Alex Grant
New 1.5-litre diesel to give Mazda2 market-leading fuel economy
The engine produces 103bhp, in line with similarly-sized diesels from rival manufacturers, and could be a vital addition to its model line-up, particularly in the Mazda3 … Read More »
First Drive: Kia Soul
Sector: Crossover Price: £12,600–£21,550 Fuel: 38.7–56.5mpg CO2: 132–170g/km The second-generation Kia Soul has big shoes to fill. Its predecessor might not have found a huge European … Read More »
First ever five-door MINI Hatch revealed
The additional bodystyle allows MINI to compete with key premium rival the Audi A1 Sportback, and to cater for five-door only fleet policies without moving drivers … Read More »
New software to improve accuracy of EV whole-life costs
Route Monkey, Teesside University and Urban Foresight will work together to create a tool which combines manufacturer battery chemistry data with fleets’ usage and charging cycles … Read More »
Road Test: Vauxhall Astra Tech Line GT 1.7 CDTi 130PS ecoFLEX
Sector: Lower Medium Price: £20,195 Fuel: 65.7mpg CO2: 114g/km As part of a range-wide refresh in 2013, Vauxhall’s Astra gained the new Adam-like winged grille and … Read More »
Another way
What is it? For the last four years, Volvo has been working with Flybrid to develop a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) which can boost power … Read More »
Road Test: Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid
Sector: Luxury Price: £89,022 (after £5,000 government grant) Fuel: 91.1mpg CO2: 71g/km Porsche’s first plug-in hybrid forms part of the Volkswagen Group’s plans to offer electric drivetrain … Read More »
Christchurch and East Dorset Council to cuts costs and carbon with EVs
For a five-year life cycle, the electric cars will be used by civil enforcement officers to travel between locations across the region, said to be ideal … Read More »
Fleet Geek – the latest techy developments
BT Home Smartphone Bringing smartphone functionality to your landline, this Android-equipped home phone uses a built-in WiFi connection to access the internet, social media, email and … Read More »
Road Test: Lexus CT 200h
Sector: Lower medium Price: £21,995–£30,995 Fuel: 68.9–78.5mpg CO2: 82–94g/km The CT 200h has been a core part of the Lexus line-up since its 2011 launch. This was … Read More »
Lexus NX hybrid targets premium crossover sales
It takes the carmaker into the growing and fleet-heavy premium crossover sector, aiming to conquest sales from the similarly sized BMW X3 and Audi Q5, as … Read More »
Arval launches first components of new digital platform
The scheme comprises two fleet management webtools designed for tablets, two free smartphone applications for drivers and a substantial new social media presence covering the full … Read More »
Nissan X-TRAIL targets substantial fleet sector growth
The Qashqai +2 had accounted for 20% of the old car’s sales mix in the UK – some 9-10,000 units per year – but Nissan said … Read More »
More eyes on the road
What is it? An important step towards potentially driverless vehicles, autonomous braking builds on the existing Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), which will become mandatory in Europe … Read More »
BMW to simplify choice lists for fleets
Matt Bristow, head of corporate sales, said the range currently includes over 500 variants including the new Business lines, xDrive and Navigation models – the latter … Read More »
Rural Warwickshire businesses begin electric vehicle trial
Led by Warwickshire County Council and managed by Greenwatt Technology, the Warwickshire Rural Electric Vehicles (WREV) project will study the usage of eight Nissan LEAFs and … Read More »
Apple patents system to curb driver distraction from smartphones
Originally filed in December 2008 but granted this week, the lock-out function is timely as Apple prepares to launch its CarPlay system starting with Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz … Read More »
First Drive: Volvo S60/V60 D4 Drive-E
Sector: Compact Executive Price: £23,195–£35,045 Fuel: 65.7–74.3mpg CO2: 99–112g/km Volvo’s new Drive-E engine range may have arrived as a single diesel unit, but this one engine … Read More »
£36bn infrastructure investment will support business travel
Expected to create 150,000 construction jobs, upgrades will cover road, rail and air travel nationwide, as well as waste management, broadband network, renewable energy and flood … Read More »
Hyundai UK appoints national fleet sales manager
Williams joined Hyundai as fleet operations manager in 2009, following roles at KWIKcarcost and Jaguar, and will now report to fleet director Martin Wilson as the … Read More »
Bournemouth NHS Trust adds EVs to fleet
Two Nissan LEAFs will be deployed to allow staff to travel between the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospital sites using electricity, while the catering department recently … Read More »
First Drive: Maserati Ghibli Diesel
Sector: Executive Price: £48,830 Fuel: 47.8mpg CO2: 158g/km Maserati might sound like an unlikely contender for fleet sales, but Ghibli is the start of changing times. … Read More »
Lexus NX hybrid targets diesel-heavy crossover sector
Set to be shown at the Beijing Motor Show on the 20th April, the production NX draws heavily on the styling of the 2013 LF-NX concept … Read More »
Skoda targets company car drivers with SE Business range
The SE Business range covers 19 variants of the Octavia and Superb hatch and estate and recently updated Yeti Outdoor, all of which feature versions of … Read More »
Kia adds luxurious new trims following record Q1 sales
The brand sold 21,608 cars in the UK during the first quarter of 2014, up 12.5% year on year and with the recently refreshed Sportage as … Read More »
New Risk Management packages to cut costs for fleets
Branded ‘Basic DRM’, ‘Full DRM’ and ‘Full DRM Plus’, all three include an annual driver risk profile, regular e-learner modules bespoke to individual driver requirements, password … Read More »
Electric Highway to get first Combo chargers in May
Likely to become standardised for all plug-in vehicles in Europe, the Combined Charging System (CCS) adds two separate DC rapid charging pins to the Type 2/Mennekes … Read More »
Road Test: Subaru Forester 2.0D XC
The Forester has been part of Subaru’s line-up since 1997 – a natural fit for a company that specialises in four-wheel drive and arguably ahead of the … Read More »
Study shows real-world MPG figures are 18% behind NEDC
Data from a trans-Atlantic study of 531 cars in the United States and United Kingdom has shown the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy figures only … Read More »
First Drive: Mitsubishi ASX
SECTOR: Crossover PRICE: £14,999–£23,899 FUEL: 48.7–55.4mpg CO2: 134–153g/km There’s timeliness to the arrival of the refreshed Mitsubishi ASX. The carmaker is back in profit in … Read More »
