EV & Low CO2 Fleet Show

The EV & Low CO₂ Fleet Show is a one-day event being held at the world-famous Silverstone circuit on Wedneday the 18th April. The event will feature major motor manufacturers who have pioneered the development and production of electric vehicles, including Renault, Nissan, Peugeot and Citroen.

The event is being organised by Fleet World magazine in association with the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association, the trade association of the UK’s leasing and rental industries, with the event being sponsored by the Energy Saving Trust.

If you fancy attending the event, at the Silverstone racing circuit in Northamptonshire, there will be a wide range of electric, hybrid and other low-carbon vehicles that will be available for driving around the famous track.

Ross Durkin, Managing Editor of Fleet World, said: “The show is really starting to take shape now. We’re delighted that four of the motor manufacturers who have really been at the forefront of EV development will be at the event in order to help fleet managers really understand the potential for incorporating electric vehicles onto their fleet”.

The EV & Low CO₂ Fleet Show will allow visitors to:

- Test drive the latest petrol-electric hybrids, diesel-electric hybrids, fuel-cell hybrids and electric range-extenders, as well as many of the latest low-emission petrol and diesel engine vehicles

- Discuss future drivetrain strategies with leading motor manufacturers that attend the event

- Find out more about low-emission light commercial vehicles

- Talk to EV charging point suppliers and recharging infrastructure providers

- Discuss low-carbon vehicle supply with leading vehicle leasing suppliers

For more details on the event you can phone 01727 739160 or visit http://evfleetshow.co.uk/

Fiat 500 TwinAir

The Fiat 500 has just won the City Car honours in the 2012 BusinessCar Awards, for the fourth consecutive year. This award is voted for by the readers of BusinessCar magazine and is decided entirely by the business car industry, carrying with it the approval of the fleet market. The vote was also for the entire 500 range rather than just a specific model showing how extensive the Fiat 500 range is.

“Fiat’s 500 has again proved to be a business car market favourite, and Fiat’s advancement with its TwinAir technology has enhanced the excellent city car’s appeal to the sector,” commented Paul Barker, editor, BusinessCar. “The readers of BusinessCar are obviously fans of the 500’s combination of fun and frugality, having picked it as their favourite city car for the fourth year in a row.”

The Fiat 500 is available with a choice of low CO2 emissions Euro 5 engines, the 85bhp 0.9-litre TwinAir, 69 bhp 1.2-litre and 100bhp 1.4-litre petrol, and the 95 bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet turbodiesel. Fiat 500 contract hire is on the site on all models.

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.

Citroen DS4 5-door coupes

Clear Channel UK has just taken delivery of its first Citroen DS4s as part of a single badge agreement with Citroen, for the supply of its fleet cars. They are one of the UK’s market leaders in outdoor advertising and chose Citroen as part of their commitment to reduce CO2 emissions.

Their vehicle order included new DS4s, new C4, C4 Picasso, C5 Saloon and C5 Tourer, with a combination of HDi diesel engines or the ultra-efficient e-HDi micro-hybrid powertrains with Stop & Start. The DS4 e-HDi models have Citroen’s six-speed EGS automated manual transmission as standard and return 64.2 combined mpg and emit 114g/km of CO2. Citroen contract hire is on the site now for the whole range of cars and vans.

Glenn Ewen, Fleet Manager for Clear Channel UK, said: “In each price band Citroën has a choice of three or four models and using a single supplier cuts down on paperwork. It also reduces work for our drivers as they don’t have to compare models from a variety of manufacturers. With these new Citroen cars our drivers certainly appreciate paying less Benefit in Kind tax than they did before.”

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.

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.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has just been voted Best Large Panel Van for the fourth year running at the Fleet Van Awards 2011. Trevor Gelken, editor of Fleet Van, said,”The judges felt (apart from the VW Crafter which comes off the same line as the Sprinter) no other van came close to the Sprinter in terms of build quality, technology, reliability and sheer good driving experience”.

The Fleet Van Awards are judged by a number of industry experts including George Alexander, Editor of Glass’s Guide to Commercial Vehicles, Alastair Houston, Regional Manager of Northgate Vehicle Hire and Stephen Briers from Fleet News.

Steve Bridge, Van Sales and Marketing Director for Mercedes-Benz UK, said,”We are thrilled to have received such a fantastic accolade for our trusty and reliable Sprinter van. To win any award once is a great achievement, but to win the Fleet Van Large Panel Van award for four consecutive years is truly an outstanding triumph”. Mercedes-Benz contract hire on the Sprinter range is on the site now.

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”.