We know downsizing is the way forward for new cars and we’ve seen the first evidence of this already.

Volvo was one of the first off the mark with its DRIVe 1.6-litre turbodiesel versions of the S80 and V70. Surprisingly large cars for a small capacity engine, but they more than proved the point and the concept.

Since Volvo’s ice-breaking with these cars, plenty more have joined the ranks of car firms fitting medium to upper sized cars with small engines.

The latest is Honda, though it could be argued its new 1.6-litre turbodiesel is an average sized engine. It’s being fitted in the Civic, which is also an average sized car, so the Japanese firm sounds like it’s not living up to its heritage as a design trendsetter and technology leader.

Hold the horses, there, though. Honda’s new ‘Earth Dreams’ engine may suffer from one of the smuggest names ever in the motoring spectrum, but it promises 118bhp and 221lb.ft of torque from a motor that will emit less than 100g/km.

Yes, we already have diesel that comfortably emit less than that magic 100g/km marker. However, the impressive thing for the Honda is its entry to this expanding club of downsizers is its entry point to the market.

While the Volvo DRIVe S80 and V70 are noteworthy cars, they reside on the near margins of the business users’ radar. It’s the same with many other such cars, including the Fiat 500 TwinAir which, much as we love it, is not going to be the first car fleet managers think of when updating the company car park.

The Civic, on the other hand, is a car already in the minds of fleet users. Granted, it’s not as big a seller as the Ford Focus or sales-leading Vauxhall Astra, but Honda has ambitions for the Civic diesel when it goes on sale in 2013.

Fleet retail balance

As reported in this column in November last year, Honda has great hopes for this new engine. It reckons on adding 7,000 new customers to its books in 2013, almost all of them business users keen to make the most of the new 1.6 turbodiesel.

When we spoke to Phil Crossman, General Manager of Cars, Honda UK, he said: “Fleet is a key market for us, but we want structured growth. It’s a bluechip business and carbon dioxide emissions are vitally important.”

Honda has to be careful to protect its large number of retail buyers, so don’t expect the fleet sector to be flooded with new Civics.

What you can expect is to see the Honda Civic with the new 1.6-litre turbodiesel on company car lists at very competitive prices. The economy and emissions should go some way to ensuring this, but there are other considerations Honda is aware of.

First off, insurance for the new Civic is cheaper than its predecessor as most models sit in a low insurance group. Secondly, the Civic is easier to repair after an accident, which not only makes fixes quicker, but parts are cheaper too, and that further drives down the cost of insurance.

Finally, Honda says the new Civic is the most reliable car it has ever made. When a company like Honda says that, your ears prick up not because every previous car they have made has been less reliable than a soap opera star in a jungle challenge but because this statement carries substantial weight.

If there’s one thing Honda is renowned for worldwide it’s reliability. Everything from the way the cupholder works in a Jazz to the unbreakable nature of its VTEC engines, they all underline Honda’s fascination with making things work just as they should. And keeping it that way.

This statement carries so much weight also because Honda is not usually given to saying such things. Its reliability is a given, so why preach? Yet, just as they are about to launch one of the key engines of the company’s development over the next few years, they say it.

If nothing else, it shows utter confidence in the new engine, which is exactly why it’s been said, I’m sure. However, this is no PR stunt or a bit of spin that will be just as easily de-spun or re-spun if the reality doesn’t quite match up to the ambition.

Nope, speaking to people within Honda at the Tokyo motor show you could sense the excitement they all felt yet were not allowed to talk about.

Jackpot

It’s still a little that way as Honda has not fully revealed the details of the new engine. However, Phil Crossman was wearing the kind of smile only a man who knows they’ve hit the jackpot can enjoy when we spoke to him back in November on our first drive of the Civic.

One of the words Crossman used repeatedly was ‘sustainable’. He didn’t use it in a pious, eco-greenie way either, he used it to refer to the whole cycle of building, selling, buying, running and replacing cars. He knows one element will not function properly without the other and Honda is paying attention to this in way some other car companies would do well to take heed of.

It’s very heartening to listen to an automotive executive talk this way with real enthusiasm for the car to back it up. Crossman is not unique in this respect, but he is one of the few at the moment who truly has something to smile about.

Luckily, this also means us business drivers have something to smile about as we’re on the verge of being offered a new and very good alternative to the main choice in this sector.

Dominated by the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf, the Honda Civic has been notable by its absence for some time due to not have a fully competitive turbodiesel. Now it does, we can expect the Civic to have some of the heavy hitters worried.

The Civic also stands a chance of tempting some away from the likes of the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 thanks to its distinctive looks, the premium nature of the Honda badge and low running costs attached to tempting lease rates.

All of which goes to prove that downsizing does not mean going without.

Alisdair Suttie

At what point does it become too expensive to run a car, even when the company is paying for it? When would you say ‘enough’ and go all Tom and Barbara with the veggie patch and home-grown pigs?

For some, it seems, the tipping point will be when fuel prices reach £2 per litre, which may not be as far off or as ridiculous as it sounds. According to a survey by insurer Hastings Direct, one in five drivers say they will quit their cars if fuel reaches this giddy height.

The reasoning behind Hastings findings is the price of fuel was around half of its present price at the turn of the century 11 years ago. So, in another 11 years, we could expect to see fuel go up by another 50%, which takes us to the worrying two quid per litre mark.

In a bid to stave off the rising costs of motoring, Hastings’ survey also found that 7% of all drivers in the UK have cut their weekly motoring by 100 miles or more. That’s a lot to lose for the average UK motorist covering around 12,000 miles per annum.

In fact, by using my fingers and some of my toes, I reckon this equates to a 10% drop in the annual mileage of these drivers and that is a very significant saving. Granted, many of us could easily save a few of those miles by using Shanks’ Pony for journeys of less than a mile or so and mixing in some public transport now and again.

Livelihood

Trying to save the same percentage of business miles for company drivers might prove trickier when many of us cover sizeable mileages on every journey we make.

For instance, last week, the shortest of my trips was 45 miles and the lengthiest was some 320 miles. There would have a longer drive still if it hadn’t been for inclement weather.

So, you can see it would be difficult for most business drivers to slash their miles covered by any great amount with impacting on their livelihood.

However, the Hastings survey also showed up some other emerging trends, such as 1% of British drivers have already given up their car to cut household bills.

I’m not sure where these 300,000 drivers are, given there are around 30 million registered licence holders in the UK. From what I can tell, the roads are as congested as ever.

I suspect some households may have cut back on multiple car ownership and are making one car do the job of two or more that were previously owned.

Again, though, this has little impact on most business drivers for the very simple reason our cars are not paid for directly by us. Yes, we contribute through Benefit in Kind but these cars are not perks for most of us – those days are long gone, along with banking boss’ bonuses.

No, the figure that made me sit up and take notice for business drivers was Hastings’ finding that one in three are considering a hybrid or electric car for their next set of wheels. This I find worrying.

Long way from leccy

I’m not going to go all global warming denyer here, but the bottom line is electric cars are still a very long way from being practical for business drivers’ needs. My 45-mile trip last week would have taxed even the best of the current crop of leccy cars to get me there and then back home without a mid-trip fix from the National Grid.

