BMW contract hire offer

The 2012 BMW 320d EfficientDynamics 4-door diesel saloon has just been loaded onto the site with a great BMW contract hire rental of only £303.56+VAT per month on a three year deal. The terms are 6 rentals in advance, 10,000 miles per annum, non-maintained contract hire.

This highly efficient executive saloon car returns 68.9 combined mpg and has CO2 emissions of 109g/km, yet still manages a 0-62mph time of 8 seconds, so it is the ideal company car for any executive fleet driver. Other terms are available from our car finance partner and if you need any accessories added to the car just fill out one of our Contact Forms.

New Kia Optima saloon

The all-new Kia Optima goes on sale on the 1st February as Kia targets the business fleet car market with this new model, with a diesel-only line-up. The car is available in six-speed manual or automatic transmissions with four trim levels available – all with a very high level of standard specification. The new Kia Optima offers class-leading space and CO2 emissions as low as 128g/km of CO2 and a combined mpg of 57.6, so is an ideal shortlist for any company car driver.

The Optima was unveiled at the New York Auto Show and became Korea’s top-selling car within a month of going on sale. To date nearly 300,000 Optimas have been sold worldwide and the car was designed by Kia’s Chief Design Officer (Peter Schreyer) and his team.  

Kia Optima

It now joins the Kia family of Sorento, Soul, Venga, Sportage, c’eed, Picanto, Rio and provides Kia a full range of vehicles to offer across a fleet company car policy.

The UK model line-up and pricing  

New Ford Mondeo

Ford has revealed their new all-new Ford Fusion, in North America, which will be the new Ford Mondeo when launched in the Europe, in the first quarter of 2013. This important fleet company car will be the first saloon to offer petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains when launched, and will offer top fuel economy.

The new Mondeo features a sleek silhouette and fresh face and will include numerous Ford technologies including a Lane Keeping System, adapative cruise control, active park assist, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) and SYNC^® communications and entertainment system, which enables voice-activated communication through a driver’s mobile phone and interaction with the car’s audio system.

In addition the car features the latest version of MyFord Touch^®, allowing a driver to interact with other vehicle systems through voice control, a touch screen tap or a conventional button.

New Ford Mondeo

Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of Global Product Development, said,”We brought our global teams together around a blank slate with the charge to develop a midsize car with ground-breaking design and jaw-dropping fuel economy-one that featured technologies to help our customers safer and better drivers. This car is the result”.

CLICK for business car leasing offer

The Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTi Exclusiv diesel 5-door hatchback is currently on offer on the site from only £216.98+VAT on business car leasing. This great fleet car returns 60.1 combined mpg and emits only 124g/km of CO2 emissions so is an ideal company car for any fleet driver.

The Vauxhall Insignia business car leasing offer is based a on 4-year term, 6+47 rental profile, non-maintained lease at 10,000 miles per annum with other contract terms available from our car finance partner. Metallic paint colours available at an extra cost.

New Mazda3

Fleet operators and company car drivers will benefit from financial savings when the new Mazda3 goes on UK sale early in 2012. The upgraded Mazda3 range features 16 standard models with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines (with three power outputs) and for the first time the line-up includes a Mazda3 1.6 Sport Diesel. This is the model that Mazda believes will find favour with fleet operators and company car drivers alike.

Combined CO₂ emissions are cut by up to 3.5 percent depending on model, alongside improvements in fuel consumption, mean reduced petrol and diesel bills and savings in benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax for company car drivers. And of course for fleet operators this means lower Vehicle Excise Duty and National Insurance payments.

The 1.6 Sport Diesel and 1.6 Sport Nav Diesel offer competitive CO₂ emissions (115g/km), combined cycle fuel economy of 65.7mpg and a standard vehicle specification that includes a Bose audio system, heated sports seats, 17-inch alloy wheels and side skirts.

The new Mazda3 range offers a choice of six trim levels – S, TS, TS², TS² Nav, Sport and Sport Nav – as well as from launch the special edition 1.6 Tamura and 1.6D Tamura. The range has more muscular visual appeal with a new front end design, a revised rear bumper and new twist-spoke alloy wheel designs. Inside, you get new materials and colours, improved ease-of-use for the driver and a quieter cabin.

Nissan Qashqai

Nissan’s popular Qashqai crossover has just been voted ‘Used Car of the Year’ by used car pricing experts CAP – for the second year in a row.

