All articles by MF Editorial

Green vehicle rental company gains BVRLA accreditation

Motor Month

Zenith’s 116-vehicle fleet deal with brick firm

Zenith’s 116-vehicle fleet deal with brick firm Clay brick manufacturing firm Wienerberger has awarded independent fleet provider Zenith Vehicle Contracts a contract to supply its 116 vehicle fleet.

Hybrids: Masterlease urges fleet ‘caution’

Hybrids: Masterlease urges fleet ‘caution’ Hybrids may be the flavour of the moment among celebrities – but fleets should exercise caution before adding large numbers of the fuel-efficient vehicles to their books. Dean Bowkett, head of pricing at fleet lessor Masterlease, has underlined the need for fleet managers to do the maths and measure financial realities against star-fuelled hype when evaluating the use of hybrid vehicles. In the face of endorsements of the Toyota Prius by actors such as Harrison Ford and Gwyneth Paltrow, Bowkett stressed that Hollywood affections were no substitute for level-headed economic consideration in discussions over hybrid use.

Zenith sees 2007 profits rise by a quarter to £5.3m

Zenith sees 2007 profits rise by a quarter to £5.3m Zenith Vehicle Contracts had a successful year in 2007, and grew its profits for the 12 months to March 31 2008 to £5.3m, up 26 per cent on the same period the previous year.

Fleet distributor acquired by auction giant for £2.8m

Fleet distributor acquired by auction giant for £2.8m Vehicle remarketer BCA has acquired United Fleet Distribution (UFD) from Mears Group plc in a deal worth £2.8m.

Misleading’ media report warns against PCP

Misleading media report warns against PCP The data company EurotaxGlasss has predicted that owners of cars between one and three years old could see their vehicles values tumble at an accelerated rate this year, as a result of the governments decision to change VED rates (click here for more details), with the credit crunch playing a significant role as well Glasss Guide forecast that cars within this age range could see their value fall by 25 per cent in 2008, rather than the 19 per cent which might normally be expected. An article in the Sunday Times on June 10 stated that, as a consequence, thousands of drivers who buy their cars using finance deals such as personal contract purchase (PCP) could find they are saddled with debt worth more than their car, as the minimum guaranteed future values (MGFV), set when the PCP agreement was taken out, could end up being higher than the actual value of the car after three years.

Lombard Vehicle Management provides vans for housing group

Lombard Vehicle Management provides vans for housing group Lombard Vehicle Management (LVM) has won a sole-supply agreement with Calico Housing to provide it with a fleet of car-derived Vauxhall vans on a contract hire basis. Calico facilities manager Julia Brown said: Lombard was our existing supplier, but we conducted a rigorous tender and they emerged as the clear winners. Burnley-based Calico manages 4,500 rented houses.

VED changes to be scrapped?

Justice secretary Jack Straw has hinted that the government may reverse its decision to introduce increases next April to vehicle excise duty (VED) for older and more-polluting vehicles, following criticism in the press and unease from backbenchers. Talking to BBC radio, Straw said: “The chancellor and the prime minister say they are listening to public concerns over VED rises and if there are going to be decisions, they could be made in the autumn.”

BER report cautiously welcomed by association

BER report cautiously welcomed by association The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) has cautiously welcomed the European Commissions evaluation report on block exemption regulation (BER), which calls for a scaling-back of red tape.