As for hybrids, there’s only the Honda CR-Z that appeals to me [pictured]. This is because it’s very good to drive and fun, though it’s also far from the most practical.

A range-extender vehicle such as the Vauxhall Ampera has a lot of appeal, but then at the price it is so does the new BMW 320d.

Then there’s the new Peugeot 3008 diesel-hybrid, but the least said about this noisy, lacklustre machine the better.

All of which brings us back to petrol or, more likely for company car users, diesel cars.

This third of drivers who are going to switch to electric or hybrid vehicles must be private buyers, who account for less than half of the new car market at present.

By taking off my shoes and socks again, my digital abacus tells me the real number of people thinking of buying a new car that is unlikely to offer any real savings is about one sixth of the driving population.

If that’s the case, I’m investing heavily in Honda and Toyota shares.

However, I don’t think this is reality at work here. Surveys are notorious for throwing up results that don’t translate into real-life action and it’s always easy to be pious and green when asked by a researcher what you’ll do to save the planet but keep on driving.

Insurance

Sure, we all have to change our habits over time to account for changing financial conditions. However, if a third of all retail car sales (never mind a third of all new car registrations) is for hybrid cars in the next three years, I shall gladly sauté my hat and enjoy it as a light repast.

Oh, and one final point about the survey from Hastings Direct. When the cost of motoring is sky high and drivers have to consider all sorts of radical ways to make it affordable, why is the car insurance industry not doing more to curtail its massively increased premiums?

We’ve seen insurance premiums for cars soar in recent years, yet accident rates have not spiked in any tangible way. Nor have cars suddenly become far more pricey to fix.

I’m not sure at what point I would cry ‘stop’ when it comes to car ownership, but I know when to say ‘that’s enough’ when it comes to smug surveys from insurance firms who should be spending their money on cutting premiums rather than commissioning pointless research.

That point is right now.

Alisdair Suttie

What has happened to overtaking? Once, not so long ago, overtaking was a way to pass slower traffic and get to your destination a little quicker at the pace you wanted to drive.

Now, it seems overtaking is anti-social, dangerous and the preserve of a few lunatics with no regard for their own safety or that of anyone unfortunate enough to be travelling in front of them.

Try an overtake now and you’re likely to be met with a shaken fist, flashing headlights from the recent overtake-ee and even a spot of road rage.

For sure, there are morons out there who will try to overtake no matter what the prevailing road and traffic conditions. Yes, there are some kamikaze motorcyclists who think their performance and width give them carte blanche to pass regardless of oncoming traffic. And yes, there are a good number of inexperienced drivers on our roads who have neither the skill nor judgement to make a safe overtaking decision.

Yet there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of drivers in the UK who are willing, able and safe at passing slower traffic. However, many feel impeded by the sense they are doing something wrong or upsetting other road users by their need to overtake.

This is clearly, patently and wholly absolute rubbish, codswallop and nonsense. A safe overtake is an art and something to enjoy, even revel in the way you can pass by other road users without impeding them or yourself.

Tractor obstructer

The art of the overtake is something sadly missing from many drivers repertoire. For example, the other day I was driving on an A road and came up behind a tractor and queue of three other cars following the agriculture obstacle.

Every driver in the queue was happy to follow at a safe, considered distance. However, when the road opened up to allow a safe view and lengthy straight, the first two cars immediately behind the tractor made no effort to pass or even take a look to see if overtaking was possible.

From my viewpoint further behind the tractor, I could see the road ahead was clear of oncoming traffic and overtaking would be easy. I delayed my manoeuvre till I was satisfied the first two cars were not going to attempt a pass of a vehicle driving at 25mph when the posted speed limit was 60mph.

The third car in the queue, which was directly in front of me, also had excellent vision and executed a text book overtake. The driver pulled out for better forward vision, established it was safe and then accelerated smooth and fast to get past the tractor with ease.

After this, I also went to make my move. However, as I accelerated towards the first car behind the tractor, I sensed it moving towards the white line and instinctively held back.

Fortunately, there was still ample distance on the straight section of road ahead for this car to pass if its driver had belatedly decided to overtake.

But no. Its driver had decided to become road monitor and prevent me from passing quickly, safely and effectively. The result of this pre-emptive blocking move was I had to fall in behind this idiot and cause the car behind to brake.

When I glared at the driver in front, I was greeted with a wave of the finger as if I was a naughty school boy.

Fury

A quick study of the car in front showed it was not an unmarked police car, so why had this driver decided to prevent me from passing when it was not only safe to do so but prudent to prevent a larger queue forming behind the slow moving tractor?

I cannot answer that poser, but what I can tell you is I didn’t waste any time performing an overtake at the next safe opportunity. Amazingly, the car that had blocked me then followed my lead and passed the tractor.

As soon as this savvy-starved individual was past the tractor, he treated me to some fancy headlight flashing, Anglo-Saxon sign language and a display of bumper-hugging dangerous driving.

What had I done to engender such fury? I had not thwarted his attempt to overtake as he was more than happy to trundle behind a tractor for miles on end. I had not been in the slightest way aggressive in my driving near or around him.

I can only conclude this was yet another example of the growing number of drivers on our roads who view overtaking as akin to driving with spikes bolted to the wheels of my car and a Viking axe swinging from the aerial.

Legit

Overtaking is dealt with in just four pages of the Highway Code and learner drivers have few, if any, chances to learn the skills needed to overtake properly during their lessons or exam.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) devotes far more space to the needs and demands of overtaking in its manual ‘How to be a better driver’. This makes more sense and, as part of the IAM’s observation process in the lead up to taking their carefully observed drive to become a full member, overtaking is included in the assessment.

As with the police, the IAM and other advanced driving bodies place great store in safe overtaking as a way to maintain a flow to any journey. When performed with consideration and skill, overtaking is unobtrusive, safe and quick whether you’re in a car or on a motorcycle.

Overtaking is not for everyone as not all drivers feel the need or have the confidence. We should be asking why drivers without the necessary confidence are allowed to possess a driver’s licence, but that’s a quandary for another day. What we should be asking right now, though, is why some drivers think overtaking is anti-social or dangerous?

It reflects much more on this group of drivers’ lack of ability and knowledge than commenting on the skills of those who seek to overtake with confidence and maturity.

If you are not keen on overtaking, the very least a driver should do is not be a hindrance to those who do want to pass slower traffic in a safe manner.

Many of you company car drivers out there will have experienced a similar situation to the one described above where another driver has decided to become a guardian of the road. We don’t need such idiots as we have a group of highly trained professionals who are far from idiots and enjoy a safe, clean overtake as much as the next skilled driver. They’re called road traffic police officers.

Next time you come upon slower traffic and there’s a safe, positive overtake to be made, do it. Don’t feel browbeaten by morons who don’t know how to overtake and are content to make like sheep and just follow the car in front.

Rise up and reclaim the art of overtaking.

Alisdair Suttie

What’s the most important thing you look for when ordering your next company car?

For some, it will be the model and all of the goodies it promises, while others will be looking for the car that delivers the best fiscal prudence. A few will have their eyes glued to the specification sheet and looking for the ultimate in performance, and there are those who will be concerned with fitting in the family.

All are valid considerations and rightly influence our choices. Without different criteria, we’d all be driving the same homogenous boxes and living in a very grey world.

