale models will be available through 300 FordStores in Europe, increasing to 500 in early 2017.
Honda Civic
Hyundai IONIQ
Although Honda has built the Civic in Swindon, UK, since 1994, the tenth generation will be the first time European cars have been sold in North America. That means the US-built coupe and sedan, introduced last year, offer some idea of how this hatchback concept will look when it reaches showrooms next year. Lower, wider and longer than its predecessor, the new car will be the first model to feature Honda’s 1.0 and 1.5litre turbocharged petrol engines, as well as an upgraded 1.6-litre diesel for Europe.
Hyundai launched the Ioniq at Geneva. Ioniq is only available with an electrified drivetrain in three versions; hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid models are powered by Hyundai’s efficient new 105hp Kappa 1.6-litre direct injection petrol engine with six-speed double-clutch transmission. Plug-in variants offer an electric range of over 50km, with CO2 emissions as low as 32g/km (approx. 79g/km for the hybrid) while battery electric versions can be fast charged and offer a range of over 250km. Batteries are positioned under the rear seat and under the spare wheel well.
Infiniti Q60 Still an emerging brand outside North America, Infiniti is focusing on its smaller cars. Geneva marked the European debut of the Q60 – essentially a Q50 coupe – which will take on the A5, 4 Series and C-Class Coupe. An interesting company car choice, but marred slightly by the lack of diesel or hybrid versions. Fleets are more likely to be swayed by the QX30; a raised, crossover-like model based on the Q30. Likely to feature the 2.2-litre and possibly 1.5-litre diesels of its hatchback equivalent, it could be a useful small-volume rival for cars such as the Mercedes-Benz GLA.
Kia Optima SW and Niro European versions of the outgoing Optima never replicated its popularity in Asia and North America, but Kia is hoping to broaden its appeal with a wider range. A 37g/km plug-in hybrid and, more importantly, the first ever wagon will launch later this year – the latter is expected to significantly increase its footprint. It joins a refreshed cee’d and all-new Sportage, as well as the 89g/km Niro hybrid crossover (pictured), which should keep Kia’s fleet team busy for the next 12 months.
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MOTOR SHOW Geneva
Maserati Levante Air suspension and intelligent all-wheel-drive come as standard with the Maserati Levante, based on the Ghibli and Quattroporte platform. 350hp and 430hp (249g/km and 253g/km CO 2) twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 petrol engines feature as well as a 275hp 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel offering CO2 emissions of 189g/km. An eight-speed ZF automatic transmission is standard. ‘Normal’, ‘ICE’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Off-road’ modes can be selected, introducing different settings for the engine, transmission, suspension and electronic features.
Renault Scenic The striking new Renault Scenic sets a high standard for the rest of the MPV class to follow. A surprisingly close interpretation of the R-Space concept shown five years ago, all trim levels get unusually narrow 20-inch diameter wheels, with shorter front and rear overhangs and a lower roofline offering a sportier stance. But it’s big on functionality, with a larger boot, sliding rear bench which can – depending on trim level – fold via the touchscreen, and autonomous emergency braking is standard equipment. A diesel mild hybrid and seven-seat Grand Scenic will follow before the end of the year.
Opel GT and Mokka X Will the Opel GT concept make it into production? The ingredients look right with a 1.0-litre 145hp petrol engine lightweight construction and sharp design. Some of that could have rubbed off on the Mokka X, which gets much crisper design features than the Mokka with revised front and rear ends and a revised interior. It features the latest Intellilink connectivity and Opel OnStar. Expect CO 2 emissions of 154g/km from new (to Mokka) 152hp 1.4 DI turbo petrol engine with six-speed auto.
SEAT Ateca SEAT’s much anticipated entry into the SUV sector arrived at Geneva in the shape of Ateca, packed with options for driver assistance systems and connectivity. Ateca comes with five petrol powertrain options and a further five for diesel. All are familiar Volkswagen Group engines including 1.0TSI and 1.4 TSI petrol, as well as 1.6TDI and 2.0TDI diesel. CO2 emissions span 112–143g/km. Options include manual transmission, DSG and AWD.
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Toyota C-HR Toyota is striving for more emotional appeal from its latest products, and the C-HR is a big step forward. It’s a sub-RAV4 crossover, which will be powered by the 1.2-litre turbo petrol and 1.8-litre hybrid drivetrains from the Auris, with CO2 emissions from 90g/km, and sales start later this year. “This is not another concept,” said Toyota’s EVP for sales and marketing, Karl Schlicht. “This is the real production C-HR. A car that will change the face of Toyota. It is designed to appeal to an entirely new type of customer.”
Skoda VisionS Given the close visual resemblance of Skoda’s recent concept cars to their production counterparts, the VisionS offers a glimpse of the brand’s forthcoming large SUV, rumoured to be named ‘Kodiak’. But it’s also a preview of a plug-in future for Skoda. “We are convinced that it is time for Skoda to become electric,” said Christian Strube, Skoda board member for technical development. “With the Superb, we will launch a car onto the market as early as this decade that, as a plug-in, can travel more than 50km electrically and a few years later, Skoda will launch a purely electrical car onto the market.”
PSA and Toyota partner on LCVs Volvo V90 Volvo revived the V90 name for its range topping station wagon at Geneva when it launched the estate variant of the S90 saloon. V90 is the third Volvo based on the company’s Scalable Product Architecture platform and shares the same power options as the S90, including the T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid. The car will be available with Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving technology and safety equipment that will include Large Animal Detection and Run-off Road Mitigation.
Forming the basis for a new range of people carriers and medium vans, the joint venture between PSA Peugeot Citroën and Toyota launched three new models at Geneva – the Citroën Spacetourer, Peugeot Traveller and Toyota Proace Verso, offering seating for up to nine. Based on the PSA EMP2 platform, it will come in three body lengths. CO2 emissions span 133 to 159g/km with powertrains all supplied by PSA. The range is based on the 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesels with power outputs of 95hp, 115hp, 150hp and 180hp.
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FEATURE_DailyRental_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 12:23 Page 1
MANAGEMENT Fleet Mobility
Take them on or buy them up
Daily Rental companies are buying into car sharing and so are leasing companies and motor manufacturers, as Steve Banner reports. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em – or buy ‘em’”. That appears to be the approach taken by the major daily rental operators when faced with the potential threat posed by the leading carsharing companies. In 2013 Avis Budget acquired Zipcar while January 2015 saw Europcar buy a majority stake in Ubeeqo. One of the first steps Europcar took in the wake of its buy-in was to offer Ubeeqo’s solutions to its business-to-business customers. Last July saw Europcar go a step further and acquire a majority share in E-Car Club, the UK’s first entirely electric pay-per-use car club, through Europcar Lab, its unit dedicated to innovation. Other daily rental operations are finding different ways of moving into car sharing and ensuring they do not lose out.
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FEATURE_DailyRental_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 12:23 Page 2
Sixt joint venture Sixt has done so by means of a joint venture with BMW, which is branded DriveNow. The initiative has a presence in nine major European cities with Sweden’s capital Stockholm one of the most recent to join the party. Other locations where it is active include Vienna in Austria, Copenhagen in Denmark and Berlin, Munich and Hamburg in Germany; and DriveNow has been integrated with the Moovit app. Not surprisingly, the programme revolves around BMW and MINI models with 400 i3s commissioned for Copenhagen as part of an initiative linking DriveNow with the Danish capital’s public transport system. Active in the USA, Canada and the UK, Enterprise CarShare’s roots go back to 2008. Described by Enterprise as an extension of Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s daily rental service, it has expanded steadily both organically and by purchase, acquiring Canada’s AutoShare in 2014. One consequence is that Enterprise CarShare is now available at over 200 locations throughout the Greater Toronto area.
Leasing companies join in Nor are the major leasing companies ignoring the opportunities car sharing may offer. Late in 2015 LeasePlan announced it was introducing a new car-sharing service called SwopCar, initially in the Netherlands and Luxembourg but with plans to roll it out globally in the coming months. “As a result of trends such as urbanisation, sharing, eco-awareness, mobile devices and connectivity, we foresee a shift from vehicle-oriented services
to individual driver-oriented services,” says LeasePlan chief commercial officer, Nick Salkeld. Alphabet has for sometimes been promoting a service under the AlphaCity banner. If you have got the corporate muscle of a major car hire or leasing company behind you – Europcar has increased Ubeeqo’s available capital to the tune of €4m – then you have access to resources that will allow you to advance on a number of fronts. Zipcar has signalled that it plans to expand globally. Last year’s activities included a launch in Istanbul, Turkey, a tie-up with SNCF, France’s national railway company, and a major expansion of its presence on college and university campuses in North America. New participants include Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Tampa and Wichita State University. Many of today’s students will of course be tomorrow’s corporate executives who may need to drive on business.
