 Six top soft-tops
17 May 2013
One of the most famous cabriolets is about to go on sale. So, given spring is here , what cabriolets should you be looking at?
Here’s six soft-tops to get you thinking... Read more |
 Number games
16 May 2013
What a world of numbers we live in: they have come to define our successes and failures, but CO2 emission numbers are more interesting than most... Read more |
 The networked car
26 April 2013
About as near as I ever get to ‘networked’ is switching on my mobile phone. But one network I’m quite keen to understand more about is ‘networked driving’... Read more |
 It's a team effort
12 April 2013
Thanks to staff at our Glasgow HQ and our offices throughout the UK, Fleet Alliance has been shortlisted as Employer of the Year in the Scottish Business Awards... Read more |
 Safe in the city
02 April 2013
If you drive regularly in city traffic, you’re more likely to have an accident. Perhaps not, though, if you drive one of the new Volvo V40 hatchbacks... Read more |
 Beer tax drop to fuel cars...
21 March 2013
The 3p fuel duty rise due in September may have been scrapped, but the tax on beer has gone down. Impressive. Thank you Mr Osborne so I’m off down the pub to fill up my car with beer... Read more |
 Five cars that won't fit your company car park
11 March 2013
The cars of the Geneva Motor Show are exotic and unbelievably styled. Here are five cars we'd all love to slot into the company car park, if only the car choice policy was, well you know, loosened a little… Read more |
 Five timely tax dodgers
08 March 2013
It's nearly April and higher tax bands equals more tax. So I've been thinking: what sort of vehicles might be able to help you out? Not all will meet your company's fleet policy - but if you don’t ask..! Read more |
 If smaller is better, is bigger best?
27 February 2013
Is the downsizing trend in the motor industry simply a repeat of what has already taken place with the mobile phone and personal computer? If so, is bigger always best..? Read more |
 A new number for fleets
1 February 2013
For greatest tax efficiency companies should be aiming to ensure cars are at 130g/km CO2 and below ahead of April's reduction on tax breaks for leasing vehicles... Read more |
 Five fleet tips for facing winter driving
23 January 2013
The wintry weather we are experiencing creates treacherous conditions for fleet drivers and the general motoring public. Here's my top five winter driving tips for company car fleet managers... Read more |
 Five fleet trends for 2013
14 January 2013
With 2012 behind us, what faces us in the future in terms of fleet? I’ve been consulting my crystal ball for the top fleet trends for 2013. And these are my top five... Read more |
 Audi A3: Raising the standard
20 December 2012
A friend recently took ownership of the new Audi A3 and I thought it would be fun to challenge him to write a short review of the model that, in its previous guise, was our most popular fleet car of 2011.. Read more |
 Ten top benefit in kind beaters
06 December 2012
The Chancellor might have cancelled the 3p fuel duty rise, but that doesn’t mean anyone can take their foot of the gas when it comes to choosing low CO2 and fuel efficient fleet cars... Read more |
 Diversity breeds success
28 November 2012
I’m no fan of quota systems, but I do believe that increasing the representation of women on the nation’s boardrooms is not only desirable, it’s essential for long-term success... Read more |
 Ten cars to Take Zlat!
20 November 2012
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's goal against England has been called one of the best goals ever scored. Which got me thinking: what ten cars display the same élan for the scissor kick as Sweden’s number 10..? Read more |
 Ten ways to avoid refuelling
26 October 2012
For fleet managers, the spectre of a fuel duty rise in January still lurks around the corner, with the potential to tighten the tourniquet on fleet expenditure. Here’s ten suggestions on how to slip the knot... Read more |
 Wearing the right attire
16 October 2012
Winter tyres should be part of any fleet management policy. After all, equipping your drivers to perform better – and with more safety – is the aim of any business with duty of care responsibilities... Read more |
 Behind the Paris Motor Show
08 October 2012
The Paris Motor Show unveiled the new Mondeo and Golf amongst others, but behind the glamour the key automotive trends are efficiency and connectivity... Read more |
 Why it's cool to be cool
02 October 2012
Car manufacturers could learn a thing or two from the brands at the top of 2012 CoolBrands list and create cars that are intuitive to drive, delightful to use with technology that simply works - and works well... Read more |
 If it computes, it connects...
18 September 2012
With technologists predicting how the most heavyweight cloud computing centres to the latest internet radios, will all be wireless, the way we interact with our company cars will undoubtedly change for the better... Read more |
 It's a serious business having a ball!
