Mercedes-Benz Atego breaks cover
Mercedes-Benz will use the CV Show to give the new Atego light truck its global launch. Spanning 6.5 tonnes GVW to 16.0 tonnes GVW, the latest Atego will come with new four and six-cylinder engines that will meet the new Euro 6 emissions limits. The 5.1-litre four-cylinder engines will be available with power outputs between 156hp and 231hp.
Alternatively there are three 7.7-litre six-cylinder options with power ratings between 238hp and 299hp. Mercedes claims fuel consumption reductions of up to 5% with the new engines, while some will also gain extended service intervals.Standard transmission will be six and eight-speed automated Powershift3 gearboxes, with the option of six or nine-speed manual transmissions, featuring optional power assisted gear shifting. Stability Control Assist – an electronic stability control (ESC) system – will also be standard equipment. A two-stage high-performance engine brake and all-round disc brakes also feature. A wear-free permanent magnet retarder can also be specified.
Mercedes’ new Citan van will also receive its UK show debut at the NEC, just as the van starts to arrive in UK showrooms. Based on the latest Renault Kangoo, the Citan is available in three lengths: Compact, Long and Extra Long, Body styles include panel van, five-seat Dualiner crew van, based on the Extra Long and Traveliner crew van, based on the long variant. Tailgate, rear doors and roof rails are among the body options.
Safety equipment includes ESP adaptive electronic stability control as standard equipment and a choice of up to six airbags. A full height bulkhead between cab and load area will also be standard. Power comes from Renault’s 1.5-litre common rail diesel engines with power outputs of 75hp (108CDI), 90hp (109CDI) and 110hp (111CDI), with the 109CDI expected to be the most popular engine. Prices start from £13,095 (ex-VAT) for the Compact range, £13,960 (ex-VAT) for the Long and £15,280 for the Extra Long. Mercedes is also offering a range of finance packages.
All round vision from Brigade
Brigade Electronics will be back at the CV Show to launch Smarteye, which the company describes as its most intelligent camera monitor system yet. In essence, Smarteye consists of four cameras with wide-angle 187-degree lenses fitted to the front, rear and sides of a vehicle. The clever part comes in the image processing. Digital technology flattens out the ”fisheye” images and then ”stitches” them together to form a continuous 360-degree image on the in-cab monitor, eliminating the blind spots around the vehicle. The ”stitch” lines can be positioned to suit the vehicle.
According to Emily Randall, Brigade’s marketing communications manager, the process, ‘Takes camera monitor systems to the next level in the advancement of vehicle safety, providing ultimate visibility and reducing driver overload by presenting the driver’s landscape on one monitor. Operators can even choose vehicle type and livery so they see the actual vehicle footprint on the monitor, making the image recognisable to the driver.’
The system is said to prevent calibration on uneven ground, helping to avoid accidental blind spots. The system will monitor itself and switch off a camera if a malfunction is detected.
Lightweight newcomer
Maxi-Low is a new light CV bodybuilder with a lightweight low floor Luton van design based on the Vauxhall Movano platform cab. The company was expecting to have been granted Whole Vehicle Type Approval by the end of February. This will put it on the approved suppliers list for Vauxhall and should then open doors for Renault and Nissan versions too. They’re also in discussions with other manufacturers. The body is manufactured from lightweight composite materials to give a very light yet strong body. The body offers a payload of around 1,500kg. The company believes that this can be increased to 1,600kg by further development. It will be offered in three versions with a Walk-Thru body for parcel delivery with up to 26m3 of load volume. A reversing camera is included in the standard equipment. Walk-thru versions are fitted with a sliding bulkhead, giving access to the vehicle body, with an electromagnetic locking system and lightweight aluminium shelving available as options.
More Transits…
With one new light CV now in all Ford van showrooms, Ford will be gearing up for another wave of new products which will follow later in the year. The Transit Custom is now available with the Tourneo passenger model available from March.
A presence for both is guaranteed on Ford’s CV Show stand, particularly as the Transit Custom SportVan will make its debut at the NEC, taking centre stage. Expect to see a high roof long wheelbase model too – which will be available from the end of the year. All eyes will also be on the heavier two-tonne Transit model, which will be making its UK debut at the CV Show. Power will come from the Transit 2.2-litre diesel engine, similar to that in the Transit Custom but with both front and rear-wheel drive options. More detail is yet to come, but we know that it will offer load volumes up to 15.1m3 and will be available with two wheelbase options and three roof heights and there will be a 4×4 model.
The Transit Connect will also be making its UK debut at the CV Show. It will not be built on a dedicated van platform, but will share the same underpinnings as the Focus, Kuga, and C-Max cars. Production will shift from Turkey to Spain. The model will offer a single roof height and two lengths, with a variety of power options. The diesel choice will be the Ford/PSA 1.6-litre common rail diesel with power ratings of 75hp, 95hp and 115hp. There will be petrol options too including the 1.0-litre three-cylinder 100hp EcoBoost and 150hp 1.6-litre EcoBoost, although it’s not clear if both options will be available in the UK. Diesels will include an ECOnetic version of the 1.6-litre 95hp diesel.
Ford unveiled the Tourneo Courier at the Geneva Show in March and hopes to have a Transit Courier, Ford’s new small van to rival the Citroën Nemo, Fiat Fiorino, Mercedes-Benz Citan Compact and Peugeot Bipper, at the show. It’s not destined to reach the UK until 2014 and seems likely to share the range of Fiesta power options, both petrol and diesel, while payload and load volume will have to be comparable with the competitors.
