Toyota
Toyota is to enter the light van market with a model based on the PSA Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner and Vauxhall Combo platform. The van, which Toyota has not yet named, will make its debut at the show before going on sale towards the end of 2019 with the same powertrains as the PSA vans.
“Toyota has never had a van this small. It’s a new market segment [for the brand],” a spokesman told What Van?
He added that UK LCV boss Gareth Matthews would focus on training staff at Toyota’s network of around 50 Business Centres on how to sell the model, which will be aimed at SMEs predominantly.
PSA and Toyota Motor Europe first collaborated in 2012 on the Proace medium van, which is based on the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. Toyota says the partnership enables both firms to benefit from production cost savings and claims it will participate in the development and industrial investment costs of the forthcoming light van.
The spokesman said the brand would also exhibit a flagship Hilux Invincible X at the CV Show sporting “minor” exterior styling changes.
Leaseplan
Leaseplan will be celebrating its 40th anniversary at the CV Show. Its main focus will be on promoting its new position as the first leasing firm to be given accredited vehicle hire supplier status by FORS, the best-practice compliance scheme for CV operators.
The company will also showcase the following products: Uptime Live, which manages SMR, and My Vehicle Check, a compliance app that lets drivers do safety checks on their mobile phones.
Vauxhall
Vauxhall is back at the show for the first time since 2015 and pride of place on its stand will be taken by its new Vivaro (pictured).
With Vauxhall now owned by PSA, the medium van, which will be built in Luton, is based on the same platform as the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. It will arrive in showrooms in July and Vauxhall will offer its bestseller in three trims: Edition, Sportive and Elite.
The brand has pledged to launch dan electric Vivaro in 2020.
There’ll be no heavily facelifted Movano large van at the NEC, though. Due on sale in September, it will still be based on Renault’s Master. Vauxhall is set to reveal first images in May.
VisionTrack
Vehicle camera and video firm VisionTrack will showcase its latest advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) and an extended range of forward- and rear-facing cameras for LCVs at the NEC.
The connected ADAS combines a forward-facing camera with an in-vehicle fatigue and distraction monitor, driver feedback device, and HD mobile digital video recorder.
VisionTrack claims the technology enables operators to tackle traffic incidents before they arise by warning of risk to and from the driver.
The camera identifies lane departure, forward collisions, tailgating, and vulnerable cyclists and pedestrians.
The in-vehicle monitor can spot whether a driver is tired or distracted by activities such as using a mobile phone, smoking or eating, according to VisionTrack, which added visual or audible warnings would alert the driver to potential dangers.
Modul-System
A big focus for the racking specialist in 2019 is to raise the payload capacities of its customers’ light commercial vehicles through the use of lightweight materials.
The firm, which rebranded from Tevo to Modul-System on 1 April, will launch a lightweight workbench at the CV Show based on the sandwich design of its Modul-Floor.
It claims the workbench will be 60% lighter than a wooden equivalent, weighing 7kg and offering a weight saving of 12kg on a 1.5m bench.
“The ultimate aim is to make the product lighter but to retain its strength,” said key account manager Danielle Bennett.
Another new addition to the range will be a set of roof-mounted accessories, such as roof bars and pipe carriers, and there will also be a Multi-Box that enables box stacking and a trolley to ease deliveries, which can be stowed within the racking.
Modul-System will also reveal upgrades to its Modul-Connect electrical system to enable van electrics and interior and exterior lighting to be operated by a smartphone or Bluetooth. The company claims that it will reduce wiring and preserve the manufacturer’s warranty through reducing the need to drill holes in the vehicle’s bodywork.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Motors in the UK is to unveil the winner of a competition held within its dealer network to design a bespoke L200 pick-up truck.
The ‘Truck King Battle’ was opened to UK dealership staff across the Mitsubishi network in January, giving all dealer staff the chance to design their own one-off Mitsubishi Series 5 L200 pick-up. The finalists’ designs were then professionally rendered in a digital form and voted for on the importer’s digital media channels.
Mitsubishi will create a bespoke truck from the winning design, which visitors will be able to see at the NEC.
A facelifted L200 will arrive in the UK in the summer but will not be at the NEC. However, the Mitsubishi stand will host a Shogun Sport Commercial and provide a platform for the show debut of the PHEV Outlander Commercial. Mitsubishi expects to sell up to 400 PHEV LCVs in the next year, with interest coming from local authorities and SMEs operating in urban areas.
