There’s been another German win this week as Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has secured a £1.7m deal to supply over 80 Transporter vans to Arcus Engineering.

Arcus operates the refrigeration maintenance contract in the South East for Sainsbury’s. The fleet comprises the new, more fuel-efficient Volkswagen Transporter van launched earlier this year, along with some of Volkswagen’s smaller van, the Caddy, to work in and around London.  The vehicles, interior conversions and contract hire agreement have been managed by Lex Autolease.

The firm, based in Upminster, Essex, is a new refrigeration division to sister company ArcusFM which manages the facilities contract for the national network of Sainsbury’s stores.

Past experience and the reputation of the Volkswagen brand helped to secure the order. ArcusFM fleet manager, Janet Bass, said: “It was imperative that we launched Arcus Engineering with a fleet that was reliable and robust. Abridge Van Centre was very helpful throughout the process by providing a range of demonstrator vehicles that we could test at our leisure before making the decision.”

“We are delighted that Arcus Engineering is satisfied with the vehicles and our customer service,” said Wendy Williamson, commercial sales manager at Abridge Van Centre in Loughton, Essex.

“We continually work hard on providing a high level of customer service and developing our links with local businesses and we believe this acquisition is evidence of that,” she added.

The Telegraph, meanwhile, has published the results of a new survey showing that texting and chatting on the phone are still major distractions for motorists, despite the fact that they’re illegal.

More than half (51%) of 3,000 drivers polled said they believed that motorists were losing concentration through texting.

Four in 10 of those questioned by Autoglass said they believed that chatting on the phone was also distracting millions of drivers, with those in the 55-plus age group believed to be worst-affected.

The top ten distractions in full:

1. Texting 51%

2. Talking on phone 45%

3. Changing radio/CD player 40.4%

4. Staring at an accident 39.8%

5. Eating or drinking 37%

6. Children in the car 36%

7. Chatting to a passenger 32.3%

8. Road rage 32%

9. Having an argument 31%

10. Lighting a cigarette 29%

Britain’s most lucrative speed trap

If you’re prone to any of the above, you’d better stay away from Peterborough too as a speed trap there has nailed nearly 1,000 drivers in just 10 days (bringing in £54,000).

Two fixed cameras installed to slow cars to 40mph approaching roadworks are thought to be the biggest moneyspinners in Britain, according to the Daily Mail.

Activated just 10 days ago, officials estimate 1,000 drivers a day speed past the cameras at over 40mph. But only those exceeding 46mph are issued with tickets.

The BVRLA has advised Chancellor George Osborne to abolish the tax disc and allow the purchase of multi-year Vehicle Excise Duty.

The suggestions came in the association’s submission ahead of the emergency Budget on 22 June.

More than 34 million tax discs are produced, printed and distributed annually and the BVRLA believes that eliminating them could save the government over £90 million each year.

The use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and continuous registration laws mean there is no longer a need for tax discs to be displayed on windscreens.

With first-year vehicle excise duty rates rising significantly for high-emission vehicles, to £950 for some cars, Treasury officials have previously expressed concerns that high-value discs could increasingly be targeted by thieves.

“Not having to display a tax disc would bring us into the 21^st Century and reduce the burden on fleet owners, who would no longer have to distribute them to drivers or retrieve them when they were seeking to obtain a refund,” said BVRLA chief executive, John Lewis.

“It would help the government make instant progress in its plans to cut government waste and the money could be invested in modernising some of the DVLA’s antiquated systems and working practices.”

Multi-year VED

The BVRLA believes that introducing the ability to purchase multi-year VED would save the industry up to five million pounds in administration costs each year, as well as improving the cash flow to the Exchequer and reducing workload at the DVLA.

“Having previously shared our proposals with the DVLA, we know that it is equally keen to see this measure pursued,” Mr Lewis added.

Tax inequality

Elsewhere in its submission, the BVRLA outlines a number of simple changes that the government could make to the current company car tax regime in light of its ‘simpler and more efficient’ agenda. In particular, it calls for a removal of the current 3% diesel supplement in benefit-in-kind tax for company cars and fuel.

“Removing this historically out-of-date, pollution-related penalty would accelerate further corporate adoption of these vehicles and help to push company car emissions even lower,” said Mr Lewis.

“We accept that, in the current economic climate, there may be a need to make compensatory adjustments to the benefit-in-kind base lines in order to maintain the tax take.”

