Tag Archives: Citroen

Jones Lang Lasalle Banks On Citroën Berlingo For HSBC Team

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Jones Lang Lasalle Citroen Berlingo vansReal estate management company Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) has just taken delivery of 77 Citroën Berlingo HDi 75 standard wheelbase vans and 21 Dispatch HDi 90 manual long wheelbase models.

The vehicles will be used by JLL’s specialist service engineers who look after the building maintenance for the HSBC UK banking network, whose remit includes working on air conditioning, lifts, electrics, and plumbing, along with day to day repairs.

After an extensive purchase review that considered capital and whole life costs, Citroën was placed ahead of the competition by JLL.  JLL in particular were very keen on the Berlingo’s standard Citroën Trafficmaster telematics system, which includes Smartnav intelligent satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking. This system includes the option to upgrade, at low cost, to include Fleet Director real-time fleet management, which enables JLL to supply their engineers with a fully integrated PDA communication system.

JLL spokesperson, Karen Ainge said:

“It is very important to us that our engineers’ vehicles help them deliver their required tasks, the Citroën team understood our requirements and went the extra mile to secure the deal. In particular, the Fleet Director real-time communication system has helped us move our engineers away from form filling to using time efficient and fully connected PDA systems.  Fleet Director made this an easy move for JLL, as it meant we did not have to fit additional hardware into the vehicles.  What’s more, the engineers are very happy with this move.”

JLL’s Berlingo vans are fitted with rear parking sensors and half height bulkheads with upper mesh grilles.  The Dispatch vans have rear parking sensors and full steel bulkheads.  All the vehicles have bespoke Bott racking and tooling, including fold-out vice platforms and general accessories such as skin care systems, first aid kits and fire extinguishers.

Citroën Berlingo Spices Up Schwartz Merchandising Fleet

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Citroen Berlingo operated by Schwartz

One of 232 new Citroen Berlingo vans purchased by herb and spice company Schwartz for its UK merchandising operations.

Schwartz, the UK’s best-known herbs and spices brand, has just taken delivery of 232 Citroën Berlingo HDi Crew Vans. The Berlingos will be used by its nationwide team of Retail Sales Merchandisers and Field Support Merchandisers.

In addition to the Berlingo Crew Van’s high level of standard equipment, Schwartz has specified air conditioning and metallic paint in Artic Steel or Shark Grey.

Schwartz has also upgraded the Berlingo’s standard Trafficmaster telematics platform – which includes Smartnav satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking – to include Fleet Director, which is an optional real time fleet management package.

Tracey Hoare, Schwartz Field Support Manager, commented:

“After an intense, two-year vehicle evaluation process, we decided that the Berlingo Crew Van provided the optimum combination of required operational benefits. These included improved load security and increased load space to allow for seasonal peaks, lower running costs and the ability for our drivers to carry their friends and families out of hours.”

The Berlingo Crew Vans were handed over to the Schwartz Retail Merchandise Team at 13 different UK locations enabling each driver to have a full demonstration of the Berlingo Crew Vans’ many features and to learn how to get full benefit from the advanced Trafficmaster telematics system.

Supplied by dealer Citroën London West, the Schwartz order is one of the largest placed for the 5-seat Citroën Berlingo Crew Vans. They are being operated on Lex Autolease two-year, with maintenance, contract hire agreements. Mileages vary from 13,500 to 23,500 miles per annum, dependent on the location of the Schwartz Retail Merchandise operative’s area.

Martin Hamill, Citroën’s Fleet Director explained:

“We are delighted to be supplying Schwartz, the nations’ favourite herb and spice company, with Berlingo Crew Vans. These vans offer the Schwartz Retail Merchandise team the flexibility of being able to use their vehicles 7-days a week, with the added benefit of much lower Benefit In Kind tax liability than their previous MPVs.”

Schwartz, owned by McCormick and Company Incorporated, is the world’s largest producer of herbs and spices.  The company supplies retail outlets, food manufacturers and food service businesses, with herbs, spices, seasonings and flavourings.

