Lex Autolease, the UK’s largest provider of fleet management solutions, today announced the appointment of Tim Porter as the company’s new Managing Director.    Tim joins Lex Autolease from its parent company Lloyds Banking Group and replaces Rick Francis, who is taking up a position outside the fleet sector.   Previously Tim was Commercial Director at Lloyds Bank’s small and medium sized (SME) operations in England, Scotland and Wales.  This role involved the management of more than 2,500 employees and responsibility for t... Read more..

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The Toyota GT86 has run rings around the competition to set the pace in the 2013 honestjohn.co.uk awards. The thoroughbred sports coupe has been named the popular motoring website’s Most Popular Sports Car of the year, the latest in succession of accolades it has gathered since being launched in 2012 Dan Harrison, honestjohn.co.uk editor said: “The GT86 has fought off some tough and very established competition to win the hearts of our readers. It’s affordable, distinctive and fun to drive – it’s no surprise it’s been such... Read more..

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Business mileage capture and cost reduction tools are emerging as the prime needs of fleet operators from telemetry systems, according to In-Car Cleverness.   While contract hire companies are struggling to balance solutions that intelligently help them control fleet running costs and increasing demands from corporate clients for answers, research among 20 of the UK’s leading independent business fleet managers has revealed some of the key drivers in the race to optimise operational efficiency.   In-Car Cleverness has ranked the... Read more..

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Peter Cakebread is the new chairman of the BVRLA. He takes over from Hertz’s Neil Cunningham, who has stepped down after completing his two-year term. A Cambridge economics graduate, Peter is currently managing director of Marshall Leasing. He has helped steer the work of the BVRLA for more than a decade, chairing its Leasing and Fleet Management Committee between 2007 and 2009. More recently, he was part of the selection panel that recruited the BVRLA’s new chief executive, Gerry Keaney.   “It has been a pleasure working with Neil,... Read more..

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Leasing and rental will retain their status as essential forms of vehicle finance despite the introduction of new lease accounting proposals announced by the International Accounting Standards Board today.   The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association is confident that its members will be able to adapt their business models and help their customers with any extra accounting burden that the new standards impose.   The IASB’s proposals are intended to bring all leased assets onto the balance sheet, giving a more complete pic... Read more..

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Dealer Principal Carlisle. Our client is looking to appoint an exceptional Dealer Principle at their Prestige Dealership in Carlisle, fabulous remuneration package available for this outstanding opportunity with one of the UK's leading groups. This is a unique and exciting opportunity that awaits an outstanding leader who will be delivering an exceptional performance in their current role and is now looking, and is ready for the next important and challenging step in their career. The Dealer Principal role will provide an outstanding opportunity for the successful applicant to manage... Read more..

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Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) is ramping up production of its world-first V60 Plug-in Diesel Hybrid by 90 per cent to cope with strong demand for the cars across Europe.   The increased demand, especially in Holland, Belgium and Italy, means that Plug-in Hybrid production at Volvo Cars' Torslanda plant in Sweden will be increased continuously from 150 to 282 units per week. All in all, Volvo Cars will produce 7,600 plug-in hybrids in 2013 - and the 2014 target is 10,000 units.   "We are exc... Read more..

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Vauxhall’s cutting-edge Ampera extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) has been voted best hybrid/electric car by Telegraph readers at the inaugural Telegraph Motoring Awards.   Beating off rivals including the Nissan LEAF and the Toyota Prius Plug-In, the Ampera scored more votes than any other model.   “We had a great response to our Car of the Year awards and Telegraph readers voted for the Vauxhall Ampera as their favourite hybrid/electric car,” said Leo Wilkinson, Acting Assistant Motoring Content Editor. “It's a revol... Read more..

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The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand grew deliveries 5.3 per cent in the first four months of the year, handing over 1.91 (January-April 2012: 1.81) million vehicles. The brand delivered 480,900 (April 2012: 456,100; +5.4 per cent) vehicles to customers in the month of April. Two extra working days as a result of the early Easter period had a positive impact in April. ‘Developments on world markets remained mixed and the situation in Europe in particular is very challenging. Volkswagen Passenger Cars is not immune to this trend. Overall, though, the brand rec... Read more..

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The Road Haulage Association delighted to learn that a formal investigation into the issue of oil price fixing is finally under way.   Commenting, RHA Chief Executive Geoff Dunning: “Since the original fuel protests way back in 2000, we have been of the opinion that there should be far more transparency among the oil companies. Yet every time we raised the issue our concerns were dismissed out of hand.   “Last year we raised this very issue with the Office of Fair Trading, only to be told that, in their opinion, there was insuf... Read more..

