Interviews with leaders from the fleet management and leasing industry on topics of sustainability, technology and the shift towards electric vehicles.
Fleet's share of BYD's sales has doubled in a year. So what does a fleet manager need to know before adding BYD to the list: dealers, parts, servicing, and what the cars are worth at the end of the lease?Get the weekly Fleet News Group newsletter: https://bit.ly/fleet-news-subscribeMotoring journalist Neerav Bhatt guest hosts this episode of the Fleet News Group Podcast, speaking with Marcus Walker, National Fleet Sales Manager at BYD Australia and New Zealand, about what has changed since BYD took over distribution, how the brand is building its dealer and parts network, and how it's approaching resale values, charging and plug-in hybrid use in fleets.They cover:- Why Marcus says fleet has grown from about 10% of BYD's sales at the end of 2025 to about 20% this year, led by Shark 6 and Sealion 7.- BYD's dealer, parts and training network: 110 dealerships with more planned, four parts warehouses and a technical training facility in Melbourne.- How BYD approaches resale values (new variants instead of heavy discounting, public auction results through Pickles) and how a separate EV-only odometer lets fleet managers see whether plug-in hybrids are actually being plugged in.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:53 BYD's move to factory-backed distribution03:12 Fleet now around 20% of BYD sales04:20 Shark 6, Sealion 7 and Atto 206:16 How many BYD dealerships?08:37 Parts availability and downtime09:58 Servicing costs10:42 Training technicians11:57 Charging and driver education13:48 Tracking PHEV electric driving15:32 Delivery times and order tracking17:51 Resale values and whole-of-life cost21:13 ANCAP and active safety alerts23:04 Over-the-air updates for fleets24:49 BYD's backdated warranty26:10 What's next: Atto 3 Evo and Atto 2 DM-i27:41 Flash charging and the Denza Z9 GT28:32 BYD's EV transition support29:49 An electric Shark 6?30:23 Wrap-up31:09 More from Fleet News GroupMORE FROM FLEET NEWS GROUP- Fleet Auto News: https://fleetautonews.com.au- Fleet EV News: https://fleetevnews.com.au- Fleet HV News: https://fleethvnews.com.au📩 JOIN THE FLEET NEWS GROUP NEWSLETTER (free, weekly):https://bit.ly/fleet-news-subscribe📰 READ THE LATEST FLEET INDUSTRY NEWS:• Fleet Auto News (cars & fleet): https://fleetautonews.com.au/• Fleet EV News (electric): https://fleetevnews.com.au/• Fleet HV News (heavy vehicles): https://fleethvnews.com.au/🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more fleet reviews, whole-of-life-cost analysis and industry insight:https://www.youtube.com/@fleetnewsgroupCONNECT WITH US:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fleet-auto-news• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FleetNewsGroup• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleet_news_group/ABOUT FLEET NEWS GROUPFleet News Group has been a trusted source of news and information for Australia's fleet and transport industries since 2011, across Fleet Auto News, Fleet EV News and Fleet HV News.