Each Schwartz Retail Sales Merchandiser has their own dedicated area in which to build customer relationships through regular visits; taking orders, delivering stock, replenishing the herb and spice displays within the store and altering the product offering, depending on seasonal variations.

Citroën Offers 4 Years’ Servicing & Breakdown For £249 +VAT

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Citroen Relay Stop & Start

Vans such as the Citroen Relay are now available with the 4 years/60,000 miles servicing and 4 years breakdown cover for just £249 +VAT

Fixed-cost servicing plans are increasingly popular with commercial vehicle operators, but few are more competitive than Citroën’s current ‘Upgrade to Business Class’ package.

For £249 +VAT when purchasing a new Citroën van, customers can opt to add the ‘Upgrade to Business Class’ package to their vehicle, which will cover the cost of servicing for 4 years/60,000 miles (whichever comes first) and provide 4 years’ Citroën Assistance, which is provided by the AA.

All new Citroën LCVs registered from 1 July 2013 can be specified with the package, which is also available to Citroën Finance Lease customers.

As Scott Michael, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles, comments, the deal is aimed squarely at relatively low-mileage SME customers, who are an important segment for the French manufacturer:

“This new ‘Upgrade to Business Class’ package complements our fantastic LCV range and is designed to meet the requirements of our small and medium enterprise (SME) customers, offering them a comprehensive, added-value package.

For more details, visit Citroën’s van website.

Citroën Heads Off Six Competitors To Win Furmanite Fleet Renewal Deal

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One of Furmanite's new Citroen Dispatch vansFollowing a comprehensive assessment process involving six vehicle manufacturers, plant and pipeline maintenance specialist Furmanite has again chosen to renew its 100-strong LCV fleet with Citroën vans.

The deal sees the Kendal based company taking delivery of a mixture of predominantly Dispatch and Relay vans on four year, with maintenance, lease contracts through Lex Autolease. The initial orders included 28 Dispatch, 24 Relay and three Berlingo vans, which will be ply-lined by supplying dealer John Wilding of Morecambe. A further 11 Dispatch L2H1, six Relay 33 L1H1 and 35 Relay L2H2 vans are now on order.

The majority of the Dispatch vans are HDi 90 manual L1H1 1000 Enterprise models, while Furmanite has also selected Berlingo HDi 75 manual L1 625 Enterprise models, with CO2 emissions of 133g/km and 55.4mpg on the combined cycle. The order for the Relays is divided between the 35 L2H2 HDi 130 six-speed manual and the lighter and most fuel-efficient Relay, the 33 L1H1 HDi 130 six-speed manual, which has a payload of almost 1.5t and returns 38.2mpg on the combined cycle – with low CO2 emissions of just 195g/km.

Furmanite’s Director of HR, Susan Berriman, says:

“While we already run Citroën vans, we went through a rigorous re-evaluation of a wide range other manufacturer’s LCV products before we placed the order with Citroën. Our engineers are very happy with the Citroëns – we wouldn’t have considered replacing like-for-like if they weren’t.”

Analysis included factors such as reliability – a critical factor for Furmanite.

“We offer emergency services to our clients, so when we get a call, it is vital that we get engineers on site as quickly as possible,” says Ms Berriman.

In service, Furmanite vans run fully loaded, and will cover around 90,000 miles during their four year life. The company offers maintenance and repair services such as leak sealing, hot tapping and line stopping, on site machining and valve repair services to the oil, gas and power sectors. It employs more than 300 people with around a third being field-based engineers located across the UK from Aberdeen to Exeter. The engineers drive a range of Citroën Relay, Dispatch and Berlingo vans depending on the amount of equipment they need to carry for their individual expertise and work profile.

Citroën Remembers The Méhari: A True Classic Turns 45

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Citroën Méhari

The Citroën Diane 6 Méhari was made from 1968 until 1987. Almost 150,000 were produced and the vehicle took part in several major rallies.

Younger readers may wonder if the vehicle in the pictures was specially produced for a film — given the levels of refinement and safety engineering that are present in almost all modern cars and vans, it is indeed hard to imagine that this was a regular production model up until 26 years ago.