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The Ford Transit was chosen by British Gas when asked which van best suited the needs of their central heating installation engineers. This compatibility was one of the key factors that resulted in an order for 520 Ford Transit models from British Gas.   As the UK’s largest central heating installer, British Gas chose the Ford Transit primarily for its class-leading economy and low emissions, provided by its Dagenham-built 125PS 2.2-litre TDCi diesel engine.   The Ford Transit also enabled British Gas operators to achieve signifi... Read more..

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The majority of company car lists that I have been given to choose from have never had a kia Cee’d as part of the model choice, not only that but they never contained any Kia product at all. That really was a shame as after driving the Cee’d Sportwagon I would of given it very serious consideration, it’s a very competent estate and stacks up very well from a company car drivers point of view. The Kia Cee’d Sportwagon comes in a choice of two engines a 1.4 petrol and a 1.6 litre diesel, I drove the 1.6 diesel  6 speed manual in mid trim level... Read more..

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There is a very simple and straight forward way to avoid facing the penalty fines for using a mobile phone whilst driving. Switch it off!  With transport minister Patrick McLoughlin considering increasing fines for texting and talking, a fine and points increase that would be warmly welcomed by the majority of drivers in the UK, there’s no excuse whatsoever for handling a phone whilst driving. Along with the text and talking fine increases the transport minister is also planning increased fines for careless driving offences such as eating and lighting up a cigarette at the wheel.  The m... Read more..

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The majority of drivers will welcome increased motoring fixed penalty fines to tackle those who use hand held mobile telephones when driving, according to the AA. Widespread illegal mobile phone use is often raised as a concern by AA members.  The Transport Secretary has indicated that the fine will soon be increased from £60 as it hasn’t changed since 2000. The use of hand held mobile telephones while driving has been illegal since 2003 when a fixed penalty of £30 was introduced.... Read more..

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Leading vehicle remarketing specialist, British Car Auctions (BCA) has released its latest Pulse report on trends in the used vehicle sector.   In April in the used car market, year-on-year values were up by over 16%.  In the commercial sector, where there is strong demand for good quality vehicles, values rose for the third consecutive month to reach a new highpoint.   Across the board used cars averaged £6,502 last month, down by £498 compared to March but significantly ahead of April 2012 by £903 (16.1%).  In the commercial vehicle... Read more..

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David Ovenden has joined Kia Motors (UK) Ltd as its new Sales Director at the company’s head office in Weybridge, Surrey.   Reporting to Commercial Director Yaser Shabsogh, David heads up a 42-strong sales team and takes on the responsibility of developing and managing the Kia dealer network and ensuring the full utilisation of all sales channels to include retail, fleet, new and used cars as well as contributing at board level to the development of corporate strategy and growth.   Shabsogh remarked: “The experience and in-dept... Read more..

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This reduction is achieved by refining the vehicle tuning and adopting various aerodynamic improvements such as new aero-stabilising fins in the rear glazing. These measures combine to improve the overall energy efficiency without negatively impacting vehicle performance. Reinforcing Toyota’s commitment to continually improve the efficiency of its products, these new modifications were first previewed on the 85g/km Auris Hybrid Touring Sports, which made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March this year. Auris has been received well across E... Read more..

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The first production model of the Infiniti Q50, the all-new premium sports saloon, rolled off the assembly line at the Tochigi production plant today. The official off-line ceremony was presided over by Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., and Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company Ltd. The Q50 is the first in the new generation of Infiniti vehicles. It sets fresh benchmarks in the areas of emotive styling, advanced technology and performance. Premiered at the North American International Auto Show in Detroi... Read more..

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Venson Automotive Solutions, a leading independent fleet management specialist, is warning that fleets  are incurring unnecessary costs by replacing windscreens instead of repairing them.  The cost of repair is on average less than 15% of the replacement cost, yet many companies still choose replacement as the automatic option. Venson is calling for a rethink in the way businesses deal with damage to windscreens to save fleet managers thousands of pounds.   Venson statistics show that on average 32% of the vehicles it covers have their wind... Read more..

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Being different is difficult. Many times taking the proven, common path is far easier than doing something new, but loyalty to the company means bucking the current trend when necessary. Choosing a car for the company fleet is a good example. Resist the appeal of quick and common solutions. Find out what the company really needs and fill the need. Here's a process to consider and some cars you might not have thought about. (By the way, you can't make good decisions about fleet vehicles sitting in an office. You have to go where the work is being done... Read more..

