Low Cost Vans

Congratulations are in order for the UK’s most productive van manufacturing facility. Vauxhall’s Luton van plant is the first in Europe to achieve a top manufacturing benchmark. The honour of receiving a “Built in Quality” (BIQ) Level 4 award was given to the plant in recognition of its world class quality control standards. Luton is one of only three sites to beat the competition, which saw 396 General Motors facilities worldwide vying for the award. It’s fantastic to see a British based van manufacturer receive such an honour, especially as the award is for quality control standards and that should help to boost consumer confidence in the purchase or hire of a Vauxhall branded van . Vauxhall has recently been investing in the plant and has already upgraded parts of body shop as they begin gearing up for the production of Vauxhall’s latest Vivaro van coming later this year. They have been the UK’s number one manufacturer for the last twelve years, building over 44,000 vans in the UK j...

The fashion forward Adam , which was Vauxhall ’s urban styled answer to the mini or Fiat 500, is now available with more levels of personalisation and in an even more eye-catching design. The stylish small car that boasts a myriad of customisation options, upmarket cabin, and good-value pricing is now being offered in a new limited edition model, aimed at those who have an affinity to their smartphones. Vauxhall have recently announced the arrival of a limited edition to the urban chic city car. The ADAM Black Edition and ADAM White Edition take their design cues from a smartphone. Think smartphone looks in black or white, with accents in brushed aluminium effect. For those that need to stay connected, the new ADAM Black Edition and ADAM White Edition come with Vauxhall’s IntelliLink infotainment system and Siri Eyes Free voice control fitted as standard. And if that wasn’t enough for true smartphone aficionados, Vauxhall say, “ ADAM drivers who have an iOS 6 – or later – compatible iP...

If you are a van operator, whether running your own individual business or a fleet, it’s important to stay up to date with all operating regulations and to ensure you are complying with standards of van operator best practices. A good place to find the best advice from a practical, operational viewpoint, and offering up peace of mind surrounding the operation of your van fleet is Van Excellence .  For those not already familiar with the trade association and the Van Excellence code; “Van Excellence was launched in order to promote high standards of van operation and driving by accrediting operators against a code of good practice”. Members help to promote the Van Excellence Code amongst their customers and encourage its standards to be adopted and followed throughout the light commercial vehicle sector. It is open to van operators of all sizes and business sectors and includes non FTA members. Announced at last year’s Van Excellence conference, the news that VOSA (Vehicle Operating and...

This weekend was another wash out in terms of the weather and if the dreary view out of my window this morning is anything to go by, today may turn out to be just as cold and wet. Be careful and take a moment to inspect your van before heading out, as the roads are still a mess in some areas with lurking dangers such as; slippery ice pockets, full out flooding and the enormous amount of potholes that have been created thus far.  All of these could have affected the condition of your van and tyres. With the forecast saying to expect more wind, rain, and possible snow this week, I wanted to share the IAM’s recent tips and advice as a quick reminder of what to do if you encounter an emergency or break down whilst on the icy, wet, or snow covered roads.   The road safety charity, IAM ’s motoring tips from Britain’s top advanced driver, Peter Rodger is advising on what to do if your van/car breaks down: Plan ahead: keep a reflective jacket, warm waterproof clothes and a torch in your ...

It was a pretty good year in 2013 for van manufacturers, but according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), it was an amazingly good year for Vauxhall . The van maker built over 44,000 vans in the UK last year, making it Britain’s number one van maker for the 12th year running (based on the SMMT figures). The Luton van factory manufactured an impressive 44,657 Vivaro vans as UK Vivaro van sales were up 34% year-on-year. The production line hasn’t slowed down yet, as the factory is currently ramping up to build the new Vivaro which goes on sale later this year. Commenting on the upcoming van and newly upgraded Luton van factory, in their recent press release Vauxhall have said, “ Over 40 per cent of content for the new vehicle will be sourced locally. The plant and associated agencies directly employ over 1,200 people in the Luton area, and is a significant contributor to the local and wider UK economies ”. Did you know that Vauxhall celebrated 110 year...

Have you made plans for the upcoming half term in February yet? If you are looking for something fun for the kids and of course, auto related fun for you, then why not visit the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu this February Half Term, 15th – 23 rd . The museum’s ‘hands-on’ event is a great way to share your love of motoring and spend a family day out with lots of interactive activities. The event will offer a rare opportunity to handle and learn about historical motoring objects at special ‘drop-in’ sessions running between 10.30am and 4.30pm daily. Take an up-close look at early motoring clothing, photos and unusual motoring items. Over 250 vehicles, including automotive examples that span from the 1930’s through to the 80’s will be on display. Plus, Jack Tucker’s Garage recreates the sights, sounds and smells of a typical country garage from the 1930s while ‘Wheels’ - a space-age pod ride - is a fascinating voyage through 100 years of motoring. It’s a fantastic opportunity to show ...

Results have been announced for the 2014 Business Van of the Year Awards run by Business Vans, in association with MAGMA Automotive. The awards judges included heavy hitters and previous winners from across the commercial vehicle trade. Our very own Low Cost Vans Managing Director, Rod Lloyd; who received the Best Small Fleet Van Leasing Award in 2013, was on the latest prestigious judging panel. It was an amazing turn for VW at the inaugural 2014 Business Van Awards, winning in an impressive five out of twelve categories. The van of the year accolade has been given to Volkswagen’s Transporter van at the Van Awards ceremony. It was also voted ‘ Best Large Trades Van’ while the Amarok won for ‘Best Utility Pick-Up’ and ‘Best Double Cab’ awards, Crafter named ‘Best Heavy Van’, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles was presented with ‘Best Service Package for van owners’ award. Commenting on the awards success, Alex Smith, Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, added: ‘We’re delight...