Disruptive innovation “In effect what the rental and leasing companies have done is face what is sometimes referred to as disruptive innovation – in this case, car-sharing – head-on and managed to combat it by absorbing it wherever possible into their existing operations,” observes one wellknown automotive industry figure. “They’ve been pretty successful at it so far too – perhaps more successful than traditional cab companies have been in their attempts to head off Uber.” The growing sophistication of vehicle connectivity makes sharing offers easier to implement, but the car-sharers are not
having things all their own way. Though successful globally, Daimler’s Car2Go has withdrawn from some important markets over the years, including the UK. The question for all car-sharing operations is which sector of the market they are going to target. Consumers? Fleet? Or both? Most appear to be pursuing the third option and riding both horses; or trying to.
Mobility solutions With a client list that includes Airbus, Danone, Veolia and aerospace group Safran – it has recently expanded its involvement with the last-name business – Ubeeqo for example is promoting Mobilities Benefits. It allows employees to rid themselves of a large company car in favour of a smaller one or access to a fleet of shared cars. On top of that they can make use of a mobility allowance, which could be used to fund, for example, train travel. The allowance can also be used to pay for car hire, which means a potential boost for daily rental revenue. In Ubeeqo’s case one suspects that there is more than an even chance that Europcar will be the rental company of choice. Not wishing to neglect private motorists, in January Ubeeqo launched a mobility app aimed at consumers in Paris and London which gives them access to cars for use by the hour as well as to taxi and - once again - car rental services. “It really makes no sense at all for someone living in a major town or city to own a car,” argues Ubeeqo founder and chief executive officer, Benoit Chatelier. “It will sit outside their home for the majority of the time depreciating as well as incurring maintenance costs, and insurance cover is usually higher in cities.
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FEATURE_DailyRental_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 12:24 Page 3
MANAGEMENT Fleet Mobility
Take them on or buy them up →
“Many people living in capitals believe that ditching their car means losing their independence however,” he adds. Avail themselves of Ubeeqo’s app and they will quickly discover that it does not, he contends.
Refining the model
Zipcar has recently increased the flexibility of its car-sharing package aimed at consumers and will be rolling out its revised approach in selected North American markets over the coming months, including Los Angeles. Zipcar’s near one million members will be able to use designated vehicles either oneway or round-trip, with parking included, change their planned destination half-way through a journey and
extend their trip for as long as they wish. The changes are being introduced as a consequence of feedback from members and non-members, says Zipcar. They have also come about in the wake of findings from various test markets and from a programme it has been running in Boston in conjunction with Honda since late 2014. At launch the new flexible element will solely involve Honda including the Fit (Jazz) five-seater subcompact. “We’ve known for the past 16 years – ever since we were founded – that the future of mobility is paying for the trip, not the car,” says Zipcar president, Kaye Ceille. Not that the needs of corporate Zipcar members are being neglected. Last summer Zipcar announced that some 40% of all Zipcar for Business members – people in the USA who join its car-sharing scheme through an affiliation with an employer – sell or avoid buying a vehicle after they have signed up to its services. The research into their attitudes was carried out in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Centre.
Fewer cars This means that the need for approximately 33,000 vehicles across North America has been eliminated, says Zipcar; a modest number given the total size of the North American car market, but one which may nonetheless give motor manufacturers pause for thought. The study also found that of those Zipcar members who became zero-car households after joining the scheme, 41% use public transport more frequently, 41% walk more regularly and 22% cycle more often. “Businesses are increasingly conscious of their environmental footprint and this research supports what we’ve long believed,” says Ceille. “That is that Zipcar for Business has many significant environmental benefits for companies, including reducing the number of vehicles they have on the road.” Salkeld’s reference to urbanisation highlights one of the limitations of car sharing. While it can work well in urban areas with a large population of both people and cars and a well-developed transport network, sparsely-populated rural areas with no rail links and limited bus networks – and in some cases poor phone signals – present more of a challenge.
Car manufacturer involvement As indicated earlier with DriveNow, Car2Go and Honda’s links with Zipcar, the car manufacturers are getting in on the car-sharing act. One of the latest is Opel in Germany, with a scheme based on the CarUnity app (pictured above), while PSA Peugeot Citroën has committed itself to developing a car-sharing offer in conjunction with electric car maker Bollore. Ford’s latest car-sharing initiatives are being piloted in both the USA and the UK through Ford Credit while General Motors is making its presence felt in the sector with a new brand called Maven. Debuting in the USA in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it will be rolled out across other major metropolitan areas during the course of this year. Other GM car-sharing initiatives include Let’s Drive NYC, aimed at consumers in New York who require a car from time
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to time but do not necessarily need to own one. “With more than 25m customers around the world projected to use some form of shared mobility by 2020, Maven is a key part of our strategy when it comes to changing ownership models in the automotive industry,” says Julia Steyn, GM vice president, Urban Mobility Programs. Which is probably another way of saying that if you can’t beat them, join them; and try to ensure that your sales don’t suffer too badly as a consequence of all this innovatory disruption.
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STRATEGY EV Charging
Intelligent charging Smart charging is on its way, logging where and how often your fleet charges EVs, reports John Kendall. utonomous driving, where vehicles use sensors and computers to automate the driving of a vehicle is perhaps the ultimate use of telematics. What is certain is that since human error is a factor in around 90% of road accidents, the pressure for autonomous driving to help reduce those deaths and injuries will ensure that it becomes a reality in the next 10 years. It could also play a part in reducing CO2 emissions by avoiding harsh acceleration and braking. EV charging was briefly back in the spotlight recently when Volvo called for a standardised charging system for all EVs, eliminating the different connectors needed for standard and rapid charging and the different connector types. Connection standards are just one issue. Another is determining who should pay for charging a particular vehicle and also gathering data on the charging history of that vehicle – how often is it charged up and where? Obviously it needs more than a straightforward power point to gather that information. Charge point manufacturer ICU (for integrated charging unit) produces charge points capable of handling data as well as providing electricity. The company has its global headquarters in the Netherlands and sources A-grade components solely from European countries. “We design all the electronics,” explains Alex Earl, UK and Ireland country manager (left), “And we carry out all the production and assembly of the units from our facility in Holland as well.” ICU has been active in the Dutch market since 2008 with some 25% to 30% of the charging equipment market there. “We are also in Belgium and now making a concerted effort getting into Germany and France, having now set up in the UK. We have chargers in other countries – in Spain and in Russia for example – as well,” says Earl. “We’re pretty pleased to say that things are standardising, certainly on the AC side of charging, so we’ve got a standardised socket. There’s a standardised communications protocol between the car and the charging infrastructure, the Mode 3 protocol, which has now settled down well between the manufacturers.”
A
FUTURE PROOF... “What we hear from fleet managers is that they want a charging system that is future-proof and supports all EVs out there,” continues Earl, “What we are seeing as successful or desired by fleet managers are 22kW chargers, simply because that supports maximum AC charging for all the EVs out there. So whether you’re charging a Nissan LEAF on 7kW/32 amps on single phase or a Tesla on three phase at 32A or a ZOE on three phase, it supports all cars.
“What is increasingly in demand is the ability to gather all the charging data that you can get from your charge points. So that’s charge points that are communicating to a back office. As a fleet manager, I can log on to my portal and see not only how much each charge point is being used but also how much my drivers are charging as well. You can have your charge points at work and also at the home of your employees and with one overview you can see how much an individual is charging both at home and at work. By having that overview, it helps you to get a better understanding of what your drivers are wanting. It also comes back to future proofing. If in future the tax office comes knocking at your door saying people charging at work is a Benefit-in-Kind, you will have all the data in hand to support that. “As demand is increasing, it’s not just one charge point for one EV, it’s going to be a group of charge points. That inevitably has an impact on your power capacity. Increasing that capacity is both time consuming and very costly upfront. Fleet managers are looking to minimise those investment costs and by having intelligent solutions which enable load balancing between charge points, you can really limit your costs but still support all your drivers.”
