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Book Europcar van hire from just £14 per day in the Europcar winter van hire sale.
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If you’re having a winter clear out, moving house or planning a big DIY project, this is the ideal opportunity.
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Welfare vans are becoming increasingly popular — if not a standard requirement — for companies whose workforce has to be mobile and spend time working on sites without rest facilities.
An EU type approved Vauxhall Movano welfare van conversion by Clarks Vehicle Conversions of Doncaster.
But what’s in a welfare van conversion? There’s no fixed standard but there are some common themes:
Vans with bunks are also seen sometimes, but these are usually for more specialist jobs where the crew may be required to spend extended periods or overnight away from base. To give you an idea of what’s involved, here are some photos taken from a Vauxhall Movano-based van recently converted by Clarks Vehicle Conversions of Doncaster.
Travel seating with removable table for use during rest periods.
A toilet compartment with a cassette toilet, as used in motorhomes and caravans.
Handwash area with hot water, soap and basin.
The kitchen area, complete with hot water boiler for tea, running water and microwave.
This van also has a heating system, probably a diesel-fuelled heater as used in trucks with sleeper cabs. In this case the heater is controlled from the black panel below the sink.
The van’s electrical system will have been modified to power all of these accessories. This might have been done with a bank of secondary batteries or perhaps with a generator or electric hookup option with which the van can be plugged into the mains. Possibly a combination — I’d expect a second battery in any case, to prevent any risk of the engine battery being flattened.
Inside, the interior of the van is fully lined in a light grey phenol-laminated ply to provide a durable quality finish. A number of tailored options are also available to provide additional storage, such as racking, shelving, lining kits and ladder racks.
The complete conversion has gained EU type approval so Vauxhall and Clarks are able to sell the Movano welfare conversion as a new vehicle without seeking further approvals.
I wonder what happened to The Barbus, a mobile barber service we featured on these pages back in 2008?
The standard of the fit and finish inside the firm’s VW Crafter looked pretty good, but I’m not sure it’s as impressive as the mobile tattoo studio of Hinckley-based tattoo artist Tim Bailey.
As a former truck and van driver, Tim knows his vans and did not hesitate to choose a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter as his base vehicle — albeit a 250,000 miler purchased second-hand from a local haulier. He’s not concerned about the van’s age and mileage and says that “it’s proved every bit as reliable as I knew it would and still drives more smoothly than many of the cars I’ve owned”. Praise indeed for a 13-year old van!
In order to set up his mobile tattoo business, The Skin Shack, Tim spent around 70 hours converting the back of the Sprinter into a fully-equipped tattoo studio that would be fully compliant with health and safety standards and could be registered with the local environmental health department.
The results is a fully-lined load area with hygienic and easily cleaned plastic panelling, fitted cupboards and work tops, and a sink with hot and cold running water, as well as lighting and electrical services.
As word gets around and more people see his artwork, Tim’s mobile ‘inking shop’ is now really taking off.
“I’m trying to stay within a 20-mile radius of base but it’s proving difficult as I’m constantly getting new enquiries from further afield,” he said.
“Prospective customers can be a bit nervous about being tattooed in the back of a van but once they see inside they’re invariably reassured. I like to think of the finish as being on a par with an A&E ambulance.”
Tim’s favourite works are black and white gothic-style designs, although he is happy to fulfil any customer request, either creating a new image from scratch or replicating an existing one. A full back piece takes 30-35 hours of inking split into sessions of six or seven hours, but most commissions are on a much smaller scale.
After September’s remarkable 100% rise in UK van and truck manufacturing output, October’s figures were bound to be a little more modest.
In truth, the 100% rise this September was the result of new production being phased in from last October at Vauxhall’s Luton plant, where production of the outgoing Vivaro model ended in August 2014 and was subsequently replaced by the new Vivaro.
In 2013, Vauxall built 44,000 Vivaro vans. If you compare that number to the figures in the table below, it’s clear that the Vivaro is a dominant factor in UK CV sales.
Notwithstanding this, the latest numbers from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) suggest that momentum remains strong:
| CV manufacturing | Oct-14 | Oct-15 | % Change | YTD-14 | YTD-15 | % Change |
| Total | 7,235 | 7,995 | 10.5% | 57,981 | 79,401 | 36.9% |
| Home | 4,372 | 4,214 | -3.6% | 28,846 | 40,610 | 40.8% |
| Export | 2,863 | 3,781 | 32.1% | 29,135 | 38,791 | 33.1% |
| % export | 39.6% | 47.3% | 50.2% | 48.9% |
Data courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)
Interstingly, home demand fell slightly last month. This may be linked to the fall in truck registrations reported last month and the more modest rate of van registrations. Sales growth has to slow at some point.
