Inside the industry with Andrew Hamilton
An Irish first: Car rental companies aren't all big multinational names such as Hertz and Avis. Very much an Irish operation and located in the suburbia of Dublin 6 is Argus Car Rentals whose principal is Greg Turley (below). The company, founded by his father 43 years ago, has a portfolio of over 600 vehicles, ranging from economy to luxury cars, as well as estates, cargo vans and 4x4s.
Greg says that the whole style of business has changed in recent times: "People used to rent cars for 10 or 14 day holidays. Now our average hire is between two to three days. Over 50 per cent of our bookings are online." Argus has had a notable first. "We were the first car rental company in Europe to have the technology to allow customers to make reservations using their WAP-enabled mobile phones." Being thoroughly modern is a major priority with Greg Turley and he points to the website which allows the client direct access to the Argus representative by clicking on the phone icon. When Argus was established, car rental was largely for the leisure market. Now the main business is corporate and there's a complete online management service. Account holders can independently reserve vehicles, access their bookings and accounts online at any time.
Panda Put Down: Fiat is set to stop production of one of its best-known small cars, the Panda, at the end of this year. A very square boxy affair, it has been in production for 22 years.
Ford's Fury: Ford in North America has blamed suppliers for their role in its decline in vehicle quality compared with its competitors. Ford's North American warranty costs rose 16 per cent to $2.2 billion (€2.4 billion).
Michelin say 'Non': Car manufacturers are known for putting the squeeze on their suppliers over pricing. Now tyre-maker Michelin has rebelled and said it isn't going to supply tyres any more to GM in Europe. GM badges include Opel and Saab and Opel/Vauxhall. GM's alliance partner, Fiat, is also affected by the ban.
New Poland Plant: Toyota has opened its first European transmission plant in Poland. Now making manual transmissions for the Yaris, this will extend to the Corolla and Avensis. Later new models will account for 300,000 manual boxes by the end of 2004.
Wear and Tear Guide: The RAC has joined with the Vehicle Leasing Association of Ireland in developing a guide to ensuring more efficient maintenance, monitoring and repair of company vehicles. The Fair Wear and Tear Guide is being distributed to members of the VLAI, fleet customers and all fleet operators. One of the top causes of unreasonable wear and tear is given as non-adherence of the manufacturer's recommended maintenance and servicing schedule.
PAG Design Chief: Peter Horbury, a 52-year-old Englishman who has given Volvo much more inspiring styling in recent times, has become head of design at the Ford-owned Premier Automotive Group. PAG includes Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo and Land Rover and is London-based.
Engine Cut-Out: The latest cost-cutting at DaimlerChrysler means a much reduced engine range by 2006. The number of diesel engines is being cut from 16 to 13; the number of four-cylinder engines from 13 to nine while six-cylinder units are reduced from 11 to eight.