Fleets should prepare for 4x4 backlash - 'go anywhere' could take on new meaning
The developing debate over the social and environmental acceptability of 4x4, so-called off-road vehicles, should be heeded by fleet operators, warns Tony Johnston, chief executive of VELO.
As many employers open up the variety of vehicles that company employees are able to select - to accommodate user / chooser policies - the number of 4x4s joining company ranks has increased noticeably over recent years. Johnston says: "Although fleets, in the main, take a more objective view of which vehicles are practical for employees, 4x4s, along with MPVs and coupes, are taking a larger share of the company car market. The caveat to this, however, is that they are likely to be the more compact versions, not the massive gas-guzzling tanks that offer only style over substance, and which are most likely to be bought by the private motorist."
Even though, Johnston believes, it is these 'tanks' that are fuelling the anti-4x4 lobby, the attempt by some to stigmatise them unfortunately attaches itself to all such models, unjustly so in his opinion. "A mid-size 4x4 will take up no more space on the road than the equivalent saloon car, and in most cases fuel consumption and emissions are not too dissimilar either.
"We have to be aware, however, that not everyone understands this and if restrictions, such as those being mooted by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, are placed on 4x4 drivers it will be some form of blanket ban, with the virtues (or otherwise) of individual models not considered. Although we are, hopefully, a long way off from that, employers have to be prepared and perhaps should be examining and possibly revising user / chooser policies to ensure they equip drivers with acceptable vehicles. The term 'go anywhere' could take on a new meaning when describing the abilities of a particular car or model."
Looking ahead, Johnston says that if 4x4s do become social pariahs with limited town use, it will inevitably see them becoming a less attractive option, for both new and second-hand car buyers. "For individuals and companies operating them, this means declining residual values, another factor that employers have to consider, especially those funding vehicles themselves."
Johnston's final point is how exactly to define a 4x4? "The popular consensus is a visual one, based on a 'Jeep' type appearance. But one of the upcoming trends in vehicle design is the so-called 'crossover vehicle', which, and depending upon the manufacturer, can combine attributes from 4x4s, MPVs and hatchbacks, including four-wheel-drive. Using the visual yardstick, will these also be expelled from urban streets?"
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Leasedrive Velo is the largest independent privately-owned vehicle management group in the UK and comprises two main operating divisions.
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Working in partnership with fleet managers, or delivering a complete outsourced service, Leasedrive Velo offers blue chip clients a range of bespoke fleet management services. Major investments in the finest asset management system and pioneering, flexible, web-based customer service technology have resulted in Leasedrive Velo offering customers a truly world class fleet management service capability.
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One of the largest short-term vehicle rental management companies in the UK, with access to an almost unlimited choice of vehicles and locations throughout the country, Leasedrive Velo Rental Management offers a simple and transparent pricing policy with no hidden surcharges. For rentals of 28 days or more, it offers the Stopgap mid-term vehicle rental solution. Rates are substantially reduced compared to daily rental.
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