BMW Group cleans up at Fleet News Awards 2009
The BMW Group has been given a ringing endorsement by the UK's fleet industry
for its fuel-saving and emissions-reducing technologies by winning a string of
prestigious awards.
The Fleet News Awards 2009 are judged by a panel of industry experts and the
key decision makers in the corporate car market chose BMW and MINI vehicles for
five of the possible 11 product awards. The MINI range was recognised as 'Best
Residual Value Star', while the BMW 1 Series and BMW 5 Series were awarded
'Best Small Premium Car' and 'BMW Executive Premium Car' respectively. The new
BMW 7 Series won its first UK award being crowned 'Best Luxury Car' and the BMW
X5 won 'Best Large SUV'.
Fleet News said the MINI consistently topped the charts for its strength in
residual value performance that meant it was 'one of the safest places to put
your money'. Meanwhile, the four BMW winners were all praised for their strong
wholelife costs, all round performance and owner appeal. BMW received
particular praise for its choice of engines and body styles, and its targeting
of the corporate customer with vehicles such as the 5 Series Business Edition
models.
Stephen Chater, BMW UK's Group Corporate Operations Manager, said: "This is a
fantastic result and underscores the competitive advantage the BMW Group enjoys
in the marketplace. No other premium car maker can match the BMW Group in terms
of performance and emissions courtesy of our EfficientDynamics and MINIMALISM
technologies across such a broad model range."
As an example of the financial benefits such technologies have on the company
car driver's budget, the latest entry-level BMW 5 Series offers a possible £100
monthly company car tax saving compared to a similar model three years ago. In
2006 the entry-level model was a 523i SE which had a CO2 emissions of 205g/km
and a comparative benefit-in-kind rating (BIK) of 29 per cent. This equates to
a monthly BIK payment of £263*. In contrast the latest entry-level BMW 5
Series, the 520d SE, has CO2 emissions of just 136g/km and BIK rating of 18 per
cent, equating to a monthly payment of just £164* a month.
BMW Group the premium sub 160g/km CO2 emissions leader
Following advances in engine technology the group now has the greatest number
of premium vehicles below the 160g/km threshold. When the new Capital
Allowances** and Lease Rental Restriction*** rules for companies come into
force on 1 April, the BMW Group will have 115 distinct BMW variants and five
MINI models that sit below 160g/km.
BMW also offers the top three most powerful models in the world with sub
160g/km CO2 emissions. The 330d Saloon, Touring and Coupé all come as standard
with 245hp six-cylinder engines that record 152g/km (155g/km for 3 Series
Touring). BMW takes six of the top ten places for sub 160g/km emission cars
with the greatest engine output. The 123d three-door, five-door and Coupé come
with 204hp four-cylinder twin-turbocharged engines but record CO2 emissions of
just 138g/km.
Note:
* Figures quoted relate to a 40 per cent tax payer.
**For companies that purchase their company cars after April 2009 for any
vehicle with emissions above 160g/km they will only be able to write down 10
per cent of its value each year on a reducing basis. However, if the car has
emissions of 160g/km or less the Write Down Allowance doubles to 20 per cent,
allowing the company to claim back the cost of the vehicle more quickly.
*** For companies who lease their company cars after April 2009 any vehicle
with emissions above 160g/km they will only be to offset 85 per cent of the
finance element of the lease against profits. However, if the vehicle has
emissions of 160g/km or less, the company can offset 100 per cent of the
finance part of the lease. The new legislation benefits all leased cars above
£12,000 with emissions of 160g/km or less and will also benefit leased cars
over 160g/km with a greater list price than £17,143 making it more attractive
to Contract Hire high-end executive cars.
Ends