The Nissan NV200 is the reigining International Van of the Year 2010. The prestigious trophy is awarded each year by the 23-strong jury representing countries throughout Europe and this year the new Nissan has scooped the top award seeing off the challenge of Iveco’s EcoDaily and the Volkswagen Transporter.

NV200 is a completeley new van for the market and impressed the international jury with a number of key attributes, according to UK jury member Andy Salter. “THe NV200 is an excellent addition to the LCV ranks with the ability to tackle rivals across a variety of segmants,” he said. “Both payload and load volume are impressive, while the load area, with its efficient use of space and low wheelarch intrusion, makes it practical vehicle for multiple trades and industries.”

The judges were also taken by NV200’s high level of cab comfort and especially its low interior noise levels at high speed, Salter explained, while build quality, attention to detail, and all-round driver visibility came in for special mention.

Nissan is the first van manufacturer to design and develop a new model van that will be sold in the three main global van markets of Asia, Europe and North America. However, despite being a ‘world’ product, Nissan says there have been no design compromises although it has enabled the company to reduce production costs through the use of shared components.

With the election now behind us and the government in position we can now move on to more pressing issues – who would have bet on England winning the 20Twenty World Cup and Cardiff and Blackpool contesting the play-off final for a place in the Premiership … with the latter yet to be decided along with who will win the Guinness Premiership Final we have little time to rest before World Cup 2010 is finally upon us – stock up early as I’m told there will be a beer shortage this summer !

We hold no political views here but did voice some disappointment when we learned the Rainbow coalition failed to materialise – the thought of Bungle, Zippy and George sitting in the cabinet and discussing policy brought a whole new dimension and interest to politics !

On with the business and we’re back with a coalition of yet more world beating deals for the rest of the quarter ( sorry – couldn’t resist ) – check out our finalists below !

With the trees in full leaf and the mercury nudging ever closer to 20degrees it must be summer and time to take the top down – what better way than with a great deal on the A3 Cabriolet – stock is limited so order early ( speak to the dealer nicely and they may throw in a sun hat ! )

The Honda Jazz looks great value at under £150 per month – and that rates includes commission – stock is available within 3 weeks but it will be in demand to so get in early

We’re also featuring two great sub £300 deals on the VW Passat and Volvo V70 – big cars for small money !

Last but not least we’re back on board with a great deal on the Mercedes-Benz Vito – including 60k servicing and free ply-lining and the Toyota Hi-Lux pick-up – both less than £300 per month and both with stock available – just the thing to take home the new big screen Plasma TV in time for the World Cup !

As always space limits us to featuring only six offers in this update but click thru to the main site for more updated deals from all our group franchises for the rest of this quarter.

In the news this month is the eagerly awaited Audi A1 finally being available to order – stock will be extremely short for the remainder of this year so order now to stand any chance of seeing one before Christmas !

We’ll be back next month with our World Cup predictions, but in the meantime predict Blackpool will be making it into the Premiership ( and making it straight back down again next year ) and Leicester Tigers will triumph at Twickenham in the Guinness Premiership Final – remember you heard it here first !

Renault will extend its fleet of light commercial vehicles in the GCC with the introduction of two new practical and extremely affordable Logan Van and Pick-up models.

The two new vehicles will be officially launched at Commercial Vehicles Middle East (CVME) exhibition which takes place from March 9 to 11, 2010 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DIEC).

“The fleet business across the region has been thriving and the demand for practical multi utility vehicles is always high. The Logan Van and Pick up models are robust models offering high levels of safety, passenger comfort and economy not just in fuel consumption but where maintenance and service costs are involved as well,”

said Mustansir Lakdawala, Renault GCC’s Managing Director.

“We felt it was only fitting to launch these two new models at CVME as it is the regions only specialised event that attracts the right target audience under one roof,” he added.

The Logan Van is a sturdy entry level commercial vehicle that is aimed at small business owners, tradesmen, as well as small fleet customers. Meanwhile, the new Renault Logan Pick-up is perfect for those looking for a balance between work and leisure, meeting the needs of both business users and private motorists alike.

Designed from the outset with both the passenger car and commercial vehicle variants in mind, the Logan Van has been engineered to stand up to the wear and tear associated with commercial vehicle use, without neglecting either comfort or handling performance. Available in a 1.6 litre eight-valve petrol engine, the vehicle offers thrifty fuel consumption at only 7.5litres/100km.

The Logan Pick-up also features a 1.6 litre petrol engine. It is rugged and can be easily serviced, an important criteria for a utility vehicle.