“As a fleet manager, I can log on to my portal and see not only how much each charge point is being used but also how much my drivers are charging as well.” internationalfleetworld.com / 23
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INTERVIEW Giuseppe Tommaso, SEAT
SEAT thinks big
SEAT’s fleet sales have grown strongly in recent years and the arrival of the company’s first SUV could stimulate further growth, reckons John Kendall. he SEAT Ateca C-segment SUV was the first car to be revealed to the press at the recent Geneva Show, the latest addition to a revitalised SEAT range. SUVs, particularly of this size were the fastest growing sector in Europe, in terms of fleet and retail sales in 2015 and the arrival at last, of SEAT’s entrant in the market is expected to help boost SEAT’s growing fleet sales. SEAT has been clear that it would be launching a Csegment SUV for a while and the car arrives when the market already offers a number of established rivals. We caught up with Giuseppe Tommaso, director of international fleet sales and remarketing at Geneva to discuss Ateca and other things. “Sometimes if you are not among the first to launch a new model, it means you’re going to have a lot of advantages,” he comments, “Because you can include the latest features in your car and things that others are not offering. This is the result of the great job our colleagues in R&D, Design and Quality have done. Recently we had a
T
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discussion with international experts representing 14 markets about RVs – they drove a pre-production model, not the final version and the outcome was very positive, so we would confirm that coming later can have some advantages.” As mentioned previously, there are already a number of competitors in the sector, so, which are the closest rivals? “For sure, the best-selling model in the segment in Europe is the Qashqai,” says Tommaso, “Then the Koreans with the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson and we also have to take into consideration the Renault Kadjar that is selling well in France, so I think these four are our main competitors. “If we also observe the evolution of the segment, it is much bigger than it was. Looking at the market, a lot of customers are coming from other segments. So we could also benefit from them.” Tommaso observes that in European fleet sales, the SUV segment accounted for 7% of the sales in 2006 and is now above 35%.
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Since Tommaso moved to SEAT four years ago he has seen fleet sales increase significantly, “Mainly thanks to the new Leon, which has contributed a lot to the increase in the corporate sector. The recent face-lifted Ibiza is also getting some good results and Toledo also supported us, for example, we are selling a lot of taxis in Spain, but Leon was the majority of the volume. “In terms of numbers every year we achieved two digit growth. In the main markets we focus on, we have moved from around 42,000 cars in 2012 to over 74,000 last year and this growth is not only coming from the EU5 markets, but also from Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Mexico. “We have also been working more with the markets, focussing more on the processes and winning customers such as Siemens, Vodafone, Glaxo Smith Kline, to mention some and for the first time in Italian history, becoming the sole supplier of Police and Carabinieri cars. “Now we have more than 200 fleet specialist dealers, fully dedicated to prospect small companies across 11 markets, including the European ‘Big 5’ – France, Germany Italy, Spain and the UK, as well as other markets such as Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium and also Sweden and Portugal. Tommaso also says that the station wagon fleet segment is slightly smaller than the SUV sector so Ateca has the potential to match or even outsell Leon ST when fleet sales get under way for the new model. “It’s probably not a car that you can sell in a big batch,” reckons Tommaso, “But for the user-chooser and also small companies where there is
“Sometimes if you are not among the first to launch a new model, it means you’re going to have a lot of advantages.”
a combination of business use and private use we could have a lot of opportunities.” When SUVs were heavy cars with high CO2 emissions, many fleets did not want to take them on, but with CO2 emissions down for these models and weights reduced, is that still an issue? “Basically fleet car policy does not always allow sports cars, but SUVs, yes,” says Tommaso, “We see more and more growth in fleet. We can say that an SUV is not a typical service car, but more in the area of user choosers, so if accepted on company car lists it will be requested because of the higher driving position, versatility and space. There are also special fleet categories such as some police cars or forestry vehicles, where this kind of car is needed with four-wheel drive. SEAT has carried out an analysis of the European fleet market and found that one third of the SUVs bought for fleet use were sold in the UK. Tommaso thinks this is for two reasons, “The size of the fleet market. It’s the biggest in Europe. Secondly, the maturity of the fleet segment in the UK is higher, so a lot of employees are more and more eligible to have a company car, which means that they found an SUV the best solution in terms of space, family, private and business use with attractive total cost of ownership.” So Ateca should find a ready fleet market in the UK. “Then of course in the other big markets like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, and also the Nordic countries,” he added. “We got a lot of interest from the leasing companies just to say this could be a serious alternative to the most successful SUVs, so we have a lot of expectations from these promising comments.” Ateca is due to go on sale in June.
New SEAT Ateca The company’s all-new SUV
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FLEET FOCUS_Switzerland_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 14:21 Page 1
FLEET FOCUS Switzerland
Geneva conventions A tradition of ownership has shaped the Swiss business car sector, as John Kendall reports.
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amed for its banking sector, manufacture of chocolate and watchmaking, Switzerland is a comparatively small European country. The US Central Intelligence Agency describes the country as, “Slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey.” Switzerland is located centrally in Western Europe and is completely landlocked, bordering Austria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein and Germany. The country has no less than four official languages – German, spoken by the majority of inhabitants, then French, Italian and Romansh. A CIA estimate put the population at around 8.1m for July 2015, slightly smaller than London. Switzerland is not part of the European Union, although it was a founder member of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA). Car registrations reached 323,783 in 2015, according to Auto Suisse, an increase of 7.2% compared with 2014. That fits somewhere between Austria (308,555) and Sweden (345,108). Although there are no volume car manufacturers in the country, there are a number of small independent car producers such as Rinspeed and Sbarro, producing specialist vehicles. There is a thriving automotive component sector in Switzerland, while Iveco, the commercial vehicle arm of the Fiat Chrysler organisation, has an engine research establishment at Arbon, on the site of the former Swiss truck and bus manufacturer Saurer.
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German makers dominate With German the dominant language in Switzerland, it is not surprising that German car manufacturers perform well in the Swiss car market. Volkswagen was the best selling brand in 2014 and 2015 with 42,212 sales in 2015, an increase of 5.1% on 2014. BMW was the second best selling brand with 24,039 registrations, an increase of 14.2% over 2014. Mercedes-Benz was the third biggest selling brand with 22,884 sales, up 24.5% on 2014. Audi came a close fourth with 22,225 sales in 2015, up 6.1% on 2014. Looking at individual models, there are few surprises, with the Volkswagen Golf the best seller with 15,288 registrations, followed by the Skoda Octavia with 12,228. The remaining slots in the top five best sellers are taken by the VW Polo, Audi A3 and SEAT Leon. EV opportunity? Geographically, Switzerland is a fairly mountainous country with the Alps to the south and the Jura to the north-west. The mountainous terrain not surprisingly brings lakes too. Lake Geneva which forms a border between Switzerland and France is 73km long and is one of the largest lakes in Europe. That terrain lends itself to hydro-electric power and just 2.5% of Switzerland’s electricity is generated using fossil fuels according to the CIA. Hydroelectric sources produce some 67.8% of the electricity, with 16.1% produced from nuclear power plants. Is that a stimulus for the EV sector in Switzerland?
