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.”

The Freight Transport Association has warned commercial vehicle operators to keep their older vans out of London as the new Low Emission Zone comes into effect on the 3rd January 2012. This will apply to Y-registration and some 51 plate vans, as well as even older vans.

If you run a fleet of vans (or just one) and want to understand the new charges being applied, then the FTA has produced an LEZ compliance guide which is available for FTA members to download at www.fta.co.uk/lez

If you are unsure if your van is compliant or not you can also check this by entering your vehicle registration mark at the Transport For London website. This will also affect minibuses and motor caravans as well.

Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London, said,”The penalties are such that non-compliance is simply not an option. Research by the FTA shows that fortunately, most large HGV fleet operators will be fully compliant with, or prepared for, the move up from Euro 3 to Euro 4 standard engines. However, for tradespeople operating vans over ten years old the LEZ will be an entirely new consideration and, therefore, preparedness will be far lower. This is where our immediate concern lies”.

If you are a small business running an older van and you need to get a new van quickly then we have the full range of commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes on van contract hire available now. The LEZ requirements mean that vans will have to meet Euro 3 standards if you want to avoid a fine of £500, or face a daily charge of £100 to operate in and out of London.

ESP installation chart

Electronic Stability Control (ESP) must now be standard on all new cars and light commercial vehicles in the EU from the 1st November 2011. ESP will also become compulsory in all new EU vehicles from 31st October 2014 and this is part of the European Commission strategy to improve road safety.

Bosch developed ESP and in 1995 it was the first company worldwide to start series production. By 2010, 41 per cent of all cars and light commercial vehicles weighing less than six metric tons worldwide were equipped with the innovative safety system.

The Electronic Stability Program uses intelligent sensors to check 25 times per second whether the driver’s steering input matches the direction of travel and if it detects the vehicle is likely to become unstable, it intervenes by reducing the engine torque in order to restore stability. If that doesn’t correct the issue, it then additionally brakes individual wheels and also incorporates with the functions of antilock braking (ABS) and traction control.

BMW 3 Series

The UK’s largest vehicle reliability survey has been conducted by Fleet News with the top FN50 vehicle leasing companies (by fleet size), who run in excess of 1.2 million cars and vans. This annual analysis asks the leasing companies to rank the best vehicles and manufacturers for reliability, with tables then created for a top 10 for cars and a top 5 for vans (see below).

German brands have dominated the results this year for both the car and van category, with the BMW 3 Series the most reliable car (and top car brand), the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter knocking the Ford Transit off the top spot for most reliable van, with Volkswagen leaping ahead of Ford overall, in the van reliability league table.

Fleet News Editor, Stephen Briers, said, “BMW has built on its position as most reliable car manufacturer supplying the UK’s largest contract hire companies, adding another attribute to low CO2 emissions, modest overall running costs and rewarding driver behaviour and making its cars more desirable to fleet operators”.

Volkswagen vans

On vans, Stephen said,”Van reliability is arguably more important than car reliability as vital supply chains can be disrupted through unnecessary vehicle downtime. Volkswagen has demonstrated with its leading position as a van manufacturer, and high placing for its models, that fleet operators can choose its vehicles in confidence”

Most reliable cars according to top FN50 leasing companies

1. BMW 3 Series
2. Honda Accord
3. Volkswagen Golf
4. Audi A3
5. Toyota Avensis
6. Nissan Qashqai
7. Volkswagen Passat
8. Audi A4
9. Mazda6
10. BMW 5 Series

Most reliable car manufacturers

1. BMW
2. Audi
3. Honda
4. Volkswagen
5. Toyota
6. Nissan
7. Mercedes-Benz
8. Ford
9. Lexus
10. Skoda

Most reliable vans

1. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
2. Ford Transit
3. Volkswagen Caddy
4. Ford Transit Connect
5. Volkswagen Transporter

Most reliable van manufacturers

1. Volkswagen
2. Ford
3. Mercedes-Benz
4. Fiat
5. Renault 

Nissan commercial vehicles (LCVs)

Nissan is exhibiting five commercial vehicle models from its Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) model line-up at the Tokyo Truck Show, which is being held at the Tokyo Big Sight International Exhibition Centre. They are also focussing on applying their electric vehicle technology into their commercial van range using components from the Nissan LEAF. The first LCV to receive the “EV treatment” was the NV200 which began its proving tests in July 2011.

Nissan is exhibiting trucks equipped with LEAF technology at the show, including the e-NT400 Cabstar Concept, the Cabstar Refrigerator Van with Li-ion Battery and the Cabstar Power Supply Truck.

Nissan Corporate Vice President Hideto Murakami, who is responsible for the Global LCV Business Unit, commented,”In addition to passenger EVs such as the Nissan LEAF, Nissan will focus efforts on developing and disseminating commercial EVs with the aim of becoming a leader in the field of zero-emissions. We are currently making preparations to release a new EV based on the LCV NV200″. If you thinking of contract hiring a new Nissan light commercial vehicle we have the current Nissan commercial model line-up on the site now.