Both models offer optimum efficiency, are sturdy and practical. The vehicles securely transport bulky loads (800 kg payload) owing to six anchoring points in the Logan Van and 16 lashing points in the bucket of Logan Pick-Up. They feature a carefully designed area for transporting long objects ranging from 180 cm (Logan Pick-Up) to 194 cm (Logan Van).

Occupants also benefit from a comfortable and functional passenger cabin with numerous storage areas – especially in the Logan Pick-Up which boasts of 300 litres of storage space behind the seats.

Lastly, as seen in all Renault vehicles, the two new Logan models have all the necessary active and passive safety features. On passive safety side, they include three-point seatbelts, driver airbag and an optional front passenger airbag. Both Renault models will be sold with a 3 year or 100,000km warranty.

The Treasury missed out on a whopping £215million last year due to it’s ‘bring your own fuel policy’. That’s the verdict of leading transport trade association, the FTA.

According to Simon Chapman, the FTA’s chief economist, politicians need to look at where they can recoup “easy money” yet they are failing to acknowledge the money they could save on fuel.

“A system to limit the amount of fuel able to be brought in from across the channel would bring in almost enough cash to build a brand new hospital every year, yet none of the political parties seems to have the appetite to tackle this issue,” he said.

He believes that while the majority of politicians seem to find a consensus on increases in fuel duty, British businesses are in peril because foreign competitors are able to undercut them.

“Each of the parties talks about fairness: here is an opportunity to extend that fairness to British businesses and to shore up Treasury coffers,” he said. “A quantity limit on the amount of fuel carried in the running tanks of trucks as they come into the country, paired with a time-based charge, or vignette, on foreign trucks while they are in the UK there would not only be a revenue stream but the authorities would also be better aware of which companies are operating on UK soil.”

He also believes that better intelligence and awareness through the introduction of a vignette could help to make the UK’s roads safer. Knowing who is on UK soil would help in the targeting of offenders and in keeping road users safe.

There are many issues to consider when casting your vote on Election Day… but top of the list for many will be what the main parties are offering to motorists.

In Saturday’s Daily Telegraph, several motoring issues were examined to help drivers make their decision at the ballot box:

- Speed enforcement: With fines having soared from 642,000 in 2000 to a record 1.75million today, Labour’s position is clear and it also plans a rollout of average speed cameras. Conservatives meanwhile will ban all funding for new fixed speed cameras and switch money to vehicle activated signs. The Liberal Democrats say they will reduce high speed driving in sensitive areas.

- Drink-driving: Labour is expected to preserve the status quo while awaiting independent advice from Sir Peter North. Conservatives see no reason to lower the limit while the Liberal Democrats want the limit lowered to 50mg in line with most of Europe.

- Drug-driving: Labour is awaiting advice from Sir Peter North while the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats promise to combat drug driving with a new roadside drug detector. 

- Road tax: Both Labour and the Conservatives plan no changes; while the Liberal Democrats would scrap vehicle excise duty in a second Parliament. Losses would more than likely be offset through revenue neutral road pricing.

- National road pricing: Labour has ruled out the introduction of national road pricing during the next Parliament; while Conservatives say they have no other road pricing plans. The Liberal Democrats will introduce revenue neutral road pricing on roads, such as motorways, with public transport alternatives.

- Roads: Labour has backed extreme weather emergency funding while promising to increase by tenfold the penalties on utilities that overrun on roadworks. It also wants more hard-shoulder running at motorway congestion spots. Conservatives have made similar promises on utility penalties and also want to build new roads funded by tolls. The Liberal Democrats meanwhile would curb utilities’ excesses but cut money from the roads budget to reduce rail fares and reuse old lines.

Renault will use the new Master, arriving this April, to grow its share of the conversion market.

“The new rear-wheel drive Master takes us into different sectors,” Renault fleet and commercial vehicle operations director Darren Payne told BusinessCar. “There are huge opportunities in the conversion market and clearly having the newest vehicle on the market gives opportunities to conquest fleets.

“Conversions are an area we want to grow in and we’re working on plans at this very moment on how to approach the conversion market.”

Payne said enhanced back-up at headquarters for dealers ordering van conversions will be key to the new focus. “Clearly there is an opportunity to get things wrong and we want to make sure we support the network with a higher level of expertise,” he said. “You have to remember that in Europe we lead the van market, and as part of this growth plan I visited the main centre for conversions in Paris, to get the best practice and bring it to the UK.”

The new Master will be accompanied in June by the third Kangoo LCV variant, with the LWB Maxi version expected to account for around 15% of sales when it joins the short and standard length versions.