Figures were released yesterday by the Finance & Leasing Association ( FLA ) showing a 6% increase in consumer finance new business in November 2013, compared with the same month in 2012. It was good news for the point-of-sale car finance market which recorded new business growth of 19%.  Commenting, Geraldine Kilkelly, Head of Research and Chief Economist at the FLA said: “ These latest figures show how point-of-sale credit continues to be a popular option for consumers. It is helping to support a sustained economic recovery in the UK. We have seen steady growth in overall consumer finance new business in recent months, amounting to 5% over the 12 months to November .” With the growth in new business towards the end of last year, it looks as though some consumers are still choosing to and are still able to obtain some form of finance to purchase a fleet of new cars and vans. The tables below were published on the FLA's website (you can view more by clicking on the FLA link abo...

If you are the sort of person who has happily kitted out your home with IKEA flat pack furnishings, then this one is most definitely for you. Details have been released about a car that looks like it just rolled off the do-it-yourself/self assembly line. Meet the Tabby . It's the flat pack car you can build yourself in under an hour (or in a few hours/days? while swearing like a sailor and nearly chucking it out the window). There have been golf carts, city cars and street food vehicles designed so far with one team building a Tabby in just 41 minutes (show off’s). The Urban Tabby comes in two and four seat versions and uses the world's first universal chassis that can be modified to your wants and will be compatible with electric, hybrid or standard petrol engines reaching speeds of up to 85Km/h. The company behind the kit car is called OSV, which stands for Open Source Vehicle. It is a joint collaboration between China and Italy. What’s cool about this is that anyone can cont...

Just a quick one today to remind van drivers of the importance of regular tyre checks. With forecasts of bad weather still on the cards and not long after the latest bout of the worst winter storms for years, some roads have been badly affected by floods (standing water, potholes, etc.) and if you have been driving on them recently; the tyres on your van may need attention. Tyresafe , the not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of correct tyre maintenance and the dangers of defective and worn tyres, have released some good tips and advice to keep in mind when driving in these hazardous conditions. Read Tyresafe's helpful advice below: While driving through deep flood water has a wide range of associated risks and should be tackled with extreme caution, smaller areas of standing water may be less easy to avoid but equally dangerous. On vehicles equipped with tyres that have insufficient or low levels of tread depth, water between the tyres...

Wow, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles had an extraordinary boost in LCV sales last year. The manufacturer of such popular vans like the Transporter, Caddy, Crafter and more, has just published a glowing press release stating global sales volume in 2013 was up 0.3%. Now that may not sound like a large volume, but in terms of units, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles supplied 551,900 vehicles to customers all around the globe in the 2013 trading year. And, of the over half a million light commercial vehicles sold worldwide, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles sold 314,400 of these across Europe alone. ‘Despite the difficult economic situation in Europe we achieved an excellent worldwide sales result ’, said Dr. Eckhard Scholz, speaker of the brand board of management of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. ‘ Sincere thanks go to all our customers for their trust. We will continue to offer top quality and innovative technology at reasonable prices .’ Congratulations to VW group on a phenomenal sales ye...

With the recent spell of bad weather and more possible road hazards predicted to come, perhaps now is the time to look more closely at van driver safety.  I, for one, am in awe of the latest and upcoming tech that will soon be available in commercial vehicles. From driver-less remote control to vehicle to vehicle communications, the new technology in vans looks set to bring to life some of our wild futuristic Sci-Fi automotive fantasies. Are you ready? TomTom Business Solutions, a business unit of TomTom telematics dedicated to commercial vehicle fleets, published an insightful guide to the current and future tech being invented for van safety. The article includes a guide with info graphics that explain some of the technology that is now becoming standard in vans, plus what may be on the horizon in the very near future. The article titled, “ Your Guide to Van Safety Tech, Now and in the Future ” was published on TomTom’s website on November 20, 2013 by Giles Margerison. You can view ...

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has proudly announced that they will be supporting one of the UK’s largest pay-tv broadcasters, Sky, by supplying an additional 1,120 vehicles to the existing Sky fleet. The deal will most certainly be welcomed, as Sky has over 10 million television and broadband customers and that can equate to thousands of engineers out on call in any given day. The partnership is to include delivery of 930 Caddy Maxi Startline BlueMotion Technology (BMT) and 190 Transporter Startline BMT vehicles later this month. The vans are fitted with roof racking and will display Sky’s colourful and effective signing. I see dozens of Sky vehicles on the road nearly every day in my neck of the woods and the Volkswagen vans will make a great eye catching addition. I don't mind being stuck behind one of Sky's vans in traffic; the graphics on some of them are so bold and bright that it's akin to watching an HD advert while I wait. The Caddy van was a good choice for, ...

We are well and truly into the new year and it’s time to take a look back at how the commercial vehicle market did in December and in the full year of 2013. The SMMT have released figures from December and as predicted, the market rose 14.7%. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive has said that the latest figures mark the best performance in the last five years. Most impressive was the rise in van registrations. According to the SMMT data, vans rose 13.1% over the year, which was helped by an accumulated healthy growth in December of 32.5%. It seems that the recent positive economic growth and recovery has been a big factor in the rise in consumer confidence, giving way to such impressive year end figures. Truck registrations had a rocky ride in the last year, possibly due to Euro 6 compliance, but the figures clearly show that trucks have ended on a positive upturn in 2013 with an increase of 23%. The table below, published on the SMMT website, shows the positive December 2013 and year to ...