The Citroën Diane 6 Méhari, to give it its full name, was in production from 1968 until 1987, during which almost 150,000 examples were made.

It was intended to be an all-purpose vehicle of the kind that rural dwellers often take to their hearts — as they did in this case.

The roof was fully removable and the windscreen folded flat, meaning that the Méhari could be used for all sorts of pick-up and van-like loads, as well as passengers.

Although it looks flimsy to modern eyes, like the legendary Citroën 2CV, the Méhari was tough, reliable and able to absorb surprising amounts of abuse.

Citroën Méhari

The Méhari’s ABS (plastic) bodywork meant that it could easily be produced in bright colours! The roof was removable and the windscreen could be folded flat, making it a surprisingly versatile load lugger.

It didn’t go rusty, either — at least, the bodywork didn’t — since it was made from ABS plastic.

Citroën Méhari models took part in the Liége-Dakar-Liège rally in 1969, the Paris-Kabul-Paris rally in 1970, the Paris-Persepolis-Paris rally in 1971 and provided medical assistance in the 1980 Paris-Dakar.

The Méhari was even used by the French army as its lightweight design made it easy to parachute drop the car behind enemy lines.

The model’s name – Méhari – comes from a word used in North Africa and the Sahara for dromedary camels whose speed and endurance makes them ideal for the tough conditions in the area, enabling them to transport people and goods.

Citroën is marking the 45th anniversary of the Méhari with a special exhibition at its C_42 showcase on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Citroën Relay Now With Stop & Start

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Citroen Relay Stop & Start

The new Citroen Relay Stop & Start

The new Citroën Relay  Stop & Start vans are now on sale after their CV Show debut last month.

With this launch, Citroën – one of Europe’s pioneers of this fuel-saving and CO2 reducing technology – now has three Stop & Start equipped LCV models on sale in the UK (Nemo, Berlingo and Relay).

The Relay models available with Stop & Start are the Relay 30 L1H1e-HDi 130 Stop & Start 6-speed manual and the Relay 35 L3H2 e-HDi 130 Stop & Start 6-speed manual van.

Thanks to its lighter weight, the Relay 30 model is the more fuel efficient of the two, and offers urban cycle fuel economy of 32.5mpg, according to official figures — a 9.2% improvement on the standard Relay 30 L1H1 HDi 110 6 speed manual van. Combined cycle fuel economy for the Relay 30 Stop & Start is a healthy 39.2mpg.

Scott Michael, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles & Business Centre Programme, commented:

“With the new Relay Stop & Start equipped vans, Citroën has further improved the fuel economy and reduced the CO2 emissions of one of the sector’s most fuel-efficient and cleanest LCV ranges. The new Relay Stop & Start equipped vans will appeal to all operators, but particularly those working in urban environments, where they will deliver worthwhile financial, operational and environmental benefits.”

For more information visit www.citroen.co.uk.

Environment Agency Chooses Citroën Vans To Cut Emissions

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Citroen Berlingo Enterprise belonging to the Environment Agency

The Environment Agency has taken delivery of 31 Citroën Berlingo vans fitted with bespoke Bristor Racking Systems, Lighting Bars and other accessories

The Environment Agency (EA) has just bought 31 Citroën Berlingo HDi 90 Enterprise small vans as part of its commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its light commercial vehicle (LCV) fleet.

Graham Patrickson, EA Fleet Operations Manager, explains:

“This latest purchase of Berlingo vans is part of the EA’s continuing drive to reduce the carbon footprint of its LCV fleet, while reducing costs and raising operational efficiency.  Not only meeting, but exceeding our green targets is at the forefront in all our vehicle selection processes – and the Berlingo Enterprise has all the green credentials required by the EA.”

The EA – an agency within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – is allocating its 31 Berlingo vans to staff involved in flood defence and maintenance work, as well as to EA specialists carrying out environmental management monitoring.

To meet individual user requirements, the EA has worked with racking specialist Bri-Stor to develop a number of internal racking layouts and equipment specifications.

