Tag Archives: vans

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.”

DfT Introduces Common-Sense Exclusions For Van Type Approvals

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Vauxhall and VFS Movano caged tipper conversionWith new EU Type Approval rules due to be introduced in April, UK van converters were beginning to worry that even such mundane modifications as ply-lining would need individual type approval.

(Even though, as I pointed out here, the DfT has always emphasised that type approval only applies to vehicles before they are registered — there are no restrictions on modifications after this point*.)

Whatever the case, there was still a grey area of uncertainty and doubt that suggested that the van industry was going to have to face a monumental paperwork headache come April this year. Luckily, common sense has prevailed (along with a bit of lobbying by the SMMT) and a solution has been found.

SMMT has announced today that it has successfully negotiated a valuable Van Enhancement Scheme that removes the requirement for UK-based van manufacturers and bodybuilders to seek Type Approval on basic vehicle modifications.

Under legislation set to hit N1 category vehicles from April this year (and N2 vehicles from October 2014), any modification would have required separate Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA). The Enhancement Scheme, secured by SMMT with VCA and VOSA, removes the requirement for basic modifications (ply-lining, basic racking, etc) to be approved.

“SMMT has worked hard to achieve this crucial Type Approval change that will avoid unnecessary paperwork and save UK businesses thousands of pounds every year,” said SMMT Commercial Vehicle Manager Nigel Base. “We have found a solution that works for all parties while maintaining safety standards for those converters making basic modifications to panel vans. This sort of administrative burden could have forced some firms out of business, but thanks to close collaboration with industry partners and government this will now be avoided.”

Over the past 10 months SMMT has worked with a group of van manufacturer and converter members, the VCA, VOSA and the Department for Transport to try and reduce the regulatory burden of Type Approval. The process has achieved a result that will see around 80% of vans sold in the UK avoid the burdensome Type Approval requirements, with another 15% of the market benefiting from an enhanced process of application and approval of multiple vehicle types.

Those  converters that need to go through the Enhancement route will benefit from an upgraded version of SMMT’s online Type Approval guide – SENTA (www.smmt.co.uk/SENTA). The tool guides companies through all combinations of Whole Vehicle Type Approval, streamlining the process and saving companies time and costs.

*Disclaimer: This article is my opinion only and is definitely not a guide to the new rules. Contact VOSA or the VCA if you want to know the facts, don’t trust me!

Vauxhall Tops UK CV Manufacturing League For 11th Year

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Vauxhall Vivaro - built in Britain

Vauxhall Vivaro – built in Britain

Vauxhall built over 58,000 vans in the UK last year, making it Britain’s number one commercial vehicle manufacturer for the 11th year running.

The Luton-based company makes both the Vivaro van and the Astravan in the UK, at its Luton and Ellesmere Port factories respectively. The bulk of the 58,000 vans were Vivaros, 53,465 of which rolled off the Luton production line last year.

It’s unfortunate that there isn’t much volume manufacturing competition for Vauxhall in the UK.

With Ford winding down Transit production at Southampton and the big French and German manufacturers unlikely to ever locate factories in the UK, the only hope is that the range of bus and smaller CV manufacturers located here will continue to thrive.

Of these, the most notable is probably DAF, which continues to build lorries in Leyland and produced 14,568 in 2011, the last year for which I could find official SMMT figures.

Still, at least Vauxhall has already guaranteed that the next generation Vivaro will be built at Luton from 2014 and Ellesmere Port will be the lead European manufacturing plant for the next Astra when it starts production in 2015. It looks like the company is determined to extend its 110-year history of UK vehicle manufacturing a little longer yet.

Euro NCAP Tests Shows Van Safety Standards Lag Behind Cars

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Many current vans lag behind new cars in terms of safety, according to Euro NCAP. 

The Euro NCAP organisation, which awards the safety ratings to all new cars, has tested the 8/9 seat minibus versions of the most popular European vans, and found that many only justify two or three stars. Contrary to what you might think, the vans’ superior size over cars is no guarantee of safety.

In the tests, the Ford Transit Custom was the only vehicle to score five stars. The Hyundai H1 scored three stars. The Fiat Scudo also scored three stars while the Renault Trafic scored two stars. Some of these vehicles are also rebadged and sold by other manufacturers. The Fiat Scudo is available as the Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy. The Renault Trafic also sells as the Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro and Nissan Primastar.

