I once was a band roadie working for a number of bands, and for those who don’t know what this is - I will explain further. A roadie is person who basically does all the hard graft behind the scenes at a public concert. As a fan, you turn up at the ‘gig’ and have a great time, not only marvelling at the performers but also the lighting or stage design. But how many people actually spare a thought for the person who has assembled or transported the equipment?

It is seen as a glamour job, because of the close relationship with the band, which is of course a thrill at first. But after spending three months on the road with them, they soon become just regular people.

If you end up working for famous rock stars, you will more than likely use fantastic equipment and unbelievable types of transportation. No longer will you be associated with small van transportation – we are talking here about massive articulated lorries. You could look at it as if it were a mark of the band’s success.

Back in the old days, one of the friends of a band member would usually drive them all in something like a Transit to a concert. It started precisely this way back some forty years or so. When I think back, I once was the proud owner of a Commer van, until the arrival of the Transit in the early seventies. Every since that day I have had a love affair with Fords, and have too many great memories to ever change! In those days van contract hire did not exist to the extent that it does today. If we had even been interested in it, we were so broke we couldn’t possibly afford it.

If leasing products had been available, I would have been looking at medium or small van leasing or pick up truck leasing, which has bundles of style and fun.

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Thousands of jobs in the UK are under threat over the recent collapse of American car manufacturing giant General Motors (GM). The company were forced to finally file for bankruptcy protection in the US, causing uncertainty for all its workers about their future with the company. The European branch of GM, which includes Vauxhall in the UK as well as the German brand Opel, has already been sold off to Magna International, a Canadian car parts company.  But although this means that both the British and German brands will continue production, a fall in demand for car sales and car leasing deals could mean that Magna will be making significant job cuts.

The worry for Vauxhall is that Magna is a relatively unknown company in the UK, with ties to the Russian vans company run by oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Sberbank, a Russian bank. This has led to speculation that production at Vauxhall’s Luton plant, where they make Vivara vans, could be moved to Russia, leaving the Luton’s 1,400 workers without jobs. The German government also had a hand in making sure the takeover deal went smoothly, causing worries that the Opel factories and workers may be protected as a priority and that if cutbacks in production and staff were necessary, it would have to happen in the UK. However this is all speculation at this point as Magna have made no promises yet and have made it clear that they will do everything in their power to protect as many jobs as possible in all areas.

For Vauxhall’s 5,500 UK workers, all they can do is to remain hopeful that the company will recover quickly after the takeover by Magna, who obtained the company over other potential buyers including Italian car manufacturer Fiat. Car leasing and car sales will need to improve soon for the decision to keep factories open to be viable. In the meantime for buyers interested in purchasing a car from Vauxhall, car leasing could be a better option as it enables you to choose from a wider range of vehicles, and is less likely to leave you in a difficult position if the company suffers any further disaster in the future.

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Technorati Tags: car leasing, Cars, fiat car leasing, van contract hire, van leasing, Vauxhall, vauxhall car leasing

General Motors, one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, has filed for bankruptcy with the American government. For as long as cars have been around, General Motors (GM) has been one of the three largest producers of cars in America as well as one of the world’s biggest car companies. Now the car industry is on its knees, and of the three biggest car manufacturers in America two have already been forced to ask the government for protection from their creditors. But what does all this mean to us?

Well, for those of us in the UK, the answer is probably not a lot. If you own a car made by GM, you don’t need to worry about the possibility that you might not be able to get parts for it in the future, as the company is still in business and hasn’t ceased trading. With the financial protection of the US government, they predict the company will be reconstructed in as little as three months. Further to this, the European branch of GM, which is responsible for Vauxhall and the German brand Opel, has already been sold off to a Canadian company who have said they will do all they can to protect the 5,500 UK jobs at stake.

For consumers looking to purchase a new car in times like these, it could well be that leasing or contract hire could be a better option than buying outright, as it gives you more freedom of choice and wouldn’t leave you in the lurch later if the manufacturer did go out of business. Certainly if you are worried about buying a car by one of the main manufacturers tied to one of the companies that is at risk such as Vauxhall or Ford, car leasing could put your mind at ease.

Whether you’re looking for a handy little car about town or a fancy new BMW, car leasing gives you a wider choice of vehicles including those that may otherwise have been out of your price range for buying outright. Your agreement takes into account your projected mileage and wear and tear, so the value of the car will not decrease over time and when your agreement ends you get to swap the car for the new model of your choice. With the car industry in such a state of disaster, it could be the best way to make sure you’re not affected by any future surprises!

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Thousands of workers at Honda’s Swindon factory have returned to work after the troubles of the car industry forced its closure four months ago. The 3,400 workers have agreed to taking a pay cut until 2010 but are glad to be back at work with their jobs secure after the uncertainty of the last four months.

The factory was forced to close while the company decided on the best way of dealing with the problems caused by the global recession and the effect the economic downturn has had on the number of car sales and contract hire agreements. The motoring industry has been hit hardest of all and many car manufacturing companies are struggling to make ends meet,  but Honda’s experience could serve as a good example to the other brands still hanging in the balance. Their decision to temporarily close the Swindon factory has allowed them time to make important decisions about the future of the business as well as perform long-planned maintenance work. During the four months downtime the production lines were stripped down and rebuilt, and the entire plant was redecorated, wherever possible using existing employees with the relevant specialist skills or training. 

But not everything is good news. 1,300 workers from the Swindon factory chose to opt for voluntary redundancy when the factory closed, many of whom still have not managed to secure alternative employment. And although the employees returning to work now know their jobs are secure, their pay has been cut by 3%, or 5% in management roles, for the duration of the next 10 months. The plant is only running at 50% of its normal capacity, with a predicted total production of 113,000 vehicles in 2009, less than half the original intended number of 228,000.

In short, it’s a small victory but the company is not out of the woods yet, Honda car leasing and sales figures will have to increase significantly over the next few months if they want to avoid any further disasters. The Swindon factory is due to start production of the new Honda Jazz model in September, which should increase sales and give a clearer picture of the long-term future of the Swindon factory. Not to mention as the economy begins to recover buyers will be taking advantage of low car prices as across the board from Honda to Mercedes, car leasing and purchase prices are cheaper than ever.

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