All articles by Fred Crawley
Fred Crawley
Electric car leasing takes another step forward
As the public awareness of electric vehicles and their benefits grows, leasing companies are very well-placed to put themselves at the heart of a whole new asset market.
Shortening the replacement cycle
Fred Crawley talks to Mel Goodliffe of Flexxilease about how short-term leases could shake up the contract hire market. For a man who spends a lot of his time figuring out how to sell vehicle leases lasting anywhere from 3 to 24 months, Flexxilease managing director Mel Goodliffe is anything but a short-term thinker. Goodliffe believes the rental market, despite still being served by some very capable and substantial providers, has lost enough participants to leave substantial niche business available but only to companies with the agility and experience to take advantage of them.
Police’s £132m leasing bill sparks row
A Liberal Democrats report has revealed Britains police forces spent more than £132 million on the leasing and hiring of vehicles between 2004 and 2009 prompting widespread questioning over the effectiveness of public sector fleet management. The document, compiled from Freedom of Information requests to police forces, revealed a nationwide hire bill of £70,000 daily, a figure Lib Dem shadow home secretary Chris Huhne called unnecessarily lavish.
UK police forces’ £132m leasing bill sparks procurement row
A report issued by the Liberal Democrat party has revealed that Britain’s police forces spent more than £132 million (146.7 million) on the leasing and hiring of vehicles between 2004 and 2009 a figure that has prompted widespread questioning over the effectiveness of public sector fleet management. The document, compiled from Freedom of Information requests to police forces, revealed a nationwide hire bill of £70,000 daily, a figure which Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary Chris Huhne called “unnecessarily lavish”.
Aston Barclay rebrands auction sites
Remarketing group Aston Barclay has rebranded its three auction sites, and has announced its intentions to increase market share in the fleet, dealer and light commercial vehicle remarketing sectors. As part of the rebrand, the auction company will provide a new online service at www.astonbarclay.net, where leasing companies and manufacturer vendors will be able to access sites at Prees Heath, Westbury and Chelmsford. Les Scarborough, Aston Barclays chief executive, explained: Prees Heath and Westbury offer vendors sites that geographically arent served by any other auction supplier, while our new site at Chelmsford has scope to extend beyond its strong following among dealer and light commercial vendors.
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Mini E leasing: Getting the message across
The announcement of a high-profile leasing scheme for BMWs new Mini E electric car prototype signifies not only another step towards widespread consumer uptake of electric cars, but a bold example of the part that captive finance and good brand management have to play in this process. By leasing 20 vehicles (along with chargers) to consumers on a six-month, £330 per calendar month deal, BMW will gain a useful testing ground for electric vehicle leasing: drivers will commit to driving at least 300 miles per month, while motoring and charging habits will be monitored by smart meters.
BSI to set compliance standards
National standards body BSI is to develop a standard for compliance teams in the financial services sector, it has announced.
Glass’s: Wholesale used market to remain tough
Car valuation specialist Glasss has noted a downturn in the wholesale used car market over recent weeks, with managing editor Adrian Rushmore calling the middle of September a watershed for the industry.
The end is nigh
As the scrappage scheme draws to a close in Britain, is there any hope for its continuation?
Breaking new ground
Fred Crawley talks to Spencer Halil, MD of Alphera, about moving the captive finance house product offering into new territory.