New legislation for trucks over 3.5T comes into force today

From today (31st March 2009), in order to improve the road safety of road users, the Retrofitting of Mirrors Directive (2007/38/EC) comes into force. All goods vehicles (over 3.5T) registered on or after the 1st January 2000 must be fitted with mirrors or other devices, on the passenger side, to improve the driver’s indirect field of view.  

The Supplementary Fitment of Mirrors Directive has been part of European legislation for some time, which means that most vehicles first used on or after the 26th January 2007 are already fitted with improved mirror systems that conform to the requirements. All other vehicles must have mirrors fitted as part of that directive as well.

The new legislation aims to reduce the number of road casualties across Europe, with 400 people killed every year, through blind spots that exist around the vehicle.

Paul Everitt chief executive of the SMMT said ” The motor industry is committed to safety and particularly that of vulnerable road users. This is another method which will enable industry to help drive down accident statistics”.

Compliance will be deemed to be achieved where vehicles are already equipped on the passenger side with wide-angle and close proximity (or kerb) mirrors, whose combination of fields of vision covers not less than:

- 95% of the field of vision at ground level of a Class IV (wide angle) mirror.

- 85% of the field of vision at ground level of a Class V (kerb) mirror.

Lotus Evora

The Royal Automobile Club has named Group Lotus plc as the recipient of the Dewar Trophy for 2008. The trophy is awarded every year by the Dewar Trophy Technical Sub-Committee for outstanding British technical achievement.

The Technical Sub-Committee agreed that Lotus should be recognised for the development of its Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) chassis technology. The Lotus Evora enters the sports car market with a mid engined 2+2, powered by a Lotus-tuned 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 280PS. The Evora promises fantastic performance and uses a low volume application of the Lotus Versatile Vehicle Architecture.

Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group  Lotus plc said ” This award is for everyone at Lotus; those who created the VVA technology, those who delivered the Evora engineering programme and those who are building the car”.

John Wood, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club’s Dewar Trophy Technical Sub-Committee said ” The thing that particularly impressed the judges was the single minded determination with which the team at Lotus had sought to find the best possible solution to the particular problem of building an uncompromised lightweight chassis for a low volume road car, and then continually developed and refined that concept to respond to emerging requirements”.

DVLA personalised plate 3 0 up for sale in June

Last week, the plate 1 D was sold for £352,411 at the DVLA Personalised Registrations auction. The last four auctions held by the DVLA have produced nearly £1.3 million on seven registrations alone. On Friday, 2 0 was sold for £142,249 and there are big hopes when 3 0 stars at the Wychwood Park, near Crewe in June of this year.

Damian Lawson, DVLA Personalised Registrations’ Marketing Manager said”  Last week’s auction got off to an incredible start with 1 D surpassing our previous record – 51 NGH set in 2006 – by more than £98,000. The underlying message from those buying our plates is that they’re making the purchases as investments”. 

It is llegal to misrepresent a vehicle registration on a number plate on a car or light commercial van. The rules governing their correct display can be found at www.dvlaregistrations.co.uk in the “Got a Question?” section.

Neil Haynes of Ron Brooks Toyota, in Derbyshire has reached his target of raising £1000 for the automotive charity, BEN. Every time Neil has sold a car he has donated £5 and he must be doing well as he has reached his target earlier than expected.

Charles Davies, Director of Fundraising and Communications at BEN said ” More people than ever before are turning to BEN for help and it is generous donations such as Neil’s which allow us to continue to give the high quality care and support that those in our industry who have fallen on hard times, rely on. I would like to congratulate Neil on this achievement and thank him for his support of BEN”.

Founded in 1905, BEN is the Automotive Industry Charity for those who work or have worked in the automotive and related industries.

Comparecontracthire warns customers to make sure they are comparing like with like rentals, if searching for rentals on several sites.  A favourite tactic used by some suppliers, is to ask for a 6 month deposit to make the headline rental appear cheaper.

For example if you see a rental offered on a three year contract, at say £139.99 per month (excl VAT), with a payment profile of 6+35, this is actually 41 payments in total.

41 x £139.99 = £5739.59 over the life of the contract.

On a three year contract, the standard payment profile on comparecontracthire.com would be 3+35 or 38 payments in total.

Therefore dividing £5739.59 by 38 = £151.04 (excl VAT) to show the equivalent monthly rate.

To make sure you are looking at like for like car or van leasing quotes, a useful guide has been prepared to help customers ensure they are comparing like with like.

British Summer time begins

The clocks went forward by an hour yesterday, as British Summer time officially begins. Commuters will find that for the next few weeks, they may be making their journey to work in darkness. The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has warned that there are potential dangers that come with driving in the dark during peak hours.

