Sixth-generation of Volkswagen's Transporter now available to order in chassis cab, Either Single or Double, SWB or LWB.

• Sixth-generation of Transporter now available to order in chassis cab
• Available as a long wheelbase 140PS Euro V engine 6-speed manual or 7-speed DSG
• Available in single or double cab variants

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has announced the launch of its latest evolution of the iconic Transporter Chassis Cab. Available for order now, prices start from £21,265 (exc. VAT) for the LWB Single Cab Startline 2.0TDI 140PS Euro 5 6-speed manual.

Offering a versatile blank canvas for businesses who wish to create a load space to suit their specific needs, the latest Transporter Chassis Cab is also available to order with a drop-side body directly from the factory. The latest Transporter Chassis Cab range has been developed to complement the range of Volkswagen Crafter chassis and drop-side derivatives that are available through Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ ‘Engineered to Go’ programme.

Available in either single cab or double cab variants, the new Transporter Chassis Cab can carry up to six passengers in double cab form and offers a payload capacity of up to 1339 kg in single cab specification. The factory specification drop-side bodies offer versatile load space of either 5.2 m² in single cab form or 4.2 m² in double cab arrangement.

The sixth-generation Transporter sets the benchmark for quality, practicality and low running costs. The new chassis cab derivative comes equipped with all of the design and engineering features, along with new assistance, safety, convenience and comfort systems available across the new Transporter range. 

The new models also benefit from Volkswagen’s acclaimed BlueMotion Technology modifications as standard, which includes low rolling resistance tyres, regenerative braking and Start/Stop systems. The Chassis Cab range is offered with either 6-speed manual or 7-speed DSG transmission.

The latest incarnation of the Transporter boasts a host of new standard features including BlueMotion Technology, DAB+ digital radio, 5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth phone connectivity and USB connection. Standard equipment also includes Volkswagen’s acclaimed Automatic Post-Collision Braking system, which automatically applies the brakes after a collision, reducing the risk or severity of a secondary impact.

For further information regarding the new Volkswagen Transporter Chassis Cab variants, please visit your nearest Volkswagen Van Centre.

USA RECALL - Ford recalls 2016 model year E-Series Cutaway and Chassis cabs for possible trailer brake failure.

Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for 83 2016 Ford E-Series cutaway and chassis cab vehicles in North America for a potential issue with the trailer brake controller. Under certain conditions, a driver may lose trailer braking function at a stop, which could result in extended braking distance, increasing the risk of a crash. Vehicle braking is not affected.

There are 75 vehicles in the United States and federalized territories and eight in Canada.

Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue.

Dealers will update the powertrain control module software at no cost to the customer.

Volkswagen commercial vehicles sales dip to bring the Jan-Oct numbers down by -2.0%

• Brand at the level of the previous year
• Crafter and Transporter model range with positive delivery figures

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has delivered 356,400 vehicles to customers worldwide to the end of October (January to October 2014: 363,900; -2.0 per cent) and is thus almost at the level of the previous year. Growth was posted for the Transporter model range, of which 139,100 vehicles were sold (+1.9 per cent), and for the Crafter model range with 40,400 deliveries (+2.9 per cent).

Deliveries declined to 235,400 vehicles in the Western European markets (239,400; -1.6 per cent). 91,200 vehicles were delivered in the first 10 months of the year (97,400; -6.3 per cent) in Germany. 

In Spain, sales of the brand rose 10.6 per cent year-on-year, to 8,200 units (7,400). A considerable increase of 9.0 per cent was also attained in the United Kingdom with 41,000 deliveries (37,600).

In Eastern Europe, deliveries decreased by 18.7 per cent to 25,000 vehicles to the end of October (30,700). With 28,300 deliveries, 39.6 per cent more vehicles were handed over to customers in the Middle East than in the same period of the prior year (20,300). 

In Turkey, the most important market in the Middle East, 25,600 vehicles were sold (17,500; +46.4 per cent).

