Lightning GT

The British designed and built Lightning GT supercar has been entered into the 2011 RAC Future Car Challenge which is on the 5th November. The 60-mile route is from Madeira Drive in Brighton to London’ Regent Street with the challenge for each entrant to use as little energy as possible.

The Lightning GT has two electric motors providing 300kW (about 400hp) to the rear wheels and has a 0-60mph time of just 5 seconds, with a top speed of 125mph. The range of the car is over 150 miles and with the addition of the range extender pack this increases to 225 miles. Charging takes as little as 10 minutes with an”ultrafast” off-board charger, 2.5 hours with the on-board charger and 15 hours from a domestic charger (using an adaptor).

There are around 80 low-energy pioneering cars competing in the RAC event from hybrid, hydrogen and low emission combustion engine cars and commercial vehicles, with manufacturers such as Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota , Nissan, Vauxhall, Skoda and Volkswagen all participating.

If you are interested in leasing a low emission, fuel efficient car, then try the Vehicle Type Leasing Shopper where you can select the bodystyle, CO2 emissions target and combined mpg you require.

The British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association (BVRLA) is set to launch a new online motor manufacturer safety recall system in 2012 in conjunction with Ebbon-Dacs and the Operator Services Agency (VOSA). The new system will provide a single location for all car manufacturers to list their safety recall notfications.

The BVRLA hopes that companies that run vehicle fleets and motor manufacturers will be able to test the new service during the pilot stage in May 2012, with an aim to launch by August 2012.

The Ebbon-Dac’s web-based system will also allow BVRLA members to input their own fleet data which can be compared to the recall information so that a report can then be produced to highlight any outstanding recalls.

In the meantime, if you want to search for car recalls you can do so via the VOSA website from the link below;

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/default.asp?tx=VOSA

CLICK for the vehicle leasing offer

If you are looking for a new van and want an economical commercial vehicle for your business, then we have the Renault Kangoo range on the site now on Renault vehicle leasing from only £139.59+VAT per month.

One model on offer is the Renault Kangoo Diesel ML19dCi 70 Freeway Van on a 4-year term, 10,000 miles per annum, 3+47 rental profile and non-maintained vehicle leasing.

This economical diesel van returns 53.3 combined mpg and emits only 140g/km of CO2 as well, so it’s really economical too. Other terms and durations are available direct from our vehicle finance partner, but at £35+VAT per week this is a pretty good offer.

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.

ING Car Lease has sold its vehicle leasing business to the BMW Group for 637m Euros (approximately £742 million) and the deal is expected to be closed by the end of the year, subject to the usual regulatory approvals.

ING Car Lease has a vehicle fleet (on risk) of around 47,615 vehicles (according to Fleet News) and combining this with BMW’s UK leasing company risk fleet, Alphabet UK (47,176), the combined operation will total around 94,791 vehicles, placing the combined operation in the top three UK leasing companies.

This deal also enables Alphabet to provide its corporate customers with broadened leasing and fleet management services in 16 European countries, as ING Car Lease has pan-European coverage. ING will now focus on its core banking activities and this new deal follows the sale of ING Direct USA to Capital One for 6.2bn Euros, which was announced last month.

SEAT Ibiza Copa Ecomotive S offers 80.7 mpg

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has conducted a recent poll of 2,500 people and over half said they had changed to a more eco-friendly driving style and eighty per cent said they had changed their overall driving behaviour in a number of other ways.

Changes in overall driving behaviour;

• Making fewer journeys – 38%
• Walking shorter journeys when perhaps they had driven before – 35%
• Using public transport more – 21%
• Cycling shorther journeys when previously they would have driven- 19%
• Buying a more fuel efficient car – 18%

However 74 per cent were against giving up their cars completely, but more than half said they stick to the speed limit to keep fuel consumption down and more than 70 per cent check their tyre pressures regularly. In addition taking the heavy clutter out of your car i.e. tools, bikes etc and turning off the air-conditioning were also popular in saving fuel.

IAM director of policy and research, Neil Greig, said,”The days of cruising the motorway at eighty regardless of cost are over. With rocketing fuel prices it is clear that drivers are changing their behaviour, which is good for their health and the environment. You don’t need a new car to become a greener driver. You just need to change your driving style”.

The IAM has provided some useful tips as well on saving fuel and if you are thinking of buying or leasing a new more fuel-efficient car then try the Vehicle Type Leasing Shopper to help you. For example the SEAT Ibiza Copa Ecomotive pictured above offers you 80.7 combined mpg.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists has found that today’s cars generate 14 per cent of all CO2 emissions in the UK, which is marginally less than in 2000, however there has been an increase of 4 million cars on the road since then. Their new motoring report is called “Energy use and CO2 emissions”.

