Confusion reigns in the press over who has the best company car, and it’s not helped by two completely different magazines having awards coming out at the same time. But the only winners can be the drivers, because they get two different opinions from two reliable sources – and the only arguments are between the award winners. Maybe hey sort it out after school behind the bike sheds?

FLEET NEWS awards are voted by a panel made up of fleet industry experts as well as senior members of the Fleet News editorial team, chaired by former SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan and audited by Deloitte with the New Company Car of the Year and Fleet Manufacturer of the Year voted on by fleet operator readers of Fleet News.

BUSINESS CAR MANAGER (the online car magazine for company cars) had its winners chosen by an editorial panel headed by editor Ralph Morton and road test editor Sam Hardy, with the Awards identifying winners in 9 different categories ranging from the environmentally and financially responsible – Best Sub-100g/km Business Car – to the more frivolous – It’s My Business and I’ll Buy What I Want To.

So, who won?

In Fleet News, they voted the Volkswagen Passat as the best new company car of 2011 using criteria based on operating costs (depreciation, fuel, servicing, maintenance and repair, lease rates, tax liability), suitability for their use as business cars and the level of support from the manufacturers and their corporate sales teams.

But Business Car Manager had the new BMW 3 Series in 320d form as its overall winner; with the judges commenting that is was a car “offering an unbeatable combination of competitive running costs, strong performance, low driver taxation, impressive environmental credentials – and good, old fashioned driving fun.”

Admittedly BMW was crowned as the Fleet Manufacturer of the Year voted for by readers of the Fleet News so at least there is some sort of synergy there and other awards between the two publications went to Ford, Kia, Skoda, SEAT, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Range-Rover, Mini, Audi, Hyundai, Toyota and BMW in the car categories.

But of course it all depends what you are looking for and the wording of the awards. Some of the wording is decidedly “we want to give an award to someone but can’t think of a name so let’s make one up!”

FLEET NEWS AWARDS:

Ford Fiesta won Best Small Car, with its very close relative, the Ford, Focus, picking up the award for Lower-Medium car.

Best Upper-medium Car went to The VW Passat (which, as you know, also won best in breed!) and Best People Carrier went to the SEAT Alhambra.

Best Estate Car was awarded to the Skoda Superb estate and best all-round 4×4 to the Toyota Land Cruiser. (How do you to get to be all-round?)

In the big boys classes, Best Premium Car went to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and, up there at the pinnacle of the “look at me; I’ve made it” tree, sits the BMW 5 series with its Best Boardroom Car award.

Oooh! Even more awards with indescribable titles. Best Crossover (what does that mean?) went to the Nissan Qashqai, Most Improved Fleet Manufacturer of the Year and went to Skoda, and Green Fleet Manufacturer of the Year went to Toyota/Lexus; who were described as “environmental beacons not just for the motor industry, but for every industry” by the judges

BUSINESS CAR MANAGER aims to help small businesses and SME firms to run their cars efficiently and cost- effectively. And their WINNERS were.

Best Sub-100g/km Business Car was the Kia Rio 1.1 EcoDynamics and Best Business Car for First Year Allowances (sub 110g/km), the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics.

Obviously by Company Cars here, they mean business cars, especially as the winner of the Best Company Car is the Ford Focus 1.0T EcoBoost 125PS.

Best Estate Car was the Hyundai i40 Estate (with Fleet News’ winner the Skodia Superb nowhere!) and the Best Executive Car, the New BMW 3 Series.

Other award winners were the Audi A6 Avant, MINI Countryman Cooper D (Best Micro Business Owner’s Car – how appropriate!), and the BMW 520d EfficientDynamics as best SME Director’s Car.

They even had an award called the “It’s My Business and I’ll Buy What I Want To” award, won by the Range Rover Evoque SD4 with commendations for the Audi Q5 3.0TDI,  BMW 640d and the Porsche Panamera Diesel. I presume they mean the “Car I WOULD get if they let me” award.

And comments from the winners backstage as seen on ITV2 hosted by some 5th rate celebrity who used to be a reality star before the scandal with their ex-partner’s dog?