Bri-Stor is fitting the Berlingos with its latest high tensile steel racking (which is up to 45% lighter than the system previously supplied to the EA), white polycarbonate load area lining and roof light bars, while the users get a choice of options, including hand wash units, tow bars, ladder racks, inverters and roof vents.

Supplied through Springfield Citroën of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the well-equipped Berlingo Enterprise vans come with air conditioning, Bluetooth® and rear park sensors as standard and have Citroën’s Trafficmaster package, which includes Smartnav satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking. The EA will operate its Berlingo vans for a minimum of five years, with the maintenance out-sourced to Hitachi Capital.

Citroën Berlingo Electric Makes UK Debut At CV Show

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Citroen Berlingo Electric

The Citroen Berlingo Electric makes its UK debut at the CV Show in Birmingham from 9-11 April 2013, and will go on sale later in 2013.

The new Citroën Berlingo Electric makes its UK debut on the Citroën stand at the CV Show (stand 5C80/Hall 5, NEC, 9-11 April).

The CV Show takes place at the Birmingham NEC from 9-11 April, and Citroën’s new van will be the second generation electric Berlingo, following the previous model which was sold from 1998 until 2005.

Scott Michael, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles & Business Centre Programme, explains what the previous model taught the company about market demand for electric vans:

“The new Berlingo Electric has been launched to meet the transport requirements of a number of significant specialist sectors. Our previous electric LCV experience showed that these specific operations include local authority applications such as meals on wheels, parks departments and many other metropolitan council applications.

In addition, we expect to see Berlingo Electric demand come from urban-based, private sector businesses, where its ease of driving and silent operation are complemented by availability of public charging points and more favourable parking legislation.”

Berlingo Electric Specification

Citroen Berlingo Electric load space

The load compartment of the Citroen Berlingo Electric is just the same as a standard Berlingo.

The new Berlingo Electric has an advanced permanent magnet synchronous 49kW electric motor, with a 22.5kWh lithium ion battery pack that gives the Berlingo Electric a range, of up to 106 miles, as tested in accordance with the New European Driving Cycle.

The motor’s peak torque is a meaty 200Nm, developed between 0 – 1,500rpm, and it drives the front wheels through a speed reducer and a single-ratio gearbox. Top speed is 68.75mph (can they really be that precise?!).

In energy recovery phases — deceleration & braking — the electric motor acts as a generator, recharging the battery pack.

Using a domestic socket, the vehicle can be fully charged in around 12 hours; alternatively, it can be charged to 80% of capacity in only 35 minutes using a specific 380V three-phase terminal in quick-charge mode. Thanks to the Berlingo being designed to be an electric vehicle from the outset, its load compartment space is not reduced by battery intrusion. The Berlingo Electric’s electric motor is positioned under the bonnet and the lithium-ion battery pack is located underneath the load deck. This means the Berlingo Electric’s load compartment cube of 3.3m3 (extendable to 3.7m3)/load deck length of 1.8m (extendable to 3.0m) and payload of 636kg are equivalent to that of a similar diesel-powered Berlingo van.

Citroen Berlingo Electric motor engine compartment

The Citroen Berlingo Electric looks a little different under the bonnet.

Based on the Berlingo LX model the Berlingo Electric is well equipped, with a specification that includes:-

  • ABS, EBD and EBA
  • Hill Start Assist coupled to the ESP system
  • Air conditioning and an electric heating system with an eco-mode to limit energy consumption
  • Driver’s airbag
  • RDS stereo radio/MP3 compatible CD player
  • Remote central locking with deadlocks
  • Electric front windows
  • Electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors
  • Three seat Extenso® modular cabin
  • Nearside sliding side load door

The Berlingo Electric’s instrumentation also includes a number of specific features, including Eco-driving information; an energy consumption/regeneration indicator; an instantaneous energy consumption gauge and an auxiliaries consumption gauge, which displays data on heating, air conditioning and other secondary power usage.

When the battery charge falls to 20% of its total useable capacity, a warning light comes on and the power sent to the heating and air conditioning systems is gradually reduced. Then, when the battery charge level further falls to 10% of the total useable capacity, a “tortoise” light comes on – the power supply is limited and the air conditioning and heating systems are turned off to extend the vehicle’s range.

