Combined Sales of the Peugeot Partner & Citroen Berlingo (they are the same van, just badged differently) have now reached 3 million worldwide.

When it was first launched, the Partner/Berlingo redefined the small van sector and it continues to be a hit with everyone from couriers to plumbers to florists – as well as van hire companies.

It offers economical, reliable and comfortable operation with generous load capacity for its size – a choice of 600kg or 800kg payloads in a surprisingly capacious load bay.

Since the launch of the original Berlingo, the small van sector has expanded to include vehicles such as the Vauxhall Combo and Volkswagen Caddy. That the Berlingo/Partner is still the best selling small panel van in Europe, with 29% of the market, just shows what a great package it offers.

To learn more, visit Easier Motoring.

According to this press release from Ford, all new Transits will now come with a built-in connector for most MP3 players.

Ford’s research has managed to unearth some totally unsurpising facts – such as “67% of van drivers like to listen to music”…

Sarcasm aside, the new Transit has won a plethora of awards and is by all accounts a very tasty van. Once the van hire companies get their hands on some of the new MP3-enabled models, van drivers will be able to keep their favourite tunes on tap even when in a rental van!

The Volkswagen Caddy is already a popular, high quality choice in the small van sector. It offers the usual VW standards of finish and engineering along with a decently-sized load area.

The next van up in VW’s range, the Transporter, is quite a bit bigger and as seems to be the fashion these days, Volkswagen is launching a LWB version of the Caddy to fill this gap.

The VW Caddy Maxi Life should compete head-to-head with Ford’s LWB Transit Connect (not a coincidence, I should think!) and will be offered in both people carrier and panel van versions.

You can see more details here, on the Due Motori website, but it looks like it will be a popular choice with all sorts of buyers – from families to couriers to rental companies.

In my last post I discussed how environmentally-friendly stop-start systems were likely to become the norm on most vehicles over the next decade or so.

It seems I was right! Carmagazine.co.uk has a review of the new Stop-Start equipped Mini Cooper S – and confirms that BMW are rolling it out across their range. With modern engines, better lubricants and beefed-up starter motors and alternators, more frequent stopping and starting is no longer a problem for today’s vehicles – and idling is simply a waste.

All the vehicle electrics contiune working when the engine cuts out – including air-con and stereo – so you won’t notice the difference.

Vans, with their larger-capacity, fuel-hungry engines are an obvious target for this technology. How long before it’s standard on all new vans?

At least, it will be if you are driving one of the growing number of new Mercedes Sprinters that comes equipped with the German company’s ECO-Start system.

This environment (and wallet) friendly system stops the engine automatically if the vehicle remains stopped in neutral for more than three seconds. Depressing the clutch or allowing the vehicle to move causes the engine to restart automatically.

Testing has shown that for drivers doing extensive urban work, fuel savings of up to 20% could be achieved, while for the rest of us, a figure of 5% – 8% is more likely. It’s a system that I can imagine becoming standard on almost all vehicles in years to come, and is certainly likely to make an appearance on rental fleets – although perhaps not for a while, due to customers’ unfamiliarity with it.

ECO-Start also has a number of protective features built in that will protect the engine from overheating or repeated cold starts. The engine also won’t cut out if the temperature outside is sub-zero – to make sure the occupants don’t get too cold!

The system costs a meagre €203 if specified with new Sprinters in Germany, and it will be available worldwide.  You can find more details on the Mercedes website here.

Peugeot’s latest LCV (light commercial vehicle) offering is the 207 Van. It offers class-leading fuel economy and looks set to become an extremely popular choice in the car-derived van sector.

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The old Renault Trafic van appears to have gained a new lease of life. Under a new agreement, Indian industrial giant Tata will start manufacturing a minibus called the Winger, which will be based on the previous Trafic model, long-since replaced with the current Traffic/Vivaro model in Europe.

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The new Mercedes Sprinter will undoubtedly continue to be one of the most popular vans on the road – just like its predecessor.

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Workers at General Motor’s Luton plant have just put the finishing touches to the 500,000th Vauxhall Vivaro van to be produced at the plant.

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The new model Citroen Dispatch has won Professional Van & Light Truck’s Compact Van of the Year award at the Commercial Vehicle show in Birmingham.

The Dispatch has been a popular choice with drivers ever since it was launched, thanks to its car-like dimensions and van-like capacity.

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