There is one key consideration, however, that works across all makes, models, types, shapes and styles of car: refinement.

No one would willingly or knowingly buy a car where it was noisier than its predecessor sitting on the driveway of your home. Nor would we expect a new, improved model, according to the advertising hype, to be louder and brasher on our ears than the car that went before it.

Refinement is one of those under-radar considerations for most drivers, something that only makes itself known if we’ve made a poor choice of car. Yet refinement is one of the most important areas of car ownership and something car companies spend countless amounts of money and time trying to perfect.

The reason for all of this expense for car companies is simple because refinement done badly will ruin an otherwise perfectly good car. Think of some of the cars that have been spoilt by bad refinement, such as the original Honda Jazz or the current Toyota Avensis. Both very good cars in many respects, but you just don’t want to spend prolonged periods in them.

Roar enhancement

Refinement is not just about noise levels, though. Yes, noise is a key component in engineering a refined car, but you can have a car with a distinctive engine noise or induction roar that is still refined. Look to the BMW M3 [pictured] or Porsche 911 and you find cars with engine notes that are allowed to permeate the cabin to enhance the driving experience but are still refined when they need to be driven with more decorum.

As engine noise is not the sole element of refinement, car companies’ engineers prefer to talk about NVH (noise, vibration and harshness). It’s also why car firms have acoustic engineers who are charged with making cars sound right in every circumstance.

Getting a car to sound right inside the cabin is made far trickier when the car also has to pass drive-by noise regulations and be acceptable smooth when it comes to the vibrations generated by an internal combustion engine.

It’s not just the engine that causes noise, either, as the tyres generate a fair amount of racket as they pass over the surface of the road, while wind also kicks up a din the faster you go.

Noise also has the added complication of increasing exponentially, so driving at 60mph creates more than twice the hubbub than driving at 30mph. Accounting for this foible of nature makes it even trickier to engineer a car to be quiet.

Silence is golden

So, why the obsession with silence, or the eradication of as much noise as possible from a car?

Simple, really. Noise and poor refinement are two of the major causes of fatigue and tiredness when driving. It’s like the irritating muzak in a restaurant or the kids bickering for the whole of a journey. Yes, you can put up with it, but it’s so much more pleasant when these distractions are not present.

Distraction is the right word, too, even if you don’t notice you’re being interrupted by poor refinement while at the wheel. This is why a car with good refinement will often slip into and out of our lives without mention. It’s only when you’re confronted with a badly refined car do you notice the noise.

This is part of the reason that larger saloons, such as the Mercedes S-Class are so sought-after and expensive. They offer their owners and occupants a bubble of serenity in a world that continually conjures up new distractions.

Few of us can afford to tick the box for a Merc S-Class when it comes to choosing our next company car, so how do we spot a car with good refinement? Do we need to arm ourselves with a noise meter and sensors to detect the slightest rattle or buzz?

Nope, we already come equipped with the most sensitive gauges yet made in the shape of our own ears. We all have varying hearing quality, so one driver’s noisy will be another’s calm.

Test technique

When test driving a new car, one NVH engineer tells me the key test is to drive the car as you would normally but throw in some slight variation. If you spend most of your time on the motorway, try driving a little above and below the speed you normally cruise at to check the car is happily hushed in a broader range.

Some cars are specifically engineered to work very well on the motorway, so also try driving on some country roads. Seek out tarmac of differing grades, grains and repair. A car developed on perfectly maintained European roads may not have such a happy time on the UK’s rougher roads.

The same NVH engineer also counsels trying the car at the same speed but in different gears. So, try out fourth and fifth on the motorway as well as sixth for normal cruising. In town, try driving a gear higher than normal.

Taking this advice and applying it to the cars I’ve been driving lately has been a revelation. Cars once thought to be super smooth can turn into ear-assaulting menaces, while the noisier strains of some have been eased by selecting another gear.

In the case of a loud, harsh car, the change can be for the better, while with others it simply highlights the car has a sweet spot where it’s best to use it.

Not very scientific, I know, but then few of us are when it comes to picking our next company car. However, the next test drive I take will have me tuning in my ears more keenly than before to make sure refinement gets the same attention as the glossy brochure.

Alisdair Suttie

The season of goodwill is well and truly over, and the season for increased fuel prices is upon us.

In all honesty, the season for every higher fuel prices generally runs from 1 January through to the 31 December of each year, so this news should come as no surprise.

However, there is a surprise and it’s that fuel prices rose by 4.5ppl (pence per litre) over the Christmas break. Between 19 December and 5 January, just as most of us were enjoying a well earned few days off, diesel went up by 4.5ppl and petrol in some areas exceeded this to shoot up by 5.0ppl.

These are astonishing increases, brought on by a variety of circumstances that have combined to have a disastrous effect on the cost of fuel.

Iranian muscle

One of the main reasons for upward oil prices, which push the cost of fuel skyward, is the increasing risk of conflict in the Middle East with Iran. The Iranians are flexing their muscles to counter the European Union trying to enforce an embargo on crude oil supplies from this country. The upshot is Iran is now threatening to blockade the Straits of Hormuz, where almost half of all of the world’s oils supplies pass.

Another reason for spiralling fuel prices in the UK is the freezing of loans worth $1 billion for Petroplus Holdings due to worries over EU refinery activity and diesel capacity. Petroplus has had to shut down three of its five plants as a result, causing a shortage in the supply chain.

Add in the seasonal increase in prices usually seen towards the end of a year and fuel prices have been squeezed till the pips squeak.

For many private motorists, the only solution to the hugely increased cost of fuel compared to only a couple of years ago is to reduce the amount they drive. The RAC reckons more than half of all privately owned cars are now being driven fewer miles than two years ago and the cost of fuel is the major reason.

For company car drivers, reduced usage is not generally a realistic option as we need our cars to get to appointments and meetings, often in places where public transport simply cannot reach in a time- and cost-effective manner.

This leaves us shouldering the burden of fuel prices, which is an iniquitous task as much of the cost of fuel is down to the taxation levied on it by the Government.

Quids-in

Admittedly, the amount of tax the Government extracts from the cost of every litre of fuel has gone down slightly.

However, when the pump price has increased so dramatically, the Exchequer is still quids-in thanks to the larger portion it collects in VAT. With VAT having risen to 20% from 15% only a couple of years ago, the Government’s coffers are fatter than ever with cash from fuel.

The Retail Motor Industry Federation’s (RMIF) RMI Petrol believes we have not seen the worst of fuel price rises, either. It reckons diesel could hit nearly 146ppl, with petrol not far behind at 141ppl.

Even though the RMIF represents petrol retailers, who have been operating on wafer thin margins from fuel sales, the RMI Petrol body knows price hikes are not the way forward.

For this reason, the RMI Petrol’s Chairman Brian Madderson says: “This is a very worrying development, but not entirely unexpected. I wrote to the Chancellor on 2 January highlighting the serious supply issues ahead. Fuel taxation is the only direct control over rocketing fuel prices which are undermining our society and our economic recovery.”

In his letter to George Osborne, Mr Madderson points out: “While all taxes are unpopular, it is suggested that fuel tax tops the list because as you (the Chancellor) said to the House in your Autumn Statement ‘Fuel is not a luxury for most people, it is a necessity’.”

