Low Cost Vans

This June, the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia will be lifted. The move is said to be part of the Crown Prince’s efforts to get more women in the workplace to help build the private sector and steer dependence away from oil. Not only is this a new opportunity for women in Saudi Arabia, but it’s also one for all the car dealerships who now have a much bigger customer base in the country. They still have a challenge ahead though – how to get the marketing right. Ford is already sending a clear message by saying that it will not be launching female only dealerships, with the marketing director for the Middle East and African region saying: “What this is supposed to be doing, and what government has said is the goal, is more integration of society, not necessarily separation.” But getting it spot on around how to appeal to women drivers is unlikely to be easy. Here in the UK, for example, few would say that the car industry’s efforts have managed it. A quick straw poll in an office of...

Bristol – a city synonymous with the Suspension Bridge, Massive Attack and Banksy. But is it better known these days as a city with an army of van dwellers? There are apparently 68 official van dwellers living in the city, with the majority said to be under the age of 35. They’re able to choose a four-wheeled home because as long as their van has an MOT and is taxed, the authorities can’t demand that it moves. But there are some people who aren’t that happy with the new homes in the city – there has been name calling, heated meetings and one women even reported going back to her van to find somebody with a knife. It’s a far cry from the glamorous #vanlife lifestyle which is projected by Instagram photos of attractive couples choosing to live an alternative lifestyle, leaving the responsibilities of conventional life behind in order to see the world. Van dwelling in Bristol seems to be less of a choice and more of a response to the cost of living in the city – not unlike the situation i...

The other night, at a crucial point in my tv programme, the screen went black and the lights went out. At the same time wind howled through the chimney. Clearly, the season of inclement weather is upon us and unfortunately, it’s looking wilder than ever. So although the last thing on my mind last night was getting in the car and going for a drive, sometimes you’ve just got to. Or maybe you’re already on a long journey and the weather suddenly turns. So this week, here’s my top five tips on how to drive safely in windy weather… Be informed As far as possible, check reports before you leave the house. Is there a massive traffic jam due to a road closure somewhere? Or is there a route you could take that would avoid going over a bridge or exposed area? Hang tight It sounds obvious but make sure that you have both hands firmly on the steering wheel - now is not the time to have one hand fishing about in a packet of crisps. Keep your space To keep yourself and others around you as safe as p...

Love or hate your local council, you’re kind of stuck with them and their ideas. Enter the people of Bournemouth and their local council’s drive to reduce congestion by offering prizes to people who commute by car sharing, walking, cycling etc. It’s a six-week challenge lasting from 11September to 21 October and individuals or businesses can sign up. Apparently, the traffic in the area is so bad that it’s possible that it could come to a standstill if the problem gets worse. So, to incentive the locals to do something about it, commuters will record their trips to and from work, with weekly prizes including iPads, Apple watches and cinema tickets. And those companies that do the best will get a £5,000 grant to go towards improving/creating a ‘sustainable travel infrastructure’ at their work. As is often the case, scroll to the comments section of the local online story on this and residents are giving their thoughts about the challenge: “Get rid of pointless traffic lights…” or “we hav...

Algorithms. A decade ago we had no idea how much our lives could be influenced by this geeky sounding technology.   Sometime algorithms can work in your favour (I had at least a few passable dates when I let a computer try and match me up with Mr Right), but sometimes they don’t.  News is that a company called a3c has developed algorithms that will change the price of fuel at peak times. So not only could peak time see you sitting in traffic; it could also see you being charged royally for the pleasure.  The Director behind the company, Martin McTague, said that the company was “in advanced discussions with supermarkets and other large retailers” about introducing the technology in the UK. Apparently, it is already used in the USA and Germany, where fuel prices can change ten times during one day.  It’s likely that fuel would cost more during the day time and less in the night. This means, says McTague, that drivers could save money by fuelling up at the cheaper times.  I’m dubious. Dr...

I have a pair of those really expensive wellies, Hunters, sitting at home by the front door. So shiny and pristine they look like they can’t wait for a big mud inducing downfall to go out and about and show their worth. But the thing is I can’t bear to get them dirty – they’ve actually been sat inactive for months. Guess I’ll have to bite the bullet when festival season comes along though – gotta have the look. If you’re wondering what this pre-amble has to do with vehicle related news… Well I was just comparing my wellies to how I think I’d feel if I had the latest pick-up truck – the Mercedes X Class - set to hit the forecourts next year. Branded as the first ‘premium’ pick-up truck, it’s venturing into an area where its rivals are yet to go. It’s an off-road beast with oversized tyres, an electric winch and as you’d hope, a fire extinguisher on the dash. But alongside this rough and ready side is gentile luxury. There’s black leather upholstery with lemon yellow accents on the inter...

Ok so call me a sucker for advertising but surely I’m not the only person whose self-image is somewhat malleable… Imagine myself in a Citreon and I become a little bit French; perhaps with a bag of fresh baguettes besides me. Put me in a Fiat and my Italiano side starts to emerge and I’m jazzily parking outside a cute little coffee bar. And when it comes to the mainly British made Mini, I’m right at home (well I guess I’ve driven out of Port Talbot and am a little near to London but you get the picture…). So my excitement about the new electric mini planned for launch in 2019 was tempered slightly by the recent news that it might not be produced in the UK. This car should be amazing; it’s said to be based on current existing models so it’ll still look cute as a button but its mechanics will be anything but – by the time it’s on the market it'll have the breakthrough in battery technology that’s currently being worked upon. But if it’s not made in the UK, will it feel a little bit d...