Best selling brands Switzerland 2015 Manufacturer
2015
2014
Volkswagen
42,212
40,146
5.1
BMW
24,039
21,057
14.2
Mercedes-Benz
22,884
18,384
24.5
Audi
22,225
20,949
6.1
Skoda
20,972
19,517
7.5
14,821
11,747
26.2
Renault
Change %
Opel
13,769
13,384
2.9
Ford
13,704
12,949
5.8
Peugeot
12,587
11,423
10.2
Citroën
11,517
11,268
2.2
Source Auto Suisse
Best selling models Switzerland 2015 Model
Sales
Volkswagen Golf
15,288
Skoda Octavia
12,228
Volkswagen Polo
7,210
Audi A3
5,725
SEAT Leon
4,869
Volkswagen Passat
4,579
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
4,299
Renault Clio
4,031
Volkswagen Tiguan
3,950
BMW 2 Series
3,871
Source Auto Suisse
Two new electric cars were launched at the Geneva Show in March, the eRod, produced by local Swiss EV manufacturer Kyburz Switzerland and the South Korean Yebbujana R2. According to e’mobile, established to promote alternative energy power for vehicles in Switzerland, there are now 1,000 charging points for EVs in Switzerland, including 70 DC fast charge stations. e’mobile reckons that most Cantons, the 26 Swiss administrative regions, offer tax reductions for electric vehicles. Traditional ownership model Despite, or perhaps because of the relative wealth of the Swiss economy, leasing is not a well-established model of vehicle operation in Switzerland. According to LeasePlan, “The Swiss fleet/business car sector is not as developed as in the neighbouring mature markets, e.g. Germany or France. SMEs especially have a tendency towards buying their fleet and maintaining the vehicles themselves, based on the Swiss culture of preferring to own things compared with renting/leasing them.“ This is similar to Alphabet’s experience. Alphabet reckons that about 50% of company cars are owned outright by the company. In line with the data on brands and models, Alpha-
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FLEET FOCUS_Switzerland_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 14:22 Page 3
FLEET FOCUS Switzerland
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bet suggests that there are a lot of premium brands represented among fleet cars and also white label fleets. The market is described as, “User chooser driven”, by Alphabet and quality and service orientated. Alphabet agrees with LeasePlan regarding the tradition of car ownership in Switzerland. LeasePlan says that around 63,000 new business cars were registered in 2015, which would account for around 19.5% of total car registrations. Overall, LeasePlan suggests there are around five million cars registered on Swiss roads. Alphabet estimates that new business car registrations accounted for many more than LeasePlan’s estimates, with around 120,000 new business cars being added to Swiss roads in 2015. Market growth: good for fleets? The continuing growth in the Swiss car market looks as though it has some advantages for fleets, but drawbacks too. Alphabet believes that it has increased pressure on margins for the fleet sector and also put pressure on residual values, but on the other hand has led to rising upfront discounts in premium segments. Both LeasePlan and Alphabet report that station wagons and SUVs are popular choices for fleet cars. LeasePlan suggests that 4x4s with larger engines than in neighbouring countries are popular because of the terrain and winter weather. Alphabet suggests that 4x4 models are more likely to be chosen by those at management level. The total light CV sector in Switzerland grew 7.7% in 2015 to 30,833. Market leader was VW, with a total of 5,526 registrations according to Auto Suisse. The VW Transporter put in a strong performance, supported by the Crafter. Ford took second place with 4,180 registrations and the Ford Transit Custom performing strongly. Renault was the third best seller with strong sales of both Trafic and Master models, and registrations totalling 3,716. The highest concentration of registrations was in the 2.6 – 3.45 tonne gross vehicle weight (GVW) sector, although manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and Iveco with traditional strengths in heavy vans sold most vehicles in the 3.45 – 3.50t GVW sector. In the 2.6 – 3.45t sector registrations rose 14.5% to 13,667, while in the 3.45 – 3.50t GVW sector, registrations grew by 3.4% to 9,505 in 2015. Since most light CVs are operated by fleets, particularly in Light CV registrations Switzerland 2015 Manufacturer
2015
2014
Change %
Volkswagen
5,526
5,682
-2.7
Ford
4,180
3,456
20.9
Renault
3,716
3,420
8.7
Mercedes-Benz
3,000
3,050
-1.6
Opel
2,230
1,941
14.9
Citroën
1,954
1,965
-0.6
Iveco
1,827
1,727
5.8
Fiat
1,706
1,530
11.5
Peugeot
1,524
1,537
-0.8
Nissan
1,484
1,241
19.6
Source Auto Suisse
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the weight ranges favoured by Swiss buyers, it seems likely that the data for light CV registrations gives a good picture of the Swiss light CV fleet business. LeasePlan suggests that demand for light CVs is growing in fleet business and is becoming more important. Tax advantage? Switzerland has a reputation for its comparatively low personal tax rates and that would appear to be the case where Benefit-In-Kind taxation is concerned. According to LeasePlan, “0.8% of the investment value is added to your monthly salary in terms of a non-cash benefit. The investment value is not being received in cash, but deducted on the annual tax declaration.” Accountants PwC clarify this further, “The free use of a company car for private purposes is considered as a taxable benefit. The value of this benefit is subject to cantonal variation but is, in many cantons, fixed at a monthly amount of 0.8% of the purchase price of the car (minimum CHF 150 per month).” As discussed previously, there is a tradition of ownership in Switzerland, which has limited the development of vehicle leasing, compared with neighbouring countries such as Germany or France. Not surprisingly, this means that there are three popular acquisition methods for company cars: outright purchase, finance leasing and operational leasing. As far as leasing is concerned, LeasePlan suggests that 40% of the market for company cars is in finance leasing, compared with 60% for operational leasing. Alphabet’s experience is different from this and the company suggests that operational leasing has a 30% market share. Potential for leasing growth Data from the Swiss Leasing Association’s 2014 annual report shows that in 2014 the total car leasing market was worth €10.6m. Private leasing accounted for 69.9% of this total, with commercial car leasing responsible for 30.1%, of which fleets accounted for 10%. In terms of new contracts, the total number of new contracts written for car leasing in 2014 was 202,289. Again the majority, 144,736 (71.5%) were for private leasing, while business leases accounted for 57,553 (28.5%) of which fleets accounted for 18,959 (9.4%). Data for the total number of leases at the end of 2014 shows there were 573,828 leases in existence for cars overall. Again the largest proportion – 435,830 (76.0%) were for private leases with 137,998 (24.0%) for business car leasing, with fleets taking 52,757 (9.2%) of these. Add in the leasing business for light CVs and that was worth a further €983,660 in 2014. During the year a further 16,757 new contracts were written for light CV leasing, bringing the total number to 53,347. The Swiss Leasing Association also produced data on the fleet sector, worth €1.786m at the end of 2014. Full service leasing accounted for 64.7% of the total and finance leasing for 35.3%. 23,477 new leasing contracts were written for fleets in 2014, with full service leasing accounting for 56.7% of the total and finance leasing for 43.3%. At the end of 2014, there were 69,995 fleet leases with full service leasing accounting for 46,533 (66.5%) and finance leasing for 23,462 (33.5%).
AUTOROLA_IFW_Poland_Apr16 18/03/2016 15:05 Page 1
REMARKETING Poland
Dominance of used market The Polish market is “like no other” in Europe, according to Autorola Poland’s managing director Michał Wojciechowski. oland has a population of 38.6 million, but in 2015 registered just 355,000 new cars and imported over 800,000 used cars. Add that dynamic to the fact that 93% of the used car park is over four years old and the new and used car markets have no current CO2 legislation in place and the Polish market lives up to its reputation as Europe’s automotive anomaly. In 2015 new car sales grew by 8.3% to 355,000, a significant growth but well behind the volumes of similar sized countries. When a new car is equivalent to two-three years’ salary it’s clear why annual used car volumes are higher than new cars. Used car imports were forecast to grow to 811,000, a figure that would have grown still further if it hadn’t been for the unhealthy exchange rate between the Polish Zloty and the Euro towards the end of the year. The only fiscal guidelines in place that shape the structure of the new and used vehicle market is a 3.1% and 18.6% excise tax depending on whether a car engine is below or above 2.0 litres in capacity. “For such a big country Poland’s automotive sector is still emerging and very challenging. We have seen Autorola’s main remarketing competitor withdraw from the market and we are now the only provider of a range of integrated remarketing, inspection and appraisal services under a single brand,” explained Wojciechowski. “Working with the major leasing companies, outright purchase fleets and OEMs Autorola is bringing some much needed structure, process, technology and financial transparency to the home used market. “Franchised dealers are able to buy the ex fleet stock in the knowledge the cars are as described and are worth their average price of €10-11,000. Vendors also like the transparency of online auctions, which are often run in parallel to their own online auctions thanks to data exchange
p
platforms and synchronisation,” he added. The majority of the used cars entering Poland are private imports bought at an average price of €3-4,000. As well as importing a car for their own use, many are acting as independent traders with cars bought to sell from their home to top up their family income. Often imported cars have over 100,000kms on the clock, have no supporting paperwork and are in poor condition with odometer clocking commonplace, hence the cheap price. This poor condition of cars and poor upkeep by owners has contributed to Poland having one of Europe’s worst road death rates by population in Europe. Polish motorists aspire to owning a German car, particularly a Volkswagen, hence the brand is the most popular as a used car and why nearly half the imported cars in Poland come from Germany. Skoda and Toyota are the top new car brands, with Toyota investing a great deal in marketing to regain its number one position in the market. Poland’s market is a good example of how cross border remarketing via the likes of Autorola’s online used car portal is helping Europe’s used car market balance its books. Over recent years Poland has been seen as the dumping ground for old used cars - 55% of the imported car population in 2015 was still over 10 years old – but there are some positive signs for the country. Real GDP has increased cumulatively by 19% since 2008, which is unrivalled in the EU. There has been solid wage growth and reduced levels of unemployment, while public spending levels are slowly increasing to support the country’s infrastructure. “In 10 years’ time the Polish automotive market will have changed dramatically, but it will have to modernise itself in line with the growing demands and spending power of its population. If this continues Poland will no longer be Europe’s dumping ground for old cars,” said Wojciechowski.