A panel of judges comprising of used car market and vehicle valuation experts at CAP said: “The Nissan Qashqai has created an entirely new ‘crossover’ sector and prompted other manufacturers to follow by marrying the practicality of a people carrier with the looks of a quality 4×4. By achieving this in a package that also offers economy, handling, strong build quality and reliability the Qashqai has become the perfect used car for our time.”

The CAP panel also noted that strong demand meant the Qashqai was always likely to sought by trade buyers and customers alike, meaning it depreciated slowly and outperformed the general market as a whole.

Launched in 2007, the Qashqai has become a top-selling mainstream model, rivalling conventional family hatchbacks and it has become a permanent feature in the UK top 10 best vehicle sales list. The double win from CAP comes on top of a similar award from leading consumer magazine What Car?, which named the Qashqai as its ‘Best Used Car 2011’ last month.

The Qashqai range consists of two petrol and three advanced diesel engines with a new 1.6-litre diesel with stop-start technology opening up the Qashqai to more company car drivers. If you are interested in leasing a brand new Nissan Qashqai then Nissan contract hire prices are on the site now.

Of if you prefer to buy a used, ex-fleet car then visit our buying an ex-lease car section for further details on how to do with this.

Mazda reduces emissions

Mazda has announced that emission cuts on the Mazda6 and Mazda2 models will benefit fleets and company car drivers, with a reduced benefit-in-kind liability and a reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). The Mazda6 2.2-litre 5-door Diesel 163ps and 180ps models drop from 142g/km to 140g/km, while the 129ps model drops even further  from 138g/km to 133g/km.

On the Mazda2 1.5-litre manual petrol model, the reduction is 135g/km to 132g/km and in addition on all 1.3-litre models, the reduction is from 119g/km to 115g/km, while the 1.5-litre automatic falls from 146g/km to 145g/km.

Steve Jelliss, Mazda Fleet and Remarketing Director,said,”At a time when corporate and personal budgets are being squeezed, Mazda customers are able to benefit from cash savings through these emission cuts. The Mazda range is already well-known for its style, specification, and reliability, and this development further enhances our value for money credentials”.

Honda has announced that normal car production will resume due to an improvement in the supply problems in Thailand, with full car production at Swindon re-commencing on Monday the 19th December 2011. This will also see the start of mass production of Honda’s new Civic.

The severe flooding in Thailand had affected the supply of parts however with the situation improving, Honda is getting back to normal. Andy Platek, Director of Manufacturing at Honda in Swindon, said,”Our Associates have shown great understanding over the last month and we are all now really excited about the prospect of starting to produce our new Civic”. If you are interested in the new Civic as your next company car then we have Honda contract hire prices on the site now.

Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid

LeasePlan has just taken delivery of a brand new Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, on loan, for internal staff and also for their customers to try out the car before its official launch next year.

The new Prius Plug-in Hybrid has a high capacity lithium-ion battery powering the electric motor and a 1.8-litre petrol engine combination, to offer CO2 emissions of just 49g/km and a combined fuel consumption of 134.5mpg. If you drive on electric power alone the range is 14 miles and a charge from a normal household socket takes 90 minutes.

David Brennan, managing director LeasePlan UK, said,”We have enjoyed a longstanding partnership with Toyota, and we are all excited to see what this innovative new model can bring to the table. This trial will represent another step in delivering the best possible value and innovation to our clients across the UK”.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists subsidiary, IAM Drive and Survive, has just released some tips for preparing your car for winter, as forecasters are predicting another cold, hard winter. Simon Elstow is the head of training and he explains,”Now is the time to give your car a health-check before winter conditions take their toll. Bad weather can strike quickly, and more severely than you expect, so it’s really important to be ready”.

Here are the tips:

1. Make sure your windscreen wipers are in good condition and that you clean the inside of the windscreen regularly.
2. Do a proper check of your vehicle, including the tyres. Top up the windscreen washer fluid with a suitable mixture of water and de-icer fluid and make sure your ice scraper and de-icer are still OK, if you are using a product from last year.
3. The legal minimum for tyre tread in the UK is 1.6mm but for optimum safety, start looking for replacements if the depth is below 3mm.*
4. Check that all your lights are working, including indicators.
5. Pack an emergency kit in your vehicle. This should include a warm coat, high visibility jacket, some food and water, a pair of boots, de-icer and scraper, a torch, spade and a mobile phone with a welll-charged battery. And don’t forget to store your emergency breakdown number as well.

The IAM has also launched a new website @ www.drivingadvice.org.uk where you can find traffic updates, weather forecasts and tips on how to drive safely this winter.

* tyre replacement on a “with maintenance” contract hire arrangement varies with each leasing company so check with your leasing supplier.