Diesel still has an important role to play for many fleets despite calls for a scrappage scheme designed to improve air quality by removing older vehicles, says Arval. The vehicle leasing and fleet management company believes that such initiatives can be very effective in removing old and inefficient vehicles, but there is a risk that all diesel vehicles become incorrectly perceived as … [Read more...]
Finance News
High mileage owner benefit launched
Fleet Evolution, one of the country’s leading providers of car salary sacrifice schemes to SMEs, has launched a scheme to give drivers who cover a lot of miles peace of mind when it comes to their vehicles. The newly-announced Employee Car Ownership (ECO) scheme will allow employees who do high business mileage to own a company car with employer volume discounts – but without forking out any … [Read more...]
Newslines 20 February
As Welsh Government scrutinises a detailed financial proposal to build the £425M Circuit of Wales, it has emerged that nearly £1M was given by the developers to another consultancy headed by the project's chairman. Michael Carrick set up the Heads of the Valleys Development Corporation, which has received £9M grants and loans from Welsh Government for work so far, and also Aventa Capital … [Read more...]
Euro 4 changes impact on bike market, says cap hpi
Changes to emissions directives which came into effect at the beginning of this year are having a significant impact on the motorcycle market according to automotive data experts, cap hpi. Alan Elsworth, Green Book Editor with cap hpi, says that despite the bike market being the most exciting it has been for a long time with manufacturers unveiling new models at a rate not seen for many years, … [Read more...]
Brits borrowed more for new cars in 2016
The Finance & Leasing Association says new business in the point of sale consumer car finance market grew 12% by value and 8% by volume in 2016. New business was up 3% by value and down 3% by volume in December, compared with the same month in 2015. The POS consumer new car finance market reported new business up 1% by value and 8% lower by volume in December compared with the same month … [Read more...]
Hefty discounts now available on new cars
Savings of more than £5,000 off the price of many brand new models are already on offer as car makers take action to combat an expected slowdown in sales. The discounts have even spread to some cars in premium brand ranges including Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar, Volvo and Lexus, which have had more than 15% cut from their price. Despite predictions that rising inflation and the weak pound could … [Read more...]
Brits cool towards car buying in political climate
UK residents admit they are deterred by the current unstable political climate when it comes to making big purchases, as they opt to lease cars, rent houses, and subscribe to services instead of wanting to commit outright, new research reveals. Leading vehicle leasing company, Leasing Options has surveyed the nation's motorists to gain an insight into their financial decisions, whilst working … [Read more...]
New car registrations hit 12-year high
The UK new car market achieved a 12-year high in January, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The total was 174,564 vehicles last month – a 2.9% year-on-year uplift and the highest level since 2005. The alternative fuelled vehicle segment grew 19.9% to take a record 4.2% market share – the first time 4% has been surpassed. Across other fuel types there was a … [Read more...]
Dealers’ positive view of sales prospects this year
The majority of UK car dealerships are positive about their business prospects for 2017, with 65% expecting growth over the next year, say Close Brothers Motor Finance. Despite many industry figures predicting the sector will contract in 2017, the majority of dealers surveyed monthly by Close Brothers Motor Finance remain resolutely positive about the prospects for their own businesses in the … [Read more...]
Shining a light on new golden oldies
Automotive data expert, cap hpi, has produced a shortlist of the new models that will show strong residual value performance. The company provides residual value forecasts for new vehicles up to five years in the future. Its Gold Book team looked at new models launching in 2017 and picked the ‘ones to watch’ for fleet and private buyers. Andrew Mee, senior forecasting editor at cap hpi, … [Read more...]