Dan has been a commercial vehicle and construction equipment journalist for almost 30 years. An automotive engineer and former fleet manager, he has driven almost every van, pickup and truck that has been launched in Europe over that time. As editor of VFW, his aim is to keep readers up to date with the latest developments in the light commercial world.
Posted in:
MODEL: Vauxhall Corsavan Sportive 1.3CDTi S/S SECTOR: Car-derived vans LOAD VOLUME: 0.92m3 GVW: 1,695kg POWER: 95hp @ 3,750rpm The compact car‐derived market is something of a niche these days, with Vauxhall and Ford the main contenders, offering Corsavan and Fiesta Van respectively. For those that want a small van that […]
Posted in:
Renault is to enter the global 1-tonne pick-up market by mid-2016, with the launch of Alaskan. Based on Alliance partner Nissan’s NP300 Navara, the truck will be powered by Renault’s twin-turbo 2.3-litre diesel engine, with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions. A van market leader in Europe and South America, Renault is keen to […]
Aldercote is owned by David and Paul Dillon and the company’s engineering director, Marc Paish. The Dillon family have a strong track record in the vehicle-mounted boom industry, having previously owned Priestman Powered Access. David Dillon, director of Aldercote, said: “We invested heavily in the design engineering of our new boom lifts, so we naturally […]
Posted in:
There is no denying that fleets can make substantial operating cost savings by employing a telematic system to track and monitor vehicles. There is no shortage of providers either, all vying for your business by offering that one piece of vital information that no-one else can deliver. To date, vehicle manufacturers have on the whole […]
Fiat Professional is celebrating record UK sales of almost 15,000 vans in 2014 and looking forward to further growth this year. With the latest version of Ducato now up to speed and a revised Doblo Cargo set for launch in March, plus a growing presence in the corporate fleet sector, Fiat Professional director Sebastiano Fedrigo […]
Posted in:
Almost every van manufacturer will have benefitted from the UK’s rising LCV market in 2014, though Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ registrations were particularly strong. The company sold more than 41,200 vans to the end of November, passing its whole year 2013 total of 40,857 a month early. In that 11-month period, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles grabbed a […]
Posted in:
Seasonal demand With the Christmas season fast approaching, many home delivery companies, couriers, supermarkets and parcel firms will be looking to boost their fleets with additional drivers. Even the recent explosion of “click and collect”, where customers order online but pick up the goods at a local branch of the store, will require a huge […]
Posted in:
With the latest version of the mid-weight Trafic van, Renault has achieved the seemingly impossible. Despite installing a smaller engine, it produces more power than the previous larger model, yet delivers lower emissions and improved fuel consumption. Too good to be true? Apparently not, thanks in part to advanced turbocharging and ever-improving electronic engine control. […]
Posted in:
For fleets looking at the possibility of downsizing, adopting a smaller van with lower running costs and improved fuel economy, Vauxhall’s Combo is a natural replacement for the firm’s Vivaro customers. But what if you still require the sort of load volume or payload of the larger van, but fancy the smaller external dimensions and […]
Posted in:
With manufacturers all adhering to the same set of regulations and standards, and with aerodynamics driving vehicle body design, you might think that all vans are pretty much the same. That is definitely not the case though, with a Transit offering a very different driving experience and ownership proposition to a Movano or a Sprinter. […]
