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.

Van sales saw their third successive month of growth in March despite volume still being down almost a quarter on the same month last year.

March saw 34,691 vans registered, 192,917 year-to-date, a decrease of 22.4%.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said the month saw “some welcome improvement in UK van registrations”.

He added: “The situation reflects a hesitant recovery. Manufacturers and dealers will look for more and better priced credit to help strengthen demand in the coming months.”

The figures come as the industry gets ready for the Commercial Vehicle Operator Show at the NEC, starting this Tuesday and finishing Thursday 15 April.

BVRLA chief executive John Lewis has issued this comment following news that the General Election has failed to provide any party with an overall majority:

“It is unfortunate that we are left with a hung parliament. In this period of economic uncertainty the country badly needs stability and we hope the issue of who will govern the UK is resolved soon. Whatever form the government takes, its first priority will be to tackle the huge budget deficit.

“Doing this means that higher taxes and public spending cuts are top of the agenda. Unfortunately, transport will be an easy target. Whoever is in power, we must try and send a clear message that cutting large scale road investments and piling yet more increases on over-taxed road users would be just as damaging to the economy as raising business taxes.”

It is unclear which of the main parties will feature in the next government, but here is an outline of their key transport, business and economic policies together with some BVRLA comments:

Transport

Labour on transport

Tackling road congestion is a key Labour priority in their manifesto they have committed to: 

• Extend hard-shoulder running on motorways, alongside targeted motorway widening including on the M25.
• Rule out the introduction of national road pricing in the next Parliament. 
• Promote the rapid take-up of electric and low-carbon cars, we will ensure there are 100,000 electric vehicle charging points by the end of the next Parliament.

Comment

Whilst Labour has ruled out national road pricing this does not preclude local congestion charging schemes being developed.

Conservatives on transport

The Conservatives plan to appease all users of the roads by: 

• Introducing incentives for electricity network operators to establish a new national car recharging network, making it much easier for drivers to move to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
• Helping people to cut down on work-related travel through sustainable travel initiatives at a local level.
• Consulting on the introduction of a ‘Fair Fuel Stabiliser’ which would cut fuel duty when oil prices rise, and vice versa.
• Stopping central government funding for new fixed speed cameras, and switch to more effective ways to make our roads safer, including authorising ‘drugalyser’ technology for use in testing for drug-driving, in addition to cracking down on rogue clampers.

Comment

It would be interesting to know what the Conservatives have in mind for sustainable travel initiatives and how they would balance the Governments books with its fair fuel stabiliser.

Liberal Democrats on transport

The Liberal Democrats have a more radical approach they plan to:

• Switch traffic from road to rail by investing in local rail improvements, such as opening closed rail lines and adding extra tracks, paid for by cutting the major roads budget by £3 billion each year.
• Reduce pollution from vehicle exhausts through tighter regulation, with the aim to fully meet European air quality targets by 2012.
• Undertake preparations for the introduction of a system of road pricing which would be revenue neutral for motorists, and would see the removal of vehicle excise duty plus a reduction in fuel duty.
• Introduce a rural fuel discount scheme which would allow a reduced rate of fuel duty to be paid in remote rural areas
• Regulate the parking system to remove unfairness and stop private sector wheel-clamping.

Comment

Provided there is a clear deal for the motorist and the system of road pricing does not mean an increase in costs for the majority of users this could be seen as an improvement. But LibDem plans to divert road spending to rail seems unfair when you consider that 92% of passenger transport is by road By cutting the major roads budget and switching the funding to rail this is only helping 7% of those who travel rather than the vast majority.

Business/Economic Policies

Liberal Democrats

• Cut £15bn of lower priority spending to protect front-line services while reducing the structural deficit at least as fast as Labour plans 
• Base business rates on site values rather than rental values. Make small business relief automatic
• Encourage regional stock exchanges to help business access equity 
• Align capital gains tax to income tax rates to prevent people from having an incentive to present their income as capital

Comment

The LibDems provide a bit more detail on how they will cut the deficit, but, like Labour, will they act quickly enough? Taxing capital gains at the same rate as other income could be a disincentive to entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Conservatives

• Begin spending cuts in 2010 to eliminate “the bulk” of the UK’s structural deficit within five years 
• Cut Whitehall policy, funding and regulation costs by a third, saving £2bn a year by 2015, and save a further £1bn by cutting quangos
• Reverse Labour’s planned National Insurance rise for anyone earning under £35,000 and raise payment thresholds
• Make small business relief automatic. SMEs to get £2,000 bonus for hiring apprentices and government contracts broken up to make bids from small business easier
• Cut headline rate of corporation tax to 25p and lower small companies’ rate to 20p

Comment

The Conservative’s speed in cutting the deficit may be good news, but not if it risks damaging the fragile recovery. We will have to wait for their promised ‘Emergency Budget’ to see where the spending axe will fall. Their National Insurance and business tax promises will be popular.

Labour

• Wait until 2011 to cut spending. Halve deficit between 2011-2014, but increase spending on frontline NHS services and schools 
• Reject plan to separate banks retail and investment arms
• Increase National Insurance contributions by 1% from April 2011

Comment

There is little encouragement here in terms of reduction in business taxes or incentives for job creation. Like its rivals, Labour does not give enough detail on how it will reduce the current deficit, there are also concerns that it may not be acting swiftly enough.

Ford says a special edition Transit ‘Sapphire’ just rolled off its production line at Southampton.  The firm will build 1,150 of the models to mark 45 years of sales leadership in the UK and a global six million milestone.  UK sales have topped 2.1m since the model was launched in 1965.  The new models, in ‘Ink Blue’ metallic paint go on sale in May, with a silver grille, mirror caps and rear light guards make them stand out.  Prices start at £14,995.  There are short, medium and long wheelbase models available, with some choice of front or rear wheel drive and roof height combinations.  All have air conditioning, front fog lights and a generous range of other goodies.  Safety features include a full-width steel bulkhead, DIN-compliant cargo tie-down eyes, ABS, ESP and driver airbag.

The European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee has rejected a draft report supporting an EC plan to exclude self-employed drivers from the Working Time Directive.  The Geneva-based IRU wants MEPs to reverse this decision when they vote on it this June.  The IRU says the committee’s decision, using road safety as a “fallacious argument”, risks creating “massive unemployment” among self-employed drivers.  “The rationale of working time legislation is to ensure that salaried workers are not forced to work more than they wish to,” said Alexander Sakkers, president of the IRU’s EU Goods Transport Liaison Committee.

MEPs in the European Parliament’s Employment Committee have voted to reject plans to exclude self-employed drivers from rules on working time, the Working Time Directive.  The existing law on drivers’ hours aimed to include self-employed truck and bus drivers from 23 March 2009, unless the Commission came up with a different idea first.  It did.  In October 2008 it said there was no need to include self-employed drivers.  Then socialist, green and leftist groups persuaded Parliament to include those self-employed drivers and now centre-right Edit Bauer MEP says there is no precedent for regulating the working hours of self-employed people.  MEPs will vote on the text in the next plenary.