Indiscriminative penalisation

By openly recognising this fact, Government must also recognise it is a deeply flawed tax as being unrelated to wealth or income, it becomes a consumption tax and therefore penalises working families, lower income earners, rural dwellers and many other sectors of our society.

To counter the increasing cost of fuel, Mr Madderson goes on to ask the Chancellor to consider measures to ease the heavy cost to the UK’s drivers. He says: “RMI Petrol believes the time is now right for fuel taxation to be reconsidered and reformed ahead of the next planned duty increase on 1 August 2012, which will add a further 4.0ppl to pump prices after incorporating 20% VAT.”

The RMIF is a loud voice in the corridors of power, but whether or not it will resonate sufficiently to see fuel duty reduced or delayed is another matter. The Government is keen to reduce the debts of the UK and put the country’s accounts back into the black, or at least less deeply into the red.

Voluntarily giving up a lucrative tax influx from higher fuel duty would be a bitter pill for the Chancellor to swallow when he has had to stand up against many other forces wanting some relief from the austerity measures introduced to counter the country’s financial woes.

However, when the cost of fuel affects almost everyone in the UK, either directly or indirectly, there is a strong case for George Osborne to reconsider the vicious tax increase put in place by the previous Labour administration.

As company car drivers in the UK work harder than ever to keep their jobs and businesses on an even keel, the oil industry supertanker needs some skilled helmsmanship in these troubled waters.

Urgent action

Like a supertanker, the oil industry can be slow to react, but we need decisive action now if this leviathan industry is not to bring the UK, and many other countries and economies around the world, to its knees and the danger of double dip recession.

What may seem like a small relief in the shape of a few pence per litre of fuel not collected by the Treasury could make all the difference between recovery or languishing in the doldrums for Britain’s economy.

The sooner we get out of the current stagnant period and back to growth, the better it is for all of us, and that requires the nation to be able to get about its business.

Let’s just hope there’s sufficient residual seasonal goodwill swilling about Westminster for the Chancellor to give us a much needed respite from even higher fuel bills.

Alisdair Suttie

There are plenty of big plans afoot in London for 2012, but one of the biggest changes to the capital city has already taken place. It’s the latest round of changes to the Low Emissions Zone (LEZ).

First introduced in 2008 to keep the dirtiest vehicles out of the city’s streets, the LEZ covers most of Greater London, or just about everything inside of the M25. So far, it’s been a success in helping London to clean up its act and reduce particulate matter (PM) in the air, which can be a cause of asthma and other breathing problems.

Even so, London’s Mayor, Boris Johnson, reckons the capital’s air could be a whole lot clearer, saying: “Delivering cleaner air to Londoners is a key goal in creating a better quality of life. This is why the more stringent regulations have arrived for 2012, especially as this is London’s Olympic year.”

The results of the newly upgraded Air Quality Strategy from the Mayor’s Office mean any van or minibus 10-years old or more will have to steer clear of London to avoid a hefty fine.

Don’t think you can just nip into town for a quick delivery, either, as the scheme is using London’s many Congestion Charge cameras to police the centre of the capital, while the Vehicle Operating Services Agency (VOSA) will be keeping an eye on other routes into the city.

Ignore the LEZ and you could face a fine of £250 for a van, pick-up or 4×4. Larger vehicles will face fines of £500, and both of these penalties double if they are not paid within 14 days of the notice being issued. So, it could be very expensive for anyone who tries to slip through the net.

Even if you are an honest soul and pay the daily charge, you still face punitive bills for running an older vehicle into Greater London. A van, pick-up or 4×4 deemed too dirty for the LEZ will have to stump up £100 per day to enter the zone.

This charge is not like the Congestion Charge that operates between 7am and 6pm. Nope, the LEZ charge runs 24 hours a day, every day without exemption.

Not welcome

While most company car drivers will be wholly unaffected by the new, stricter LEZ, there will be plenty of businesses looking at this and wondering how they are going to afford to carry on working within Greater London.

The LEZ now means any van registered on a Y-plate is just not welcome inside the M25.

The Freight Transport Association’s Natalie Chapman commented: “For any tradesman using a van that is 10-years old or more, the LEZ is now yet another consideration and we suspect many will not be prepared for it. The FTA believes many honest working trades people will now be faced with substantial fines and daily charges just to carry out their jobs.

“At a time when many of these small businesses have struggled to remain viable over the past three years of recession, the LEZ is set to catch out a great many. We can only advise those with non-compliant vehicles to stay out of London, though this may prove impossible for many who need their vehicle to do their job.”

Cabs banished

Also affected are around 10% of London’s famous black cabs. It’s reckoned one in 10 of these cabs are now older than 15-years and their licences have been revoked for work in Greater London. This means approximately 2,600 black cabs will be banished from the capital.

The age limit on black cabs will be on a rolling basis, so as a 15-year old cab’s licence expires, it will not be able to renew again for use in London. The Mayor’s Office is quick to point out this means the taxi fleet will be upgraded with cleaner vehicles as newer cabs emit considerably less PM.

Transport for London’s Nick Fairholme says: “The new standards introduced in January are vital to our continued efforts to tackle pollution. The vast majority of owners and organisations have taken steps to prepare. Transport for London has a team of people in place to provide practical advice to anyone who remains concerned about how these new standards will impact them.”

The Mayor’s Office is also encouraging those with vehicles affected by the LEZ to investigate having a particulate filter fitted to make their van, 4×4 or other vehicle compliant. While this may help a small number of business people entering Greater London, it’s still an added expense.

Green Party member of the London Assembly Darren Johnson believes Transport for London and the Mayor’s Office has not done enough to help small businesses. He said: “Few incentives are in place to help cut the cost of vehicle replacement. The Mayor has failed to help out hard-pressed individuals and small businesses by funding a targeted scrappage and conversion scheme.”

Darren Johnson added: “Black cab operators have been promised help to update their cabs, but this has been done at the expense of funding for electric and hydrogen cabs in the future.”

Cough up or collapse

All of this leaves drivers who run small businesses and rely on vehicles affected by the LEZ in no better position than either coughing up the cash to drive into Greater London or be left spluttering out of business altogether.

An equally worrying prospect for business drivers is that where London leads, others tend to follow. The capital’s Congestion Charging Zone may not have been taken up elsewhere in the UK, but the LEZ is a far more likely export from London to other cities around the UK.

Should this happen, hundreds of thousands of small businesses face financial hardship simply to carry on working.

Then there is reality the goal posts will shift as time marches on and the standards for the LEZ will be made ever more stringent. In itself, this is a good move as we need to move to cleaner transport and better air quality. But it must be carried out in consultation with business and company car fleets, regardless of size.

However, this is implanted now and in the future, one thing is certain: small businesses face an Olympic effort in London long before that flaming torch has reached the capital.

Alisdair Suttie

With 2011 all but done, dusted and thrown out with the turkey leftovers, it’s time for a bit of wishful thinking and some New Year’s resolutions.

First resolution is to spend as much time as possible in the new BMW 320d. No car defines the business driver’s perfect machine more than this sleek saloon. Every successive generation of 3 Series has been better than the last and, given how good the outgoing car is, the new one is set to be a benchmark for many years to come.

With my wheels for 2012, I can move on to some other wishes I hope will come good.