ASDA has just signed up to the voluntary scheme to measure and reduce carbon emissions specifically from lorries and vans. The Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme (LCRS) represents around 50,000 commercial vehicles run by 55+ businesses and ASDA’s signing is seen as a major step forward in the scheme.

ASDA will supply fuel usage, fleet and activity data along with the other 55 businesses in the LCRS, to try and paint an accurate picture of the carbon emissions impact of the logistics sector. The UK has carbon emission targets that commit us to actual cuts in carbon emissions, however the aim of the LCRS focusses on producing less carbon per unit of resource of activity by sharing best practise and learning from all companies across the logistics sector.

Areas of progress to date include driver fuel efficiency training, use of biofuels and increases in vehicle carrying capacities. As fuel accounts for around 40% of all the costs of running a truck or van fleet, this seems a great idea to help all commercial vehicle operators reduce costs and their carbon emission footprint.

The scheme is still open to FTA members and non-members, so if you run a fleet of commercial vehicles and want to find out further information, or join (it’s free of charge), then visit the FTA carbon reduction website.

Volkswagen Amarok pick-up

The Portugese of National Institute for Search and Rescue has been using a brand new fleet of Volkswagen Amarok pick-ups (14 in total) to rescue surfers and swimmers off the coast of Portugal’s beaches this summer. The institute chose the new Amarok for its quick response team which carry essential life saving equipment and the Amarok’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive is ideal for this.

The Amarok has the largest loadspace in its class and is available in doublecab pick-up with four doors and space for five adults. Its 2.0-litre TDI engine has low CO2 emissions, is powerful with good torque and has better fuel economy than many of its rivals which have much larger engines.

All Hemmings, National Sales Manager, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said, “We are delighted to add the new Amarok off-roader to our range of commercial vehicles this year which, with the new Volkswagen 4MOTION system also available on our Caddy Maxi, Transporter and Caravelle ranges, means we now offer an extensive and versatile choice of all-wheel drive vehicles from vans and people carriers to a robust pick-up”. Volkswagen Amarok contract hire on the whole Amarok range is on the site now.

Ford Transit ECOnetic

Speedy Hire, the UK’s leading plant and hire equipment company, has just taken delivery of 19 Ford 2.2-litre TDCi 115PS ECOnetic diesel vans, as they boost their green credentials. The super-efficient Transit ECOnetic has a combined fuel economy of 39.2mpg and emits a class-leading 189g/km of CO2 using its optimised engine mapping, longer gearing, along with aerodynamic wheel covers and even a gearshift indicator.

The 19 Ford Transit ECOnetic vans join a fleet of around 2,000 vehicles and will be used by Speedy’s engineers on maintenance calls around the UK.  Nick Halliday, Ford’s regional fleet manager, commented,”Speedy Hire is one of many companies looking to meet its environmental targets by the adoption of the latest technology from Ford. I am sure that Speedy will find the Ford Transit ECOnetic a major advantage in its quest, and as emissions standards continue to tighten we expect other businesses to follow”. Ford Transit contract hire on the ECOnetic should be loaded shortly.

Volkswagen Jetta

Volkswagen Passenger Cars has announced that for the first half of this year they have delivered record results with over 2.5 million cars delivered worldwide. The demand increase by model included the Jetta (+58.3%), Tiguan (+50.9%), Passat CC (+73.4%) as well as the Phaeton (+95.8%). Upward growth was reported globally with over 852,000 units delivered in China alone, the largest single market.

Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said,”The positive trend for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand in the first half of the year is very encouraging. It would be a major success if we could keep up this momentum during the second six months”. If you are interested in leasing a Volkswagen car or van we have Volkswagen contract hire prices on all models, on the site now.

Renault new 1.6-litre dCi engine

Renault has launched their new 1.6-litre “Energy” dCi 130 engine initially in the Scenic and Grand Scenic Dynamique TomTom range. In the five and seven-seat versions of the Scenic range, the new Energy 130 dCi offers the lowest emissions and best fuel economy of any MPV powered by a similar size engine.

CO2 emissions are now at 115g/km, which is down by a massive 30g/km over the former 1.9-litre engine. Fuel economy is also improved by 25% with a combined mpg figure of 64.2, all of which will help any family in keeping their motoring costs down.

The engine still packs a punch with torque increased from 300 to 320Nm and the Scenic reaches 0-62mph in 10.3 seconds and has a top speed of 121mph (where permitted). The 1.6 dCi 130 also features other economy solutions including low pressure EGR and Stop&Start technology. It is also Euro 5 compliant, Euro 6 ready and Renault plans to roll out the engine into other models in its range in due course, for example the Megane and also their vans.