You can see highlights of the crash testing in this video:

Dr Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, said:

“This time around Euro NCAP has focused on van variants that offer 8 to 9 seats. These vehicles are often used for business or considered by families as alternatives to large MPVs. Being derived from commercial van platforms, these people-carriers are updated less regularly and are generally less equipped for safety than normal passenger cars. If you have a family with a lot of kids and are tempted to buy such a vehicle, please be aware that they often do not offer the latest state of the art in vehicle safety.”

Some manufacturers are responding to Euro NCAP’s call and have committed to better equip light commercial vehicles when sold as family cars. The Ford Transit Custom, designed with Euro NCAP’s protocol in mind, features amongst other items curtain airbags that improve protection in the severe pole side impact test. The vehicle also received recognition in Euro NCAP’s Advanced rewards scheme for offering Lane Keep Assist, an important accident prevention technology, as an option to customers.

Fiat has also responded to Euro NCAP’s assessment. The manufacturer is making safety features such as the front passenger airbag and a Speed Limitation Device standard in more European markets. The Scudo’s Peugeot and Citroën sister models are doing the same.

“We are optimistic that the safety of these vehicles will advance significantly in the next few years,” said van Ratingen. “By and large this is a neglected vehicle category that from a safety perspective is still immature. Per legislation, these vehicles have never had to be well-equipped with safety technologies. Not all offer electronic stability control as standard and most provide poor protection for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians in the event of a collision.”

The protocols used by Euro NCAP to test family and business vans are slightly adapted from those used for passenger cars. The car safety organisation has designed its protocol to encourage greater fitment of safety equipment and to promote all-round protection to car occupants and other road users.

Find out more on the Euro NCAP website: www.euroncap.com.

Nottingham Firm Chooses ‘Bricked Up’ Transit Connects

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Barnes and West Ford Transit Connect in brick liveryNottingham brickwork firm Barnes and West has taken delivery of three Ford Transit Connects in vibrant Mars Red, a standard colour from Ford’s palette.

However, with some creative thinking from the dealer’s decal designer, dark cream paint has been added to represent brick mortar. Once sign-written with the company’s name and contact details, the result is a finish that makes Barnes & West stand out from the competition.

The Transit Connect vehicles – supplied by Sandicliffe Ford dealership in Nottingham – are all top-of-the-range Limited models with alloy wheels, air-conditioning and Bluetooth connectivity as standard.

Inside, the load area has been fully ply-lined and specialist roof racks have been fitted to allow external large load carrying, and for added security, vehicle tracking devices have been installed.

David Haynes, sales manager, Sandicliffe Ford, said:

“It’s all part of the ‘one-stop shop’ service that we offer. For customers like that we can do everything, unlike some other retailers, and it means we can deliver vehicles that are ready for action right from the off.

“These vans look fantastic and demonstrate how the expanding range of Ford commercial vehicles can be tailored to work perfectly for small businesses, no matter what the requirement.”

Barnes & West owner, Colin Barnes, has operated more than 30 Ford vehicles during the three decades that the company has been in business and is a big fan of Ford vans:

“They’re reliable, spares are readily available and with all the extras, they do the job for us.”

Can’t say fairer than that.

Fiat Currys Favour With 50 Doblo Cargo Maxi Vans

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Fiat Doblo Cargo Maxi in Currys PC World liveryCurrys PC World has taken delivery of 50 Fiat Doblo Cargo Maxi vans for its service engineers to use.

As part of a new service engineer project, these large small vans will be used for home service visits, their 1000kg payload and 4.2 cubic metre volume allowing easy transportation of large, heavy items such as washing machines and fridge freezers.

All of the vans are powered by Fiat’s 1.6-litre MultiJet diesel engine, whose low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions were a key attraction for Currys:

“The Doblo Cargo Maxi was chosen for its excellent fuel economy and low CO2 emissions, as well as the 1000kg payload,” says Martin James, managing director, VMS Fleet Management Ltd. “It was also useful that the vehicles came straight from the factory in black, as this was the colour Currys PC World requested.”

The vans are being provided by VMS Fleet Management Ltd. as part of a £600,000 deal and benefit from a high standard specification that includes ABS anti-lock brakes, electric windows, power steering and central locking.

