Europcar is set to expand its rental van fleet following double-digit growth in demand for hire vans in the first half of 2012.
The car and van hire company is to place particular emphasis on supporting the flexible rental requirements of the logistics and courier sectors, which experience increasingly variable and strong demand due to the growth of the online home shopping sector — internet shopping, to you and me.
According to Europcar UK MD Ken McCall:
“We’ve seen a huge surge in demand for vans over recent months and we are responding by increasing the size and quality of our van fleet with the latest models to ensure our range includes the latest in fuel efficiency technology”
“As the trend for online shopping continues logistics companies have reported a spike in demand for delivery services. But it’s hard for businesses like this to instantly increase their own fleet capacity. That’s where short-term rental fits in and Europcar has been working hard to help these companies capitalise on the current market opportunities, by complementing their core fleet at short notice.”
The new additions to Europcar’s van fleet will include the compact Vauxhall Combo – winner Best New Van at the 2012 Fleet World Honours – and the Peugeot Partner. The company also plans to increase the number of larger models, such as the Southampton-built Ford Transit and the Luton-made Vauxhall Vivaro.
Nearly all of the new vehicles feature Euro 5 technology, the most fuel efficient engine on the market. Low-emission vans such as the Nissan NV200, with emissions under 150g/km, help companies comply with government legislation on CO2 emissions, as well as enabling them to save on tax and congestion charges – such as the low emission zone in London – on high polluting vehicles.
Speaking of the growing importance of environmental issues, McCall say, “We have seen more companies request low CO2 and more eco-friendly vans.”
All Europcar vans are on average 9 months old, and with the new vans that have been introduced, Europcar’s light commercial fleet is one of the youngest in the country. The vans are also fully maintained to manufacturer standards, ensuring they run efficiently so that Europcar’s corporate customers can access vehicles on which they can rely.
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