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IAM_Austria_IFW_Apr16 18/03/2016 14:31 Page 1
IAM REPORT Austria
Driving in Austria Tips on driving in Austria for business users from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). f you are required to drive in Austria you will be lucky enough to drive in one of the most driver-friendly countries in the world; with smooth, well planned roads, clear signage and polite motorists who observe the rules of the road. But as befits a country where safety is a very high priority, there are some special requirements you must adhere to, and special equipment your vehicle must carry, especially during the winter months. When driving in Austria you should always keep your full licence, ownership documents and insurance details with you. You must be at least 18 years of age to drive in Austria. The legal drink/driving limit in Austria is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. As in all countries, do not drink and drive – and be aware that penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol are severe in Austria. You must carry a high visibility warning vest and wear it when getting out of your car on the hard shoulder or in the event of breakdown. You must also have a first aid kit and a warning triangle in your car. It is no longer compulsory for cars to be driven with headlights switched on throughout the day all year round. If you are travelling in a right-hand drive car you will need headlamp converters in the form of beam deflectors that can be fixed to your headlights when you are driving on the right.
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Autobahn Vignette If you use Austrian Autobahn or S roads you must display a motorway vignette (sticker) on the inside of the windscreen of your vehicle as you enter the country. Failure to have one will mean a heavy, on-the-spot fine. You can get a motorway vignette at all major border crossings into Austria and at larger petrol stations. Not surprisingly Austria is very well prepared when it comes to winter weather, especially snow. All vehicles must be adapted to winter road conditions between 1 November and 15 April. Snow chains on the driving wheels will only be allowed as an alternative where the road is fully covered by snow and/or ice and the road surface will not be damaged by the chains. Chains or summer tyres will not be allowed for slush conditions. Heavy fines or temporary loss of vehicle may be imposed on those who ignore this legislation. Finally you should bear in mind that many drivers in Austria are travelling through the country from west to east or vice-versa. So while you might have a good understanding of the road rules in Austria, other road users around you might not. So we would urge you to drive accordingly, and stay alert in case other drivers are not as aware of driving etiquette as you are.
ROAD_IFW_Mazda3_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 14:34 Page 1
Mazda3 1.5 SKYACTIV-D The small diesel this car always needed won’t blunt its company car appeal, says Alex Grant. SECTOR Lower Medium PRICE €23,500–€32,400 FUEL 3.8–4.9l/100km CO2 99–114g/km
t’s been an inevitable add-on for at least a year. The rather than segment-topping volumes. Mazda3’s large diesel engine has curbed its full fleet Naturally, the drop in power costs a little of the potential, despite rising demand, and the Mazda2 and Mazda3’s highly-praised driving experience, but it’s not a CX-3 arrived in 2015 with a 1.5-litre unit which has always full demolition of what is an important point of choice for seemed like a logical fit. Mazda clearly thought so too. this car. The engine is very quiet when warmed up and the That’s not to say the 2.2-litre was uncompetitive. variable-geometry turbocharger delivers a consistent, if Launched two years ago, 107g/km and 4.1l/100km mean never particularly urgent, spread of torque across the rev it’s still among the most efficient of the 150hp diesel range. Drivers familiar with 1.6-litre diesels will find this engines, and it’s been a big part of this car’s popularity feels much like the rest, albeit with one of the best chaswith businesses. sis and steering setups in the segment. However, it’s a large capacity engine where most of this Choice is limited slightly by the six-speed automatic gearsegment is 2.0-litres and below, and it’s box, as fitted to our test car. It’s certainly meant Mazda hasn’t had a subone of the better automatic gearboxes, 100g/km entry point in Europe’s aside from the Volkswagen Group biggest segment. That’s particularly double-clutch units, but comes with a important in some markets – 42% of large CO2 and economy penalty. At UK C-segment sales are 99g/km or less. 4.9l/100km and 114g/km, it’s really only The 1.5-litre engine, introduced in its an option for those who really need it. more powerful 105hp form in the Of course, the reality is often a little Mazda3, is aiming for tax-conscious different. The 2.2-litre diesel is barely company car drivers, as well as targeting using any of its power while cruising, and businesses who have a 2.0-litre capacity it’s a proven performer when it comes to limit for their fleets. It’s available in the real-world efficiency. Downsizing can four-door and five-door bodystyles, sometimes mean equipping a car with an while many markets are offering the engine that’s too small, and working too entry-level diesel in the highest trim hard to come anywhere near the figures The right engine for the levels – a big indicator of its fleet focus. in the brochure. Mazda3, at least in fleet. Most importantly, on paper at Luckily, for Mazda, that’s not true here. Greatly improved tax least, it puts Mazda into the core of We saw less than 5.6l/100km while this segment. Manual versions cruising, on a nearly new engine, which efficiency, without curbconsume 3.8 litres of diesel per 100km, suggests the automatic could consume ing its driver appeal or in both bodystyles and all trim levels, less than 5.0l/100km with a few more real-world economy. which is competitive if not class leadmiles under its belt. Manual versions Good for the CX-5 too? ing. It doesn’t need to be, as the should be even more efficient. Plenty to carmaker is chasing healthy growth keep drivers and fleets happy.
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what we think
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ROAD_IFW_DS4_Apr16 18/03/2016 14:32 Page 1
DS 4 Low emissions will help to give the DS 4 models fleet appeal, reckons John Kendall. SECTOR Lower Medium PRICE €20,600–€28,300 FUEL 3.8–5.9/100km CO2 100–138g/km
aunching a new automotive brand is a big challenge, and as DS, Infiniti (in Europe) and now Genesis are finding out, launching a premium brand is an even more serious challenge. The dominance of the German premium brands in Europe does not make it any easier for rivals. DS is a good case in point. While sister brands Peugeot and Citroën increased EU sales by 9.1% and 10.9% in 2015, DS sales fell back by -11.7% to 73,371, against the positive trend for most brands during the year. DS will no doubt be hoping that the new DS 4 and DS 4 Crossback, as well as the new DS3 will help to reverse that trend in 2016. Recognising the fast growing interest in the crossover and SUV sectors, DS has produced two versions of the new DS 4, one a conventional C-segment five-door hatchback and the other a crossover with 30mm greater ride height. Otherwise the two models share the same basic bodywork and components. Apart from the greater ride height, the Crossback is distinguished by wheel arch trims, different treatments for the front and rear panels, the 162hp version (130g/km CO2) is mated to a six-speed a black rear spoiler and grey roof bars. Both feature LED automatic transmission and the 208hp version (138g/km headlamps, incorporating bi-xenon and LED modules, CO2) with a six-speed manual, just like the three-cylinder with LED scrolling direction indicators. Both engine. The 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesels are likely feature a panoramic windscreen with indito feature more with fleet buyers, particularly FLEET FACT vidual blinds and folding sun shields for the in CO2 related tax regions. The 1.6-litre engines driver and front passenger. deliver 118hp, again with a choice of six-speed 118hp and 150hp Both feature a seven-inch touch screen for manual (100-103g/km CO2) or automatic the infotainment system, with some conven(102-108g/km CO2). The 148hp 2.0-litre versions give tional switchgear beneath, so not all the engine is offered with manual transmission 3.9l/100km and controls are operated by touchscreen buttons. (100-103g/km CO2) and the 178hp variant 100-103g/km CO2. There is a range of option packs with the cars with the six-speed auto (115g/km CO2). too from assistance to mapping. Engine options may vary in different markets. DS offers a range of petrol and diesel engines. Petrol variNot surprisingly, the Crossback has a slightly more ants include the 129hp 1.2-litre three-cylinder (119compliant ride. Legroom in the back could be more 20g/km CO2) and a pair of 1.6-litre engines. For the DS4, generous, but it’s around average for the sector and the sculpted front seatbacks help to maximise knee room. The interior has a quality feel to it and it is tastefully appointed. The cars we drove were all equipped with leather seating as standard. The 178hp diesel auto is a good combination and without a big CO2 penalty for the conventional automatic. Among the diesels, the 150hp variant is arguably the best all-rounder offering a good combination of performance and low emissions. 300Nm of torque ensures that the 118hp engine is also a good drive and it’s the only engine with a choice of either manual or automatic. The turbo-charged three-cylinder petrol engine is also a sweet performer, better than in some other PSA models I have driven. It can get a bit coarse when pressed hard and fuel consumption is no match for the diesels, but for lower mileage drivers it has a lot going for it. As is often the case for new cars, there’s too much road noise from the DS4 – it’s slightly better in the Crossback.