The Doblo Cargo range starts at £12,365 (basic price) for the Cargo 1.4 16v, rising to £17,467 (basic price) for the Cargo Maxi SX 1.6 MultiJet 16v Diesel 105 Tecnico.

Are You Driving Around In A ‘Hot’ Transit?

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Ford Transit Super Sport Van

It seems that any Transit will do for thieves -- it doesn't have to be a Transit Super Sport Van

Ford Transits top stolen van list again.

It seems that our light-fingered friends in the criminal fraternity are particularly keen on Ford’s finest vans and often sell them on to unwary buyers.

25% of Ford Transits are flagged up as stolen in HPI Checks.

Unknowingly buying a stolen vehicle can be an expensive mistake — not only will the vehicle be repossessed by the police, but you will also lose the money you paid for it. An HPI check only costs £20 and is a sensible precaution before buying any second-hand vehicle.

Here are the top five most stolen vans, according to identity check specialists HPI.

HPI STOLEN VAN HIT RATES

Ford Ford Transit 25%
Mercedes Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 21%
Mitsubishi Mitsubishi L200 13%
Nissan Nissan Primastar 4%
Peugeot Peugeot Expert 4%

It’s probably no coincidence that the Transit and second-placed Sprinter are the most popular panel vans on the road — not only are they in strong demand, but there are more about for thieves to choose from.

Daniel Burgess, the Managing Director of HPI, has the following advice for van owners and buyers:

“It’s not just van owners that need to be concerned about which LCVs are most commonly stolen; used van buyers also need to consider the risks. Thieves will be looking to sell vans on to innocent buyers, so the general public and van dealers must be on their guard.  Dealers who unwittingly buy a stolen van not only face losing the van and the money they paid for it, should it be returned to the van’s legal owner, but put their reputation on the line should they innocently sell on that van to a customer who then faces financial loss.”

“1 in 4 vans checked has something to hide, but used van buyers can avoid risks by simply carrying out an HPI Check, which will uncover the vehicle’s history and confirm if there is anything untoward about the vehicle that needs investigating.”

Outstanding finance and write-offs are also a big risk and can result in you losing the van and the money you paid for it. Around 1 in 8 vans checked by HPI still have outstanding finance and 1 in 17 vans have been involved in an accident and declared a total loss by an insurance company. While some of these can be legitimately repaired, some cannot and may be death-traps.

Daniel Burgess concludes. “It’s essential that used van buyers are aware of the risks and don’t get taken in by criminals and dishonest sellers. The HPI Check will tell a dealer whether their potential purchase has been stolen, written-off, had a plate change, might be clocked or is on outstanding finance, offering valuable peace of mind for them and their customers.”

I couldn’t agree more and have used HPI Checks several times over the years for peace of mind when buying used cars and vans. You can do the check online or over the phone — so it doesn’t need to hold up a sale if you want to buy on the spot.

Van News In Brief: Isuzu, Red Bull F1 & Nissan

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Nissan To Supply Red Bull Vans

Nissan vans and Red Bull F1Nissan’s contract to supply the Red Bull Formula One team with light commercial vehicles has been extended for the remainder of the 2012 season.

To support the transportation needs of Red Bull Racing at their factory in Milton Keynes and for all operations throughout the 2012 Formula One season, Nissan will supply a fleet of over 30 vehicles, including the award-winning Nissan NV200 and the Nissan NV400 large van.

The choice is unsurprising, as Nissan’s premium brand Infiniti (equivalent to Toyota’s Lexus brand) is one of the team’s main sponsors. Indeed, I believe that Red Bull’s Renault engines are branded as Infiniti, as a result of the long-standing high-level partnership between Nissan and Renault.

Red Bull will use Nissan’s  NV200 and NV400 vans to support the team. The NV200 is Nissan’s own design, but the NV400 is of course a rebadged Renault Master – see here (NV400) and here (Master).

For more information visit www.redbullracing.com or www.nissan.co.uk.

New Isuzu Dealer In Preston

New Isuzu D-Max Pick-Up driving through waterIsuzu UK has added a new dealer to its network, Browns, in Preston, Lancashire. Browns is a family-run business with a strong presence in the local agricultural market, so it expects Isuzu’s new D-Max pick-up to be well received.

Browns Dealer Principal, Roy Brown, commented:

“With a strong local history in agriculture, we are experienced in tailoring our services to meet the needs of individual customers and commercial buyers alike, I believe the Isuzu brand will prove to be a very appealing prospect.  The all-new Isuzu D-Max, with its outstanding load-lugging capacity and all-terrain capabilities, means we’ll have the perfect vehicle to meet the needs of outdoor workers in this area,” he added.

