A weekly roundup of fleet news from around Europe
Resurgent fleet boosts UK car market – PwC
Go deeper with GlobalData
UK car sales are likely to fall but the market
will be more resilient than other EU nations, due in part to the
strength of fleet vehicles, according to automotive experts at
Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC).
According to Michael Gartside, senior analyst
with the company’s automotive forecasting service, the expected
decline in consumer spending will “push the UK new car market below
1.9m units in 2012,” down approximately 3% on 2011.
The UK, however, has a more resilient car
market than most EU nations which are suffering increased negative
demand from rising credit costs and liquidity restraints, says
Giorgio Elefante, PwC Autofacts in Italy, “but monetary expansive
policy is probably not enough to offset opposite market
trends”.
Instead, the UK fleet and business leasing
vehicle sector is keeping car registrations comparatively
stable.
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By GlobalDataWhile private new car sales in the UK have
dropped 14.1% from 2010 to 2011, according to PwC, fleet
registrations have risen by 4.6% and business registrations by
1.2%.
“If you look at recent vehicle volumes, in
many respects, people would say that the market is still relatively
strong, relative to the size of the UK economy and the population,”
says Jason Wakelam, automotive deals partner at PwC.
“Over the last 12 months the private sales
have actually contracted but the thing that’s been keeping
everything up is fleet sales, the corporate market.”
Citroën strengthens fleet
team
Citroën’s national fleet sales team have
appointed Simon Griffith and Mark Richardson to bolster their sales
team for 2012.
Griffith joins Citroën’s team of fleet,
leasing & rental managers as area fleet manager for Greater
London and Essex. Previously, Griffith worked for Honda,
Rover and VW Audi. He will join Citroën’s seven-strong
corporate fleet team under Gerry McCaffrey, national fleet
operations manager.
Richardson joins the French manufacturer as a
leasing & rental manager covering the Central region. Prior to
the appointment, he had 14 years experience with AVIS and other
leasing and rental companies.
Richardson joins Citroën’s five-strong leasing
and rental team and will report to Frazer Grice, Citroën’s national
leasing & rental manager.
Andy Wady, UK fleet director at Citroën, said:
“In difficult trading conditions, Citroën has been growing its
fleet business. The company’s success in this sector is
underpinned by the launch of the DS line and our range of fuel
efficient cars and LCVs, all with real fleet appeal. The
appointment of Simon and Mark, two highly experienced fleet
professionals, will enable the company’s corporate fleet and
leasing & rental operations to build on that success in
2012.”
Fleet helps Ogilvie Group to profit
rise
A strong performance by Ogilvie Fleet has
helped Ogilvie Group to a 7% increase in both profit and turnover
for 2011.
Turnover for the Scottish firm, which also
runs Ogilvie Construction and Ogilvie Homes, was £162.7m with a pre
tax profit of £2.7m, compared to figures for the previous year of
£151m and £2.5m respectively.
The company said the growth was thanks largely
to its fleet division, which offers contract hire, leasing and
fleet management across Europe, which was supported by buoyant
second hand car values.
Ogilvie’s fleet size across the UK increased
to over 10,000 vehicles in 2011 and the company said there are
plans in place to continue to develop the sector.
Earlier in the year Ogilvie appointed Barclays
Corporate, which was already funding Ogilvie Fleet through the
bank’s asset finance division, as its new funder across all Group
divisions.
Toyota and Lexus
fleet lead field for service
Toyota and Lexus are surpassing expectations
of Britain’s fleet managers in key areas, according to an
independent survey.
The 2011 Fleet Operator Attitude Survey, from
automotive research firm Sewells, asked 953 fleet managers or
companies about the practices of 24 vehicle manufacturers.
The report revealed that quality, reliability,
and service, maintenance and repair costs (SMR) are the most
important considerations for fleet customers when choosing
vehicles.
Toyota achieved the highest rating for SMR
costs among mainstream manufacturers, and Lexus, which is
wholly-owned by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota Corporation, was
awarded best for SMR costs out of the premium car brands.
Ewan Shepherd, general manager of Toyota Lexus
Fleet Services, said: “We are delighted that our efforts are being
recognised by decision makers in the industry. With the extra
investment we are making, Fleet is now a major focus for 2012 and
beyond, and we will be working hard over the next few years to make
sure Toyota and Lexus Fleet offer an all-round, value service to
business users.”
Bikes, moustaches and wine help Zenith
bring good will
Zenith has drummed up a little Christmas
spirit by rasing more than £5000 for charitable causes.
In June this year a team of ten cyclists from
Zenith entered the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride, cycling 70 miles from
Wetherby to Filey and raising over £3,700 for the event’s nominated
charities.
A team of ten from Zenith also grew moustaches
to raise £1,225 for Movember, a charity which raises awareness and
money for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other
cancers that affect men.
This was followed by a Christmas ‘wine and
buy’ night at their Leeds office which raise £160for motoring
charity BEN.
Ian Hughes, commercial director of Zenith,
said: “We are always looking for new ways to support local
and national charities. So far this year Zenith employees have
raised more than ever before and we are proud that we able to
support such as range of great charities.”
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year from all at
Leasing Life