In South America, the number of delivered commercial vehicles fell by 6.4 per cent to 31,300 units (33,500). 10,000 vehicles (15,400; -35.2 per cent) were delivered in Brazil. Growth figures were posted with a 18.9 per cent rise in the Argentine market, adding up to 17,000 deliveries (14,300).

Worldwide, deliveries of the Transporter and Crafter model ranges increased.

The figures at a glance:

• Transporter model range: 139,100 (136,500; +1.9 per cent)
• Crafter model range: 40,400 (39,300; +2.9 per cent)
• Caddy model range: 114,300 (122,900; -7.0 per cent)
• Amarok model range: 62,600 (63,450; -1.3 per cent)

Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles sales follow passengers cars with large increases in the UK.

Mercedes-Benz Vans is celebrating its best ever UK September registrations, with more than 6,260 vehicles sold – up 12% on September 2014.

In fact, nearly the same amount of vehicles were sold in September as were sold in the first three months of 2015 for Mercedes-Benz Vans.

Citan registrations increased by 27% in September year-on-year, with Sprinter up by 21% across van and chassis cab models, and Vito and New Vito maintaining a solid level of registrations.

The third quarter was also record-breaking for Mercedes-Benz Vans, with a significant increase compared with the same period last year.

Service and Parts has continued to exceed expectations, with year-to-date Customer Pay Parts growth of 5% over 2014 performance. For September specifically, there was a 15% increase on September 2014 figures.

Overall workshop hours have grown by 10%, driven by an increase of 7% in Retail and repair and maintenance hours sold in August year-to-date compared to the same period in 2014, with an increase of over 7,000 more vans using the Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle Dealer Network year-on-year.

MobiloVan roadside assistance has continued its class-leading figures, with an overall average attendance time of less than an hour and a roadside repair rate of more than 80%. Of all the vehicles that are recovered to a workshop, 33% are repaired within 24-hours.

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services has also achieved another record September, with in excess of £36 million of Vans being funded in the month. 

Year to date, this takes the overall Van volume financed to over £200 million, which is 11% ahead of this point last year, and the total amount financed exceeds in the whole of 2012.

Steve Bridge, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Vans, said: “The hard work of our dedicated Dealer Network, combined with the expertise of the team at Head Office is clearly proving to be a winning combination for us.

“This year is shaping up to be a great year of sustainability, with a highly successful vehicle range and service offering. I am delighted with the performance, and the knowledge that Mercedes-Benz Vans enables its customers to beat their competition.”

USA RECALL - FORD - The Blue Oval recalls over 26,000 F-650 & F-750 trucks for possible seatbeat issues.

Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety compliance recall for approximately 26,400 2011-2013 and 2015 model year F-650 and F-750 vehicles in North America for a safety compliance issue with FMVSS 210 regarding seat belt anchorage. 

In these vehicles, the front passenger and center seat belts might not be anchored in the correct position relative to the seat, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue. Affected vehicles include certain F-650 and F-750 vehicles built at Escobedo Assembly Plant Feb. 14, 2011 through April 28, 2015.

There are 25,941 vehicles in the United States and federalized territories and 417 in Canada.

Due to the significant number of cab and seat configurations for these vehicles, service procedures are still being developed in an effort to provide a service fix as quickly as possible.

CV SHOW 2015 - Vauxhall's best ever CV range debuts at Birmingham.

• New Corsavan makes its debut at the Commercial Vehicle Show 2015
• Full Vivaro range on display: Combi, Double Cab, Platform Cab, LWB, High Roof
• In-house signwriting and conversions available to all Brit-built Vivaro customers
• One-Invoice sees single invoicing for Movano conversion customers
• Vauxhall van sales up 32 per cent; number one retail brand
• Football legends Peter Shilton, Bryan Robson and Trevor Francis on stand

Vauxhall, the UK’s only volume van manufacturer, is debuting the new Corsavan at the Commercial Vehicle Show at Birmingham’s NEC (14^th – 16^th April) alongside its full line-up of British-built Vivaro vans.