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Lex Autolease, the UK’s largest provider of fleet management solutions, increased its small and medium sized customer base by 22 per cent last year and is targeting further growth in this market.    More than 9,400 new SME business customers chose to lease or purchase their vehicles through Lex Autolease last year, which increased the total size of the company’s small and medium sized customer base to 42,000 businesses.   Based on an average asset value of £10,000 for an SME vehicle, the total amount of new funding provided b... Read more..

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Mini Sales Executive. Various Locations. Our client is looking for a highly motivated, successful Sales Executive to join their Sales Team in various locations across the Uk. They  already have very proactive Sales Teams and as such we are looking for somebody who will share their enthusiasm and passion for this prestigious marque. This is a very demanding role, but in return they offer superb working conditions, a very competitive package and a friendly dealership team. If you feel you can deliver uncompromised performance whilst making a positive contribution to the team, then please con... Read more..

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The new E 63 AMG has been given a major high performance boost in the shape of the top-of-the-range E 63 AMG S Model. With 585 hp and 800 Nm of torque, the E 63 AMG S Model is the most powerful vehicle in the E-Class range and the fastest E-Class ever offered in the UK.   With an AMG rear axle limited-slip differential lock as standard, the new E 63 AMG S Model benefits from a 28 hp and 80 Nm increase over the standard E 63 AMG and is 0.1 seconds faster, reaching 62 mph from a standing start in just 4.1 seconds for the Saloon and 4.2 seconds... Read more..

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Usually, phantom bids are just what an auction does not need. However, a ‘Phantom bid’ (indeed bids) is exactly what the auctioneers at SMA Leeds will be seeking in a forthcoming auction. The subject of those bids will be a Rolls Royce Phantom with a guide price of £128,200.The car is being presented for sale having being seized as an uninsured vehicle by the Police Vehicle Recovery Scheme (VRS).

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Peugeot has today released first images of the New 308, a car launched to revitalise the brand’s position in the ultra-competitive, compact family hatchback segment.   A striking and contemporary design “The new Peugeot 308 has a pure and technological exterior design that speaks of high strength and high quality,” says Gilles Vidal, Design Director, Peugeot. Read more..

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BMW has started the national roll-out of a ‘BMW Genius’ programme at UK dealerships following a highly successful pilot scheme in 2012. Each BMW Genius will be steeped in the increasingly sophisticated technologies and personalisation options available from BMW to help guide customers through every step of the ordering, buying, test drive and handover process, and will be on call to help with any subsequent queries or service updates. Feedback from the pilot programme, conducted at 10 BMW dealerships who collectively employed 14 Geniuses, produce... Read more..

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The Road Haulage Association welcomes the news that Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin is considering increasing the fine for dangerous driving offences, including texting or making a phone while behind the wheel, by 50%. This means that the fixed penalty for using a handheld device while driving would go up from £60 to £90, while other offences like running a red light, driving without a seatbelt and speeding will also fetch a higher charge. Under the new plans that are being discussed careless driving will be treated as a fixed-penalty notic... Read more..

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As UN Global Road Safety week puts worldwide pedestrian safety under the spotlight, the IAM is asking the UK government and car makers to make pedestrian-friendly car fronts a top priority.  The government should be taking the lead in lobbying the European Commission and car manufacturers to make radical changes so that vulnerable road users can get the same five star protection as those sitting in the vehicle. The number of deaths and serious injuries to car occupants fell by 524 in 2011 but amongst vulnerable road users they increased: Read more..

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Used Car Sales Manager We are looking for an ambitious and proactive Used Car Sales Manager to join our clients busy and expanding prestige Used Car Sales team in the South East. The successful applicant will share our clients collective ambition to retain the dealership’s place as one of the most successful and largest Used Car Sales departments in the Group. In order to deliver this goal you will have a resilient and positive manner and be able to deal with the day-to-day issues while creating the time to focus on the long-term objectives. This is a pressured and demanding role that wil... Read more..

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Prestige Car Sales Executive Do you consider yourself to be the very best in your field? If you do, we want to hear from you. We are looking for a highly motivated, dynamic Sales professional who delights in delivering the ultimate customer experience. If you are confident of succeeding in a challenging environment, then our client would like to speak with you. The successful applicant will be responsible for delivering an exceptional Experience to their customers; you must be experienced in negotiating and closing sales, whilst exceeding challenging targets and at the same time delivering... Read more..

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