If the Chancellor is reading this, and I know he’s an avid fan, please try to keep fuel duty pegged where it is at the very least. Everyone is hurting right now, and not just because our belts are a bit nippy tight after too much Christmas pud.

Britain’s drivers, and us business drivers in particular, have endured a lot over the past year or two and we need a sign that you still think about us. We’ve long accepted you don’t write or phone any more, but at least a small acknowledgment that Britain’s workers are doing more than our share to keep the country going in tough times would be just lovely.

While we’re on talking terms, Mr Osborne, how about some extra relief on company car tax? Hmm, thought not, but this is a list of New Year’s resolutions, so perhaps you’ll add this to yours?

Special plea

Back in the real world where we have some influence, I’d like to make a special plea to all those drivers out there who seem to think fog lights are an acceptable substitute for using your brain.

Fog lights should only be used when visibility drops to 100m or less. If you cannot judge how far 100m is, perhaps you shouldn’t be driving or maybe you need to start looking at the road furniture that gives a very big hand in this judgment. Hint: the 100m countdown boards to junctions are spaced, go on guess, every 100m.

If you can see clearly beyond this distance, turn off the fog lights as all you’re succeeding in achieving is dazzling the drivers behind you, and I don’t mean with your brilliant driving skills.

It’s the same for front fog lights. They are not there as a substitute for headlights or to help blind oncoming traffic. While we’re at it, anyone who has only one headlight working, it does not follow that turning up the one remaining light to full beam balances out the illuminatory shortfall you have to contend with. Get down to the DIY store and get a new bulb, which will make your car’s lighting a good deal brighter than your brain’s.

Hoggers

With lighting sorted, how about road position? Yes, it’s nasty winter time and we all like to feel as safe as possible, but I can assure the middle lane hoggers that it’s better to keep left unless overtaking. Those giant gantry signs really are telling the truth.

As for the middle lane hogger’s closely related driving buddy, the outside lane hogger, this is where festive cheer runs dry.

Why are you there and why are you allowed behind the wheel?

My fervent wish for 2012 is that you will have your licence endorsed for driving without due care and attention. As well as impeding the flow of traffic, these numpties also seem to think they have a calling to make sure other drivers are forced down to their level of ineptitude. When they fail to move to the left, they will then cut up anyone who eventually snaps and tries to undertake.

Both practices are dangerous, but only one is understandable through frustration. It’s not forgivable to undertake, so any outside lane hoggers out there, take note and keep left.

Grace and patience

Sticking with the lane hogging community, let’s turn to HGV drivers who deem it acceptable to take seven miles to pass another HGV.

Sure, it must be tempting to nip past a slower moving vehicle when you work in a time-dependant environment, but surely you can read the road ahead sufficiently to see there’s a large hill on the horizon and you have very limited scope for accelerating past the HGV in the inside lane you are attempting to pass.

My resolution here is to have more grace and patience in the face of such selfish acts. Little by little, year by year, I am coming to terms with this sort of selfish driving behaviour from all sections of the motoring community. However, I think a little more consideration from some would make all of our lives flow that bit more smoothly.

Of course, there are those who want to get there as quickly as possible regardless of road conditions or anyone else’s safety. We all know that pressured feeling of the car or van behind being way too close for comfort, or stopping distances.

You know who you are and, deep down, you know tailgating does not get you there any quicker. All it does is cause frustration for yourself, intimidation for the car you’re following and compromises the safety of everyone around you. For fear of sounding like parent talking to a small child, stop it and be more considerate.

Self-assessment

That’s everyone else’s faults dealt with, how about my own? Well, I resolve to leave a little extra time to get to my destination. This will mean more relaxed journeys and even, possibly, save a little fuel by reducing the speed of travel.

I’m also determined to be a smoother driver, again to help save fuel and also just in an effort to be a safer, better driver. It doesn’t sound like much, but every year I make the same promise to myself and every year it has a small beneficial effect.

With all of that lot off my chest, it only remains to wish you all the very best for 2012 and a Happy New Year!

Alisdair Suttie

Before my navel disappears through excess mince pie consumption, it’s time for a bit of gazing in its general direction to ponder the year that’s been.

There’s no doubt it’s been a tough one, economically and in other business terms. We’ve all had to weather the effects of a recession that has bitten deeper and for longer than many of us expected, and we’re still not out of the wicked woods on this one.

So, rather than depress ourselves too much in the run up to Christmas, here’s a run down of my favourite motors of the past 12 months and the one I reckon deserves a wee glass of sherry as the best of the year.

Fine start

Ford got 2011 off to a fine start with the arrival of its all-new third generation Focus [pictured]. As important a car launch as you’ll get, Ford wasn’t shy about throwing on some challenging roads to prove the new Focus continues to be the standard bearer in its class for handling ability.

One very tricky corner on the crest of a hill was made all the more difficult by a truck driver taking the racing line coming in the other direction. Many other cars would have been tied in knots trying to cope with the avoidance needed to avert an accident, but the Focus just hunkered down to the task of getting round the corners. Impressive, yet there’s a little of the original Focus’ magic missing in the new model.

It’s the same story with the Honda Civic that arrived at the other end of the calendar. In every objective way, it’s a better car than the one it replaces, yet there’s still that nagging feeling the driver is missing out on some of the fun that went before.

Big time

Not so with the BMW 1 Series, which you can see just to the left there. Finally, BMW has cracked the small hatch with a car that delivers big time on the driver entertainment front yet can also cope with bumpy roads and offer reasonable cabin space.

Good as the new 1 Series is, my favourite car is not from the small hatch sector, even if the Vauxhall Astra GTC impressed as much as it entertained on the road. Nor is it the new Volkswagen Beetle, which just seems a touch bland.

You couldn’t call VW’s new up! bland. It’s the real spiritual successor to the original Beetle concept, offering plenty of cabin space in a compressed package. The up! is also much closer in idea to a true Beetle for our times thanks to its affordable running costs and cheeky character, and it’s about half the price of der neau Beetle.

The rest of the up!’s class presented some great cars for business users. The Kia Picanto, revised Hyundai i10, Toyota Yaris and Nissan Micra DIG-S all provide decent transport that will put a smile on your face. Not so the Chevrolet Aveo, which is just too crude to compete with the best.

Cracker

Moving up a couple of classes, the Peugeot 508 [pictured right] shows the French firm still knows how to build a spacious, comfortable car. The 508 makes sense with the small diesel engine and sequential manual gearbox as it offers low emissions, though the gearbox is far from the best to use. Also, the Peugeot may be hushed and comfy, but so are many others in this sector.

More impressive from the larger class is the Hyundai i40, which goes in among the class leaders solely on merit and not because of pricing. This estate is a cracker and one to watch for shrewd company drivers needing space, quality and value.

For those seeking the lowest tax spend, 2011 threw up a number of options, including the all-electric Nissan Leaf and the range extender Vauxhall Ampera and Chevrolet Volt duo.

The Nissan LEAF [left] is a good car first and an electric car second, but its high price means it is likely to remain a curio for company drivers.

This is where the Vauxhall and Chevy have an advantage as their small petrol engine that works as a generator to charge the battery allows for a much greater driving range and far less reliance on charging points.

