{"id":57,"date":"2018-12-05T04:52:18","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T04:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/05\/the-smartest-cars\/"},"modified":"2018-12-05T04:52:18","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T04:52:18","slug":"the-smartest-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/05\/the-smartest-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"The smartest cars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Technology can turn a company car from functional to fantastic, even if businesses are looking at what\u2019s under the bonnet rather than in the cabin<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I<\/span>s technology a decisive factor for fleet managers? If one vehicle offers more gadgets and gizmos compared to another, does that make it more desirable to business decision makers?<\/p>\n

The All-New Kia Ceed, for instance, comes replete with technologies as standard that are add-ons for most rival manufacturers. These include a wireless smartphone charger, a \u2018floating\u2019 infotainment system, and its Smart Parking Assist System, among numerous other pluses, depending on the model\u2019s grade.<\/p>\n

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\nAll in: the Kia Ceed comes with technologies considered to be add-ons by some rivals<\/span>
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Less entertaining, but perhaps more importantly for businesses equipping company car drivers, mitigating the risk of collisions is the All-New Kia Ceed\u2019s suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) \u2013 High Beam Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Lane Keeping Assist and Forward Collision Warning with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, which are standard across the range. <\/p>\n

Dr Chris Davies, head of technical superiority for windscreen suppliers Autoglass, says \u201cfleet decision makers are increasingly aware and attracted to the benefits of ADAS technologies, because they reduce the risk of vehicles getting damaged on the road, and they keep drivers safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The technology certainly means safer fleets, but it does demand particular care and attention when it comes to maintenance in a way that simpler vehicles don\u2019t, says Dr Davies. <\/p>\n

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\nEducation mission: helping drivers understand in-car technology is vital<\/span>
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\u201cWhen using ADAS technologies in a fleet, calibration is of the utmost importance,\u201d he warns. \u201cIf an ADAS sensor is not calibrated properly and is off-kilter by even a fraction, this can have extremely dangerous consequences, because the driver will be relying on a misaligned system. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is essential that fleet managers educate their drivers on the need for calibration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do smarter cars equal safer drivers?<\/h3>\n

Andy Wheeler, business development director at TTC Group \u2013 an organisation that delivers more than 1.3 million hours of road-safety training every year \u2013\u00a0says that education to help drivers understand and get the most out of the tech in their vehicles is imperative to increasing safety on the roads.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many companies invest heavily in the latest electronic passive road safety features, apps or software, only to then expect their employees to automatically know how to use them, or even why they have been introduced,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is a common mistake we see and have worked with a lot of our clients \u2013 both SMEs and larger corporates \u2013 to overcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimple training programmes and the right education can make such a difference, and will ensure the technology delivers cost savings and, importantly, an improvement in driver behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Protecting against depreciation<\/h3>\n

A high-spec vehicle isn\u2019t only appealing right now \u2013 it\u2019s also more likely to hold its value compared to less well-equipped alternatives. <\/p>\n

Philip Nothard, head of external relations at the Cox Automotive group of companies says: \u201cAlongside the need to offer their drivers choice, flexibility, efficiency and potential benefit in kind, fleet managers will clearly be thinking about the resale value at the end of the vehicle\u2019s life, and the return they can gain on their investment.<\/p>\n

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\nDriving ahead: the new Kia Ceed benefits from a range of functional technologies<\/span>
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\u201cVehicles that include safety-focused technologies such as automatic emergency braking, 360-degree cameras, adaptive cruise control and lane-departure warning systems, as well as those that enhance the driving experience, including infotainment systems, Wi-Fi and voice commands, will do well in the future, despite being a greater upfront investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes, he adds, \u201csmart on-board diagnostic systems also offer fleet managers essential information and data to reduce downtime, service intervals and repair costs, and such equipment will also help when the vehicle is finally disposed of.\u201d<\/p>\n

While saving costs in the short term, he says, fleet managers investing in more basic models will undoubtedly find these vehicles significantly more difficult to sell on once they have done the miles required. <\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers demand technology-packed vehicles,\u201d he notes, and that remains the case whether a car is new off the production line or a fleet vehicle ready for a second life.<\/p>\n

Take expert advice<\/h5>\n

The Kia Business coaching series seeks to demonstrate the difference that expert advice can make to your business.<\/p>\n

Follow the story of three ambitious SMEs with Kia and The Telegraph, and for help with your fleet needs or to book a test drive, call the Kia Business Centre on 0800 975 0088<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/business\/advice-for-smes\/gadgets-make-winning-company-car\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}