A video recording of your commute into work probably isn’t something you’d want as a keepsake, but it could be incredibly useful… A company which manufactures in-vehicle camera systems – SmartWitness – recently monitored 3,000 commercial vehicles that had FNOL (first notification of loss) camera devices installed and then looked at the wider insurance claim statistics in the UK. They found that if there is no camera involved, then 40% of insurance claims are disputed. But where there is a camera, that figure drops to just 2%! It also seems that the people driving with a camera in their car were just that little bit more aware of how well they were doing… The research showed significant improvement in driver behaviour, resulting in 19% less incidents than the national average. Unsurprisingly this type of camera is becoming more popular in the UK, but interestingly it’s long been a technology used by Russian drivers. And then there’s the cyclists on our roads - go for a drive around Bris...

Now what was I saying the other day? Using your phone while driving is not a good idea. And now it’s even more official. As from 1 March the law will change so that if anyone is caught making a call, texting or basically using their phone in any way, they will receive six points on their driving license. That’s doubling the three points incurred at present. As a quick reminder, you’ve only got 12 points – lose them and you’ve lost your license and incurred a huge bill. The other thing worth knowing is that those six points that you’d get from using your phone can’t be clawed back by agreeing to go on an ‘driver education’ day; like happens at the moment if you’re caught speeding. Once they’re gone, they’re gone! This made me have a think about how quickly a license could be lost – not that I’m taking this on as a new challenge or anything – I’ve got the full pack of 12 and intend to keep it that way. But anyway… a vehicle with defective breaks, steering or tyres would cost 3 points a p...

Most of us have witnessed some form of road rage when calmly making our way from A to B. My personal favourite is when someone beeps loudly because you haven’t left the traffic lights at the macro second the little man turns green. Patience is a virtue dear. As you may be concluding, I consider myself a considerate driver; a serene swan like presence on busy roads full of quacking ducks. But I recently had to put that to the test when I heard about a new ‘Driver Emotion Test’ that is now available. For the first time ever, there is a way of measuring how emotionally intelligent we are behind the wheel. Designed in partnership between Hyundai and behavioural psychologist Patrick Fagan from Goldsmiths University in London, it’s an in-car test that looks at how we respond to the stimulus around us while driving – it uses facial coding technology, eye tracking analysis and a heart rate monitor to better understand our emotions. The point (in case you’re wondering) is so that the more aware...

Well 2016 is very nearly behind us. From Brexit to Trump, to talk of Toblerone bars getting smaller (you may remember the space between the triangles was increased), there was no shortage of news about change on the horizon. We might not know what’s around the corner but no doubt it’s going to be an interesting year politically and as ever, technologically. And the clever bods at PwC have an interesting perspective on what this uncertainty may mean in reality. They think that this will result in the auto industry working out how to better match what they produce alongside changing demands. So in practice this could mean grabbing the recent popularity in SUVs and superminis to create more small SUVs. So... what do you think could be the perfect auto hybrid? Might be a good conversation starter if the festive season has left you a bit zoned out. It has to be something that consumers have never considered but want it the moment they’ve seen it. Enjoy the rest of the year and see you in 20...

Working for Low Cost Vans it’s no surprise that I feel a certain affinity for van drivers on the road; even if I am passing them in my convertible. But at this time of year if I see a big distribution van going past, I am even more interested in where they’re going and what they’ve been up to that day. Around 260 million parcels were delivered around November and December last year as Christmas shoppers decided to leave their own four wheels at home and shop from their armchair. It’s high demand and it’s not so much the vans I’m worried about, it’s the drivers. Earlier this year a BBC reporter went uncover as a driver at Amazon where he was told that drivers are expected to deliver up to 200 parcels a day. Not only was the workload intense, the reporter said he received the equivalent of £4.76 a month during his second week there - nowhere near the minimum wage. Of course this doesn’t mean that all drivers for distribution companies are facing bad conditions, but the change in the way...

Not that I want to start this post on a complete downer or anything… but did you know that there are more than 30,000 cardiac arrests a year? And that fewer than one in ten people survive? Today is Restart a Heart day. It’s a European wide initiative that takes place every 16 October, and it’s why I ate my breakfast this morning whilst watching a couple on breakfast tv tell their amazing story. Whilst walking down the street one day, the girl dropped to the floor, started fitting and then stopped breathing. Passers-by, not sure what to do, kept on going. Thankfully the girl’s boyfriend knew how to give CPR and saved her life. The girl couldn’t have been more than about 20 years old. So you never know who may have a cardiac arrest and when. And with statistics also estimating that 5% of all cardiac arrests will occur in the workplace, the first thing I did this morning was go and check that our workplace defibrillator was where it should be. Along with CPR, defibrillators can make a hug...

Hi All. I will be taking a short break from the blog, but I will be back with more van news and motoring inspired posts very soon. Also, be on the lookout for brand new Essential Guides too. Hope you are all enjoying the Summer. Fingers crossed the weather holds while I am out and about enjoying all that this beautiful country has to offer. First stop is the VW T4-T5 van East meets West fest in Pembrey County Park on the 11th of August. Thank you readers. Be back soon, Vanessa