The Luton-based manufacturer will also announce plans to offer Vivaro customers an in-house sign writing and wrap service as well as bespoke racking and conversions.

Available now to fleets and in the summer for small businesses, Vauxhall is the only UK manufacturer to offer this service which will save customers time and money as the work is done in-house, as the vans roll off the production line. Pricing will be extremely competitive and all work will be covered by a three-year warranty.

Vauxhall will also launch Movano One-Invoice approved conversions, providing even more simplicity and transparency for customers.

Vauxhall Vans Sales

Year-to-date, Vauxhall van sales are up nearly 32 per cent with over 11,000 vehicles registered in 2015. Market share was up to 11.3 per cent.

The Luton firm is also number one at retail and Vivaro is the number one van for small businesses with over 7,000 registrations this year. Vauxhall fleet sales also grew by 40 per cent.

Rounding off a cracking start to the year, Corsavan sales doubled and Movano fleet sales increased by 80 per cent in the first quarter.  

Corsavan

With an increased payload of up to 571kg and priced from £11,175 to £13,875, new Corsavan in Sportive trim will take pride of place on the Vauxhall CV stand.

New Corsavan features an enhanced and improved chassis, with fuel economy of up to 85.6mpg and emissions as low as 87g/km CO₂. As well as an impressive flat-loading capacity of up to 920 litres, the new small van is big on safety, featuring six airbags and active safety systems as standard, as well as Tyre Pressure Monitoring and ESP plus including Hill Start Assist.

Vivaro Range

The full Vivaro range will also feature on Vauxhall’s prominent stand in Hall 4 of the NEC, including L1H1, L2H1 (long wheelbase) and L2H2 (high-roof and long-wheelbase) panel vans, as well as Double Cab, nine-seater Combi and Platform Cab variants.

The Vivaro is built at Vauxhall’s Luton plant, the UK’s most productive van plant, where approaching a million current Vivaros have been made since production began in 2001. The latest model secured 1,200 jobs in the Luton area and contains 40 per cent British-sourced components, which will mean an extra £600 million spent with British suppliers. The plant is also a major exporter with 52 per cent of vans destined for European markets.

Also on the stand will be Vauxhall’s Combo with its class-leading payload of up to 1,000kg, as well as a Trucksmith Movano ‘KneeHi’ One-Invoice conversion, demonstrating the adaptability of Vauxhall’s commercial vehicle range.

Vauxhall is also the sponsor of Home Nations football, and visitors will have the chance to meet a football legend on its CV Show stand, including Peter Shilton on Tuesday 14^th April, Bryan Robson on Wednesday 15^th April and Trevor Francis on Thursday 16^th April.

Vauxhall’s full van range including new Corsavan, Combo, Vivaro and Movano will be on display at the show. Here’s the full run down:

• New Corsavan 1.3 CDTi 95PS Start/Stop Sportive
• Combo 2300 1.6 CDTi 105PS Sportive L2H1 Panel Van
• Movano 3500 L3H1 FWD 2.3 CDTi BiTurbo 125PS (Trucksmith ‘KneeHi’ Platform Cab conversion)
• Vivaro 2900 1.6 CDTi BiTurbo 120PS L2H1 Sportive Panel Van
• Vivaro 2900 1.6 CDTi BiTurbo 140PS L2H1 Sportive Double Cab     
• Vivaro 2900 1.6 CDTi BiTurbo 120PS L2H1 Combi
• Vivaro 2900 1.6 CDTi BiTurbo 120PS L2H2 Panel Van
• Vivaro 2900 1.6 CDTi BiTurbo 120PS L2H1 Platform Cab (Jiffy Catering Truck Conversion)
• Vivaro 2900 1.6 CDTi BiTurbo 120PS L1H1 Panel Van (British Gas livery and conversion)
• Vivaro (90PS) L1H1 Panel Van (BT livery and conversion)

CV SHOW 2015 - Citroen premiers the new Berlingo at Birmingham CV show.