The report details some useful “green” facts and some of the highlights are below:

• Carbon emissions from all forms of transport continues to rise but cars fell from 196g/km of Co2 in 1997 to 174g/km of CO2 in 2008.
• People’s perception is that cars and aircraft are the biggest carbon polluters when the top two are power stations and industry.
• The average new car fuel consumption for petrol cars fell from 8.28 litres per 100km in 1997 to 6.93 litres per 100km in 2008.
• UK households produce as much CO2 as cars.

IAM director of policy and research, Neil Greig said,”Despite what many green experts may say, Britain’s drivers and the motoring industry are doing their bit to reduce carbon emissions. Drivers are shifting to greener engines and have embraced incentives like cheaper vehicle excise duty for more fuel-efficient models. Manufacturers should also take credit for producing models across the range that are cleaner and greener. But driving style is crucial- the best fuel-saver is a light foot and anticipation of the road ahead”.

The IAM has also provided some CO2 and fuel saving tips:

• Keep your vehicle moving rather than stopping and starting all the time by trying to look further ahead and slow down earlier to avoid stopping. Driving at a constant speed is far more fuel efficient than heavy accelerating and braking.
• Check your tyre pressures as under-inflated tyres have a big impact on your fuel economy.
• Put your car on a diet and remove any unnecessary weight, including roof racks, car clutter and any heavy items in the boot.
• Try to avoid using air conditioning and climate control at low speeds as they increase your fuel consumption. Open a window instead.
• However at high speeds, do close your windows to maintain the aerodynamics of the car. Use your air-conditioning to get the car to a comfortable temperature and then turn it off to save fuel.
• Clean windscreens and windows rarely mist up – so you’ll use the heater and air-conditioning less if they sparkle.
• Try changing up your gears earlier; for petrol engines at 2,500 rpm (revs per minute), and diesel engines 2,000 rpm
• Reverse into parking bays: manoeuvring with a cold engine uses more fuel, so make the most of having a hot engine.
• It will take most cars at least a couple of miles to warm up and run efficiently. Could you walk or even cycle?
• Drive at an even pace over speed humps as slowing down and speeding up drinks more fuel.
• Stick to the speed limit at all times.

Finding the most economical car can be really be a time-consuming exercise however an easy way to find the cars with the best Co2 or best combined mpg is by using the Vehicle Leasing Type Shopper. Just select the bodystyle of the vehicle you are looking for i.e. saloon, hatchback etc, then tick “all manufacturers” and choose the ranges of CO2 and mpg you are looking for, i.e. 60mpg upwards for example.

Toyota hybrid and electric vehicles

An independent European consumer study by Automotive Business Intelligence company EurotaxGlass’s and UK research institute Harris Interactive has found that Toyota is by far the first choice for hybrids and electric vehicles.

Toyota stood out in all European markets with 31% of those interviewed, who had expressed an interest in electric or hybrid vehicles, said that Toyota had the highest brand awareness. When asked to name an electric or hybrid brand, 15% named Toyota, with only 6% naming the closest rival hybrid manufacturer. You can easily search for all Toyota hybrid and electric vehicles (Prius, Auris Hybrid,Yaris) using the Vehicle Type leasing shopper.

PeugeotCompare

Peugeot has just launched their new PeugeotCompare website which helps business customers choose their next company car or van, by providing key facts and figures about Peugeot models, plus that of the nearest competitor in each vehicle range. You can prioritise key elements that may affect your choice for example the P11D cost of the vehicle, Company Car Tax, CO2 and MPG.

Phil Robson, Director, Fleet Sales, Peugeot UK, said,”At a time when we and our competitors offer our customers such a wide choice of models, I think it is important they get to evaluate the merits of our products in a way that suits them, and the “PeugeotCompare” website brings an ease of use solution to an otherwise complicated dilemma”.

Once you have chosen your next car or van don’t forget your vehicle leasing requirements (on all makes and models) can be found back on Comparecontracthire.com.

Vauxhall Vivaro

Vauxhall has announced that the production location for the new Vivaro, which is scheduled for a 2013 production, will be from their plant at Luton,which is great news for their UK workforce.

Vauxhall (Opel) and Renault will also continue with their collaboration of producing vehicles in the Light Commercial Vehicle Segment (LCV), which has been ongoing since 1996. Renault confirmed that the Renault Trafic model will continue to be produced at their plant in Sandouville, plus the H2 (high roof) version of the Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro as well. Vehicle leasing prices on all Vauxhall and Renault commercial vehicles are on the site now.