William Brown, General Manager of Isuzu UK, said:

“Browns joins the Isuzu network at a very exciting time for our brand.  Isuzu has doubled its UK pick-up sales in the last three years and has reinforced its reputation as a supplier of dependable, rugged and highly capable pick-ups.  We have just launched the all-new Isuzu D-Max, further raising the bar for refinement, performance and efficiency in the sector, backed by Isuzu’s unique-in-class five year, 120,000 mile warranty.  Browns is ideally placed to capitalise on this new product launch in this important location for Isuzu.”

The all-new Isuzu D-Max is available in three body styles – single, extended and double cab – with prices starting from £14,499 (CVOTR) for the entry-level single cab 4×2, rising to £21,499 (CVOTR) for the top-of-the-range Utah double cab 4×4 Automatic.  All new Isuzu pick-ups are available with the company’s recently-launched, class-leading, five-year, 120,000 mile warranty.  The Isuzu D-Max is fitted with a completely re-engineered, 2.5-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, producing 163 ps and 400 Nm of torque, available with a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.

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

Water Company Chooses Vauxhall Combo Fleet

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Anglian Water new Vauxhall Combos

Anglian Water has just taken delivery of 52 new Vauxhall Combo vans

Anglian Water has just taken delivery of the first major fleet order of new Vauxhall Combo vans.

The company, which  is the largest water and wastewaster service in England and Wales by geographic area, will take delivery of 52 New Combos for its water and sewage operators and technical staff.

Anglian Water has specified the long wheelbase variant of the Combo, giving each van an impressive 4.2 cubic metres of load capacity and a 1,000kg payload. The vans have been fitted with the 1.3CDTi diesel engine, which returns a combined fuel economy figure of 55.4mpg and has CO2 emissions of 136g/km.

Anglian Water serves a region stretching from the Humber north of Grimsby to the Thames estuary in the south, and from Buckinghamshire in the west to Lowestoft in the east. Its operators have to service 80,000km of water and wastewater pipes over an area of 27,500 square kilometres, so the demands on its fleet of vans are significant.

Anglian Water van custom interior

The interior of the vans has been custom-fitted to Anglian Water's requirements by vehicle converter Bott.

Nigel Allen, Anglian Water’s Fleet Manager, said: “The New Combo will be a great addition to our fleet. We run around 1,200 vans and continue to be very happy with the combination of whole life cost, reliability, purchase cost and aftersales service offered by Vauxhall.”

EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval Threatens Independent Bodybuilders

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The last few years have seen most European light commercial vehicle manufacturers introduce ready-built conversion options to their van ranges.

Common conversion, such as lutons, dropsides, tippers, minibuses and even refrigerated vans are increasingly available direct from the factory – or else via a factory-approved converter with the conversion included in the original sale.

This offers manufacturers and customers a number of advantages in terms of quality, consistence and simplicity – and may even have been good news for some larger bodybuilders who have managed to secure OEM contracts. On the other hand, it probably has not been good news for smaller independent bodybuilders who have lost some of their bread and butter work

Introducing EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval

What is more certain is that the latest EU rules are not going to be good news for independent bodybuilders. From 29th April 2012, manufacturers, converters and bodybuilders of Special Purpose Vehicles (category M1) will have to seek Type Approval to register vehicles across Europe. No type approval will mean that the vehicle cannot be registered.

 Bodybuilders making all sorts of products from motor-caravans, ambulances and hearses to armoured vehicles and wheelchair accessible vehicles (up to eight seats) will have to adhere to the new rules.

Whole Vehicle Type Approval means that the whole of the finished vehicle must be approved – not just parts of it. For example, a manufacturer chassis cab will already have type approval, and until now, an independent bodybuilder could fit a suitable body to it without requiring the whole vehicle to be recertified. That will no longer be the case.

All vehicles sold will need to have whole vehicle type approval and will need either a certificate of conformity (for production models) or an Individual Vehicle Approval Certificate (for one-off models) to prove it. From 29th October 2012, these rules will also apply to trailers.

The SMMT has put together a guide to the approval process that is probably a good starting point for anyone who feels that they might be affected: senta.smmt.co.uk.