SEAT UK Managing Director Peter Wyhinny was at the Fleet News Awards dinner at the Grosvenor Hotel to celebrate the Alhambra’s latest success. He said: “To receive this trophy from Fleet News means a great deal to us at SEAT. We know the Alhambra is a very impressive MPV and the near-constant stream of important awards such as this reinforces that belief.”

And Martin Burke, ŠKODA UK’s Head of Fleet Sales, was also delighted. “To be receiving [an award] for our work in the corporate sector, so crucial to our future plans, makes these awards all the more satisfying.”

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is pleased to announce a massive price reduction on the special edition Toyota Aygo 1.0 VVT-i Ice 5 Door, in stock to lease from just £114.95 + VAT a month with FREE Metallic Paint in Crystal Silver.

Thanks to its highly responsive steering and small turning circle, the Toyota Aygo is more than capable of whipping around sharp corners and slipping into the tightest parking spaces, making it the ideal car for city living.

The Aygo’s fun and quirky style is also matched by its startling fuel efficiency, boasting a combined fuel consumption of 65.7 mpg and CO2 emissions of just 99g/km.

For a strictly limited time, Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has a fantastic offer on the special edition Toyota Aygo 1.0 VVT-i Ice 5 Door, in stock to lease from just £114.95 + VAT a month with FREE Metallic Paint in Crystal Silver.

The high-spec special edition ICE trim comes well equipped with the following features:

• Bluetooth Connectivity with Voice Control

• DAB Radio Preparation

• Auxiliary Input Socket

• Electric Front Windows

• Air Conditioning

• Leather Steering Wheel

• Alcantara/Leather Upholstery

To take advantage of this special Toyota car leasing deal, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available. Terms & Conditions Apply.

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The worldwide Toyota Dream Car Art Contest invites children to imagine what the future might hold for motoring before realising their visions in drawing.

The UK winners of this year’s contest – the sixth of its kind – have finally been announced.

Toyota claim to have received over 1,200 entries and speak tantalisingly of highly original ideas for cleaner, safer and more fun machines – including one car built entirely from sweets.

As evidence that the push for green is trickling satisfyingly into young minds, it seems that environmental considerations played a big part in this years entries. Cars were proposed which would run on everything, be it animal waste, methane or water.

The avoidance of traffic jams also played a big part in shaping the designs, with ideas submitted for vehicles that could hover, fly or even double up as a submarine.

Toyota held a prize-giving reception for the winners and their families at its Surrey HQ last week, hosted by Naoya Taniguchi, Chairman, and Jon Williams President and Managing Director. Five winners in three age groups all won iPod products and received certificates marking their achievement.

But these are just the UK entries! Remember that the contest is taking place all over the world. All national winners have now been entered for a chance to visit Japan and take part in the world finals this summer.

Good luck, kids!

For a full list of winners and a gallery of images, click here.

Still; we can all dream, can’t we?

And, in amongst the gas-guzzlers and status symbols, there were once again electric and hybrid cars from the likes of BMW, General Motors, Lexus, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo – to name but a few. And once again these models caused a buzz (quite literally!) and earned huge amounts of media coverage, because electric cars are the new black. Or are they the new Betamax?

Car of the Year 2011 in Detroit was GM’s Chevy Volt – a hybrid. And Nissan’s all-electric Leaf was a close second; both trumpeting the arrival of a brave new world of ecological awareness and herald the electric revolution. Yet both missed their sales targets of 10,000 a year! Admittedly Nissan by a fraction, but the Volt by more than 2,000.

Popular? To put it in perspective, in the same timeframe the Toyota Camry sold over 308,000. (And GM had to also recall Volts for a battery problem fault.)

So, not the best of starts for what is an important time for the fledgling genre. With customers cautiously making their way back to the showrooms post-recession (or even MID-recession!), sales of “alternative power source light vehicles” were up 2.3% in the U.S. last year, compared to an over all 10% rise (according to analysts WardAuto.)

Even the industry is cautious. Sales of hybrids have levelled out and consumers are turning to more fuel-efficient cars rather than gamble on the new electric technology – possibly because of the initial costs of both electric and hybrid cars. Perhaps a case of jam tomorrow? No one has cash to spend right now, and those savings over five years seem an awful long way away.