Citroën’s New Berlingo made its UK debut at the CV Show earlier today (NEC, Hall 5, Stand D40, 14-16 April 2015). New Berlingo is on display alongside models from the just-expanded Relay Ready to Runrange and a selection of the latest Nemo, Dispatch and New Relay vans.

The New Berlingo is now available to order, with UK deliveries starting on 1 July 2015. Competitively priced from just £12,515 plus VAT and delivery, the New Berlingo range offers running cost reductions and environmental benefits, combined with driver comfort, safety and convenience gains.

New Berlingo offers a choice of Euro 6 VTi 95 petrol or Euro 5 HDi 75 and HDi 90 diesel engines, complemented by the latest generation Euro 6 BlueHDi 100 and BlueHDi 120 diesel powerplants. Depending on the model selected, New Berlingo is available with Stop & Start technology, manual 5 or 6-speed gearboxes and Citroën’s ETG6 automated manual transmission. 

The New Berlingo continues to offer the widest range of factory built variants in its class, including two panel van lengths, three trim levels, an electric van, an XTR+ enhanced traction van, a Crew Van and a platform cab for special bodywork.

The New Berlingo is the first Citroën LCV to be offered with Euro 6 compliant BlueHDi diesel engines, which use advanced Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology. Citroën will be extending the application of these low-emission, fuel-efficient BlueHDi engines across its entire LCV line-up as part of a rolling programme starting in July 2015 and running through to September 2016. 

New Berlingo’s CO₂ emissions are now reduced to an exceptional 109g/km for the BlueHDi 100 S&S ETG6 L1 625 LX model. The range has combined cycle fuel economy figures of up to 68.9mpg.

In addition to the introduction of the new BlueHDi engines, New Berlingo models also have specification upgrades to benefit both the operator and the driver. Externally, New Berlingo vans have a redesigned grille and front bumper, and are available with an optional Look Pack, featuring LED daytime-running lights. 

Internally, both New Berlingo LX and Enterprise trim levels now have cruise control and a programmable speed limiter as standard. The top-of-the-range New Berlingo Enterprise specification has been enhanced with the inclusion of a 7-inch touchscreen with Mirror Screen technology and an upgraded DAB audio system. In addition, the New Berlingo Enterprise trim level now includes an alarm for increased security and peace-of-mind. New Berlingo offers an extended choice of options, including front parking sensors, a reversing camera and a colour touchscreen with audio streaming.

All New Berlingo panel vans are fitted, as standard, with Teletrac Smartnav satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking. This advanced telematics platform, which provides operators with cost-saving efficiency, safety, security and productivity benefits, can be optionally upgraded – at low cost – to include Fleet Director real-time fleet management capability.

Alongside New Berlingo, Citroën is displaying models from its newly extended Relay Ready to Run range. Relay Ready to Run is one of Citroën’s major LCV success stories, with sales increasing 10 fold in just two years. The original four-strong Relay Ready to Run range has just gained two new models – the Relay 35 L3 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise Crew Cab Dropside and the Relay 35 Heavy L4 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise Dropside.

The newly expanded Relay Ready to Run range consists of:

• Relay 35 L2 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise Tipper, £26,030 + VAT + delivery
• Relay 35 L2 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise Dropside, £24,735 + VAT + delivery
• NEW Relay 35 L3 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise Crew Cab Dropside, £25,985 + VAT + delivery
• NEW Relay 35 Heavy L4 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise Dropside, £25,835 + VAT + delivery
• Relay 35 L3 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise Luton, £27,765 + VAT + delivery
• Relay 35 Heavy L4 HDi 150 6-speed manual Enterprise Luton, £29,450 + VAT + delivery

All of these models are based on new, high specification Relay Enterprise chassis cabs, which have been developed specifically for Ready to Run applications. The Relay Enterprise chassis cabs, which are only available for the Relay Ready to Run programme, will be available from late April onwards.