For those not so concerned with driving range, the LEAF also faces a touch fight from the Renault Fluence Z.E. It offers much the same range and charging times as the Nissan but it costs around £10,000 less, putting the Fluence in direct competition with mainstream Focus and Golf models.

This is where electric cars need to be and all credit to Renault for being the first.

Eco adventures

Other interesting eco diversions through 2011 took in the Delta E4, which is a British-built electric sports car that proves battery cars can be fun. Its sleek shape hides a very well sorted chassis, which is not so surprising given the company’s background in motorsport.

Land Rover showed it could do hybrid with the Range-e Sport that uses a petrol engine with electric motor. It’s good to drive and cuts emissions to less than 100g/km for a full fat SUV, so expect to see this project bear real world fruits soon.

Don’t expect Rolls-Royce’s 102 EX electric Phantom [pictured] to become a production reality. Brilliant as it is to drive and impressive for the way it embodies Roller’s core values of refinement and effortless driving, the 102 EX just hasn’t been that well received by the people who could afford to buy one.

Back to the real world and its future for the Honda FCX Clarity. It’s a hydrogen-powered family car that’s every bit as easy to pilot as a Ford Mondeo yet emits nothing more than clean water from its exhaust. This is a glimpse of the future, but one that needs a proper fuelling infrastructure to work.

Glamour

No such worries for the sporting models of 2011. It kicked off with the BMW 6 Series Convertible that offers glamour and pace, while the Mercedes SLK now has some added aggression to go with its slinky looks. The Porsche Boxster Spyder and Cayman R sprinkle a bit of that magic only Porsche knows how to dust over its cars to make them satisfying on a soul-touching level.

Yet it was back to BMW for the two sporting highlights of the year with the 1 M Coupe and M5. The M5 is everything this car should be: majestically fast, tactile steering and an ability to cover distance in a way few others can even contemplate – not even the raucous Mercedes CLS 63 AMG can quite match it.

Yet it’s the 1 M Coupe that edges it over other performance cars to be the most memorable of the year. The Jaguar XKR-S [seen left] is loud and proud in a very un-British manner and the Audi RS3 uninspiring, but the 1 M simply leaves them all trailing in its four tail-piped wake. Its twin-turbo 3.0-litre engine pumps out 335bhp to deliver the sort of real world performance very few can live with.

Throw in the 1 M’s sublime chassis, steering and the sort of balance that lets you drive it as God intended, and you have the ideal A to B high performance car.

Yet the 1 M Coupe is not quite the pick of the crop. Audi’s A7 could have won this fight in another year thanks to its comfort and looks, while the revised Mercedes C-Class nearly had it too. The Audi A6 and its Avant estate sister, on the other hand, make the grade and no more – they just don’t do enough to endear themselves.

Nor does Audi’s Q3, which is a perfectly fine small SUV package, but just not interesting. The revised Land Rover Discovery is much more the ticket and lowers emissions by a welcome chunk, while the new Ssangyong Korando is decent value but not a heart-stealer.

For that, you need the Range Rover Evoque, a car that brings concept looks to the high street. It’s also every bit as good to drive as the looks suggest, so this car is very much in contention for overall honours.

Lining up against the Evoque for this column’s wholly unscientific car of the year are the Jaguar XF 2.2 and BMW 520d EfficientDynamics. Yes, the BMW has the Jag beaten for economy and emissions, and the BMW is brilliant to drive, but you just cannot ignore the XF. Its looks, style and smooth drive all show Jaguar is now every inch on a par with the Germans.

For this reason, the Jaguar XF 2.2 just nips in front of the BMW 520d to scoop my recommendation as the best car of the year.

Now then, where are those mince pies?

Alisdair Suttie

No matter how many times I see them and even when they’re travelling in the opposite direction, I still get that guilty churn in my stomach when I see a set of flashing blue lights.

Maybe it’s a deeper-seated guilt about past indiscretions or a natural respect for authority, but those blues-and-twos get me every time. Well, not every time as I tend to stick within the speed limits as middle age and parenthood remind me of my own mortality.

There are times and places where the deployment of speed, and a healthy dose of it too, are immense fun and safe. Such places tend to be on German autobahns nowadays and the chances are few and far between, though a recent motorway stint in a new BMW M5 proved 170mph needn’t be anti-social.

So why the latent worry about coppers and revelling in speed? Well, it’s all down to my attitude to velocity and its deployment. I’ve logged more than two decades behind the wheel and been fortunate enough to have been tutored by driving instructors who really do know best.

Overconfidence and inexperience

It all adds up to a modicum of experience that informs my driving style. Looking back more than 20 years, I can see the young me as being quite fortunate to have passed through the transition from learner to new driver to a more savvy creature at the wheel.

It comes as no surprise to learn the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has found a whopping 62% of young male drivers, aged between 17- and 29-years old think they are more skilful than the average driver.

I’m not sure who or what the average driver is, but I reckon I say without sanctimony that most young men fall some way short of this standard. This is not me wrapping myself in a blanket of self-congratulatory smugness, but the hard facts of covering plenty of miles on the UK’s roads.

In the past week, I’ve clocked up more than 1,000 miles, so not a dissimilar mileage to many of you out there in business driver world. During those miles, most of them were clocked up on the motorway during office hours where many of us spend out working lives between appointments.

Other than the small number of selfish individuals who think the outside lane is for getting better a view of fields on the other side of the carriageway, I found most drivers to be considerate and safe.

Edging past the evening rush hour, however, and heading on to some more rural roads, I started to encounter a greater number of young male drivers. Sadly, this group doesn’t often need David Attenborough to spot them among the larger driving population.

Excessive speed for the conditions, driving too close to the car in front and poor judgement of driving manoeuvres are all distinguishing features. Again, far from feeling smug at being able to spot these drivers with such ease, it’s saddening for all of us they’re so obvious through their bad habits.

The IAM’s Chief Executive Simon Best [pictured right] says: “Young male drivers suffer from a lethal combination of overconfidence and inexperience.

“They don’t need curfews and other restrictions on their driving; they need to practice and gain driving experience safely.”

Best’s solution is to link driver training with reduced insurance rates for young drivers, encouraging them to further training in order to lower their motoring costs.

It’s a sound idea and incentive, but the sort of essential training the IAM advocates is unlikely to be adopted by many young drivers for a variety of reasons.

Nurturing

First off, the same self-belief that means 62% of young male drivers think they are better than average behind the wheel means they will not see the need for extra driving education.

The very group that is most at risk is also the one least likely to heed advice and nurturing from more experienced drivers.

The second point is young drivers are very able when it comes to passing tests and absorbing knowledge. They are not so good at heeding it when out of ear- and eye shot of an instructor or examiner.

The IAM is to be applauded wholeheartedly for recommending further driving education for young drivers and for coming up with an incentive scheme that stands more chance of success than most.

However, I cannot help but feel this and other schemes will fail to reach the most at-risk young drivers. This is where we come back to that old stomach wrench feeling of a set of blue lights and two-tone horns.

Yes, education is vitally important, but we need more police traffic officers on our roads to remind all of us to drive responsibly and safely at all times. Even if the motivation is as shallow as not wanting to get caught, we need the police on our roads in sufficient numbers to make being caught a realistic possibility.

During my driving week and 1,000 miles, I saw only two marked police patrol cars, which doesn’t seem a lot in that time and distance.

