All articles by MF Editorial

Dealers should look to niche markets to beat crunch

Networks research identified Motability sales, public sector fleets, blue light fleets, driving school sales, and diplomatic and tax free sales as likely to reward dealers who make an effort to specialise and to tailor their marketing.

New consultancy package for SME fleets from Fleet Operations

Fleet management consultancy Fleet Operations has launched Fleet Complete, a package aimed at SME fleets of between 5-200 vehicles

Lender predicts 15 per cent rise in H1 profits

Lender predicts 15 per cent rise in H1 profits The consumer and business finance divisions of lender Private & Commercial Finance Group (P&CF) performed in line with expectations in the six months to September 30 2008, despite the concurrent upheaval in financial markets.

Sub-prime lender’s H1 profits up 30 per cent

Sub-prime lenders H1 profits up 30 per cent Advantage Finance, a specialist sub-prime motor finance lender, has grown its audited profits for the six months to July 2008 to £1.6m, up 30 per cent compared with the same period in 2007.

The path to the super-fleet?

For motor lessors the most revolutionary feature of the takeover will be the shape of the UK company car sector if Lloyds TSB Autoleases (LTSBA) 129,000 vehicles and Lexs 250,000 vehicles are merged into one super fleet.

Andy Tong: At the sharp end

Second-hand profits This is the first piece I have been asked to provide for Motor Finance, and already Im off on a rant Graham Hill would be proud.

BMW Financial Services: Q3 results ‘severely affected’ by credit crunch

BMW Financial Services announced a loss before tax for Q3 2008 of 17m (£13.8m) for its worldwide operations, compared with a profit of 191m (£155m) in the same period a year ago The consumer financing and leasing arm of carmaker BMW said that falling sales, plummeting residual values and higher levels of bad debt had all taken their toll, resulting in an additional risk provision expense, totalling 477m (£387m) for the nine months to September 30 2008

Black Horse ‘achieved H1 objectives’

Bank of England holds interest rates at 5 per cent

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has decided to hold interest rates at their current level of 5 per cent CBI director Richard Lambert commented: “The latest data show the slowdown in UK economic activity gathering pace, and business and consumer confidence falling further.

Lloyds TSB Autolease sale rumours ‘unfounded’

Lloyds TSB Autolease sale rumours unfounded A report in the national press which stated that Lloyds TSB is to sell its fleet division, Lloyds TSB Autolease, has been dismissed by industry sources. Although a spokesperson for the Lloyds TSB press office said that it was the banks policy never to respond to market rumour and speculation, he added that, as Autolease is a market-leading, profitable business the bank is under no pressure to sell the fleet unit.