Pricing will start at £21,300 +VAT, full specification and pricing details of the Berlingo Electric will be announced nearer to its UK on-sale date.

Citroën Van Sales Up 31.7% In March

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Citroen Relay, Dispatch and Berlingo models

The Citroen Relay, Dispatch and Berlingo.

Citroën van sales rose by 31.7% in March, outperforming the 11.5% gain for the van market as a whole.

Figures just released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) show that Citroën LCV registrations in March of 3,856 were up by no less than 31.74% over those of March 2012, in a market that was up by 11.53%.

In the first quarter of 2013, Citroën’s LCV registrations of 6,280, were up 23.33% on the same period last year, in a market that was up by 11.66%.  As a result Citroën moved to fourth place in the up to 3.5 tonne gvw sector.

All four Citroën LCV models performed strongly:-

March 2013 registrations
(% change on March 2012)		 1st quarter 2013 registrations
(% change on 1st quarter 2012)
Nemo 345 (+61.97%) 584 (+57.84%)
Berlingo  2,374 (+38.67%) 3,797 (+24.21%)
Dispatch 502 (+23.95%) 822 (+30.48%)
Relay           635 (+6.37%) 1,077 (+4.06%)

Scott Michael, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles & Business Centre Programme, comments:

“The award-winning Citroën LCV range continues to go from strength to strength as more businesses gain experience of the proven financial and operational benefits provided by our Nemo, Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay models. Citroën’s current LCV success is due to an increase in sales to both large National Fleets and also Small and Medium Enterprise fleets. The latter is in no small part aided by our unique Business Centre network which is steadily increasing the company’s sales to SME fleets, contributing over 75% of our LCV sales to this market segment.”

Citroën Launches New Contract Hire Van Offers From £149+VAT

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Citroen Relay, Dispatch and Berlingo models

The Citroen Relay, Dispatch and Berlingo are available on contract hire starting from £149 +VAT per month for the Berlingo. T&Cs apply.

Citroën Contract Motoring (CCM) has just launched special Enterprising Spring contract hire offers on a choice of well-equipped, top of the range Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay Enterprise vans.

These special 2 year/20,000 mile, non-maintenance contract hire deals are based on a 6 + 23 monthly payments profile and include free of charge metallic paint. Customers can also add a low-cost maintenance option (excluding tyres) from an extra £6.77 + VAT per month.

The CCM Enterprise Spring offers programme, is available on the following models registered by 30 June 2013:-

  • Berlingo HDi 75 manual L1 625 Enterprise small van for £149 + VAT per month*.
  • Berlingo HDi 90 manual L1 850 Enterprise van for £149 + VAT per month*.
  • Dispatch HDi 125 6-speed manual L2H1 1200 Enterprise medium van for £229 + VAT per month*.
  • Relay 35 L3H2 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise large van for £259 + VAT per month*.

Standard equipment on Enterprise models includes:

  • Air conditioning
  • Rear parking sensors
  • Connecting Box (Bluetooth® system & USB socket)
  • Trafficmaster Smartnav (dynamic satellite navigation)
  • Trackstar (stolen vehicle tracking)
  • Nearside sliding side load door
  • Remote central locking
  • Full steel bulkhead & electrically adjustable & heated door mirrors (Dispatch & Relay Enterprise)

Scott Michael, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles & Business Centre Programme, commented:

“This special set of Spring CCM contract hire deals offers business customers a very affordable opportunity to upgrade to well-equipped, fuel efficient and low emission Berlingo, Dispatch or Relay Enterprise vans. The attractive fixed cost aspect will particularly appeal to our growing number of Small and Medium Enterprise customers, a sector where Citroën is now very successful.”

*Based on a 2-year, 10,000 mile per annum, non-maintenance contract hire agreement with 6 payments in advance, followed by 23 monthly payments. Prices are applicable to customer orders declared and registered by 30 June 2013. Available at participating dealers only, whilst stocks last (full details are available at www.citroencontractmotoring.co.uk).