National Grid

National Grid has just taken delivery of 80 brand new Ford Fiesta Edge ECOnetic models which will be driven by the 2011 recruits to the National Grid’s engineering training programme, which combines academic study with on- and off-the-job instruction.

The ECOnectic Fiesta models have all been fitted with optional Quickclear front windscreens and Bluetooth connectivity and the trainees will use them to travel between university and college and the National Grid training centre at Eakring, near Newark in Nottinghamshire.

A vehicle tender process was undertaken citing value for money, low fuel consumption and emissions as the main selection criteria. National Grid fleet operations manager, David Morse, explained,”Our “user-chooser” company car scheme was not appropriate for such a large number of new, young engineers. Ford was successful in the tender process and the Fiesta ECOnetic fitted the bill perfectly”.

The Fiesta Edge ECOnetic 1.6 TDCi (95bhp) 3-door is on the site on Ford car leasing over three years/30,000 miles, 3+35 rental profile, non-maintained from £159+VAT per month. The car returns 78.5 combined mpg and emits only 95g/km of CO2 making it an extremely fuel-efficient and low CO2 car.

Toyota iQ in DOCTORnow livery

Three Toyota iQ3 hatchbacks have been supplied to DOCTORnow in Beaconsfield on a three-year/30,000 mile Toyota contract hire arrangement. DOCTORnow previously made housecalls using a fleet of smart cars, but the severity of the winter last year persuaded them to switch to the front-wheel drive Toyota iQ.

The four-seat Toyota iQ3 1.33-litre petrol hatchbacks with manual transmission have a combined mpg of 57.6 and emit CO2 emissions of just 113g/km so not only do they look good but they are economical too.

The cars also have a generous specification of alloy wheels, heated door mirrors, six-speaker sound system, ABS, aux input, automatic air-conditioning, alarm and immobilser, remote central locking, wheel-mounted audio controls,  electric door mirrors and front windows, rain-sensing wipers, traction control, smart entry and start, front fog lamps and dusk-sensor headlamps.

Lynne Smith, Practice Manager, said,”Patients often wave when they see the cars driving past. The iQs are stylish little cars, and more refined than our previous ones. They’re small enough to be nimble and manoeuvrable, but being roomier with back seats as well as a boot makes it easier if the doctors or nurses need to carry anything with them”.

Balfour Beatty smart cars

Balfour Beatty has just added eight new smart fortwo cdi coupes to its vehicle fleet of pool cars, as a way of demonstrating their commitment to reducing CO2 emissions. The smart cars offer CO2 emissions of just 86g/km and return a remarkable 85.6mpg on the combined fuel cycle.

Mike Whittington, Sales Director Mercedes-Benz UK, said,”It is fair to say that smart isn’t the first fleet choice for some buyers, but if you open your mind to the possibilities, it makes sense. Financially the amazing fuel consumption, low CO2 and Congestion Charge exemption give impressive savings”.

He went onto say,”All smart models have the same armoury of standard safety systems as their bigger Mercedes-Benz siblings. We’re proud that Balfour Beatty has chosen smart for its fleet”

CLICK for the full car leasing details

The BMW 520d EfficientDynamics 4-door saloon manual offers an executive company car driver CO2 emissions of 119g/km and returns a remarkable 62.8 combined mpg. We currently have BMW car leasing for business users on this tax-efficient, low CO2 car from only £362.32+VAT per month.

This BMW offer is based on a 4-year contract, non-maintenance, 10,000 miles per annum, on a rental profile of three payments in advance followed by 47 subsequent rentals (i.e. 50 payments in total). Other terms are available and three-year contracts start from £401.22+VAT. We also have the full range of BMW 520d EfficientDynamics models on the site if you want an automatic for example.

Jaguar

The new Jaguar 2012 MY (Model Year) has just gone on sale and promises the fastest and most efficient production Jaguars ever created. The new XF 2.2  is diesel is bound to be popular with company car drivers with CO2 emissions at 149g/km, a 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds, top speed of 142mph and a combined mpg of 52.3.

The improvements to the Jaguar MY12 include extensive panel changes to the XF including the bonnet, front and rear lights and bumpers, front wings, plus improvements to the interior switchgear, navigation system and seats. The XK range also sees a number of changes including a new, larger front grille framed by a set of new headlight units, new front wing vents, new wheel designs and changes to the rear lights. You can also get bucket seats on the XK range for the first time as well.

The XJ model has a few revisions as well, more subtle than radical, with a rear-seat comfort option pack introduced featuring reclining seats, four-way adjustment for the lower back, a massage feature, footrest and winged headrests. Jaguar car leasing on the new range will be loaded shortly.

Kia Picanto petrol returns 67.3 combined mpg

If you are thinking of choosing business contract hire as the method of financing your next car (or van) the question arises whether you opt for petrol or diesel. Clearly diesel vehicles usually have better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions than most petrol cars. But great advancements have been made by car manufacturers in petrol combustion engines and the answer is not always as clear cut as this.