Thermo King & Frigoblock
Refrigeration specialists Thermo King and Frigoblock will launch their Thermo King E-200 electric temperature control unit at the show, which will be displayed on a Tesco supermarket van converted by bodybuilder Solomons. The companies say a new controller allows the refrigeration unit to adapt capacity based on need and available power.
A spokesman told What Van? a hold-over system would keep the temperature constant if there is a drain on the battery and added the unit is compatible with electric vans. With low-emission zones to comply with, he said: “We have to be power-conservative.”
He claimed that tests on home-delivery fleets showed the E-200 cut range by just eight miles over a day.
On diesel vans with stop/start, the E-200 kicks in when the engine cuts out to keep the power feed to the fridge constant. Previously, if the stop/start was not disabled the compressor would stop turning, the spokesman said.
With telematics built in, operational efficiency is improved and temperature information can be relayed to the fleet manager, according to the spokesman.
Fleetcheck
Software and fleet management firm Fleetcheck is introducing a new version of its Vehicle Inspection App at the CV Show, where the original app, now used for more than 3,000 UK vehicle checks a day, made its debut two years ago.
The new app features upgrades, such as support for languages commonly used among UK fleet drivers, a fit-to-drive declaration, enhanced damage, defect and collision reporting, and shift recording.
It now features an interface that allows users to access tyre pressure data for a wide range of vehicles to ensure drivers undertaking checks know the correct level for their vehicle.
Fleetcheck MD Peter Golding said: “Immediately from launch,the app found an important niche for fleets that needed a fast, accurate, DVSA-compliant digital safety check tool.
“Over the last year or so we identified several key areas for enhancements and took the decision to develop a completely new version, which we are proud to present for the first time at the CV Show.”
The app allows users to schedule, carry out, confirm, follow-up and audit all kinds of inspections, from daily walk-arounds to formal weekly or monthly checks.
It delivers a paper-free checking process, instant visibility of missed checks, uploading of relevant photos from drivers, bespoke checking for specialist equipment, and automated mileage collection to enable accurate forward maintenance planning.
It also integrates with Fleetcheck’s fleet management software.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
VW is to display a range of new electric products. The brand first exhibited the left-hand-drive plug-in LCVs at the IAA in Hanover last September but, focusing on the domestic market, a spokeswoman said: “We want to get the conversation going, not everyone is right for going electric and we need to understand where our customers are.”
Visitors will be able to see electric versions of the Caddy Maxi, Transporter and Crafter.
The brand is looking at moving into the blue light sector and will have a Crafter CR50 LWB Riot Van on display.
Other ‘Working With You’ conversions will include a Crafter CR35 MWB minibus and a LWB wheelchair accessible Caddy.
VW will have 14 vehicles on its stand – up from 10 last year and the highest number since the brand returned to the show four years ago.
CV Show Round-up . . .
The big news from Ford will be the UK debut of its performance-developed pick-up truck, the Ranger Raptor, plus a chance for visitors in the UK to get a first look at the revised 2.0t Transit, which features more fuel-efficient engines, including the addition of a mild hybrid-diesel powertrain, higher payloads and built-in connectivity facilities. Ford has also promised to demo further electrification of its LCV line-up.
Peugeot and Citroen will be giving UK show debuts to their new light vans, the Partner and Berlingo, respectively. The PSA brands will also be highlighting developments within their dealer networks while Citroen will display a historical van in celebration of its centenary.
Telematics firm Masternaut is to exhibit its Connect platform, containing maintenance data that allows fleet managers to remotely compile dashboard warning indicators and upcoming service requirements. Connect also now offers vehicle-check data collected by drivers with a mobile phone app. A new suite of features focuses on the job management of field-based staff, keeping track of job completion through assessing real-time vehicle positions, messaging work updates to staff, and informing customers of expected arrival times.
VW-owned MAN will unveil the latest version of its Crafter-based TGE – a 3.5t TGE flatframe chassis cowl that it claims provides an ideal base for low-height Luton and box body conversions. MAN will also reveal a 17-seat minibus based on a 5t TGE.
A highlight on converter Cartwright’s stand will be its new lightweight, rigid low-floor box van, which it will demonstrate on a 3.5t Vauxhall Movano. Cartwright says it’s designed as a low-entry delivery body that will withstand the rigours of a high-utilisation parcel delivery operation.