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ROAD_IFW_DS4_Apr16 18/03/2016 15:06 Page 2
what we think
highlights Five-door and Crossback variantS 30mm greater ride height for Crossback 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel consumes 3.9l/100km and 100-103g/km CO2 High specification includes LED headlights
DS knows it has work to do to coax buyers out of Audi A3 and Q3 models, for instance. But the new DS4 is a move in the right direction. If DS can keep the quality up and reliability is competitive with premium models, DS could be in with a chance. But there’s more competition in the shape of the Infiniti Q30 and QX30 too. There’s a long road ahead for the company. Can it realise its vision of a return to the glorious French Grand Routières of the 1930s?
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ROAD_IFW_Prius_Apr16 18/03/2016 14:44 Page 1
Toyota Prius Toyota’s hybrid figurehead offers frugality as extraordinary as its styling, says Alex Grant. SECTOR Upper Medium PRICE €28,150–€32,150 FUEL 3.0–3.3l/100km CO2 70–76g/km
rguably launched before its time, the first Prius was a 20th Century solution to 21st Century problems. Years before legislation twisted the arms of other brands, it gave Toyota a platform to lead on CO2 figures and air quality, and it’s spearheaded big changes. While others relied on diesel, hybrid is a core technology for Toyota and Lexus. The two brands sold nearly 209,000 in Europe last year, hybrids are a third of its sales mix in Western Europe, and it has ambitions to take that up to 50% by 2020. The Prius introduced the market to technology now used in everything from superminis to luxury SUVs. But the spearhead has become a bit of a niche model. The Prius accounted for around 3% (7,853 units) of the brand’s European hybrid sales last year, with the Auris and Yaris hybrids outselling it 11 and 10 to one respectively. Toyota appears to be comfortable with that, now showcasing its spearhead hybrid in a swooping, sharplycreased, futuristic body. It’s not targeting large volumes, and makes no effort to blend in. switched off, and the Prius is now as fuel efficient on the The drivetrain is an evolution of the outgoing car’s. Its motorway as it is in town. 1.8-litre petrol engine warms up faster and is industryToyota has also acknowledged its shortcomings as a leading in its ability to avoid wasting energy driver’s car. It’s the first on a new modular platas heat, the two electric motor-generators form, with a much stiffer structure, a lower FLEET FACT are smaller and lighter and weight has been centre of gravity and a sportier seating position shed from all of the hybrid system to avoid than before. This won’t lure GT86 drivers out This is the intruding on cabin space. of their coupes, but it feels much more like the But the big difference is the way they’re upper-medium car it’s claimed to be. Ride qualfirst Prius used. Although slightly less powerful than ity is supple, the controls reassuringly weighty, capable of before, the drivetrain utilises its electric the dashboard wraps around the driver and it towing a trailer. motor more frequently, both assisting the feels far more sure-footed while cornering. engine and as the only power source. So The cabin is radically different, with the throttle responses are sharper, the engine less prone to swathes of hard, textured grey plastic replaced by colour droning under load, and it can coast at up to 110kph displays, consistent fonts and phosphor blue illumination, using no fuel. It’s much easier to keep the petrol engine accented with chrome and gloss. It’s still unmistakeably a Prius, but finally on par with rivals in terms of quality and design, only let down by a clunky navigation system. Trim levels vary by market, but most models come equipped with dual-zone climate control, digital radio and Toyota’s touchscreen infotainment system across the range, along with a few driver assistance systems. However, it’s worth noting that not all versions feature the soft-touch cabin materials fitted to our test car, and there was no opportunity to see what the alternative looks like. Business car essentials such as satellite navigation also tend to mean moving up to larger wheels, curbing its fuel efficiency, but with the option to stay on the smaller wheels in markets where this affects running costs. The Prius is one of only two cars without a mainsrechargeable battery to emit less than 75g/km – the other is the much smaller Yaris Hybrid. It remains a showcase for hybrid technology, rather than a mass-market car, but beneath that striking exterior, perhaps the most remarkable quality is how normal it’s become to drive.
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ROAD_IFW_Prius_Apr16 18/03/2016 14:44 Page 2
what we think
highlights Consumes just 2.9l/100km in urban areas, on 15-inch wheels Better to drive, motorway efficiency now benchmarking efficient diesels
Effortlessly efficient and much better to drive, the pioneering Prius is continuing to set the standard for hybrids in Europe. A well-rounded alternative to the variable real-world economy of a plug-in hybrid, for those who can live with the outlandish styling.
Lower, larger boot with up to 502-litre capacity
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PROFILE_Citroen_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 12:27 Page 1
PROFILE Citroën & DS
The
power
Since the first whisperings of a separation into two distinct brands two years ago, Citroën and DS have been working hard to forge their own identities and establish presence in legacy and emerging markets. Market instability in some regions affected performance, while others recorded a sales uplift…
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PROFILE_Citroen_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 12:44 Page 2
view
Manufacturer Citroën & DS Total sales 2015 1,263,276 Headquarters Paris, France Global market share 1.74% No. of models 12 (6)
from the top
Varied market fortunes espite a 2% downturn in overall sales last year, Citroën did well to remain relatively stable in the face of challenging conditions affecting some of the brand’s most lucrative global markets. Reduced performance in these regions was offset by growth in Europe and surging sales in Middle Eastern countries, helping to counteract slow sales caused by economic and political instability and compounded by competition from manufacturers with younger ranges. In Europe, Citroën reported its highest volume of sales since 2012, with markets including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Germany providing the largest share of sales. Full-year sales of the popular C4 Cactus mini crossover accounted for 82,000 units in Europe, while C1 city car (60,000 units) and C4 Picasso SUV (113,000) were the brand’s other regional best sellers. Sister brand DS sold 76,733 units in Europe over the full year in 2015, led by product refreshes including DS 5 in June and DS 4 and DS 4 Crossback in the second half of the year, limited editions of DS 3 and the expansion of the DS network, which now includes 17 DS Stores and 78 DS Salons in Europe. The fastest-growing sales region for Citroën last year was the Middle East and Africa, with an upswing of 16%. The brand stepped up its positions in Algeria, Tunisia and Israel and saw a sharp increase in sales in Turkey (+43%), Israel (+79%) and Tunisia (+29%), largely due to the success of the C-Elysee, Citroën’s best-selling model in these countries. DS also laid foundations for expansion into the Middle East, most notably by announcing its entry into the Iranian market as well as the opening of DS Stores in Ankara and in Tunis – a first for the brand in Africa. Despite recording an overall downturn in sales in SE Asia, sales picked up by more than 10% in the fourth quarter following the launch of SUV C3-XR earlier in the year. C3-XR accounted for 67,000 units sold in the region, while the Citroën CElysee reaffirmed its status as Dongfeng Citroën’s best-seller, with 90,000 units sold. C4 saloon was introduced to the market in October, accounting for 8,000 units in three months following a strong pre-order performance. Despite recording a downturn in deliveries in 2015, China still represents an important growth region for DS. The brand is well established in the market having aways operated separate from Citroën, and is supported by an expanding model range. Challenging market conditions in Latin America continued in 2015, creating issues for almost all vehicle manufacturers operating in these territories. Despite the successful introduction of re-designed C3 Aircross to the Brazilian market in November, the brand recorded a 27% overall sales reduction. First launched in 2010, C3 Aircross is designed specifically for the Latin American market. The new model is manufactured at the Porto Real plant in Brazil and full availability should help to boost sales in 2016, assisted by further integration of manufacturing operations to bring down associated costs and lead times.