These figures are still good news for the UK economy as they show another rise in export demand, most of which goes to the EU. That suggests a double does of good news, in my view. Not only are UK companies exporting more, but a Europe-wide economic recovery could finally be picking up pace.
CV exports to Europe are now up by 33% so far this year, with domestic demand up 40% despite this month’s fall. Here’s how these figures look on a longer timescale:
Rolling year CV output 2008-2015 (courtesy of SMMT)
In total, nearly 8,000 vans, trucks and buses were built in the UK last month. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, was keen to emphasise the benefits of the strong contribution being made by the European market:
“It’s great to see UK commercial vehicle manufacturing continuing its resurgence in the third quarter of 2015, with year-to-date figures still demonstrating impressive double-digit growth. Particularly encouraging is the growing demand for exports, fuelled by the recovery of the sector’s largest market, Europe.”
I don’t expect December to be a blockbuster month, but hopefully I’ll be wrong. More next month.
The standard version of the new Daily.
Weighing in at up to 5.6 tonnes and with a load space of up to 19.6 cubic metres, the new Iveco Daily Electric is probably the biggest electric van on the market.
The improved Daily Electric, which is based on last year’s New Daily model, offers up to 20% longer battery life than the outgoing model. That translates to range of up to 280km, using a three battery configuration.
Drivers can choose between Eco and Power modes, depending on whether they want to limit torque in order to maximise battery life or not. As you’d expect, the Daily Electric also uses regenerative braking in order to eke out battery charge a little longer.
The vehicle is naturally almost silent in operation, making it ideal for urban use and night time deliveries. Iveco does fit a pedestrian acoustic alert system, however, which comes into play automatically at speeds of less than 30km/h.
Inside, the New Daily Electric is equipped with a 7’’ detachable tablet and an electronic dashboard for vehicle data management, while best-in-class navigation technology comes courtesy of TomTom® Bridge for Iveco.
This system for Iveco New Daily Electric is the unique result of TomTom® and Iveco teaming up to offer professional drivers a tailor-made navigation solution. A semi-integrated dashboard dock delivers the comfort of a built-in system and the flexibility of a detachable device.
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This week we have not one but two Hertz Van Rental discount codes for vanrental.co.uk visitors. Depending on your requirements, you could save as much as 15%!
The original offers in this post have now expired, but there is another offer from Hertz that could save you up to 8% at selected locations:
Save up to 8% on Hertz Van Rental in Basingstoke, Dartford, West Thurrock, Leeds, Glasgow and Newcastle until 30 November 2015.
**The offers below have now expired**
For this week only, we have an exclusive Hertz discount code which enables you to save up to 10% on Hertz Van Rental at all UK locations.
Here are the details:
If you need a van for five days or more then the we can do even better.
Hertz is currently offering up to 15% off weekly van hire (5 days or more).
All offers are subject to availablility. Terms and conditions apply. See Hertz website for details.
The new Mercedes-Benz Vito is now available in Vito Sport specification in the UK.
Priced from £25,495 +VAT for the Vito Sport 116 BlueTEC Compact van, the Vito Sport is available both in a panel van and crew van option, which offers an extra row of seats.
Prices for the new Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport start from £25,495 +VAT
The 116 BlueTEC and 119 BlueTEC engines are both available for Vito Sport, which meet the stringent Euro 6 emission regulations, along with a choice of Compact and Long body lengths. The excellent standard specification of the New Vito is enhanced by a combination of functional and styling features, which set the Vito Sport apart from the norm.
Exterior visual styling elements include chrome sidebars and front grille trim, unique rear model badging, front fog lamps with chrome trim, rear tailgate chrome trim, colour-coded bumpers and five-spoke alloy wheels.
Inside the Vito Sport, drivers get air-conditioning, comfort driver and single passenger seats, ‘Sport’ branded floor mats, Audio 15 infotainment system with colour screen, and tinted glass.
As standard, all Vito Sport models are pre-wired for the optional plug-in Becker MapPilot navigation system – a cost-effective way of bringing fully-integrated navigation features through the standard Auto 15 headunit and visual display.
The Vito Sport has become a popular part of the Vito line-up since its introduction in 2009, as has its high performance sibling, the Sport-X. A new Vito Sport-X model is under development and is expected to be available from Q1 2016.
**THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED**
We have a 10% discount code for Hertz Van Rental at all UK locations.
This discount code is exclusive to vanrental.co.uk.
To save, you need to book this week, but this discount code is valid for pick-up dates until the 13 December 2015, so you can book ahead and SAVE.
Here are the details:
Terms and conditions may apply. See Hertz website for details.
Used van values were unchanged in October compared to the same month last year, according to the latest figures from auctioneers BCA.
Year-on-year table: All vans
| All vans | Avg Age (mnths) | Avg Mileage | Avg Value | Sale vs CAP |
| Oct 2014 | 56.08 | 78,885 | £5,654 | 103.28% |
| Oct 2015 | 56.18 | 77,059 | £5,654 | 100.66% |
Data courtesy of BCA
However, there were a couple of differences which suggest that in real terms, used values are falling:
BCA’s LCV Operations Director, Duncan Ward
In my view, the market is continuing to soften gradually, but there’s no doubt conditions remain pretty healthy.
October’s average used price of £5,654 was the highest seen so far in 2015, and seasonal demand looks set to surge over the next couple of months, as Duncan Ward, BCA’s LCV Operations Director, explains:
“With encouraging noises coming from most business sectors, a reasonably settled economy and relative shortage of good quality stock, both professional buyers and end users are bidding confidently across a range of makes, models and configurations. There has been plenty of competition for LCVs that are in ready-to-retail condition and values for the best examples will outstrip price guide expectations by a considerable margin.”
“As the Christmas season approaches, online retailers will place increasing demands on the parcel delivery and courier sector, and we expect to see plenty of interest for larger panel vans over the next few weeks.
The budget van sector is also buoyant, with average values for part-exchange stock reaching record levels in October.”
The underlying weakening of the market I refer to is probably best illustrated by the high volume fleet and lease van sector, which accounts for the majority of BCA’s volumes. Sale prices for these vans, which are typically between three and four years old, have weakened relative to benchmark valuations:
Similar trends were seen in the part-exchange vans sector, which deals with older vans, averaging around seven years old. Sale vs CAP fell from 107% in October 2014 to 102% last month for part-ex vans.
Nissan has released details of UK pricing and specification levels for the new NP300 Navara pick-up, which will replace the current Navara when it goes on sale in January 2016.
Prices for the NP300 Navara will start from £18,376 +VAT and there will be five trim levels, Visia, Acenta, Acenta+, N-Connecta and Tekna. All models will get a 5-year warranty as standard.
Visia and Acenta models will be available with a choice of King Cab or Double Cab, but from the Acenta+ trim level upwards, only double cabs will be available.
Two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants are available, as is a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearboxes with the more powerful 190PS engine — although the automatic is a £1,700 option.
Here’s a summary of what each specification level will have to offer.
The entry-level Visia is most likely to be specified as a corporate or agricultural workhorse, rather than a personal vehicle. As a result, it features plenty of black plastic rather than chrome and painted trim.
However, Nissan hasn’t skimped on safety and the majority of the NP300’s new safety features are standard across the range, including on the Visia. These include Forward Emergency Braking on all double cab models; driver, passenger, side, knee and curtain airbags; electronic Limited Slip Differential (eLSD); Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control (on 4WD models).
Power is provided by the 160PS single-turbe version of Nissan’s new 2.3-litre dCi engine.
Opting for the Acenta provides customers with 16″ alloy wheels, some chrome trim and a 5″ colour screen with which to manage the onboard entertainment. Buyers also get an engine start button but the engine it controls is still the lower-powered 160PS model.
Drivers looking for more oomph may want to opt for the Acenta+, which comes with the twin-turbo 190PS version of the 2.3-litre dCi. This offers a chunky 450Nm of torque, compared to 403Nm for the 160PS model.
The Acenta+ also includes 18″ alloys, automatic air conditioning with dual zone climate control, a reversing camera, side steps, electric folding heated door mirrors and rear privacy glass.
The N-Connecta trim level is all about enterainment. The onboard system is built around the NissanConnect 2.0 7” touchscreen satellite navigation and entertainment system. This incorporates features including DAB digital radio, a rear colour reversing camera, Bluetooth audio streaming, app integration and live traffic updates.
Prices for the range-topping Tekna model start at £24,293 +VAT. For this, you get a leather interior, heated front seats, LED headlights and Nissan’s Around View Monitor, which uses cameras to give the drive a bird’s eye view of the car.