11 Oct 2026
Cheaper EVs vs whole-of-life cost | Akshat Ahuja, Hyundai
A new EV brand arrives in Australia every few weeks, and plenty of them undercut Hyundai on price. So how does an established brand win fleet business when it isn't the cheapest?Get the weekly Fleet News Group newsletter: https://bit.ly/47Bc1UIMotoring journalist Neerav Bhatt guest hosts this episode of the Fleet News Group Podcast, speaking with Akshat Ahuja, Senior Manager, Fleet at Hyundai Australia, about whole-of-life cost, dealer support, novated leasing and how the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is shaping Hyundai's range. They also talk about strong fleet interest in the Staria Hybrid and what's coming with the electric Staria.They cover:- Why Akshat says fleets should look past the sticker price, pointing to 168 dealers, regional fleet managers, local testing and an eight-year battery warranty.- Hyundai Novated Lease powered by Smart, which Hyundai dealers can arrange even when your employer has no novated lease provider.- Why most of Hyundai's sales are now hybrids, and how the brand watches its order mix by powertrain to avoid NVES penalties.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:19 Akshat's first year at Hyundai Australia02:04 How Hyundai answers the flood of new EV brands04:18 What fleets want: trust, dealers and support06:35 Kona Electric and whole-of-life cost08:30 Why a spare wheel still matters09:34 Staria Hybrid and the electric Staria11:54 Vehicle-to-load for tradies12:51 Is the IONIQ 3 coming to Australia?13:51 Five-star ANCAP ratings15:13 Servicing and service packs16:44 Novated leasing and Hyundai's own product18:23 Competing with cheaper Chinese EVs21:57 NVES and the hybrid range24:22 Will brands drop petrol-only models?26:00 Fleet demand for hybrids27:41 Wrap-up and more from Fleet News GroupMORE FROM FLEET NEWS GROUP- Our Hyundai ELEXIO fleet review: https://youtu.be/zfz10l2tQzE- Fleet Auto News: https://fleetautonews.com.au- Fleet EV News: https://fleetevnews.com.au- Fleet HV News: https://fleethvnews.com.au📩 JOIN THE FLEET NEWS GROUP NEWSLETTER (free, weekly):https://bit.ly/47Bc1UI📰 READ THE LATEST FLEET INDUSTRY NEWS:• Fleet Auto News (cars & fleet): https://fleetautonews.com.au/• Fleet EV News (electric): https://fleetevnews.com.au/• Fleet HV News (heavy vehicles): https://fleethvnews.com.au/🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more fleet reviews, whole-of-life-cost analysis and industry insight:https://www.youtube.com/@fleetnewsgroupCONNECT WITH US:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fleet-auto-news• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FleetNewsGroup• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleet_news_group/ABOUT FLEET NEWS GROUPFleet News Group has been a trusted source of news and information for Australia's fleet and transport industries since 2011, across Fleet Auto News, Fleet EV News and Fleet HV News.
10 Sept 2026
Fleet Safety Is Culture, Not Telematics | Andrew Hutson, Geosecure
A telematics system will not make your fleet safe. Andrew Hutson has spent 25 years in theindustry, and he says the fleets that actually improve are the ones where the executive ownssafety, not the ones with the best kit.In this episode:- Why safety has to be endorsed at executive level rather than owned by one department, and how the Awards judges reached the same conclusion reading the nominations.- Why data only counts when it is accurate and actionable, and why a driver covering 50km a week cannot be fairly compared to one covering a thousand until the data is normalised.- Why sustainability starts with how a fleet operates rather than what it buys, and how route optimisation cuts vehicles, congestion and idling before a single EV is ordered.(0:00) Intro(1:32) Why Geosecure backed the Awards(2:54) What Geosecure does(3:57) How telematics changed in a decade(5:18) The award categories(5:57) What a genuinely safe fleet looks like(7:19) What the judges saw in the nominations(7:46) Where local government fleets are constrained(9:01) Fleet Technology: data you can act on(10:29) Data for something, not for its own sake(12:33) Fleet Sustainability: more than EVs(14:19) A finalist that changed its operations(15:23) Fleet of the Year: doing everything right(17:00) Why strategy is what wins(18:19) Awards night and how to voteAndrew Hutson is a Director at Geosecure, a telematics and fleet management safety provider. Hehas worked in telematics across the UK, North America and Australia. Your host is Marc Sibbald,Editor at Fleet News Group.Voting for the 2026 Fleet News Group Awards is open now at fleetnewsgroup.com.au. Awards night is14 October.Subscribe to Fleet News Group: https://bit.ly/fleet-news-subscribeGeosecure is a Foundation Sponsor of the 2026 Fleet News Group Awards. This episode includesdiscussion of Geosecure's business and its Awards sponsorship.
Who has been a guest on Fleet News Group
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Andy Graham
Thom Drew
Glen Dyer
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