Ed Hellwig of autoanalysts Edmunds.com says that “consumers will have access to more supply and more choices in alternative-fuel cars than ever in 2012. This could be the year when we see whether this is really ready to go mainstream, or the public just aren’t interested.” And it’s not just at the initial thought process that consumers are wary.

Paul Taylor, chief economist of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said that “People are enthusiastic about hybrid and electric cars but when they see how much they cost, they want to test drive something else.” And that ‘something else’ is the range of fuel-efficient and less thirsty cars that all major companies have developed or are developing alongside the bandwagonesque electrics.

PricewaterhouseCooper’s Autofacts group revealed that more efficient combustion engines are cutting consumption by 15-25% in some vehicles, so competition is fierce – but in reality prices will have to drop eventually and then, possibly, sales will rise.

But no car manufacturer wants to be the first to crack in the game of electric car poker. They’ve all joined in with heavy investments sitting in the middle of the table, and no one wants to be the first to fold or take a gamble and reduce prices. Someone somewhere has to break ranks. But who? And when?

Let’s leave the last word to Anthony Pratt, director of forecasting at car industry analysts Polk. Manufacturers have to be involved in the latest technology. But that technology is in its infancy, and the next five years could be even more challenging.”

In 2011, new car sales in the UK fell to 1.94m (4.4% down on 2010), the lowest total since 1994′s 1.91m.

But these figures don’t truly reflect the manufacturing state of the industry. 80% of cars built in the UK are exported, and these figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) are therefore more of a reflection of the British buying economy.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, commented: “This [fall]  is what you would expect to see. Consumer demand is weaker, but at the same time we are seeing a strong performance in some key segments of the manufacturing economy.”

By that, I guess he means exports and fleet sales, boosted by hire cars and company cars. Consumer sales, in fact, actually fell by a whopping 14% fuelled by a lack of confidence in the economy, the VAT increase to 20%, the scrapping of the scrappage scheme and petrol prices.

Strong demand from China, the USA and India helped keep sales of Nissan, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover afloat. and this is expected to continue throughout 2012. In fact, the SMMT expects the UK Industry to manufacture around 1.5m cars this year (up 5%) and 1.6m in 2013.

But Deloitte, the consultancy firm, expects a further decline in actual car sales in the UK to an actual figure around 1.84m as the economic crisis continues to bite around Europe.

So who do you believe? My money’s on the latter, but then my glass has always been half empty.

There were winners last year. No real surprise that the Ford Fiesta. a perennial favourite, was the best seller, but the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagon Golf and Vauxhall Astra also sold well.

And worldwide, VW sold a record 5.1m, with Europe and China contributing 3.4m  of that. In fact, China’s overall ‘car consumption’ grew by 13.8%, especially in the luxury car market, with Daimler having a great year in the Far East market. Just think what the figures would have been without that! And surprisingly, considering the state of the US economy, VW sales there grew by over 26% (a possible head in the sand syndrome?) as well as more than expected in India.

So not all good news, and not all bad news. But there is no escaping from the fact that 2012 is going to be a tough year for the car industry as a whole.

Fasten those seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Look: Toyota have released the first ever pictures of their new Yaris Hybrid – months ahead of the  public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Oh, you lucky lucky internet user.

The new model proclaims to bring together the “ingenious packaging and agile handling” with the “high efficiency and refined driving experience” of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy powertrain.

But the Hybrid Synergy Drive has been downsized for Yaris – combining a new 1.5-litre petrol engine with a more compact electric motor, transaxle, inverter and battery pack, the result is a system that’s 20% lighter than that used in the Auris Hybrid.

And lighter cars tend to be more fuel efficient in any case.

This is looking good, yes?

But how good?

Wait ’til March, if you can!

Upon reflection, 2011 looked like quite an interesting year. As historically significant events developed around us, it seemed like our small world became even smaller. Of these various occurrences, the Japanese’s earthquake comes to mind for its tragic and dangerous consequences. Affecting many individual lives on a number of different levels, not even powerful companies like Toyota went unscathed. Recovering from the events, it looks like the company is still getting back on its feet, setting new targets and breaking new boundaries.