06 September 2012
I know my blogs usually follow a theme: cars and business success. But I want to celebrate the support of our team here at Fleet Alliance, and the kind donations of supporters, for the charity work they perform... Read more |
 The marvellous MINI
30 August 2012
With the MINI voted the greatest British car ever made, it's good to see BMW and other manufacturers such as Tata invest in the history of their adopted icons to make cars that appeal to company car drivers today... Read more |
 Building success
17 August 2012
How do you measure business success? Is it the satisfaction of a cash positive week for a sole trader, steering a company successfully through difficult trading conditions, or the rush of champagne bubbles to celebrate the sale of a company ... Read more |
 The Bolt Beaters
13 August 2012
The Olympics are over and the games have been declared a triumph. So with Usain Bolt cleaning up in London 2012 what Olympic car champions can we muster to beat the great sprinter... Read more
|
 Who dares be a fleet Olympian?
27 July 2012
It's been a great summer of sport so far and many are on the finishing straight towards a well-deserved holiday. But beyond the Olympics looms a sobering list of changes to fleet management and company cars... Read more
|
 The indigestion of congestion
18 July 2012
Innovation is the key to how we approach business travel. Doing the same old means more of us will end up contributing to even greater congestion. That’s not a vision of the future I want to embrace. Or endorse... Read more
|
 Ghosts in the machine
05 July 2012
Ever considered what happens to your phone contacts or the music on your car's hard drive when it's handed back at contract end and who is responsible for deleting it... Read more
|
 Fuel rise hits the hold button
27 June 2012
One social media wag suggested that it was just as well the fuel duty hike was delayed – it would save on ministerial fuel necessary for all the recent government U-turns… Read more
|
 Having a ball with our charity
19 June 2012
Getting your team onside is always crucial to success don't you think? I guess it all comes down to management and belief. None of us gets this right all the time, of course, but there's always a warm glow of satisfaction when it works... Read more
|
 Marmite, motorsport and motoring in France
11 June 2012 NEW!
Le Mans. It’s a bit like Marmite: you either love it or loathe it. Actually, I suspect all motorsport is rather like Marmite. Personally, it doesn’t do it for me, but what I do like is the way it reflects new technologies that we see in the fleet market. Sooner or later... Read more
|
 Better in the old days. Really?
17 May 2012
Remember 2002? It was a seminal moment when we moved from the sub-£20k company car special, when tax was all about price points, and onto company car tax based on CO2 emissions. Fast forward to 2012. Not quite the same massive change that we saw in 2002 but no doubt some company car drivers were wondering why their take home pay had shrunk... Read more
|
 My top 10 rule beaters
27 April 2012
No doubt many of you will be looking at your payslips and suddenly realising the impact of the Chancellor’s change to the company car tax rules on your take home pay.
“Thanks George,” you probably muttered. Or, perhaps, something even a little stronger... Read more
|
 New cars will snub fuel fill ups
13 April 2012
Threatened tanker strikes, Jerry can gaffes, queues at fuel stations as drivers rushed to fill up, changing government advice...and that’s before we even had a strike. What a strange frothed up concoction the recent fuel ‘crisis’ was. Despite the ephemeral basis for the run on fuel, drivers’ fears of being caught short of fuel was very real.... Read more
|
 My top 10 sub 100g/km cars
26 March 2012
Well now, the Chancellor gave us plenty to think about for company cars in his Budget. There's extra fuel cost, stretching new company car tax targets and demanding new levels of writing down allowances from 2013. But the one thing the Budget shouted from the rooftops was this: the Chancellor wants us to drive lower carbon cars – or pay the tax penalty.
Which got me thinking... Read more
|
 Building up to the budget
20 March 2012
The Budget. It's the one moment in the year when UK PLC suddenly concentrates on the economy - usually for a 'what's-in-it-for-me' reason. Mmmm. OK, me too, actually. No harm in that of course. But what should we make of this year's Budget... Read more
|
 Ampera: the future of the business car?
15 March 2012
I attended a conference recently where there was something that really caught my attention: a presentation on the new Vauxhall Ampera, which goes on sale this year. If you’ve not come across the Ampera before it’s a really exciting development in low emission car technology – and I’m not talking the latest green sandals here... Read more |
 Riding rough shod over Mervyn's rocky road
16 February 2012
The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, caught my ear with his speech on the economic recovery being long, arduous and uneven. Now, as you can appreciate being Scottish, I'm a master at making my pound go further - it is always your round at the bar isn't it? - but I'm only seeing an upside to these current economic conditions... Read more |
|
|
About
 Martin Brown is Managing Director of Fleet Alliance and has over 16 years experience in the leasing industry. He has previously been listed as a Business Insider Rising Star and has led the company to finalist status in both the National Business Awards for Scotland and Glasgow Business Awards.
 Email Martin
 LinkedIn profile
|
