Treasury Minister Backs Customs And Excise Green Fleet Initiative

John Healey, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury responsible for Customs and Excise, has welcomed the organisation’s decision to purchase a fleet of clean air Honda Civics as part of a drive towards a cleaner more fuel efficient vehicle fleet.

The purchase of 42 Civic IMAs is believed to be the largest fleet deal for petrol/electric cars in Europe. The Civics will be used for a variety of front line operational work including VAT and excise duty collection and use by officers involved in the detection of illegal importation of prohibited goods. The transaction is a solid indicator that petrol electric technology as realised by Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist system in the Civic IMA, is set to become mainstream.

Healey is the Treasury’s Green Minister and is keen to see government departments set a good example to industry in areas such as fleet management.

C&E’s decision to purchase Civic IMAs was taken by John Webb, the organisation’s National Fleet Manager who earlier this year was named "UK Fleet Manager of the Year, 2004". He is responsible for 2400 vehicles across the UK.

Commenting on the deal Webb said: "Our fleet policies are driven by whole life costs, safety, reliability and eco friendliness. The Civic IMA scores highly on all counts, and currently represents one of the best products in the marketplace in meeting these conflicting demands."

Honda’s Government and Emergency Vehicle Sales Consultant Mark Jones says: "The purchase of Civic IMAS by C&E is the latest of many purchases by Public Service Organisations which have been quick to grasp both the environmental benefits and the quality / reliability of Honda’s petrol electric saloon. We are pleased to see more and more customers embracing IMA technology as a means of meeting their environmental goals," he adds.