D
CITROËN (DS) Global sales, by territory Territory
2014
2015
% change
Europe
709,710 (86,044)
731140 (76,733)
3% (-11%)
China & SE Asia
321,602 (26,978)
302,198 (21,479)
-6% (-20%)
77,827 (1,185)
56,613 (1,204)
-27% (2%)
Latin America Middle East & Africa
52,936 (1,942)
61,472 (1,642)
16% (-15%)
Other
23,159 (2,323)
9,518 (1,292)
-57% (-44%)
Total
1,185,234 (118,472)
1,160,941 (102,335)
-2% (14%)
Arnauld Ribault, vice president global sales and marketing, DS Automobiles. Which are your biggest markets? Since 2010 DS has sold 600,000 cars worldwide. Last year in 2015 we have sold 102,000 cars – 21% in China, 75% in Europe. Our biggest markets are France, the UK and China. DS Academy launches this year, offering dealer training. How will you differentiate on customer service? In Europe our story is unique because we started with Citroën. Now we are separating our network, but we cannot do that in one day. We have the chance to create our own distribution strategy based on dedicated DS Stores and DS Salons. These will have staff trained at DS Academy. We will have training about product, but also about ‘luxury’. If you say luxury you think about Ferrari and Aston Martin. The inspiration for DS is more luxury than premium; we are inspired by avant-garde spirit, creativity, style, Parisian chic, not just the premium car market. As soon as you are ready to pay for a product at a certain level, you expect a quality of service. This is what we have to provide to our customers. With six new cars planned by 2020, which are the most important gaps to fill and how will this change your sales mix globally? We want to be able to sell cars all over the world, except North America. So we will target SUVs and sedans from the B to D segment. Today the weight of DS 3 is big, in 2020 it will be the same numbers but the weight will be lower. If we have a good premium CSUV worldwide we will have the capacity to sell more than DS 3. We are not driven by volume, we are driven by establishing the brand, the service, the network and the volume will follow. If we miss or overpass by 10,000 it’s not a problem. It’s a big commitment, of 15 years of work.
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PROFILE_Citroen_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 12:26 Page 3
PROFILE Citroën & DS CITROËN & DS fleet model range
→
Where are they made? Manufacturing plant locations
1
Sevelnord Site, Lieu Saint Amand, France – Citroën C8
2
Poissy Production Plant, Poissy, France – Citroën C3, DS 3
3
Rennes Production Plant, Brittany, France – Citroën C5, Citroën C6
4
Mulhouse Production Plant, Sausheim, France – Citroën C4, DS 4
5
Vigo Plant, Pontevedra, Spain – Citroën Grand C4 Picasso, Citroën C4 Picasso, Citroën Xsara Picasso
6
Site de Trnava, Trnava, Slovakia – Citroën C3 Picasso
7
Kaluga Site, Kaluga Oblast, Russia – Citroën C4, Citroën C-Crossover
8
Porto Real Plant, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Citroën C3 Aircross
9
Site de Wuhan, Hubei Province, China – Citroën C5, Citroën C-Triomphe, Citroën C-Quatre, Citroën C-Elysee, Citroën C2
10
Shenzen Plant, Guangdong, China – DS
11
China Changan Automobile Group, Guangdong, China – DS 4S, DS 5, DS 5LS, DS 6
12
Okazaki Plant, Aichi Prefecture, Japan – Citroën C-Crossover
3
7
1 2 4 6 5 12
9 10
11
8
Laying the foundations lthough Citroën has no plans to launch any major new models in 2016, the brand has been working on a number of concept vehicles including the Aircross Concept, first shown at the Shanghai Motor Show in April 2015. This large SUV product with Cactus-esque styling is designed to capitalise on the positive reaction to the Cactus model and grow market share in the key region of China when it enters production. It is expected that Aircross Concept will eventually makes its way to SUVfriendly Europe, where Citroën has in the past had a rebranded Mitsubishi Outlander called C-Crossover, and still had a rebranded Mitsubishi ASX named C4 Aircross, available in certain markets. Citroën has also developed C4 Cactus Rip Curl, applying Grip Control to the Cactus for the first time and further enhancing the brand’s crossover offering. C4 Cactus Rip Curl edition was unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and borne of a partnership between the manufacturer and legendary surfing brand Rip Curl. The Grip Control system provides traction in off-road mode, and uses advanced anti-skid functions built into ESP software. This manages traction from the driven front wheels and offers extra grip for twowheel cars, helping to extend Cactus’s appeal. DS will not unveil new products in Europe in 2016 following a busy schedule of vehicle refreshes, but DS 4S will launch to the Chinese market later this year. Based on Peugeot 308, the premium hatchback is designed specifically for Chinese buyers with more rear leg-room to satisfy the chauffer market. The model will be manufactured locally at the Guangzhou plant following a partnership with China Changan Automobile Group, which also builds DS 5, DS 5LS and DS 6 SUV. Six new DS models are expected by 2020 to broaden the range. Recognising the challenges of establishing itself as a premium international brand, DS will channel most of its energy into the development of the dealer network and DS Salon show rooms this year. The brand has also launched a DS Academy to train and educate dealers on product and financing options to ensure a premium customer service experience. By 2018, when entirely new DS products start appearing, DS’s youngest allnew car in Europe will be the DS 5 which launched in 2012, although there have been recent face-lifted versions of DS 3, DS 4 and DS 5. DS 4 is also now available as two different cars – a hatchback and the SUV-inspired Crossback. The former is expected to drive volume growth in fleet.
C3 Picasso / Aircross Variants: MPV/Crossover Markets: Europe, Africa, South America, Oceania Fuel: 3.9-6.0l/100km CO2: 101-140g/km
A
38 / internationalfleetworld.com
C-Elysee Variants: Sedan Markets: Europe, South America, Asia Fuel: 4.1-5.3l/100km CO2: 108-183g/km
C5 Variants: Sedan, wagon, crossover Markets: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania Fuel: 4.2-6.4l/100km CO2: 111-149g/km
PROFILE_Citroen_IFW_Apr16_Layout 1 18/03/2016 12:26 Page 4
C-Zero
C1
C3
Variants: 5dr hatchback Markets: Europe Fuel: N/A (EV) CO2: 0g/km (tailpipe)
Variants: 3/5dr hatchback Markets: Europe, Africa Fuel: 3.8-4.3l/100km CO2: 88-99g/km
Variants: 5dr hatchback Markets: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America Fuel: 3.0-4.5l/100km CO2: 73-110g/km
C3-XR
C4
C4 (China)
Variants: Crossover Markets: China Fuel: 6.2-7.3l/100km CO2: 144-169g/km
Variants: : 5dr hatchback, Sedan Markets: Asia, Europe , Africa, South America, Oceania Fuel: 3.3-7.9l/100km CO2: 86-183g/km
Variants: Sedan Markets: China Fuel: 5.0-6.2l/100km CO2: 116-144g/km
C4 Picasso / C4 Grand Picasso
C4 Aircross
C4 Cactus
Variants: MPV Markets: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania Fuel: 3.6-5.8l/100km CO2: 94-134g/km
Variants: Crossover Markets: Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa Fuel: 4.6-7.9l/100km CO2: 119-186g/km
Variants: 5dr hatchback Markets: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania Fuel: 3.1-4.6l/100km CO2: 82-107g/km
DS 3
DS 4
DS 4S
Variants: 3dr hatchback, cabriolet Markets: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania Fuel: 3.4-5.6l/100km CO2: 87-129g/km
Variants: 5dr hatchback, crossover Markets: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania Fuel: 3.7-7.6l/100km CO2: 97-138g/km
Variants: 5dr hatchback Markets: China Fuel: TBC CO2: TBC
DS 5
DS 5LS
DS 5LS
Variants: 5dr hatchback Markets: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania Fuel: 3.5-6.5l/100km CO2: 90-155g/km
Variants: Sedan Markets: China Fuel: 7.4-7.7l/100km CO2: 173-186g/km
Variants: SUV Markets: China Fuel: 6.6-6.7l/100km CO2: 153-155g/km
internationalfleetworld.com / 39
ACEA_IFW_Apr16 18/03/2016 17:02 Page 1
fleet in figures
Steep rise in AFV sales Electric and hybrid cars have helped to boost European AFV sales, while the market in North America shows no signs of slowing. John Kendall reports.
Electric Norway Norway’s growth was mostly in EVs, with registrations rising 70.6% in 2015 to 33,721 and hybrid electric vehicle registrations up 7.9% on 2014 to 10,808.