MINI joins the club
MINI will launch the Clubvan at the CV Show, offering customers a range of options for the van, based on the MINI Clubman passenger car. Mimicking the MINI van of the ‘60s and ‘70s, it comes with twin rear doors and offers a load volume of 0.86m3 and payload capacity of 500kg. A split solid lower/mesh upper bulkhead is fitted as standard. Power options are either 1.6-litre petrol or 1.6-litre diesel. Petrol models come with either a 92hp or 122hp engine, or 82hp diesel. Both are available with either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The entry-level model is the Mini One Clubvan, starting from £11,175 (ex-VAT) with 1.6-litre 92hp petrol engine. Air conditioning and central locking are standard equipment.
New kit from Road PixelWindscreen-mounted camera recording systems manufacturer, Road Pixel, will be launching its Defender Pro series of windscreen mounted recorders and multi-camera recorders at the CV Show. The manufacturer claims that the systems can cut fuel costs and insurance claims, monitor driver distractions, improve driver behaviour and stop bogus whiplash claims.
The range includes forward facing cameras and cab recording cameras for monitoring driver behaviour or training. Systems can record in HD video and can include video and GPS data. The DVR-R2 can record up to 20 hours on an SD card. It can be connected to a 3G data transmitter if real-time monitoring is required.The DVR-R3 uses a solid-state hard drive that can hold around a week’s worth of data. The company will also be running ”Ask the Expert” sessions at the show with an accident investigator.
EcoPlan Telematics meets routeing and schedulingTelematics provider, CMS SupaTrak and vehicle routeing software provider, Route Monkey will launch EcoPlan, a joint venture that will provide telematics integrated with vehicle routing and scheduling. Mutual customers brought the two companies together to provide an integrated system.This enables routeing and scheduling to be optimised by Route Monkey using ”real life” business rules. This includes average road speeds, site access times, road restrictions and driving/working hours, for example. If the data is then imported into the CMS SupaTrak system and integrated with real-time telematics data, it’s possible to plan routes against actual journeys and then feed the data back to drivers on the road to improve journey planning with the potential to reduce fuel consumption.
Berlingo Electrique
The Citroën Berlingo Electrique will be the highlight of the Citroën stand at the CV Show.The new model is powered by an electric motor packaged under the bonnet in place of the conventional engine, with a lithium-ion battery pack located beneath the load floor, ensuring that the load volume is not affected. The 636kg payload is similar to that of a diesel powered Berlingo.
The electric van has a range of up to 106 miles. A complete re-charge will take around eight hours from a domestic 13-amp socket. The van can also be quick charged to 80% of capacity in 35 minutes from a dedicated quick charge point.Power comes from a 49kW motor. Drive is delivered to the front wheels through a speed reducer and a single ratio gearbox. Full UK specification will be announced in the run-up to the show. Features will include eco-driving information, including an energy consumption/regeneration indicator, an instantaneous energy consumption gauge and auxiliaries consumption gauge. Other features include a deceleration and brake energy recovery system and electric heating system with eco-mode to limit energy consumption. All Berlingo Electrique models will feature hill start assist and ESP electronic stability control.
Also making their debuts at the CV Show will be the Dispatch HDi L1H1 1200 six-speed manual crew van and new Relay Stop & Start models.
The Dispatch HDi 125 L1H1 Crew Van offers a payload of 1,084kg and seating for six including driver in a separate passenger compartment. Two Stop & Start models will expand the Relay range in May, and can be seen for the first time at the CV Show. The two models are a Relay 30 L1H1 HDi 130 Stop & Start 6-speed manual and a Relay 35 L3H2 HDi 130 Stop & Start 6-speed manual. Using the system, fuel consumption can be cut by up to 2.2%, reckons Citroën.
New tyres from Continental
Continental will be unveiling a range of new tyres at the CV Show, including the company’s first ever dedicated bus and coach tyres, the latest ContiVanContact van tyres and a new Tyre Pressure Monitoring System – ContiPressureCheck.
Two new van tyres are set for launch during 2013. First is the new ContiVanContact 100 tyre, which replaces the Vanco 2. The new tyre has been designed to offer even greater mileage, thanks to a flat contour and part silica compound.New aqua grooves in the shoulder and sipes in the centre of the tread pattern bring superior handling and braking characteristics for the ContiVanContact 200 tyre for car-derived vans. Continental claims big improvements in stopping distances especially in the wet.
Wide angle recorders from Smart WitnessPreventing fraudulent insurance claims is one of the key aims of SmartWitness black box recording systems. It is effectively a CCTV system for vehicles, recording events in front of the windscreen. The system provides a 170-degree camera lens, covering the entire width of the windscreen and a 32GB memory as standard, providing up to 500 hours recording time. The company’s biggest customer is the Japanese government. The system continuously records braking and acceleration speed and collision G-forces.
It can also be linked to Google Earth and Google Maps to show accurate position and road data. Included software allows users to upload data directly to insurance companies and brokers. The camera system can be fitted into a lockable tamper-proof case, which carries E9 European approval, certified for installation in a commercial vehicle.Smart Witness claims between 30% and 55% reduction in insurance claims, while van fleets have seen fuel consumption reductions of up to 20%. The company is launching a scheme for couriers with an insurer, providing a free camera as part of the deal.
Hot and cold air from Eberspacher
Eberspacher will have new vehicle heating and air conditioning systems on display at the CV Show, designed for minibus and CV use. Making their CV Show debut will be the EV and HV ranges of modular, compact systems, available in cooling only or cooling and heating versions with outputs of between 7.0kW and 16kW. The range will be expanded further throughout the year.
LPG conversions from AutogasLPG supplier Autogas (a joint venture between Shell and Calor) will be attending the CV Show for the first time and will be exhibiting a Citroën Berlingo converted to operate on LPG. According to Autogas, there are around 160,000 vehicles converted to run on LPG in the UK and the fuel is available on some 1,400 forecourts.