The Renault Trafic panel van (and its crew van variant) has been one of the most successful new designs of recent years. It’s gained a keen following amongst drivers who don’t want or need a large van and appreciate the car-like refinement and driving performance the Trafic offers.

The company have now introduced a new version of the Trafic, the Trafic Sport. This is a van for people who wish they could have a car, and offers a similar package to last year’s Transit SportVan. Alloy wheels, air con, metallic paint and uprated seats and stereo are just some of the highlights of this model, which is available in both panel and crew van formats.

Renault’s treats aren’t solely confined to the Trafic Sport, however, as they are now offering an uprated engine option and the choice of automatic manual transmission across the Trafic range:

• 2.5dCi engine uprated from 140hp to 150hp
• Quickshift automated manual transmission now available on both 2.0dCi and 2.5dCi models (even more evidence of the increasingly popularity of automated gearboxes in the van market)

Renault claims that under certain circumstances, the Quickshift system can increase fuel consumption by up to 5%. The company are putting their money where their mouth is, too – all new Renault Trafics and Masters now come with a 3 year / 100,000 mile warranty and 3 years’ AA cover.

One of the biggest successes in the light commercial market in recent years has undoubtedly been the Peugeot Partner / Citroen Berlingo.

With combined sales of over 3 million units its compact yet capacious design has had a strong influence on the small van market. PSA Group, manufacturers of Peugeot and Citroen vans (the same vehicles, badged differently) will no doubt be hoping to repeat this success with this year’s launch of the new Berlingo/Partner van.

Slightly larger (when aren’t new models?), the new Berlingo/Partner benefits from a 25kg increase in payload – from its original 600kg – 800kg up to 625kg – 825kg. There are also new safety features and the option of a new fleet management system to allow vehicles’ serviceability and mileage to be remotely monitored.

A right-hand drive version will be available from the summer – expect to see plenty around in company and rental fleets.

Over the last few years, car users have become used to paying variable rates of road tax and company car tax based on the CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions of their vehicles. Similarly, HGV operators have also become increasingly motivated to buy lower-emission Euro 4 and Euro 5 trucks thanks to tax incentives and other impending legislation.

Vans, on the other hand, have been rather left out of all of this. Emissions data is not yet publicly available for most vans – leaving van operators unable to include environmental considerations in their purchasing choices. This is a growing issue for large fleet operators and it looks like industry pressure may be about to force van manufacturers to cough up the necessary information.

This article on RoadTransport.com discusses the BVRLA’s (British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association) plans to create and make public a database of van CO2 emissions – the kind of thing that already exists for passenger cars.

From 1st January this year, new vans must have a CO2 rating – but the manufacturers aren’t yet obliged to disclose this. The BVRLA is working hard to overcome the manufacturers’ understandable shyness (would you want to be the first to reveal your figures…) and expects to be able to make a comprehensive van emissions database available on its website later this year.

Watch this space!

While Vauxhall and parent company GM have always had a strong presence in the fleet market – their retail success has been slightly less consistent, at least in the van market.

It seems that the market-leading Vauxhall Vivaro (also Renault Trafic and Nissan Primastar) have put paid to that weakness, however. 2007 saw Vauxhall sell more than 30,000 UK-built vans to British buyers – of which more than 18,000 were Luton-made Vivaros.

Vauxhall’s overall share of the van market was up 1.1% to 15.7%, with its share of the retail market reached 12.2% – translating to an impressive 13,323 vans sold to non-fleet buyers – typically small businesses and tradesmen.

2007 saw Vauxhall’s 500,000th Vivaro roll off their Luton production line and the company remains the UK’s largest producer of commercial vehicles, producing more than 100,000 light commerical vehicles in the UK every year.