European AFV market The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has published data for the alternative fuel car sector in Europe in 2015, showing an overall increase in registrations of alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) of 20%. Registrations rose from 485,187 in 2014 to 582,135 in 2015 across the European Union. The increase in Norway and Switzerland (European Free Trade Area, EFTA) was even greater with registrations rising 46.2% from 39,665 in 2014 to 57,989 in 2015. Much of that increase can be attributed to EV-friendly Norway, where registrations rose 49.3% to 44,533. Even in Switzerland, registrations rose 36.7% to 13,456. ACEA breaks the figures down into
40 / internationalfleetworld.com
electric vehicles (EV), which includes battery electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles. This data shows that Norway’s growth was mostly in EVs, with registrations rising 70.6% in 2015 to 33,721. The remainder of Norway’s increase was in hybrids (including mild hybrids), with registrations up 7.9% on 2014 to 10,808. Otherwise, just four natural gas (NGV) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cars were registered in Norway in 2015. In the EU, the biggest numerical gains were made in France, where AFV registrations rose 43.4% in 2015 to 80,728, the Netherlands where registrations rose 79% to 60,589, Spain where registrations rose 56.1% to 23,152 and the UK where registrations rose 40.3% to 72,775. Amongst the larger markets, Italy was the
only country to record a decrease, of -3.6% from 218,785 to 210,956. This can be largely attributed to the 29% drop in registrations of LPG and NGV vehicles last year, to 183,433 units. For France the gains were made in the EV and hybrid sectors. EV registrations rose by 83% to 22,867 and hybrids by 36% to 56,030, while NGV and LPG registrations fell by -29.4% to 1,831. There was a similar pattern in the Netherlands where tax incentives for EVs were reduced at the end of December. This caused EV registrations to rise 193.4% to 43,441 from 14,805. Hybrid registrations grew by a comparatively modest 8.7% to 16,114, while NGV and LPG powered car registrations fell by -75.5% to 1,034. The Netherlands was once one of the strongest markets for
ACEA_IFW_Apr16 18/03/2016 14:11 Page 2
LPG powered cars in Europe. The pattern was different in Spain where EV registrations rose by 58.3% to 2,224. Hybrid registrations rose 52.3% to 18,406 and NGV and LPG registrations also rose, by 88.3% to 2,522. In fact Spain recorded the largest percentage rise in NGV and LPG registrations anywhere in the EU. For the UK, the increase was concentrated in EV and hybrid registrations. The statistics show that no new LPG or NGV registrations were recorded in 2015. EV registrations rose by 96.6% to 28,715 while hybrid registrations rose 18.3% to 44,060. Much of this growth is fuelled by incentives and it is not surprising that the countries with the most generous incentives, such as France and the UK, have seen some of the greatest growth. The odd one out here is Spain, which does not incentivise AFV registrations, but has had a scrappage scheme running for some time. The incentives in the UK have become less generous, now specifying both low CO2 emissions and range bands for EVs and PHEVs to qualify for grant funding. NGV and LPG vehicles are definitely falling out of favour at the moment. Across the EU and EFTA the market in 2015 fell by -8.3% to 219,784. This contrasts with the EV and hybrid sectors, where in the EU, EV registrations rose by 108.8% in 2015 to 146,161 from 69,996 in 2014. The increase for hybrids was
less with registrations up 23.1% to 217,261. Given the background of falling oil prices in 2015, the increases in AFV registrations was impressive.
North America keeps rising Car sales in both the U.S. and Canada rose in February with U.S. sales up 7% on February 2015 according to reports from Scotiabank. On an annualised basis, yearto-date (YtD) sales in the U.S. would give a 2016 total market of around 17.5m units. Carlos Gomes at Scotiabank reports, “A solid labour market is boosting household income and buying power, and more than offsetting the impact of weak equity markets. While North American auto-related equities remain in correction territory after losing 13% in the opening months of 2016, industry volumes are on track to climb to another annual record this year.” He continues, “The Wall Street consensus believes that the U.S. auto cycle is peaking, after car and light truck sales climbed to a record high in 2015. We do not subscribe to this view. We believe that the U.S. industry is in the midst of an extended upcycle, with gains fuelled by a strong labour market, rising replacement demand, healthy household balance sheets, as well as favourable demographics.” The market in Canada is also up, rising 9% in February to an annualised total of 1.99m units, comfortably exceeding the
2015 record, which produced a car market of 1.90m. Gomes notes that, “The torrid sales rate so far this year leaves annualised sales nearly 2% above the average of the final months of 2015, indicating that vehicle purchasing will continue to be a positive contributor to Canadian economic growth in 2016.”
Steady growth in Europe ACEA had not published European sales data for February at the time we went to press, but LMC Automotive and Scotiabank suggests that Western European sales have made a good start to the year. Data from LMC for Western Europe shows the market up 9.7% YtD to the end of February to 2,018,570, representing an annualised rate of 14,098,457, 6.1% up on 2015. LMC comments, “Even after accounting for the extra selling day last month, West European car sales saw strong growth in February, with all the Big five markets performing well. The selling rate stood at 14.1m units/year and, so far this year, the market is up circa 10%. With the selling rate averaging 14m units/year for the first two months of 2016, it suggests our forecast of 13.9m for the 2016 full year is on the cautious side. However, downside risks are notable, both externally, with slowing global economic growth, and within the region, not least through potential Brexit (UK exit from the European
Nissan saw greater sales of Qashqai with the 1.2-litre 115hp engine and 1.6-litre 120hp petrol engines.
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ACEA_IFW_Apr16 18/03/2016 14:12 Page 3
fleet in figures
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Union) in June. Nonetheless, a solid year of growth remains in prospect for the region's car market.” From a global perspective, new car sales rose by around 2.0% YtD according to data from LMC to around 13,847,455. Sales in China rose by 4.7% YtD, but LMC highlights a selling rate that continues to slow and an economy showing signs of weakness. The explosion at Aichi Steel Corporation in Japan is highlighted by LMC as a factor in reduced February sales there. According to LMC, sales reduced by 5.8% to 813,351 YtD. Eastern Europe is still affected by the weakness of the Russian economy, affected by international sanctions. This has helped to depress the market in Eastern Europe by -7.9% giving YtD sales of 485,691. Brazil and Argentina are the other countries affected by weak economies. Light vehicle sales are down -25.4% YtD to 391,357. Recession in Brazil is still deepening, reckons LMC. A change of government in Argentina has helped boost confidence there but the economy is still weak.
Average CO2 emissions Europe JATO Dynamics has published its annual analysis of carbon dioxide emissions from new cars across 23 European countries and concluded that average emissions have fallen by 4.0g/km in 2015 to 119.3g/km. JATO attributes the improvements to smaller car markets such as Norway and Switzerland, coincidentally both countries where the take up of electric cars was high in 2015, as reported earlier. JATO also attributes improvements to lower CO2 emissions from models supplied by the major car producers and the growing number of electric vehicle registrations. JATO notes that the improvements were recorded even though the average increase in car registrations across the 23 markets was 9.3%. JATO has produced a ranking of the average CO2 emissions for the best selling brands (weighted by volume). Engine downsizing and the take-up of smaller engines seems to have played a part, although the growth of SUV and crossover sales has not helped brands such as Nissan, which also saw greater
sales of Qashqai with the 1.2-litre 115hp engine and 1.6-litre 120hp petrol engines. Sales of the new Fabia helped Skoda to make the biggest reduction in average CO2 emissions. JATO has also analysed car CO2 emissions by car market and found that Norway had the lowest average emissions from cars in 2015, no doubt helped by the high take up of electric cars and the high proportion of electricity generation from renewable energy sources (over 90%). The Netherlands was helped by its high take up of hybrid and electric cars in 2015, accounting for 12% of the car
Average CO2 emissions for best selling brands Manufacturer
2015 CO2 g/km
2014 CO2 g/km
Peugeot
103.5
109.3
Citroën
105.7
110.8
Renault
105.9
108.4
Toyota
107.7
112.5
Nissan
114.3
113.8
Skoda
115.4
121.5
SEAT
116.8
117.4
Mini
117.0
122.1
Fiat
117.8
117.4
Volkswagen
117.8
123.4
Average CO2 emissions by car market Country
2015 CO2 g/km
2014 CO2 g/km
Norway
100.5
110.5
Netherlands
101.3
106.7
Greece
105.7
107.3
Portugal
105.8
108.9
Denmark
106.0
110.9
France
110.9
113.9
Croatia
112.4
115.6
Ireland
114.3
116.9
Italy
114.9
117.9
Spain
115.7
118.6
Source: JATO Dynamics
42 / internationalfleetworld.com
market, according to JATO. France recorded the lowest average CO2 emissions of the ‘Big Five’ European car markets – France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK. Germany, with a high mix of larger cars occupied 21st place out of the 23 markets. Since the results are based on new car published emissions measured on the EU combined cycle, the data only gives a broad brush trend, since EU emissions testing has come under intense scrutiny. Only new car emissions are included, so it does not take account of older, higher emitting models still in regular use.
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