The new Relay Enterprise chassis cabs’ enhanced specification adds:

• Teletrac Smartnav & Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking telematics package
• Air conditioning
• Cruise control with variable speed limiter
• Perimetric alarm
• 5-inch colour touch screen/DAB digital radio
• Bluetooth®, audio streaming & SMS  
• MP3 compatible CD player                

Jeremy Smith, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles & Business Sector Operations, commented; “This year’s CV Show provides Citroën with the ideal platform to demonstrate to existing and prospective customers the financial and operational benefits of the company’s innovative thinking. The Nemo, New Berlingo, Dispatch and New Relay ranges – including Relay Ready to Run – demonstrate Citroen’s ability to deliver even greater business transport efficiencies.”

CV SHOW 2015 - The undisputed king of vans, The Transit celebrates 50 years of excellence.

• Ford’s Transit van celebrates its 50^th anniversary in August with almost 8 million Transit and Transit Custom models built since 1965
• Parked end-to-end, 50 years of Transits would circle the globe; on average, customers have bought a new Transit every 180 seconds during its lifetime
• Transit has grown from a single model in Europe, to an entire family of Ford Transit vans delivering to customers worldwide
• Expanded all-new four-model Transit line-up is boosting demand, with Ford commercial vehicle sales in March reaching a record-high in the UK
• Demand for smaller Transit Connect and Transit Courier models means total production for the whole Transit family is expected to top 9 million units in 2015
• All-new two-tonne Transit is now built and sold in North America for the first time, extending the model to 118 customer markets across six continents

Ford’s popular Transit van celebrates its 50^th anniversary in 2015, marking five decades of loyal service to businesses around the world. The celebrations will begin at the CV Show in Birmingham and culminate on Transit’s birthday in August.

Since the first vehicle left the production line in Langley, England, on August 9, 1965, almost 8 million Transit and Transit Custom models have been built, and the Transit has grown from a single model to an entire family of Transit vans.

Lined up end-to-end, 50 years of Transits would circle the globe, and on average a new Transit has been bought every 180 seconds during its lifetime.

The latest expanded Transit line-up features four all-new models – Transit, Transit Custom, Transit Connect and Transit Courier – which are boosting demand for Ford commercial vehicles, with sales at an all-time high in March up 43 per cent at 16,497, compared with March 2014.

“The Ford Transit has touched the lives of most of us,” said Mark Ovenden, chairman and managing director, Ford of Britain. “From house moves to moving people, the Ford Transit is an essential tool to get the job done. It has become a mobile office or workshop for some – and loved by us all.”  

Launched in the same year that the first person walked in space, the Transit made an immediate impact, providing practical support to the booming economy. The Transit evolved with a vast range of bodystyles and variants: from the parcel van, through tipper trucks and campers, to outrageous one-offs, including the Cosworth V8-powered Supervans.

Growing popularity saw production of the Transit accelerate, and after passing the first million milestone in 1976, it rapidly passed the next ones in 1985, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2013. Add demand for the smaller Transit Connect – with more than 1 million sold – and the compact all-new Transit Courier, and total Transit production is scheduled to top 9 million during 2015.

Transit has also introduced a list of technology innovations to help improve performance, comfort and safety; from features like side-loading doors, radial ply tyres and halogen headlights, to direct injection diesel engines, high security locks and standard anti-lock brakes. The latest Transit models have added state-of-the-art technologies like Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Aid.

The success of the Transit has seen production expand beyond Europe, including facilities in Nanchang, China and in 2014 the Transit entered North America for the first time, with the all-new two-tonne Transit being built in Kansas City, Mo. This has helped extend the all-new Transit to 118 markets across six continents.

"Ford’s Transit family continues to lead the way in innovation,” Ovenden said. “With 50 years of van sales leadership in the UK under its belt, the new four-van Transit range is looking forward to its next half century.”