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From left to right: Abu-Haris Shafi and
Nikolei Kesting from BSM, and Andrew
Humberstone, MD Fiat Group Automobiles UK,
celebrate the announcement of a new
partnership which will see Fiat providing
BSM with 14,000 cars over the next four
years. |
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BSM and Italian car giant Fiat have today
announced their partnership which will see Fiat
as the new fleet provider for BSM (the British
School of Motoring), the UK’s most popular
driving school.
Fiat will provide BSM with 14,000 cars over the next four
years, with most of them set to be the award-winning Fiat 500 – Car of
the Year 2008 – along with the popular Grande Punto
model.
The fleet vehicle is the biggest depiction of the BSM brand,
and the introduction of the stylish Fiat 500 design is
intended to appeal to new learners. BSM will start to take
delivery of the new fleet this summer and complete the
exchange of all fleet by the end of the year.
BSM is
the UK’s leading driving school, with around 3,000 driving
instructors teaching more than 130,000 learners to drive
each year. BSM is one of the most recognised British brands
with nearly 100 years of history and a market share of
approximately 10 per cent. BSM is also one of the largest
providers of instructor training and carry out driver
training for companies as well as the public and
governmental sectors. BSM has been teaching people to drive
since 1910 and is fully committed to helping people become
better safer drivers, not just training them to pass their
test. The company taught the Queen to drive and helped
design and implement the modern driving test. The agreement
will make the Fiat 500 even more visible on Britain’s roads
– and help Fiat with its plan to target the 500 at the key
young drivers market.
BSM is confident that the change of car will give new
drivers a superior learning experience, with features
including: manoeuvrability – the Fiat 500, with a length of
just 3.5 metres and a turning circle of 9.2 metres, is easy
to drive and offers exceptional manoeuvrability; safety –
the Fiat 500 has more safety features than any other small
car and achieved five stars in the tough Euro NCAP crash
test programme; environment – the Fiat 500 engine meets the
toughest Euro 5 exhaust emissions standards and has improved
fuel efficiency when compared with BSM’s previous fleet. The
500’s 1.2-litre 69 bhp engines returns 55.4 mpg on the
combined cycle and emits just 119 g/km CO2. The model is
also available with eco:Drive which analyses driving
styles and helps drivers use less fuel; and visibility – the
Fiat 500 model also offers greater visibility than the
previous fleet, with a smaller dashboard and larger wing
mirrors.
The new partnership will include a special offer for learner
drivers wishing to purchase a Fiat once they have passed
their test. The car manufacturer is offering an exclusive
£500 discount on all new Fiat models to BSM learners, making
the range even more accessible and economical for new
drivers.
“We
believe very strongly that the car we use for our fleet is
the strongest depiction of our brand so it was of the utmost
importance for us to find a car that shares both the
heritage of BSM and the brand’s modern outlook and appeal,”
says Abu Shafi, managing director, BSM.
“We feel that the partnership of BSM with the Fiat 500 has a
great synergy and we are looking forward to introducing such
an iconic fleet with an improved learning experience.”
“This fantastic new agreement puts an award-winning car
alongside the best-known driving school in the UK, and I am
delighted we are involved in it,” says Andrew Humberstone,
managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. “This puts us
right where we want to be – in the High Streets of Britain’s
towns and cities, demonstrating to new motorists the
delights of driving a new Fiat.”
BSM previously partnered with Vauxhall
who provided over 3,500 of their Corsa and Astra models to
the company. The new deal will include the Fiat 500 and
Grande Punto model for disabled learners.
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