You also need to think about the contract hire monthly rental you will be paying, fuel costs, the mileage you will be travelling, insurance costs and your actual location in the country (prices do vary nationwide), before you make your final decision. According to petrolprices.com, the average price for unleaded petrol is around 135.76p per litre and for diesel around 139.76  – a difference of around 4p per litre.

An easy way to find the best cars (or vans) that fit your criteria for the least monthly contract hire rental, best fuel consumption and low CO2 emissions, is to try the Vehicle Type Leasing Shopper. For example just select the bodystyle of vehicle (i.e. hatchback) you are looking for, tick “all manufacturers”, choose the combined mpg for 60mpg upwards and let’s say choose CO2 emissions less than 100g/km. On this search criteria there are 139 hatchbacks that fit your requirements.

Once you have a set of results you can easily remove the car manufacturers you are not interested in by clicking the “REMOVE All” button against the manufacturer range. Interestingly, the top ten models out of the 139 hatchback results are all petrol models so why not give it a go?

CO2 emissions price lists

Volkswagen Fleet Services has just launched two new CO2 emissions price lists which will make it simple for any company car driver or fleet manager to quickly find the right Volkswagen car to suit their needs. The first fleet price guide was launched in 2009 and the booklet details all the cars in the Volkswagen range with a CO2 output less than 160g/km, plus P11D values and Benefit-in-Kind tax implications.

The original sub-160 g/km price list has now been joined by a new price list detailing all Volkswagen cars under 120g/km of CO2, as the company continues to drive down their CO2 outputs and due to driver demand for even lower CO2 vehicles.

The sub-160g/km booklet has 16 model ranges detailed from the Fox to the Sharan, and it also includes the Polo Match and new Touran. The sub-120g/km list offers nine model ranges to choose from including the new Golf Cabriolet and the Golf BlueMotion which emit only 99g/km of CO2. If you want to download an electronic version of the new price guides visit www.volkswagen.co.uk/fleet

Searching for the lowest CO2 cars can also be a time consuming exercise so don’t forget to try the Vehicle Type Leasing Shopper. Just select the bodystyle you are looking for i.e. “hatchback”, tick “all manufacturers”  or just the manufacturers you are interested in, choose your CO2 range i.e. 0g/km up to 120g/km for example and then click the “business contract hire” button”. Results will be displayed showing all cars under 120g/km with the least expensive car leasing rental first. You can also amend your results by using the tabs on the left.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has undertaken some recent research on the 31 million cars currently registered on UK roads (the Motorparc) and has released some interesting facts and data. The SMMT data service has historical records of more than 200 million vehicles on its database and is capable of reporting by region, town or even by postcode. In addition to the 31 million cars on the road currently there are also 4.5 million commercial vehicles.

Here are some of the highlights of the SMMT data research;

• The total number of cars on UK roads is 31,258,197, up by 0.7% on 2009.
• Scotland and the South West were the biggest growth areas, each of which showed an increase of 4% since 2005.
• Greater London and the North West saw a greater fall in the number of registered cars over the last 5 years.
• Lowering CO2 emissions has been a focus for most car manufacturers and average CO2 emissions have dropped by 15% in the last five years.
• Chesterfield tops the low CO2 emissions table with 29% of its cars on the road emitting less than 140g/km.
• Plymouth has the fewest number of low CO2 cars at 19%.
• Silver is the most popular colour and has held top spot since 2008, however in 2010 white cars increased dramatically, up 7%.
• White cars are particularly popular along the South Coast and Leeds has the highest proportion of pink cars in the country.

Further information on SMMT data services can be found at www.smmt.co.uk/data

Tube Lines chooses smart fortwo

Tube Lines has been testing three smart fortwo cdi coupe to assist its engineers in London when making urgent repairs. The trial was a success and thirteen additional cars have now been ordered in full livery with an additional repair-kit option for use at sites or stations.

The manoeuverability of the smart cdi, its exceptional fuel performance of 85mpg and exemption from the VED annual road fund licence (CO2 is just 86g/km) were important reasons why Tube Lines chose the 54bhp model.

Philip Constable, General Manager Specialist Services for Tube LInes, said,”The smart cdi was by far the best vehicle for our needs, when it came to combining exemplary environmental credentials with the durability of running day and night, as our engineers keep London moving”.

CLICK for the details of this leasing offer

The BMW 1 Series is a quality hatchback and we have a BMW 116i (2.0-litre) ES 3-door petrol hatchback on offer on BMW business car leasing from only £211.83+VAT per month. This oval-badged hatchback returns 46.3 combined mpg and emits only 143g/km of CO2 as well, yet reaches 0-62mph in only 9.8 seconds.

The BMW car leasing offer is based over 4-years, 10,000 miles per annum, non-maintained car leasing, on a 3+47 rental profile and other terms are available on request. This car also inclues metallic paint as a free of charge option as well.