As well as more roads policing, we also need to ramp up the amount of statutory education for all drivers, not just the young. The IAM’s proposal is spot on in pinpointing the sooner we educate young drivers into good habits, the sooner we’ll see a significant drop in the numbers of young people killed on our roads.

This should not be a trend we then disregard as soon as someone passes an arbitrary age limit. All of us can learn something all of the time.

Not perfect

I may be a whole heap more experienced than my 17-year old self and even feel confident and capable to drive a BMW M5 at a very high speed in the right circumstances, yet I am also the first to put my hand up to say I’m not perfect and more education would be welcome.

If that education was accompanied by lower insurance rates for all qualifying drivers, and not just the young, I’ll be first in the queue.

For business drivers, this education could be linked to a lower tax burden, though it’s hard to see a financially strapped government passing up the easy bucks brought in from motorists.

Even so, cost in human lives every year is incalculable when you consider a third of all driver fatalities come from the 17-24-year old bracket yet they make up just eight per cent of our driving population.

This means every third time you see a set of blue lights whizzing past, the chances are the police are dealing with a young driver. On our congested, dangerous roads, that really should cause a knot in all of our stomachs.

Alisdair Suttie

For a man with such an illustrious ancestry, Ernst Piech is not one to rest on his family’s laurels. If Ernst’s surname sounds familiar that’s because his brother is none other than Ferdinand Piech, boss of Volkswagen.

If that’s not enough to get your attention, then Ernst’s maternal grandfather is the one and only Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the eponymous sports car firm and certainly one of the greatest engineering brains the automotive industry has ever seen.

As you can see, Ernst Piech has impeccable credentials, but he’s not one to let this get in the way of developing new ideas, which is perhaps more to be expected given his family’s heritage.

This explains why Ernst Piech is heavily involved with a British firm called Riversimple that is busy developing a hydrogen-powered city car that could well be more important to the next developmental step of the motor car than any of the current crop of hybrids or electric cars.

Hydrogen dream

Whatever your technological preference, there is no denying hybrids and electric cars are constrained by their power sources and packaging. Piech is not blind to the problems of hydrogen, notably the lack of a supply chain in the UK, but he is unshakeable in his belief that it is the most sustainable fuel for future use.

He says: “It will be another five years before hydrogen is a practical proposition. I don’t think it will happen in one great sweep, but it will come town by town as demand grows for lower polluting vehicles.

“We also have to be aware that hydrogen as a fuel will not guarantee a financial return within, five years of it becoming established, so governments and energy suppliers will need to stick with it.

“Because of this, we need a long-term car that will be more economically viable than the ones we have today. This is why we are developing the Riversimple two-seater.”

Philosophy shift

Along with Piech, Riversimple’s founder Hugo Spowers is working towards a future where many private car customers will adopt a more company car-like form of ownership and use. Rather than owning a car outright, drivers will rent the car and use locally produced hydrogen, doing away with much of the need and cost of a national supply chain.

Spowers also says it is quite possible to create an automotive industry where the cars themselves are made locally rather than built centrally at a large factory. At first, this may sound like a fanciful notion, but Spowers goes on to explain: “We have to change our energy philosophy. Do we need a car that is waiting 80% of the time to be used?

“If we in Europe think greener, we can be greener. As an example, in Tokyo there is only 3% car ownership as the city has excellent public transport and other means of travel. When Tokyo residents need a car, they can hire one.”

Spowers goes on to expand his theory: “We need to consider transport rather than just buying a car, and this will change the type of car we use and build. For many journeys, a lightweight two-seater like the Riversimple will be ideal for most drivers. When you need a four-seater, estate or load hauler, we will be able to choose one from the pool of vehicles available to all drivers.”

Environmental impact

Of course, for business users, it often makes sense to stick with the same vehicle for ease of use and practicality, particularly when many of us have to carry bulky items for work every day. These drivers will still need access to their own vehicle all of the time, but Spowers is not put off and recognises the needs of some users will not fit the same mould as others.

However, he also believes the cost of car ownership and use could be drastically reduced by greatly extending the period of ownership. A car that lasts for 15 years rather three means much less energy is spent building cars, far fewer materials are used and the environmental impact is lowered.

Spowers adds: “By spreading the cost of ownership over a much longer period, the price of buying a new car and then running it is vastly reduced, so those who might previously have only considered a higher polluting used car would be able to buy into a clean new car.

“Also, with greater commonality of generic parts, we can reduce the price of a car. This then means we can use materials like carbon fibre to help cut the weight of the car and improve its economy and emissions. We reckon this will make our car cheaper to lease than a Smart, though the price to buy one for a retail customer would be higher than a Smart.”

To prove the point, Piech and Spowers are putting their car where their ideals are with trials in a number areas of England. Herefordshire, Shropshire and Leicester county councils have all committed to try the Riversimple for their employees and also for private individuals to see how the car works in the real world.

Radical approach

With an estimated lease cost of £250 per month for the Riversimple that would include the cost of fuel, the Riversimple is an ingenious and intriguing car. It’s also a radical new approach to car ownership and use that could change the way we all consider how we use and own a car.

For business users, this will be a far less radical change as we’re used to lease arrangements, but the type of fuel, economy and cost of use would be a serious change for the better.

With the weight of Ernst Piech behind the Riversimple project, and given his family’s considerable success in making radical changes to the automotive industry, it would be a brave man who would bet against the Riversimple model gaining credibility and success in the coming years.

Alisdair Suttie

Honda has big ambitions for its new Civic hatch, which has just been launched and will arrive with the first UK buyers in February.

It was hoped to deliver the first cars in January, but the recent floods in Thailand have disrupted the supply chain and necessitated the four-week delay.

This highlights the fragility of modern automotive world and its global nature, but it also shows Honda’s commitment to getting the Civic on the ground in the UK despite the problems of the past year that have seen Japanese firms endure an earthquake and tsunami.

That commitment to the Civic from Honda is underlined by expected sales of 25,000 in the 2012 in the UK, followed by 30,000 in 2013.

However, Honda goes even further and expects to find 32,000 eager buyers for the new Civic in 2014 and many of them will be company car drivers.

The reason for the ever-upward sales graph is partly down to the new, ninth generation Civic broadening out its talents.

Yes, it’s still a great looker, but now it’s more refined, quieter, smoother riding and offers even more luggage space while finding a bit more room for those in the rear seats.

All of this is on top of Honda’s relentless pursuit of any extra advantage it can gain, epitomised by the tiny plastic winglets either side of the 2.2-litre turbodiesel model that reduce aerodynamic drag by 0.1Cd and consequently lower carbon dioxide emissions a smidgeon.

Honda drafted in some of its engineers who used to work on its Formula One project to help with the Civic’s development. That kind of engineering input is invaluable and incalculable when it comes to exploiting tiny margins.

New engine

However, the real reason Honda expects its sales to take a northerly trajectory over the next three years is the impending introduction of its new 1.6-litre turbodiesel for 2014.

This new engine will have carbon dioxide emissions of less than 100g/km, though Honda is remaining very tight-lipped and inscrutable about exact figures so far ahead of the engine’s introduction.

No matter, this engine will easily be the pick of the range for company car drivers and will bless Honda with a tax-efficient, low emissions engine the Civic range has been crying out for.