Neil Greig, Director of IAM Policy and Research said “IAM research has shown that most accidents happen during peak hours. For the first few weeks of the clock change, motorists will need to get used to driving in darker conditions and take extra care.”

The IAM has said that reduced visibility makes it harder to read the road ahead and provides less information for the driver. Motorists will also be finding it harder to wake up and are also more likely to grow tired, until they adapt to the clock changes. An estimated one in five motorway crashes take place due to driver fatigue.

The IAM also recommends cleaning all windows (inside and out), mirrors, lenses of lights and indicators for further safety.

Peugeot tops European sales for low CO2 vehicles

Peugeot is leading the way in sales of low CO2 vehicles. In 2008 one in six vehicles sold in Europe and in the UK with a CO2 emissions figure, of less than 121g/km, was a Peugeot. The whole Peugeot range features 36 vehicles with less than 121g/km output.

The best selling sub 111g/km in the UK in 2008 was the Peugeot 107 which now emits only 106g/km. The 207 and 308 also featured in at fifth and ninth respectively, (three cars in the top ten of all cars for sub 121g/km), placing Peugeot at the top of this combined category with 18.6 % of all UK sales.

Christian Stein, Marketing Director at Peugeot UK, said ” Peugeot has long held a commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its vehicles and these sales statistics for 2008 show us to be at the very top as the leading low CO2 car company, both in the UK and  across Europe”.

Piaggio now adding Classic Ape to UK

Perodua UK Limited, the importer of Piaggio Commercial Vehicles, is adding the popular Ape range of 3-wheel vehicles to their line up of commercial vans. The Ape recently celebrated its 60th birthday, having been launched in Italy in 1948. The Ape was based on the iconic Vespa scooter.

The Ape will be available in the UK with a 50cc petrol, TM 218cc petrol, TM422cc diesel and the special Calssiono versions. The Ape 50 is available as a Panel Van, Pick Up or Cross and is ideal for light deliveries in a busy town or city.  Its unique style and design offers a great marketing opportunity as well.

The APE TM is available as a Panel Van, Pick Up or Tipper and comes in either the 218cc petrol or 422cc diesel engine. The turning circle of the Ape is 3.4m and the load volume of the Panel Van is 2.5 cubic metres, making it useful for light goods deliveries.

Buy or contract hire your next car?

Historically, many small companies and private buyers have tended to want to own their vehicle. There is an attraction about owning something which hits a chord for many people. However the big question is will your car or van lose value over time and the answer to this is yes.

Contract hire is an effective way of changing your vehicle every two, three, or even four years if this suits your needs. You never own the vehicle and are effectively renting it for the period. All you do is choose your car or van, the type of contract (normally with or without maintenance), decide how long you want to keep it for and what annual mileage you think you will do. Your vehicle can be easily ordered for you, by the leasing company and then can be delivered to any UK mainland location.

The major benefits of contract hire are listed below;

1) It is fun choosing a new car every two or three years without having to find a large sum of money.

2) A low initial rental is required which is usually three months in advance, followed by equal subsequent monthly payments, thereby allowing you to budget effectively.

3) You can build in all routine servicing, mechanical repair, tyres, batteries and exhausts, to fix your outgoings if you wish and the road fund licence is also included in the rental.  

4) The vehicle leasing company also recovers the VAT when they purchase the vehicle, thereby reducing the amount to finance. This is passed onto you in the form of a lower rental.

5) You don’t have to worry about losing money over time, as when the contract is finished it is the leasing company who has taken the risk and has to sell the vehicle.

There are some other things about contract hire that you need to know before you commit yourself i.e. excess mileage, fair wear and tear or early termination for example and these are clearly explained at comparecontracthire.com whether you are a small business or a private buyer.

So if you fancy a new car or van and want “peace of mind”, contract hire could be for you.

Vauxhall Movano Mobile Banks

Banking services to some of the remote communities in Scotland are being provided based on two converted Vauxhall Movano 3500 medium wheelbase chassis vans. The Bank of Scotland has opted for the highest of the three power outputs at which the Movano is offered. The 2.5 litre CDTi engine delivers 146 PS allowing the Movanos to cope comfortably with the steepest hills and a six speed gearbox provides a good spread of ratios. 

The two new Movanos form part of a fleet of seven mobile banks and cost around £200,000. The Movanos have been fully converted and offer air conditioning in the casher’s area and heating throughout the vehicle, including the customer waiting area.

As they are mobile banks they are packed full of security features including CCTV, tracker systems to plot their movements, audible alarms and the cashier section has extra ballistic protection.

Susan Rice, Managing Director of Lloyds Banking Group Scotland, said ” These mobile branches provide an invaluable service to our customers in remote and rural areas of Scotland”.