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CONFERENCE X BY ROGER BLAXALL legendary 'can do' attitude from many on the fleet frontline. Te pressure to run cleaner, greener and more cost-effective fleets (25 percent cutbacks) is having an inevitable effect on all areas of fleet man- agement. It also means the 'critical mass' that's been building slowly over the last few years is now gaining momentum as an increasing number of manufacturers devote more research and development budgets to finding practical workaday solutions to ensure petrol and diesel cars tick all the environmental and efficiency boxes. Manufacturers and buyers alike agree there seems to be a distant light at the end of the economic tunnel. Tat said, a number of manufactur- ers have been investing heavily in their product range – especially Hyun- dai and Peugeot – and seem to be more than up to the challenges ahead. Tat's seen the work of an increasing number of them coming to frui- tion and available now is a new generation of hybrids, including diesel hybrids, while plug-in electric cars and groundbreaking developments with traditional petrol and diesel power are also surprising some critics. New national vehicle agreements mean there is a much leaner supply line for customers and manufacturers leading to sizeable savings running into millions of dollars. BMW AUTHORITY BMW took pride of place in the atrium where numerous cars made for an impressive display. Highlighting its stand was a BMW 5-Se- ries mid-range tourer featuring upfitted for police work during pro- duction for U.K. forces. Its concept 'Interceptor' BMW 3-Series has served at Avon and Somerset, while its X-Series cars are now in frontline roles in a variety of police, fire and paramedic roles. BMW plays a very important part now in many metropolitan forces. Its 5-Series diesel models the default choice for ARV and road policing roles at the Olympics, for example. DKSK A new name for the U.K. market is DFSK. Its new Loadhopper minivan comes in a variety of guises with gasoline and electric S This BMW 5 series tourer is fully equipped with police livery on the production line. towww.pfmmag.com 57 www.pfmmag.com