The company is interested in establishing an even firmer base than before. Chief among its aims are to produce nearly 8.5 million vehicles next year, hoping to increase the sales in the next quarter to over 5.6 million. Certainly worthy goals, the BBC noted that these ambitions were meant offset the losses made to the prevailing carmaker in the industry: General Motors.

It is not surprising that in the current economic climate it is difficult for a company as large as Toyota to maintain a firm grip. Earlier this month the company had already halved the profit forecast for 2012, preparing for difficult times ahead. Indeed, the company now suggested that it will make around £1.5 billion by march 31^st rather than the very ambitious £3.2 billion.

This special climate is founded in the idea that the company is still dealing with the earthquake in March as well as the Thailand disasters that had a strong impact on the physical factories as well as the impact of the Yen. As the BBC noted, this had the effect of putting further pressures on overseas sales. Similarly, the company has also had some trouble with recalls, costing them both time and money.

While all of this may seem gloomy at first, analysts suggest that Japan should regain a great deal of ground in the years ahead. Some observers believed that the car manufactures will once more be crowed the largest car manufacturer in the world and perhaps reach levels of productivity found before the financial crisis hit the world. While all this may seem speculative now, only time will tell how Toyota and its ambitions reveal themselves.

Toyota Verso fans will be pleased to hear that the popular panoramic roof option has returned to the range with prices starting from just £279.95 + VAT a month.

First seen on the Toyota Verso back in 2009, the optional glass panoramic roof was originally introduced to compete with the top-selling Vauxhall Zafira but has recently been unavailable due to production issues following the Japan earthquake.

The popular panoramic roof option now makes a welcome return to the Toyota Verso model with prices starting from just £279.95 + VAT a month for the Toyota Verso 1.6 V-matic TR Panoramic Roof when you lease with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts.

To view the full Toyota Verso range and to get an instant quotation on any model, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available. Terms & Conditions Apply.

You can now save up to £14 a month on the popular Toyota Avensis when you lease with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts.

Offering new levels of refinement, efficiency and quality with a sleek design and CO2 emissions as low as 119 g/km, the new Toyota Avensis has been redesigned for 2011, making it one of the hottest family cars on the market.

Under the bonnet, the revised 2.0 litre turbo diesel engine offers greater fuel efficiency, as well improved ride comfort and handling agility.

The latest generation Toyota Avensis also boasts more equipment than ever before with Bluetooth, daytime running lights, leather steering wheel, air conditioning, electric front windows, multi-information display and Vehicle Stability Control with steering torque assist (VSC+) all offered as standard on the entry level T2 model.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has updated the prices across the popular Toyota Avensis. Prices now start from just £257.95 + VAT a month for the Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D T2 with a selected number of models reduced by up to £14 a month.

To view the full Toyota Avensis range and to get an instant quotation on any model, call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts today on 0844 482 9595 or follow the above links.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available. Terms & Conditions Apply.

The popular Toyota Auris Hybrid has been updated for 2012, boasting more equipment as standard, a new 17-inch alloy wheel design and four new exterior colours.

Kick starting the changes is an enhanced equipment list with the Toyota Auris Hybrid T4 and T Spirit models both boasting Toyota Touch audio as standard. The Go Navigation system is also available as an optional extra on both grades.

The popular Toyota Auris Hybrid T4 grade also benefits from Bluetooth and a Reversing Camera as standard.

A new darker finish has been added to the 17’’ alloys wheels, giving the Auris Hybrid a more striking, moodier look. The 15-inch alloy wheel remains unchanged.

Four new exterior paint colours including Deep Titanium, Decuma Grey, Vermillion Red and Island Blue are also available, in addition to the six existing paint colours in the Auris Hybrid range.

The all-new Toyota Auris Hybrid is available to lease from Nationwide Vehicle Contracts from January 2012. Current prices start at just £222.95 + VAT a month for the Toyota Auris 3 Door 1.33 VVT-i Edition.

To find out more about the 2012 Toyota Auris and to get an instant quotation on any model in the range, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts today on 0844 482 9595.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available. Terms & Conditions Apply.