The New Astra takes yet another gong, gaining the Fleet News Lower Medium car Of The Year Award.

Vauxhall’s all-new Astra has been recognised in the Lower Medium category at the Fleet News Awards.

Announced at an awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the Astra topped its extremely competitive category. The judges, made up of influencial decision-makers and journalists within the fleet industry, praised the model for its efficiency, running costs and technology. 

This year has already proven to be a positive year for the model, with this award the latest in a list that also includes a Family Car category win at the What Car? Awards and being named European Car of the Year.

The Fleet News Awards judges commented: “The new Astra has made a huge leap forward over the previous model. Highly competitive on running costs, emissions and fuel efficiency, it is packed with technology that has been designed with fleet and driver needs in mind. It ticks all the rational boxes but will also attract drivers. It is Vauxhall’s most appealing model for a generation.”

“We’re delighted the Astra has been recognised at the Fleet News Awards, as the fleet market is an important sector for the all new Astra,” said James Taylor, Vauxhall’s Fleet Sales Director. “It’s great to see how well-received it has been so far by both our customers and the media.”

The all-new Astra is available with the new-generation IntelliLink infotainment system and OnStar, a comprehensive package, which includes a high-speed 4G LTE mobile network, emergency response notification and stolen vehicle recovery technology. OnStar has received plaudits of its own recently, winning the Auto Express Technology and the BusinessCar Techies Awards.

Nissan's Qashqai takes a well deserved Fleet News award.

The all-conquering Nissan Qashqai has been named best mid-sized SUV at the Fleet News Awards 2015. The prestigious award underlines the British-built model’s all-round appeal to fleet operators and company car drivers.

In 2014, almost 27,000 Qashqai were registered to fleet customers in the UK, helping Nissan’s corporate sales team to its best ever passenger car volume of 63,358.

The Qashqai is now the fifth bestselling fleet car in the UK.

Presenting the award, Stephen Briers, Editor-in-Chief of Fleet News, said: “The Qashqai has appeal across all sections of fleet, from user-choosers to Motability users. 

It is a compelling proposition as both new and used – with very strong residual values – and is an excellent all-rounder with competitive fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions plus a high-quality interior. New engines introduced by Nissan last year have made a great car even better.”

Barry Beeston, Corporate Sales Director at Nissan Motor (GB), said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this award as it recognises the enormous impact the Qashqai has made in the fleet sector.”

He added: “It’s now more than a year since the Qashqai was launched and, despite increased competition, it continues to top the polls and pick up industry awards.

“But winning an award from a title like Fleet News, which understands the needs and opinions of fleet customers, is particularly pleasing.”

Hyundai accepts another award for its tiny, but amazing i10 City car.

• Hyundai i10 continues winning streak with latest accolade
• A-segment model stood out thanks to affordability and practicality
• Hyundai ‘highly commended’ in Most Improved Fleet Manufacturer category for third consecutive year

The Hyundai i10 continues to be recognized by industry experts, as it receives the prestigious ‘Best City Car’ title from one of the UK’s leading fleet publications, Fleet News.  

i10 impressed judges thanks to its high quality interior, low running costs and the added bonus of Hyundai’s industry-leading five-year unlimited mileage warranty.

Tony Whitehorn, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor UK, commented: “Fleet plays an important part in our sales strategy in the UK, so it’s vital for us to make sure our models are attractive from both a consumer and business perspective. This award is testament to our ongoing success in the fleet market, and our ability to appeal to new audiences.”

Stephen Briers, editor of Fleet News magazine, commented: “i10 is low in cost but far from low in quality. Practical for its size and with an interior quality that is among the best in the sector, the i10 shows that Hyundai can compete within the mainstream when it comes to fleet appeal. 

Running costs, especially SMR, are very low and fleets have the added reassurance of Hyundai’s excellent five-year unlimited mileage warranty.”

Since going on sale in January 2014, i10 has proved to be a huge sales success for Hyundai in the UK. Last year Hyundai became the first Korean manufacturer to sell 25,000 units of one model in a year in 2014.

Most recently, Hyundai added the ‘Premium SE’ model to the i10 line-up. The new model will benefit from heated seats and steering wheel, 15” alloys, electric tilt and slide sunroof, rear parking sensors, smart key stop and start with chrome effect exterior door handles and climate control.

Hyundai’s dramatic achievements in the fleet arena were also recognised at the 2015 Fleet News awards. The brand was ‘Highly Commended’ for the third consecutive year in the ‘Most Improved Fleet Manufacturer’ category, recognising the continued inroads made over the past 12 months.