Even so, Honda has relatively modest ambitions for fleet sales of the Civic, estimating company cars will account for around 10,000 of those 32,000 total sales in 2014.

Phil Crossman, General Manager of Cars, Honda UK, explains: “Fleet is a key market for us, but we want to grow in this area in a structured fashion.

“It’s a bluechip business and carbon dioxide emissions is vitally important, so the new 1.6-litre turbodiesel is key to our ambitions in this sector.”

Good feeling

With the introduction of the new Civic model imminent, Crossman is also aware of the importance of feeding the new model into the business market in the correct way to avoid damaging the historically very strong residual values of the Civic.

“We need to make sure lead times and rental prices are at the optimum point, balancing fleet with retail to make sure the mix is right for us,” he adds. “Honda is not a direct competitor for the likes of Ford or Vauxhall in this market, though we do go head-to-head with them in the retail sector.

“Fleet is a constantly moving and very competitive environment, especially at the moment as the financial pressures of the business world are dictating ever more long reaching decisions on fleet managers. I have a very good feeling for Honda because of this, but we need to make sure the offer is right to attract not just fleet customers, but the right fleet customers.

“This means we will not be looking to the daily rental market, though we are dealing with the larger lease companies. Honda is not chasing market share in the way some of our rivals are as we are adamant that our position within the market, both retail and fleet, is completely sustainable.”

To this end, Crossman is not averse to looking at bringing elements of the retail world to the fleet sector and vice versa.

He says: “We know service packs are hugely popular with private buyers and this is a great source of used cars for our dealers. I’m a big fan of these packages, so there is an opportunity to take this sort of package into the fleet world.

“The other great element about service packs, as we’ve seen with retail customers, is there is approximately a 15% higher retention rate among customers who choose these service plans. Fleet and retail customers both like fixed price servicing as it helps them budget much further in advance, which is a big consideration in time of uncertainty.”

Attitude change

Crossman notes that customers in every area are prone to cut their financial cloth to suit their means when money is not as easy to come by.

“People will avoid servicing or select the most pressing work required,” he says. “The car trade needs to catch up on fixed price service deals. Servicing is often seen as a distress purchase by customers.

“Honda wants to change this attitude to something more akin to what we see with our motorcycle customers. What we see here is customers regard the dealer as a friend rather than someone to treat with suspicion.

“Of course, some of this comes from the different way motorcycling is regarded compared to cars where biking is a leisure pursuit, a sport and a hobby where owners see spending money as an investment in their pleasure and enjoyment.

“It’s a long way off for car dealers to achieve this level of interaction with customers, but there’s no reason it cannot be done. I believe Honda has the right products and customers to make this happen with car owners where they just pop in on a Saturday morning for a coffee and chat, with no pressure to buy anything.”

Ambitious

Given Honda’s attention to detail and commitment to the new Civic, there’s every chance the company will get to this point.

As for fleet buyers, it may take longer for the arrival of the new 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine, but it could make a welcome and interesting change to see your dealer as a friend rather than just someone to service and valet the car every few thousand miles.

It’s ambitious on Honda’s part, but then nothing was ever achieved without ambition.

Alisdair Suttie

People power is a good thing and it’s brought about a debate in Parliament on fuel prices.

More than 114,000 British citizens have signed a petition calling for MPs to discuss the cost of fuel and its effects on the country as we still stagger through economic uncertainty and slow growth.

Just as importantly as the petition, which has forced the issue by garnering more than 100,000 signatures, are the 100 MPs of all parties who have signed the motion for the debate. This number includes no fewer than 83 Conservative MPs who are going in direct opposition to their party line.

This shows just how emotive and important fuel prices are in the UK. Back in 2000, there were UK-wide protests and fuel depot blockades, but this level of anger at high prices has not been seen since, even though fuel now costs significantly more than it did a decade ago.

The Coalition Government staved off some anger and misery by abolishing the previous Labour administration’s blatant money grabbing automatic fuel tax increases that were implemented in the dying throes of the last Government.

However, that has not put off David Cameron from insisting the Government will go ahead with its plan to raise fuel duty by 3p per litre from January. This means the average car will cost an added £1.50 every time it’s filled up.

Immense difficulties

The debate has been tabled by Robert Halfon MP, a Conservative, who hopes the debate will highlight the hardship faced by millions of motorists across the UK if fuel duty is raised by 3p per litre.

Mr Halfon said: “High fuel prices are causing immense difficulties for small and medium-sized businesses and some low-paid workers are now spending a tenth of their income just to fill up their car to get to work.”

As part of the motion and debate, Mr Halfon wants the Government to consider if the increase is economically viable.

It will have a huge impact on all drivers, particularly those who need to travel for their business and have no alternative.

During his election campaign, David Cameron promised a fuel duty stabiliser to take the sting out of such duty rises, and this is something Mr Halfon wants to hear debated in Parliament.

It’s something every driver in the UK wants to hear debated as we’ve seen our pockets picked bare by successive Governments and Chancellors, notably Gordon Brown who appeared to have a vehemently anti-car stance during his time in Number 11 and then later next door in the Prime Minister’s quarters.

Divisive

Other influential bodies have waded into this latest debate on fuel duty and prices.

Edmund King [pictured right], President of the AA, said: “High fuel prices are socially divisive, turning people into the drives and drive-nots.

“Many people must drive out of necessity but they are being forced to cut back on other areas of their lives, such as household expenditure and the weekly shop, just to afford the fuel to travel to their work.”

There are those who see the rise in fuel duty as an inevitable result of our love of the car and more expensive fossil fuel production.

Richard Hebditch of the Campaign for Better Transport remarked: “There are big problems because Britain is reliant on cars and foreign supplies of oil. We need to take money from fuel duty and invest it in giving people real alternatives and modernising our transport systems so we are not dependent on risky oil supplies.”

Nice idea, Richard, but it’s not of the real world where many of us cannot get from home to work or business appointments without our car. Also, many of us already make the best use we can of the so-called transport system that exists in the UK.

However, the cost of trains, planes and buses means the car is still often the cheaper, and certainly the more convenient, option. It would be lovely if we could all jump on a local bus to the train station and arrive at work fresh and relaxed. The truth is Britain’s railway network is terrible, uncomfortable and much too expensive.

Unfair and unsustainable

I admire Hebditch’s idea of better public transport, but quite simply it is just not a proper solution to the needs of many business drivers and is unlikely to ever be so.

What we do need is for the government, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to realise that continually asking the British motorist to pay up more and more is not only unfair, but unsustainable.

We just cannot keep digging ever deeper into our pockets because we’re already wearing through the seams of those pockets. Our wallets are also bruised and battered, so it’s about time we were given some respite.

If you want to help make a difference, you can still sign the petition and add even more weight to Robert Halfon’s motion.

To convince you more, Halfon says in his motion: “This is the most pressing issue facing the country. It is the biggest break on economic growth, as businesses are going bust because they cannot afford the price of petrol, leading to thousands of redundancies.

“High petrol prices are crucifying families, crucifying businesses and causing public transport costs to rise considerably. It is creating a poverty trap.”

We need to do something and do it now. Support for this petition is vital and it’s people power that will make the difference to how closely the Government pays attention.

Alisdair Suttie